Dear Friends,
image from : http://www.luckup.net/upload/2009-03/090312155356341.gif
Zhu Geliang (诸葛亮, AD 181-234) was one of the greatest military strategists, politicans, inventors as well as educators in China.
He has given his best to rebuild the Han Dynasty, foiling Cao Cao’s ambition in the chaotic Period of The Three Kingdoms in late Han Dynasty. (Though he was not successful in his noble aim eventually).
After the death of Liu Bei (his master who paid him three visits in his humble residence before Zhu Geliang agreed to serve him in rebuilding/defending the Han Dynasty), Zhu Geliang (aka Kong Ming) was tasked by Liu Bei to look after the welfare of State of 蜀汉 and the unfinished job of reuniting the Han Dynasty.
Kong Ming devoted all his energy to the state and rarely has the opportunity to spend time with his children.
In the olden days, fathers used to write education letters (诫子书, “Jie Zi Shu”) to their children, to remind them of the values and objectives in life.
Zhu Geliang’s “诫子书” to his son 诸葛瞻 (“Zhu Gezhan”, who was then 8 years old) was one of the most famous.
It has only 86 characters and summarises all key advice to his son. Less is More. Zhu Geliang wrote this at the front line in his last battle against the State of Wei.
Here it goes :
夫君子之行，静以修身，俭以养德。
非澹泊无以明志，非宁静无以致远。
夫学须静也，才须学也。
非学无以广才，非静无以成学。
慆慢则不能研精，险躁则不能理性。
年与时驰，志与岁去，遂成枯落，悲叹穷庐，将复何及也。
I would not try to translate it, it is very concise and in best form possible.
In essence, Zhu advised his son on the importance of :
1. Solitude : ability to bear loneliness, achieving calmness in the mind that’s essential in training one’s character,
2. Frugality : for social responsibilty
3. Setting of Goals in life
4. Study : to equip oneself with knowledge to serve the society
5. Perseverance : working hard to equip oneself with necessary tools to achieve set objectives
6. Efficiency : laziness is the greatest enemy
7. Mental State : Rational and calmness to lead
8. Time : importance of time management, time and tide wait for no man
9. Social Engagement/Participation : Making meaningful contribution or regreting at the end of the journey.
Teaching, or more exactly education, is the most difficult thing in life, especially in our current information world flushed with indiscriminate information, most of which are rubbish anyway.
Have fun.
Filed under: All, Nature, Uncategorized
xy2, aiyah, your posting should have come out 2 weeks ago!!
no, just kidding.
This reminds me of the “homework” I had to do for my son.
In 8th grade, he completed reading “To kill a Mockingbird” for the year in English class ( a book on the required reading list for middle/high school) . The book tells of the life lessons the father in the story (Atticus, a white lawyer) tried to pass on to his daughter (Scout) when he defended his client who was a black man accused of raping/murdering a white woman. This story was set in the South during the times when blacks were still suffering from racial injustice during the 1930s.
As part of the assignment, each student was asked to go home and talked to his parents and to get 10 quotes that would teach a life lesson each and to write about what they meant and where the quotes came from (ie. if they were form a different culture).
I had to crack my head for them!! Brains no lomger working like a 16 year-old!
Had your posting been around, would have needed only a few seconds to copy it!!
But yes, that was as as close as I got to be as brilliant as “Zhu Geliang”!!
Hmmm….what about us? What wisdom did we pass down to our children?
I’m thinking hard about myself. Didn’t really have any original wisdoms….mainly…those stated in bible & quotes from parents. Maybe we should create our own customized wisdom for our own children.
The very talented Zhu Geliang left only 86 characters to his youngest son.
Very happy if I have 1% of his wisdom.
Three words to my son :
信，学，思。
If I stick to the 1 % rule, then just one word (rounding up error):
信.
Err…what’s that? Can translate?
Have you told him these 3 words already?
What’s his response?
If I may try guessing the meaning—-
1. believe/faith
2. learn/persevere
3. arts/aesthetic
This encompass the whole of life on ths earth. Its wholesome.
Believe/Faith is your 1% most impt wisdom. With this, one can conquer the unknown, persevere to achieve it & it will be original, coz it’s birth from one’s own mind.
Something like this? Hehehe….
good try. try harder.
Hahaha…! I thought can bait you to explain!
Ok, let’s hear from others…
Interesting!
Teaching our children life lessons is not easy. For one thing, let us think about ourselves. Did we take the life lessons that our parents taught us easily or did they need to drum them in?
Plus, it is a slow and patient process. Sometimes, one needs to get older/more mature/wiser to actually understand the meaning of some words/lessons. I may be speaking for myself, but as we grow older and more mature(?), we tend to see the point better.
So when we give some words of wisdom to our children, we need to understand that they may need a while (sometimes a long while) to get the point and maybe apply the words to their lives. It is not as simple as “Sit down, my son, here are some words of wisdom for you, and if you apply them to your life from tomorrow onwards, your life will be blessed!” and voila! you son takes the words to heart and treasures them and acts by them!
We can only hope that the words spoken (and hopefully heard by the child) will have left a small impression on a few brain cells and at some point in future they may be taken seriously.
Zhu Geliang may have written those words to his son when the boy was 8, but I am sure he was a lot older when those words from his father sank into his brains!
Let’s hear from all of you.
Ch,
that’s “satori” (悟）。
sometims it may never happen in a single life time.
Have fun.
Some very interesting topics discussed here by the wiser one generation older than me
I cannot agree with ch more – time and experience is the essence. As we grew older, we gets more confident but also truthfully more humble due to realising the scope of what we don’t know – which seems to expand faster than what we know.
For now, until we become a little wiser, guess i can only try to teach my very young children “technically” about how to “survive”. Once they grew and become more independent then they will pick up a bit about how to be “wise” and hopefully by then I have enough juice to crank up just a word or two …
少年学语苦难圆
只道功夫半未全
到老方知非力取
三分人事七分天
子曰：＂… 知之为知之、不知为不知、是知也＂
wa….. very “chim”, cannot understand lah, mr. xiaoyao2.
Anyway, suffice it to say that life is a learning process. We learn from the elders and the wise men, and hoepfully we get to pass on the lesosns to our children.
Back to a “contracting year”: year of the white tiger. Can see that obviously in the stock markets now!
Ch,
I think you pretty much got most of the fundamentals.
1. wisdom to acknowledge what we don’t know (不知为不知）.
Failure of modern education, you are expected to answer by arguing why you think it is that way, and not giving an answer is not an option (ie you get zero mark). (Remember Shakespear’s “What’s in a name, that which we called a rose?”)
Reality is that most of the questions we face in life have no answers, at least not from our perspective.
2. On the other front, we work as hard we can, though as we grow wiser as per growing age, there is a realization that not all is hard-work alone.
That of course is not a justification for laziness.
Do what we can, and not be too hung up with the out come. (of course this is easier said than done).
xy2,
Many people word very hard, but they do not get what they deserve. So sometimes it is not just hard work. It is sometimes a matter of timing, opportunity and luck as well. Certainly hard work helps.
A man has to stumble on a gold mine first before he can get rich. But he has to dig (work) and if there is demand for god (timing and opportunity), then only can he really get rich. Another man can work hard but if he is digging on the wrong land, it will not make him rich.
It is a famous story of how oil was discovered in the Middle-East. Someone re-read the Bible and said, hey if Moses’ mother used “tar” to seal the basket before floating him on the Nile river, there must be tar available in the land, and that means there is oil!
But I bet you during the time of the pharoah’, no one got rich from oil, it was not needed yet. They did not have the machines that guzzled oil then. Otherwise they could have built the pyramids with cranes and power shovels and not slave power!
On a completely different note, there is a health trend among women in Japan now to drink sa-yu (白湯）. That means we boil the water and then cool it to almost body temperature to drink it (what we used to do in the old days before mineral water came around!). The advice is to add a few slices of ginger to it, and if you like it add a drop of honey or marmalade (in place of 陳皮）to make it more drinkable. I know ginger removed “wind” but what else?
HAPPY FATHER’S DAY TO ALL THE COOL FATHERS OF THE BLOG!!
THREE CHEERS TO THEM!
Travelling in US right now.
While driving yesterday, happened to listen to the local radio and there was a radio host giving the following messages to all men on Father’s Day:
1. Men, you are screwed, 2010 marks the end of men.
2. 3 out of every 5 US college students are now women,
3. More than 50% of bread earners in US are now women,
4. Women make decisions in companies and at homes,
5 men’s brute force is still needed, in mostly manual and risky jobs,
6. Men, wake up and improve your EQ and skills in attending to chores at home and learn how to negotiate effectively with women.
Happy Father’s Day!
2010 marks the end of men !
Err, xy2, son’s summer school?
Good luck to all the guys then!
Heard that in Russia, especially in Moscow, the “handyman” is the most sought after person. Why? Because there are many single women (divorced included, of course) who need a “handyman” to do the “manual and risky jobs” in and around the house/apartment!
The rest the women can handle it!!
http://www.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/wayoflife/06/18/mr.moms/?hpt=C1
Well, maybe a bit too late to opt to be Mr. Mom, but how you can still consider yourself a candidate for Mr. Grandma!
We see a number of so called “house husbands” who come along when their wives are given overseas assignments.
Some manage to work from home, some take on free lance jobs, but others are just Mr. Moms. I see some do their job quite well, maybe better than Mrs. Mom.
I think it really does not matter. Whichever parent can care (better) for the child, that is the matter. If both parents are not around, then it is disastrous.
Talking about the changing roles of men, in Sweden, a new royal couple married 2 days ago. She will be future Queen of Sweden, he will be the loving consort for life (and personal trainer, of course!)
The Crown Prince of Japan attended the wedding, without his wife, the Crown Princess Masako. She has been “classified” as not physically (and mentally) healthy, so was unable to go for any overseas functions. She is hardly seen in public functions in Japan too, and the only times her picture is taken is when she is taking her daughter Princess Aiko to and from school or attending some school event like sports day! This is a typical sad story, a brilliant girl made to conform to the rules of the palace. Although publicly it is said that she is not well, I think it is more the palace authorities trying to clip her wings and make sure she does not get any official functions because it was said that she was too smart and perhaps once rebelled again them.
I really wonder what the Japanese Crown Prince thought of the fate of his own daughter, their only child, who could one day be the Empress of Japan if the laws were changed to be like those of Sweden, but would likely end up being a caged spinster or married off to some poor and boring salaryman like his own sister. No one wants to marry a Japanese princess! They are poor and totally lack any glamour.
There were some movements to change the law since at one point several years ago there did not seem to be any male heirs in line, but Princess Masako’s sister-in-law trumped her with a son (a third child born after 2 much older girls) a few years back and since then the idea of a female ascending the chrysanthemum throne was shelved.
At least the Crown Princess of Sweden had a choice of marrying her personal trainer! Poor Princess Aiko will not even have a male personal trainer near her in the first place.
What happened to the blog lately?
Everyone is taking an early summer holiday already?
xy2, hope you come back from your US trip refreshed with new ideas for the blog!
Hi everyone ! xy2 had been too quiet for too long. I too been busy with own affairs.
Yeah, I truly think it’s a sad case for Princess Masako. One smart and pretty lady with a bright future ahead who could have soared to great success in the corporate or diplomatic circles and more importantly happier had she been allowed to follow her nature. Now reduced to what .. mentally unfit, unhealthy to perform her duties as the Crown Princess ? I wonder how she spends each day ? Marrying the Prince was her biggest sacrifice for her family.
In a way I bet the sister of Crown Prince would be shouting for joy now that she is free from the clutches of the palace, to become a commoner ! Princess Masako must be envious. It’s a sad case when she is so much smarter than the husband but had to be suppressed so as not to outshine the Prince.
Yeah, they should have just gone ahead with the amendment to allow a female on the throne, regardless of male heir or nil. Even China recognizes the female power as in history with Empress Dowager.
Japan need to come out of its self-limiting traditions.
Another thing in Japan that truly undermines the female’s right for equality is that once they marry, they have to change their surname to follow that of the husband’s on all documentation !
Imagine, all the assets, properties, bank accounts under the name you are born with has to be renamed to carry your husband’s surname if you marry a Japanese man. So much hassle, and a loss of own identity !
But sometimes, the woman felt that’s to be the ultimate happiness, that is to change one’s surname !
Mf,
am still travelling in USA, from mid West to East Coast and then West Coast.
Weather differing from very pleasure to very warm in mid West, will be flying from St. Louis to LA later this evening, guess the weather will be more pleasant.
Guess Asia has a lot to catch up on individual values, especially social status of women, though not all things in free America are great.
China will be place that women have most power. And interestingly Malaysia too.
xy2,
As a shareholder, I demand to know why the employees of your bank are taking such long and luxurious holidays and not working when there is a crisis in Europe !!!
Just kidding!
They just published the highest paid CEOs and directors for public companies here and there was a lot of hoo-ha about Carlos Ghosn (CEO of Nissan) who got paid close to USD10 mil and the second highest following close was Stringer (CEO, Sony Corp). Japan just does not understand that top managers need to be paid well because the company can do or die without them. Some stupid commentators said that maybe Ghosn should distribute some of the money he received to the other employees because they contributed just as hard!! And, poor Ghosn is not even paid as much as other top CEOs in the world.
mf, totally agree with you on Pirncess Masako’s case. I had the honor to have met her a number of times before she became a princess candidate (something spicy to add to my grandma stories for my grandkids!), and I would rate her very high as a person. She is well mannered, well educated and brilliant. But 20 years down the road, she is just stifled. Yes, she would have been a very successful CEO of some company today (some of her contemporaries are heads of companies today!). But you know, the prince made a perfect choice for a wife, there is no doubt. Had the prince been an ordinary salaryman, she would be a happy wife and mother today. Even now I am not sure if their marriage is bad, it is just that the people around them and the Japanese society as a whole expect differently from her. They wanted to show the world that they can accept and actually wants a modern, well-educated girl with the right CV to marry the prince, but it stops there. After marriage, you are expected to stay mum and toe the line; ie. be the perfect Japanese wife!
Japan is still debating whether women should be allowed to keep their own last names!! And the joke is, women politicians are the ones lobbying for women NOT to be allowed to keep their last names. Why? Because if there are 2 surnames in a family, it would not promote family harmony and unity! My gosh, when I heard that I Iaughed so loud. All the families in Asia for the last 5000 years must have been in disharmony and in disunity because all the Chinese women, Korean women and SE Asian women have kept their own family names after marriage! The joke is, when they wanted to discuss such issues, the Japanese NEVER looked at Asia, they compared themselves to US, UK, Germany etc. and said that in many countries it is the rule rather than the exception to convert to the husband’s last name.
Japanese women’s rights? Hardly any. A woman can get divorced without her consent if her husband decides to out her seal on the divorce papers and send them to the ward office. No witnesses needed, no notice period needed to check if all parties agree.
Yeah xy2, agree that China and Malaysian women boleh!
Men, don’t get this wrong, women are not power hungry, we just want some equal opportunities and equal rights.
ch, whoa you sure meet high profile people !
What a privilege to have met Princess Masako – that time could have been her prime, her natural self.
The Prince chose the best candidate. I remembered him on TV saying he would make her happy and she was smiling shyly. This probably was far from what she had in mind.
In the past, Japan had a female as the Prime Minister, as in Takako Doi, and recently a female challenger for the top post, and I suppose more and more females are not willing to exchange their career for apron springs after marriage these days. Are you seeing that trend there, ch ?
As for the divorce procedures, Japan is forgetting the human touch by over-automating it in its pursuit of high efficiency in all areas !
If we look around in all other living expressions, it doesn’t take long for one to realise that female gender is much more resilient.
In species like spiders, male becomes his mate’s super after the job is done.
Talking about gender equality, US has a system most appealing to women seeking divorce, to the extent of exploiting some unfortunate guys who made far less than the ex-wife. All assets under the divorced man will be sliced half given to the wife, and alimony to be paid to the wife monthly for many years (not sure how many), even if the wife remarry or misbehave at the first place, and even when the wife has/used to made more moneys all along. I have some ang moh friends who have to start all over with savings after a divorce. There’s an organisation trying to lobby for change in this outdated law to make it more equal/fair, for some poor men sake.
mf,
a little correction. Takako Doi was never PM, she was only head of her political party. Because she was a tough cookie, they made her speaker of the house just before she retired from active politics. She was outspoken. As for the contender to be PM, no such material yet, though there were one or two women who seem to be outspoken and MAY make it if things change. Japan is basically still very much a male-dominated and male chauvinistic country, if you like.
yl,
They did not make the divorce procedure much easier because of the electronic age. This system of instant divorce was in place since hundreds of years ago. If a woman did not produce a child in 2 years after marriage, she can be automatically divorced without any questions asked; those were the laws during the old days. In fact it has not changed much, Princess Masako was expected to produce an heir, and that was her duty. Since she failed, she is being “punished” in a way.
ct,
yes, in the West, the men are disadvantaged perhaps. In the book “The millionaire next door”, the writer wrote that in order for a guy to retire a millionaire, one of the advice given is not to get divorced, because divorces are expensive in the US. Most millionaires (meaning the guy next door type of rich) are average guys with an average family, and if you work hard and save, you will retire well, but if the spouse takes half or more in a divorce, your million is gone overnight.
So guys, keep your wives happy!
tx, ch for the correction. Ah, now I remember.
This blog is going on a slumber.
After watching the Red Cliff 1 & 2, our appetite for Three Kingdom stories grew.
Now, very into the Three Kingdom drama series from China. Downloaded from the net – all 90 episodes. Learnt a lot of Chinese as a result, spoken in the olden days. All the plotting, deceiving without explicitly offending – phew, truly an art.
And, Zhu Geliang is a fascinating character, our admired idol in the show.
mf,
Thanks for your contribution. You are trying to break the hibernation! Thank you.
As per xy2 postings earlier, the white tiger year is a “contracting” year, so maybe this is the contraction time?
Over here it is hot summer. Thousands have suffered from heat stroke and brought to hospitals for treatment.
But we need the hot summers to produce delicious fruits in the autumn. Some years when the summers are not hot or just cool, the fruits in the autumn do not taste good. Cannot have the best of both worlds.
Oh yes, read from papers that there were even several fatalities due to heat stroke. Can’t quite imagine that.
Over here, cool mornings due to rain, sometimes just cloudy and cold the whole day, alternate with one or 2 very hot days per week. A bit like early autumn at times minus autumn leaves.
Singapore seemed to be plagued by frequent floods lately that rumours had it that the island is sinking due to too many buildings !
Yeah, guess i will have to put a new posting very soon, lest this site is abandoned by all.
As the famous Sung Dynasty poet reminded:
“人似秋鸿来有信，事如春梦了无痕”.
Have fun.
Hi All,
Now in Spore, people will wake up in the middle of the night, to move their cars to higher grounds, if they see heavy rains. Can’t sleep in peace, hearing the rain fall & dreaming their cars submerged. It’s an Act of God, so no insurance claim!
Have just sent off 1 daughter to study in Brisbane U, so I now know, how you all felt during the first mth especially…..
Just came back yesterday, after spending Spore National Day holidays with her, after having missed her for 1 mth already. Now, felt very much better….life will go on….
Got to treasure the children still by my side & let go(emotionally) of the one overseas. Sob…sob! How time flies & our babies will soon all fly away from their nest.
Glad that you all are still here on this blog. Nice to find you all still talking.
Hi All,
We are all back huh?
xy2, you have to keep this blog alive!
Mf tried to revive it after a loooooong silence.
YL, so you just sent one off.?
I just got one back after graduation. When they are gone, you miss them, when they are back, you want them to be out (doing something). Got used to having less mouths to feed in the house for the last couple of years, now have to cook more & wash more!
Life goes one.
This week is the Obon week in Japan, where the Japanese return to their ancestral homes to invite the dead spirits home…..frankly I don’t know what they do but it is the chance for families to gather and see each other once a year (besides the New year holidays). So my business is closed for 4 days to let my staff go home, and I am taking it easy. Tokyo for once is without traffic jams and extremely quiet.
Used to be shops and restaurants mostly close during this season, but these days many Japanese are also ditching tradition and prefer to use this time to shop or eat out or travel overseas.
Oh….CH, your child came back? That’s great! I’m preparing for the worst, that she will not come back but work permanently in Aust or elsewhere in the world. Get married off & settled overseas.
We in Spore are in the Hungry Ghost Month. So, once again, we are enveloped in smoke & ashes everywhere. Food left abandoned along the roadside & it’s not considered as littering coz it;s for the ghosts.
As usual, this time of the year is quite depressive. With much changes in office, home & personal. Got to move on & make the best of every situation & look forward to pleasant surprises.
YL,
Yeah, hungry ghost month. Obon is the same as Hungry Ghost festival. I forgot the term as I was never brought up in that tradition so never know much about what goes on. Today is the day they send back the ghosts to wherever they belong after having fed them for the last few days. I learned this from one of my staff girls. Never had a clue what goes on during this time of the year, only that the Japanese all go home to their hometown and it is quiet in Tokyo!
Well, when the kids are little, you want them to grow up fast and go off to college. Then when they go off, we worry about them and miss them.
I now have one “boomerang ” son (the one who graduated), one at college and one still at home. The last one was in Taiwan for one week for a music ministry week. He plays the flute and the bass. So missed him for a week, but he came back with a load of wet laundry for me. The boomerang one is making himself very comfy at home now, since there is an aircond room, good home cooked meals, and clean laundry everyday! I am ready to send him off to live on his own, only he is not about top budge yet!
CH,
Hmmm…..wonder how you cope without a maid & running a business? You got a part time domestic helper?
My eldest daughter is like your boomerang son. She refused to leave home to go overseas to study, not even with her sister who is now in Aust. She doesn’t want to leave her comfy bed & home. So, will study on in Spore. Has been my constant companion, accompanying me shopping, meals & movies. She is musically inclined & sings beautifully. Very homely type.
Currently unattached! Want to match make? Hahaha…..!
She is a beauty! Sure to sweep your son off his feet if he doesn’t check out her character. Not easy to live with her, I would say but….hopefully love is blind! 
YL,
I think we will be getting a reprimand from xy2 very soon if we turn this blog into a match-making chat room!!
You are very lucky, at least your girls would accompany you shopping etc. Sons go shopping with you? Forget it!
But they are useful when it comes to computer related stuff. I just need to shout or moan about how silly the computer software is (actually it is my brain software) when things do not work out and one of them will come around. “Hiya, mom, you are a real IT dinosaur, blah blah and then things get fixed!”
Hehehe…..we use whatever means to draw Xiaoyao2 out of silence to reclaim his blog!
When he really cannot tahan already, he may post a new article to distract us.
Hi everyone,
Seems like interesting topic brewing here..Ghosts and matchmaking.
While Japanese and Chinese Ghosts are partying this month, do you know that the Muslim ghosts are locked (chained ) during this month of Ramadhan, the holy month !
YL, Singapore allows burning ? Don’t you get fined ??!!
Must learn from you all in preparing for the birds to leave the nest. Mine still quite a bit more to go, so will take the advice to enjoy them now.
CH, one way to get your son out is to get him a girlfriend, no ? Similarly, for YL. Read that Singapore is starting its matchmaking campaign again – with money to giveaway ! To subsidise dating expenses ? The youngsters may not be, but Singapore is getting desperate !
MF,
Thanks for the g/friend advice.
I told him if he was not going to buck up, I was getting him married!! (like in the old days when parents married off their children whether they liked it or not). In the old days, parents would say they would contact some old auntie in China and arrange for a wife etc. (no insults to the people in China here)
I wish there was a g/friend around who can do the whip cracking so I do not have to do it.
YL, Is your daughter good at “mothering”??
To add to this Chinese g/friend story, seemed like these days girls and women in China have gotten smarter.
They do not want to marry a man if he did not own an apartment in a major city like Shanghai or Beijing and owning one usually costs more than 30 years of a man’s salary! Better still if he has a BMW. I read this in an article about marriage in China.
One girl was quoted as saying, ” Better to cry in a boyfriend’ BMW than laugh on the back of a bicycle” .
Another article cited that prenuptial agreements are the “in” thing in Chinese marriages.
It would stipulate that the husband will hand over all his earnings to the wife who would in turn give him a stipulated sum for his pocket money, or who would do the ironing and who would do the housecleaning or cooking. One was even funnier. It stated that if his mobile phone were ever to get out of order, he was to inform his wife immediately or else he would get fined. If he did not come home for one night, he would have to pay her a fine. If he misbehaves and there is another woman, the fine would be RMB *** and the list goes on.
Women are wiser these days !!!
THe China girls are always deemed as the smarter breed, when it comes to wrapping the men around their fingers !
Thought it was the Japanese culture to hand all salary to wifey and draw a monthly pocket money. So, China learns this trick too.
On mothering sons, yeah .. I am starting early ..pestering my 15 year old to quickly get a wife to take over the mothering duties .. ! OUt of frustrations !
ch, wonder what is your criteria of a suitable candidate as a daughter-in-law ??
Hi All,
Didn’t know we started off an interesting topic for discussion here. Hehehe….!
MF, yes Spore allows burning & even provides big urns or metal netting containers at each HDB block for this purpose of burning.
CH, my daughter cooks & prefers to spend free time at home, singing, chatting with friends on the internet, watching downloaded movies & in cinemas & checking out new stuff on internet. She carries an I Pad everywhere for checking bus timing, book movies, check out nearby restaurants for good food, find her way around, etc… She bought a cheap monthly internet data plan, so she can hook online anywhere & anytime. Reading newspaper online from her I Pad during bus/MRT rides…. very IT person.
She is quite pretty & has a lovely voice, so better make sure you approve before letting your son meet her. Many guys are heart broken- being unable to win her heart.
Right now, she is still available, coz she wants to build her career by furthering her studies in local U.
About your question whether she ‘mothers’, I got to answer ‘no’. She likes to do things together & enjoy talking, joking, playing, checking out new stuff, etc…not quite the goody domesticated girl. Very vocal & not the shy type.
whoa, YL is selling daughter high !!
Hahaha…..! Better don’t let my daughter know about this. This is mum’s favourite past time? Anyway, I heard enough of her telling me that she not getting married for a long long time to come. Sigh…..!
ch, your turn !! Let me guess, tall, handsome and smart. Broke many girls’ hearts !
Hehe ! xy2, you want to join in ??!!
MF, thanks for your description of my son.
Mom here too shy to mention it, but you did it for me.
Aiyah, must invite MF to be the “nakodo” (the tai kam che) next time!!
Your description of my son, yeah, right on the spot. I showed my friends his graduation photo and everyone said he is so handsome he looks like an actor or a TV personality. Except we are still waiting for the job offer to be an actor!
Any offers out there?
YL, your daughter glued to the computer? These days the young generation, they are all glued to the computer.
But hey, if your girl and my boy get together, they will both be glued to the computer and will not even talk to each other!!
Not a great idea!!
Vocal and not shy? These days kids are vocal everywhere.
I think xy2 is now preparing a posting called “match making among the children of blogmates”!!!
Xy2, where are you?? No hiding please.
ch .. so I was spot-on. Got facebook ? look like actor .. Jap or Korean style? must check it out ! BTW, u have not answered the previous question, your criteria of a daughter-in-law.
Japanese, OK ?
Aiya, ch & YL, not to be anxious lah. Highly eligible and highly sought after pretty girl and handsome boy need no help to seek partners. Not shy, right ? Probably, have very high standards that are hard to be met.
Wah….CH, your son like actor, smart & tall also! Liow….my daughter can’t be a match for his height. Maybe got to offer my 2nd daughter who is in U now in Brisbane. She is very tall & slender- very shapely coz she was in dance CCA in Pre U college. Now first yr Univ, studying some course related to medicine.
She is also pretty- more of the Korean/Japanese type. Her charactor is almost total opposite to her elder sister. She cooks well, even cooking now in Univ. Great dancer, was invited back to teach the students in her JC, school prefect & very well loved by teachers.
She makes friends easily. Young & old likes her. She helps out in Nursery in Church & very good with babies & children. Played the keyboard on Sundays Church- passed grade 8 piano.
A group of boys & girls saw her off at the airport last mth. Many handsome guys but due to her cheery character, being nice to everybody, so none of them knows where they stand in her heart. She sure show same affection to all the guys & girls, so they can’t tell.
Hahaha….selling my 2nd daughter now! She is still in 1st yr Univ, so still a long way to go.
Match making is fun until it ‘tak jadi’ & hearts got broken, then we know, cannot play, play.
Also, new generation youngsters may not like to be match maked! Sigh….! Just for the fun of it lah!
My eldest daugther records her singing & post on U Tube. She has quite a number of faithful followers viewing her singing. It’s quite breathtaking but if your son is not interested in singing, then it won’t move him at all. Hehehe…
I can see YL beaming like a proud parent, of her beautiful angels. YL, what was your advice to your angels on picking the right guy ?
So, from Zhu Geliang’s letter to son, this posting has transformed into parents’ guiding hand to finding a life-partner for their children !
YL, looks like your daughters are HOT stuff!
My son loves all the good things in life! Nice clothes, good food and pretty girls! He also dances: i.e. ballroom dancing! So if your daughter is into ballroom, you got him! He has a very very flexible body, he can still actually bring his foot to curl around his neck at 21. He can almost double up in yoga poses. He was born in the year of the snake, so I do not know if that has anything to do with his flexible body! I have a second boy going to medical school. He tells me that boys in med schools are on the top of the list of guys that girls want date!!
MF, my criteria for a daughter-in-law? Frankly, my criteria is very simple, get a sensible girl! I really don’t care whether Japanese or Chinese or any other race. Sounds simple, right? Maybe that is the most difficult criteria!
YL, Will definitely get my son to check out your daughter’s You-tube singing and your second daughter’s Facebook!
xy2: By now you should have more than sufficient material for your next posting! Match -making!!!
Wow CH! My 2nd daughter loves dancing! Almost enrolled with me into a dance class during holidays after A levels. Tak jadi, coz she doesn’t want to be dancing the Man role, coz she is much taller then me. She wants to be the lady dancing with a man but she got no man!
Nice clothes, good food & handsome guys! That is exactly what my eldest daughter is crazy about! This is what I meant by her character- too materialistic & not wise to focus on handsome guys. I’m the old fashion type, that a good husband, can’t just look for pretty face!
So CH, she may not be your type of ‘sensible girl’! My 2nd daughter certainly fits your description of a sensible girl but she doesn’t focus on nice clothes, good food & handsome guys! Hmmm….
All my daughters bar me from their facebooks. They can see each others’ but no one will let parents in.
If your son goes for pretty girls, if he sees my eldest daughter, sure hook one! She is really beautiful & still spend lots of time getting herself ready to go work or go out. That’s why I complained about her. 2nd daughter is so easy, don’t even put make up, very fast, can get dressed to go out. Yet beautiful externally & internally.
I can’t show your son 2 daughters. You got to choose one only. Hahaha!
MF, my advice to my girls in choosing husband is- get a hardworking & dedicated guy. No need rich, coz money can be earned & they already got enough money.
YL, CH , at this rate of excitement going on, you two are bent on becoming in-laws ! I am already hearing wedding bells, ringing in your ears !!!
I think studying days present the best opportunity to find someone whom one can click with. So good luck to both your daughters, sons. So much possibility .. that comes with youth.
Hey, MF, don’t give up yet. Just because we are not so young does not mean the opportunities are gone. Just different opportunities!!
YL, If your eldest girl and my eldest son get together, then 2 people will spend an hour each in the bathroom trying to get ready to go out. They may end up never going out the house or worse, fight over the bathroom!
No, I think your second one will be good for my son! She loves dancing, seems easy going & sensible !
OK, so MF, you want to be the match maker when we meet?
Wow, wow, wow…! So it’s on, huh? My 2nd daughter is the final choice! Ok, let’s start working on it. Hehehe….
Since you said your son is snake, that sets me thinking…. my eldest is dragon & 2nd is goat. That means your son is older than my 2nd daughter & younger than my 1st! So your choice is just right!
Since we want both of them to be natural, we let them communicate like pen pals & we don’t interfere. If it works out, we will know, if not, then let it be silent.
CH, what is your approach?
YL,
Aiyoh, no, not penpals! That was our generation!
These days it is Facebook!
Will let MF be the go-between lah!
Yeah, ch, different opportunities .. got it, opportunities to matchmake !
ok, let me become friends with this beautiful girl and handsome boy first, via facebook !!
Hiya, very easy-one lah to start off. Your boy and girl got any youtube of their dances or not ?? Must be impressive one lah. Then, just show them and get them going thereon.
CH, good idea! Let MF be the matchmaker.
Anyway, my daughter still studying, MF got plenty of time to work at it.
MF, you can start quoting your matchmaking fees to both of us. Hahaha….!
For me, I have no facebook & also not seeing anybody’s facebook.
xiaoyao2
Another new year is fast approaching.
Your blog fans are looking forward towards another round of “information” on how to approach and live in the year of the rabbit.
Please do not disappoint us!
I am sure all the others agree. It has been really quiet!
Hi CH,
Glad that you broke the silence!
I’ve been super busy selling my company. We have been acquired by a huge MNC from USA. Now we are doing the Completion process.
I’m no longer the boss, just a Consultant who can be terminated when they no longer need me. Freedom?
Hope all of you are well!
Our Matchmaker MF- no action? Hahaha!
Daughter is still available & waiting!
Hey YL, now that you sold your company, you can “goyang kaki” since you are “cashing out”!
Unlike some of us who still have to soldier on and hope that someone will come around to buy our company (clinic) too one day!
Oldest son is already back and working in a boutique investment fund, so he has a “name card” and a job title (very important to get the matchmaking process going in Japan!).
Second son is back on holidays for one month after finishing first year med school.
Matchmaker, where are you!?
Wo, sold a company – how great!! Congratulations! I have nothing to contribute since we are of different generation
my kids are just about to turn 6, 4, 1 respectively. Long way to go, for matchmaking… USA is doing ok but looks like Singaporean friends will laugh at us soon as SGD will be equal value as USD soon. Sigh. Come so far to make same dollar and yet paying so much tax 
A few things xy2 said about Tiger year starts concluding, correctly. It’s going to be a dry year -the weather folks just reveal recently – after the fact – that this winter will be kinda drier than usual. How does xy2 know this almost a year ago? Amazing. I thought he also said things will start to turn fine after heat submerge to ground when weather starts getting colder – that seems about right in stock market for many people…
You rich folks thinking about immigrate to US? There’s a method called immigration by investment, which is easier during this recession. Guaranteed green card with, if I remembered correctly, invest 500k in your own biz and hire a few (5?) Americans and do biz for 3 yrs, you and family will be given PR. I may not get the dollar and details correctly, but my impression is that’s quite easy for many biz man.
Want to buy landed properties? Las Vegas is on sale. Homes are about 100k, or sometimes less. And with 250k or more I think you will get a house quality equavalent to 1.5million around here at silicon valley. I thought it’s not a bad idea to invest in US, as your vacation home, if you have money idling around. If want me tp connect to trusted lobang, hmm let me think about how much I should charge
Hi CT,
Thanks! So nice to hear from you again.
Great advice! Yeah, should think about getting a piece of land in Las Vegas. No need to stay in hotel & can stay there for long periods.
Company who bought us has HQ in San Jose. I’ll be a Consultant till they don’t need me anymore. Maybe, may get chance to travel to their HQ!
Hi Ct
Glad to hear from you too. We are hearing from all the regulars except our blogmaster!
Nice to hear that USA is for sale at a reasonable price. Same here in Japan. You can buy a whole hotel for less than YSD10 mil (and a profitable hotel too).
But given the choice, better buy in US unless you are like me, have to end up eking out a living here in Japan.
YL, Vegas not bad. Lots of fun where entertainment is concerned. Not just casinos. But dunno if I would be bored if I have to live there.
Blogmaster busy printing $$$$ to invest in US now…….I think
Yeah…shares all up…Xiaoyao2 busy riding the bull, can’t get off yet. Got to reap in all the profits while it’s still hot & bullish.
As for me…I sold all my shares long ago & never bought new ones….now, even sold off my company shares in the midst of this bull run!!
Errr….orr….has Xiaoyao2 abandoned his blog??
Ch, thx for sharing. 10m yen, do you mean about 100k us dollar, for a profitable hotel?? That’s affordable for positive cash flow… Even for self stay seems reasonable. What type of hotel and revenue and location are we looking at here?
I think housing in SG, HK, China are a bit too expensive… Probably, YL escapes from some bubble at the right time.
CT, I meant USD 10 mil.
Sorry it was a typo, not Yen 10 mil.
If it was Yen 10 mil, I would have swept up 10 hotels by now!
Definitely a bit of a bubble in Singapore and China.
Come invest in Japan. The economy here needs you!
The Chinese have been coming in big time and I think they bought up a huge chunk of some of the popular resorts in Hokkaido and that prompted the Japanese government to say that perhaps Japan needs to set up some laws to prevent foreigners form buying their water sources and forests!
Hi Everyone, long time no hear !
Whoa, so many things happening with you guys.
YL, congrats for getting a good deal for your company.
Sorry, matchmaking is not quite my expertise ! Surely, this is rather outdated – except maybe for Singapore ??!!
I came back from a very short holiday to Tokyo to see Japanese foster mother and friends, had a dip in the wonderful hotspring in the mountains, feasted my eyes on great autumn scenery, inhaled a great deal of cool air and of course fed my tummy with nostalgic Japanese traditional full course meals. .. Ha..satisfying by no, not enough !
AirAsia is flying to Haneda on budget flights now, so looks like more opportunities to go to Tokyo again.
During my stay there, we were totally caught by surprise of the “unavailability of wireless facilities”. We brought along IPAD but could not connect ! Here, in Malaysia, even Mamak Stall has FREE wireless connections. In a way, Japan is really behind, cooped up in her own secured world.
About investment, Japanese companies are looking at investing outside Japan as its domestic markets can’t feed its population. Many are into savings, savings, as what was told by friends there. Malaysia is a hot favourite spot for Japanese retirees as second homes. FDIs have started pouring in too in billions.
Even Japanese Universities are looking outside with the interesting Global 30 program, introducing undergrad degrees to be conducted fully in English in selected Unis for selected courses. They are trying desperately to change but slow, as usual.
ch, my sons are smitten by Japanese culture, people, nice env during their homestay last year that they are adamant on studying in Japan for tertiary educ. What is your take on this .. a good suggestion, not a good idea ??
Vow mf, so you were here.
Yeah wireless is not big here especially if you to to inaka (countryside) because mobile phones are soooo good here. Now they have the iphones and smart phones, so yeah those are big. They function well enough for people on the move.
Yes, Japan is slow to change and you may have noticed the drag in the politics and business here as well. No vibrancy compared with HK or Spore or Msia.
That is the sad part. Japan is living in its past glories. The Japan we know as students (the Japan as No.1) is long gone. The average income here is probably less than that of Spore today and people do not spend anymore. “Cheap” is IN. Everywhere you see shops dumping prices and we wonder where this will lead to.
My husband said after “ne-sage” (値下げ）will come “chin-sage” (賃下げ）、that is, for non -Japanese readers, after lowering prices they will soon be forced to lower salaries and wages (for the businesses to survive) and we will have a huge deflation to deal with and no one will win.
For the younger generation to visit Japan, it is like Alice in Wonderland. I guess we felt that way too.
Japan is so very unique. I have been to many places, and I have lived here for the last 25 years, yet I am still taken by awe everyday and I love this place.
Put it this way, Japan is great place to live in if you have millions stacked away somewhere, does not have to pay any taxes here or make a living here. Food and service is great, and if you have millions, you can also live in a nice house or a nice apartment and not have to squeeze into a rabbit hutch, then come to Japan.
However, trying to make a living here for the next generation is not that great anymore. Try China!
Then why am I still here?
STUCK!! is the word.
No millions, paying high taxes, and work everyday. Only consolation, the hot springs and food and service are still there.
Hi CH,
You are so humble! Sure you have your millions in the pillars/foundations of your clinic/company. It’s safely stacked up in here for generations to come, there is enough supply.
Good to know that you are stuck in Japan because of love, in every sense of the word! Love is the lubricant for the great old wheel to grind on & on, achieving it’s own vision & standards.
After all the nice food & places that you all described about Japan, I will probably plan a trip there, hopefully within a yr or 2.
ch, yes I agree. Love is the word to describe the feelings for Japan, and every visitor who goes there will come back wanting more.
Stuck ? Convert all your YEN to RM, you are 3 times wealthier !
What do you think about the tertiary education there ? Your kids were sent to US right ?
My boys are clueless as to WHAT they want to study, but is crystal clear as to WHERE they want to go for further studies. This “Love” can be blind !
I wonder if there is a Uni that marries east and west, in the beautiful setting of Japan… that will be ideal.
mf,
Check out universities like Sophia Univ., International Christian Univ (ICU) and Waseda Univ.
The latter now has an International department where students join in September/October and lectures are in English. The program twins with some of the top US univs and students can opt to go to the US for one or two years.
Sophia and ICU have very high standards and the graduates are sort after by international firms as many of their graduates speak English.
Many international school students who prefer not to go to US or other western countries choose these univs., and my sons have classmates who are there now.
Hope the above info helps.
Thanks, ch.
Gee, those are private Uni, very expensive !
There’s a JAPAN Education Fair coming this weekend. Will check it out. Sophia and Waseda are going to be there.
What about the public Uni ? Like Kyoto, Tokyo, Tsukuba, Tohoku are opening Undergrad courses in English medium. I was surprised to see Tsukuba offering Medicine in English !!! Though just barely started and hardly getting students due to lack of PR.
Actually, I find the mainstream national Unis very rigid in their program, and not interactive base – oneway traffic. I had the opportunity to attend an International Relations lecture in a Japan national Univ by a US-Korean lecturer in English. He used a video to show the Cuban Missile Crisis. The lecture was delivered with humour with all students participating lively. This is what I hope things have changed to. Is Sophia, Waseda adopting the more interactive mode of teaching ?
mf,
Compared with the universities in UK and US and Australia, the universities in Japan are still very cheap!
I think the national university charges about Yen 800,000 per annum now (about USD10K) and the private ones maybe about Yen 1.2 mil. Of course the medical schools are more expensive.
Did not know about Tsukuba and the English medical course.
The thing is, Japan is going through a bit of a dilemma. They need to globalize and be able to work with other countries, yet they are caught in trying to maintain their own identity.
The youth in Japan do not go out to other countries to study anymore. They are more worried about losing out in job applications if they spend an extra year overseas.
They do not realize that in the long run the whole country will lose out. At one point in the past many were excited about learning English, at least the English conversation schools were doing good business. These days, Japanese kids don’t care about any foreign language anymore.
mf,
for reference, please check this link for Waseda’s international education center for tuition fees;
http://www.waseda.jp/sils/en/student/fees.html
US universities (private) charges about USD30K per annum, UK is about GBP12,000 per annum and I understand Australia is also about Aussie $ 25-32K, so Japan is still cheap!!
Thanks, ch. Had a busy weekend at the Education Fair. Son is soooooo into it, gathering info about the pre-U Japan syllabus as he plans to self-learn the language and prepare for EJU which is an Exam for Japanese Uni, set for foreign students (in Jap and Eng) .. something like the equivalent A-Levels. Well, he is only 15..let’s see.
Oh, seems like the course in Tsukuba Uni in Eng under Medical Faculty is for Graduate program. Life sciences there do offer undergraduate program in English. Nagoya Uni is offering engineering courses in English. Hence, students save 1 year of doing the Japanese preparatory course.
Yes, you are right. The fees are actually not high compared to Western countries. Moreover, waiver and scholarships are quite generously offered to privately-funded students.
One good thing came out from all this Education Fair, is witnessing for the first time, the seriousness never seen before in this erratic teenager !
Yeah, I was told too by the Japan officials that Japanese youngsters are oblivious to globalisation, and not keen to study overseas. Japan is targetting 300,000 intl students by 2020, now only about 1/3. I think they need the exposure more than we do!
Malaysia govt is also opening some Look East Policy scholarships to non-bumi…but restricted to engineering fields in 高専 for diploma after which can proceed to the Uni for final 2 years to get a degree. This “reform” is due to dwindling numbers who apply among the bumi group, so they need to fill up the capacity.
Somehow, I think Malaysians are still very blessed, being multi-cultural. Kids get to learn 3 languages from 7 yrs old onwards. Though may not be perfect mastery.
mf,
The added advantage in studying in Japan is, many students get to work part time or arubaito, which is almost unavailable in many other countries.
Students are legally allowed up to 20 hours of part time work under a student visa, and I think more hours during summer and winter breaks. Some students can actually pay their way through university and their parents need to pay only the first year.
Japan still needs to overhaul their education system if they want to attract tertiary education students from overseas.
The major complaint we get from foreign students is that professors and lecturers are poor in communication so students get little outside of lectures.
Yes, I agree on the last point. When studying there, truly frustrated with the teaching method. Hope things are better now ??
Merry X’mas, everyone ! This year is coming to an end and we are still at May 30th 2010 entry of this blog !
Where is our blogmaster ?????? Abandoning us
Merry Christmas everyone & have another blessed yr ahead!
We worked full day on Christmas Eve, Fri & I left office at 6.45pm to attend our church Christmas Celebration.
Today, Christmas Day, I cooked lunch & after lunch & washing dishes, I tried very hard not to switch on my laptop, so that I don’t start to reply emails related to work, so I went to sleep. I slept for 3 hrs on a Christmas Day! This never happened before!
Its possible only because my 3 children were preparing Christmas Dinner. After I woked up, they shooed me away, so that they can surprise me with their food & dining table set up.
Now, it’s past midnight, so Christmas is over & I’m back to my laptop, checking emails again.
Was a relaxing simple Christmas celebration at home.
YL,
Over here in Japan Christmas eve and Christmas Day were working days so we worked normal hours!
Went to the eve service at church.
Many friends visiting, either from HK or SE Asia (like mf said, the young Asians are fascinated by Japan), so did a bit of entertaining for the last few days.
A belated Merry Christmas to all and here is to wish you a Happy New Year (and a Prosperous one too) !
Now, where is the wise one who is supposed to provide us with tips on the way to live in Year 2011?????
YL, you are blessed with such lovely children and family. Happy for you !!
Dunno when my kids would offer to cook for me !
We just came back from a trip back Malaysia and Singapore… Met relatives and friends. New impression is that it seems extramarital affairs and divorce seems common nowadays in Asia, and equally common for women to be the bad guys now, but that laws are really against the men even when female had the affair. It’s common for young couple nowadays to keep their children with grandparents or maids while they had fun outside… So watch out and pls give advice to them.
California universities are good too.
Btw, University British Columbia at Vancouver seems like a good place for parents vacation
Nice to hear from you CT. I too will be going to KL on 2 Feb to 7 Feb for the CNY celebrations. Will be staying near One Utama.
Since, you all are recommending your universities, I’ll do my part too.
Welcome to Singapore Universities- NUS, NTU, SMU, etc…very competitive, slog like mad, study everyday!
Enjoy city life everyday, safe & clean, exciting everyday! Only for those with super good grades in A levels.
Try HKU, it is very international now with 1/3 non local students and is now a top ranking Asian U.
Of course with China’s influence in the coming decades, why not give a thought to Chinese Univ like Fudan, Jiaotong, Beijing U, Qinghua etc
This is truly great!!!
Xiaoyao2, you broke your silence on New Year’s Day!!!!
What happened??
You only have time free on this 1 day of the year? Thank you for coming back & joining our chatter!
On food, kids are spoilt by foods easily available outside, often unhealthy given profit seeking vendors, especially in Asia. A lot of food ingredients come from China now, who knows what’s inside.
There are 3 unhealthy things in today’s foods in general:
1. Too much sugar, white or brown.
2. Too much omega-6 vs omega-3 fatty acids.
You get this overdose of omega-6 from all food chain, especially corn fed chicken, pigs, cows etc, they don’t eat much natural grass these days. On top they get extra growth hormones too.
Even the fish are contaminated. Eat small sea fish whenever you can.
3. Too much chemicals in treated foods as well as with foods very mass production (from farming to processing).
Why do foods have a long shelf life now? (surely the vendors want to make sure the products can have as long an expiry dates as possible). This is quite contrary to what we know in nature where foods turn bad quite easily. Trans-fat is just one of the techniques.
Or are all organic foods better than non-organic foods?
Guess we need to look deeper, it is the food-chain. This concept has been addressed in posting Snow Flake and Prajnaparamita (https://xiaoyao2.wordpress.com/2008/01/18/snowflakes-and-prajnaparamita/)
The whole planet Earth is getting so polluted, water will be a major problem in the coming years.
Human system evolved over time of cosmic scale, it can’t cope with modern foods with all the chemicals. One of the most difficult one is plastics, which is everywhere. In many parts of Asia, these are used for lunch boxes, food packaging etc. As the Malay saying goes ” sedikit sedikit lama lama menjadi bukit”.
Anyway we can’t avoid them all, so enjoy your food and getting to know them a bit better, for when we eat them, they become part of us.
Anyway all my son can is abt preparing some spaghetti, spaghetti sauce, cooking rise( read: dumping rise into intelligent Japanese rice cooker), curry with Japanese curry sauce. I hope he can perfect the art of half boiled eggs.
US universities is bad to train them on foods, they all offered ok food program so students don’t really learn how to cook even they are supposed to be independent.
Have fun enjoying foods from our kids.
Hi Happy New Year everyone!
Just got in from 4 days in KL. Back to Tokyo now.
While we are on education, and about NUS, I think the govt/ or admin is too stuck up.
I checked its website once and basically, they are totally “unfriendly” to foreign students (Malaysians are foreign students too, right?), or maybe I would like to believe it is just their website, full of this very Singaporean authoritative attitude. Their website basically said: Don’ even bother to apply if you do not have all A’s kinda conditions. Apply only when you have all your results ready blah blah. Even Harvard or Yale are friendlier! Cambridge and Oxford give out tentative offers pending final results of A levels or IB.; but NUS is more cocky!
Maybe they need someone with the right PR training to do their website.
Also I was talking to many parents of my age, and I think these days in countries like Msia and Singapore, parents seemed to have lost it about education (or they never understood what an education meant in the first place). Everyone just seemed to want their son or daughter to be studying in some very competitive college so he will get a high paying job when he graduates.
That is not education, to get a high paying job, you go to a vocational school or a technical school to learn your skills or trade. A college education allows the child to think and learn how to be a leader, not get a job! A college has no obligation to gear your child for better employment opportunities.
In some Western colleges, it is harder to get a place to read English or to read world history that engineering or medicine, but in Msia and Spore, I guess engineering and business are the most popular.
I am forever thankful to a professor in my first year at university. I did not quite understand him then, but years later it sank in. He told us, since all of you are going to be doctors, you will all be able to make a decent living. But spend the time now, to read what you like from different genre of literature, read history, read Arabic if you have to, because the time will come when you will not have time to read anything else other than medical literature.
He was a history teacher (in Japan you had to take a few of such classes even though it was med school). He spent the time during his lecture hours introducing hierogylphics, Arabic and I forgot whatnots. Since he was a history professor, he told us stories about how the first universities were formed (University of Pisa, Italy) and how the thinkers and philosophers came together to exchange ideas, to bring about change to the world. He said that was the origin of a university.
In the old days, if you needed a vocation, you go be an apprentice with someone and learn your trade. In fact the British school systems was that way for a long time.
So parents, send your kids to the best schools for their education.
ch,
Oh, you were back in KL. Hope you enjoyed the balik kampung trip. How come you did not contact any DOKYUs.
Yes, you are right. NUS or NTU are very cocky – only wants straight A’s students. Japanese Unis are a lot lot more friendlier to foreign students.
I think parents/students’ view of education as being tied to $ earning power is hard to displace. I sure would like to see my children find their interests and pursue an education on their interests. But our school syllabus and system hardly is helping youngsters to find their identity and direction. Great teachers who teach thinkers are hardly around. So, it is almost like Science stream students opting for engineering or medicine, the mainstream professions. Arts students go for Business studies. Almost like pre-determined paths with little creativity to stimulate thinking.
Sigh.
Japanese Unis seem to be offering a lot more variety of courses, as I found out. And even when I was a student in IT, I took up psychology, town planning, international relations and sports like wind-surfing, kendo, skating, jazz-dance ..anything that I fancy, outside my core subjects. It was not directly contributing to earning $, but definitely made students’ life interesting.
ch, how do you select the best school for one’s education ? Really boils down to what the child wants.