Fushion of architecture you find in Singapore

Archi u find in Sipo, hindu temples, chinese old shops and tall buildings
Originally uploaded by ying22.

Hindu temples in the midst of Chinatown, old chinese old shops and tall malls and buildings

Singapore skyline

Exams- Its a Family affair

My brother and cousin are getting their Cambridge A level results today, and apparently its a family affair. My parents are so worried for him and his results, then even celebrations for my mum's bday, which is this sat, have to be on HOLD, depending on the outcome of his results.They even told me and my sis to be extra careful in talking about this topic to my brother, for fear he has a panic attack. Guess they are sensitive to his feelings which is a nice thing i know but abit overdone.

The school system in Singapore is 6 years Primary School, 4 years Secondary School( where they sit for their Cambridge O Levels), 2 years in Junior College ( where they sit for their A levels papers) before gaining admission into university. And there are only 3 local universities in Singapore, and according to statisitics, only the top 20% of the cohort make it to universities, the rest either enter polytechnics or overseas unis. So yes its a big deal for them.

Its been some time since I have felt the stress and pressure of being a student in Singapore, all the way till Junior College (JC). University life is better as you are able to select the classes to go and its left up to you.But before that, its no easy task to be a student, where u have to do tons of homework, projects, go for tuitions even ( if you wish to excel in front of the class, and very common indeed) and manage the stress from your family, peers and more importantly yourself. True we are not as bad as in Japan and Taiwan, where there are only few MAJOR exams in a student's life which are critical entrance exams, that drives u to the extent of madness and even sucidial tendancies when you fail. Its sick I know, I guess its the whole societal pressure that drives them to the end, that FAILURE is intolerable and Education is a very important step in determining how successful you are in your future life and standing. In short, without education, you are nothing.

Anyways my brother did well, and we are off for celebration tonight, in conjunction with my mum's bday tmw, so all's good, and more food.:)

Getting your 1st salary

Got my 1st salary here in Singapore as a permanent employee today, was happy and on the verge of having big celebrations, before i stopped short and began planning my budget and separating the amount of money i should contribute to the household, my parents and my grams. Lets just say its alot of money hahahaha.. found it so funny that i decide to blog about it, since i guess its a mainly chinese custom to actually give money and giving money to your elders. Perhaps its the filial piety that is ingrained in the minds of chinese people that your parents look after you when you are young, so when they are old, you look after them too, or rather in most of the asian families, you live with your parents till you get married, more so in Singapore when the universities are all in the 647km square area, so you dont have to go some other state or city to study in your university and hence live on your own, so you feel you need to contribute to the household income when you live with your parents as well.

Alright, in any case, the 1st salary that you get is more important than the subsequent ones. So its crucial that you know what is the " market" rate and evidently the rate that is in your extended family as well, so you will not be making the mistake of giving too little or giving too much ( as in time it is harder to maintain at that premium level, hehe). So off i went to sms my sis, to tell her how "rich" i felt even after getting my salary, and this was her advice which i find it hilarious in times like this :" Market rate is 10% of pay go to parents. For grams, another 10% for both of them, but its only a one time thing". What professionalism :D