The Old Temple (source)

There were little victories and jubilation.

Sweet little victories #olevel #olevel2016 #olevelresults #olevels

but also uncertainties and trepidation.

There was laughter and lame jokes, and sometimes ice cream.

Lame puns and ice cream #olevels #olevel #olevelresults #olevel2016 #olevels2016

There were moments of Darkness
through which many have strode

And there were also tears.

But to her, these were but parts of a bigger Journey.

After all, whenever Miss Loi reminisces about the years,
She didn’t quite remember the grades

The annual oohs and ahhhs #olevel #olevels #olevel2016 #olevels2016 #olevelresults

Nor the mighty grade jumps

Some of the athletic high jumpers of 2016 #olevels #olevel #olevelresults #olevel2016 #nlevel #nlevels #nlevelresults #nlevel2016

For with the passage of time
the mightiest of results will wither alike the least.

2016 O Level Judgement Day Verdict #olevelresults #olevels2016 #olevel2016 #olevel #olevels #congratulations #congrats #proudofyou #willtryevenharderin2017 #jossstickstuition

The memories that lived on
Were of those who had managed to turn around

All along, that “You” was actually YOU *points finger in your direction* #olevel #olevels #olevelresults #reflections #lifehacks

Of those who managed to replace the “Up” in “Give Up” with “Your Best”

Replacing the “Up” in “Give Up” with “Your Best” #lifehacks #lifehack #olevels #olevel #olevelresults #reflections

And of those who were enlightened to far more important things

Beyond the exams, syllabus and ten-year series #lifehacks #olevels #olevel #olevelresults #reflections

So here we are, 10 years on …

Exams have come and gone.
Imaginary futures terrorised and appeased.

“Shooting stars never stop, even when they reach the top.” #olevel #olevels #wishes

*Even as Miss Loi pens the last words of a dying chapter that began a decade ago
Judgment Day 2016 will soon be forgotten
Swept away like eraser crumbs in a battle hall

Thank you one last time too #tutor #tuition #olevel #olevels #postolevels #olevelresults #tutorlove

Yet Life goes on, like an echo in the wind.
Veiling greater deeds that are yet to come
By which all shall, and should, be judged.

Hoping with all my everyone will find their and do what they in the future #olevels #olevel #olevelresults #postolevels #afterolevels

For this is how we should be remembered.
For this is who we are.

We. Are. Influencers. #nuffsaid #tutors #tuition #teacher #teachers #tutorlife #teacherlife

*This post was written during the brief respite known as Chinese New Year, before Miss Loi gets drawn back to her neverending hurly-burly life of joss sticks sessions. Meanwhile have a happy 2017 everyone!

© 2007-2019 Jφss Sticks Tuition. Copycats will be mercilessly hunted down. 

The best O Level gift to Miss Loi is not the pen, but what’s written in the heart.

But oh boy, what those memories turned out to be, especially for those who made their hallowed wishes last October.

Now that all the “screaming” from last week has somewhat died down, Miss Loi can finally catch a breath to say a big CONGRATULATIONS to all for your efforts, as well as a big THANKS to the fantastic team at The Temple who helped, in no small way, to prove that, as long as you’re willing to work hard, wishes can and will come true.

大家辛苦了！

© 2007-2019 Jφss Sticks Tuition. Copycats will be mercilessly hunted down. 

The main reason, though, was to protect the sanctity of her joss sticks sessions from being interrupted by walk-in enquirers (through no fault of theirs, of course), especially during the peak LMBFH months and/or following the publication of some infamous newspaper article.

But ever since a hospitality “shrine” has been built and staffed to welcome all guests to the centre, leaving Miss Loi with the peace of mind to focus fully on her intensive, choky smoky joss sticks session at hand …

… she’s now a little more confident to up the visibility of The New Temple just a wee bit. Starting with these new waymarkers to guide her new batch of students to the centre (and at the same time “sweep” away all academic sins) for the start of a new academic year (and also to say hi to the folks at Udders Ice Cream below :P)

And yes, Salvation’s only 21 steps away now

P.S. The long overdue new Temple page will be updated soon – please bear with us

© 2007-2019 Jφss Sticks Tuition. Copycats will be mercilessly hunted down. 

The Temple is dark and sad, and tears were shed.

Students with faces as sullen as mine were treasuring their final moments at the sanctuary before setting off for their final mathematical battle of their lives (at least until H1/H2/poly etc.).

and more …

By now, most would have slain and conquered the vile beast known as Additional Mathematics (new 4047 breed) this morning – with records of all lethal blows presented below:

Click the button and grab it here if you dare …

Access it here if you’re having trouble accessing it on Facebook using your state-of-the-art smartphone 🙁

As usual, please, please leave a comment should you spot any mistake in the solution.

Latest versions:

• 1.0a: Q3(ii) – added explanation of comparing coefficients to clarify how to arrive at 4c = −4, as pointed out by this kind gentleman 😉

Notes from my Mistress:

1. Before you ask questions like “I lost x marks in Paper 2, can I still get A1/A2/B3/B4/pass?” or “What is the cutoff for A1/A2/B3/B4/C5/C6/D7/E8/F9 this year?”, please understand that Miss Loi is NOT the Bell Curve Goddess.
2. Please also understand that, unless things have changed, there is no half-mark awarded in O-Level Maths. Also it is nigh impossible for ECF if the part involved only carries 1 mark.

So, I can almost “see” you at Halloween on Friday. But it’s more important now to maintain your focus and keep hanging in there, as urged by this student at The Temple:

P.S. And should you need some quick help to get a grip on your remaining papers beyond this most exhausting of weeks, The Temple shall be open this Sunday and next Saturday for your final Social Studies & Chemistry MCQ tune-up respectively.

Remember, remember. Now’s not the time to slip in November!

*begins to crawl out of your monitor screen*

© 2007-2019 Jφss Sticks Tuition. Copycats will be mercilessly hunted down. 

The shadows were long this morning while students battled the AMaths monster (a new breed of Kaiju which no one had faced before) on Day 2 of O Level Halloween Week.

As I flitted along under The Temple Gates, distant “screams” from many voices stung my unearthly ears …

Regardless of what happened this morning, here’s the list of possible topics to attack and finish off the monster that is AMaths Paper 2 tomorrow:

Click the button and grab it here if you dare …

Access it here if you’re having trouble accessing it on Facebook using your state-of-the-art smartphone

As usual, please, please leave a comment should you spot any mistake in the solution.

Notes from my Mistress:

1. Before you ask questions like “I lost x marks in Paper 2, can I still get A1/A2/B3/B4/pass?” or “What is the cutoff for A1/A2/B3/B4/C5/C6/D7/E8/F9 this year?”, please understand that Miss Loi is NOT the Bell Curve Goddess.
2. Please also understand that, unless things have changed, there is no half-mark awarded in O-Level Maths. Also it is nigh impossible for ECF if the part involved only carries 1 mark.

Good luck on your battle against AMaths Paper 2 – the last thing standing between you and mathematical freedom! Boo!

P.S. Last but not least, this could be especially helpful to those of you whose “hit-points” may be running low after this battle-intensive week.

© 2007-2019 Jφss Sticks Tuition. Copycats will be mercilessly hunted down. 

Welcome to O Level Halloween Week, where the 2014 batch of students are being “trick-or-treated” to one of the most evil O Level timetables in recent memory.

As The Temple is dark and empty of students (who are probably listening to some radio for their Listening Comprehension) as I speak, I managed to hop out of the fridge unnoticed to discover this set of worked solutions on my Mistress‘ desk.

Click the button and grab it here if you dare …

Access it here if you’re having trouble accessing it on Facebook using your state-of-the-art smartphone

As usual, please, please leave a comment should you spot any mistake in the solution.

Notes from my Mistress:

1. Before you ask questions like “I lost x marks in Paper 2, can I still get A1/A2/B3/B4/pass?” or “What is the cutoff for A1/A2/B3/B4/C5/C6/D7/E8/F9 this year?”, please understand that Miss Loi is NOT the Bell Curve Goddess.
2. Please also understand that, unless things have changed, there is no half-mark awarded in O-Level Maths. Also it is nigh impossible for ECF if the part involved only carries 1 mark.

Congratulations for surviving the first day of Halloween Week! Hang in there!

P.S. Just found another note on my Mistress’ desk. I think this could be especially helpful to those of you who may simply be exhausted after this “evil” week.

© 2007-2019 Jφss Sticks Tuition. Copycats will be mercilessly hunted down. 

Update: Seems like this tree is filling up nicely. We’ll hold all of you to your wishes!

It’s Autumn, where trees in many parts of the world shed their leaves in preparation for the long, dark winter.

Nearer to home however, a solitary tree offers its shed branches to the men and women of The Temple to “sow” their O Level wishes, hopeful that they will bear fruit in January.

You have your future
And you hold it in our hands
Don’t let it slip through your fingers
Like little grains of sand …

(inspired by lyrics from some obscure dance track discovered on Youtube :P)

Do Your Very Best & Good Luck for O Level 2014!

© 2007-2019 Jφss Sticks Tuition. Copycats will be mercilessly hunted down. 

UPDATE: A heartfelt Arigato Gozaimasu to all of you for all your lovely Teachers Day presents! Now let’s all work towards the ULTIMATE gift to both you and Miss Loi which is that grin on your faces when you receive your end-of-year / O Level results! #Believe

Feeling bored on a long weekend, 小强 found himself loitering around the neighbourhood night bazaar.

This being the month of the Mid-Autumn Festival, a feast of festive goodies greeted his eyes as he wandered from stall to stall, checking out the ubiquitous mooncakes.

Soon he arrived at the central point of the bazaar, the traditional Lantern Riddle Guessing 猜灯谜 zone, where rows upon rows of lanterns were strung up high in the air, each with a strip of paper containing a brain twister trying its best to confound the crowd gathered below.

It was also here that he met his schoolmate 小明.

Hey 小明! So free to come and view lanterns tonight?

You don’t say! You too!

Eh … what is your answer for this one? *points upwards*

Immediately, 小强 exclaimed,

HAHAHA! It’s so obvious the answer is [+] (click to find out)

they will be the same distance away when they meet!

Don’t tell me you got it wrong??!

There was a brief silence from 小明, before he (embarrassedly) pointed to the next lantern.

What about this one?

Once again, 小强 cried out,

WAHAHAHA! The answer is [+] (click to find out)

3² = 4 + 5

Don’t tell me you don’t know again??!

After another brief period of silence, 小明 retorted angrily,

YA LAH! YA LAH! YOU VERY SMART LAH!

At this very moment, a sudden gust of wind howled through the courtyard, swaying the lanterns and sending an unearthly chill down the spine of everyone present.

When the lanterns settled, they were surprised to discover that the riddles on each strip of paper had been replaced by something distinctly un-riddlelike in nature.

Ha! This should be super easy for you 小强?

Errr … sorry this is AMath. Unlike you, I only take EMath.

But 小强, EMath students should know that [+] (click to find out)

cos (180° − x) = − cos x
Hence cos 150° = cos (180° − 30°) = −cos 30° = −0.866

*silence from 小强*

小强 was protesting now.

Hello?! Why they keep putting up questions that require AMath trigonometric equations???

Errr … 小强 … [+] (click to find out)

you never learn TOA CAH SOH before?

Am I right, 小强? 小强???

By that time, 小强 was already somewhere else making a frantic phone call to …

Hello, is this Miss Loi?

I heard there’s gonna be some intensive tuition classes held at your Temple during this September holiday?

Are you referring to our Mid-Autumn Gathering – the one with the swaying lanterns?

Yes! Can I join? Can I join???

I’ve always thought I’m smart but I think I’ve been too complacent. And now with the final exams coming, I suddenly find myself forgetting the most BASIC of things! Worse of all I just got embarrassed in trigonometry by my friend 小明!

Of course you can, provided you can solve this riddle

After a brief period of silence, 小强 exclaimed,

Oh! I know I know! The answer is [+] (click to find out)

© 2007-2019 Jφss Sticks Tuition. Copycats will be mercilessly hunted down. 

And that was all it could remember.

A week later in early June, it flitted through the mythical Temple Gates, across the faces of those passing through on their way to tuition.

Some of whom showed great determination.

Some of whom looked tired from a long journey (from as far away as JB).

Some of whom carried the confidence of a an entire cohort who had just failed their mids.

Some of whom looked severely weak and malnourished in terms of their subject foundation.

Some of whom had a look of hatred, as if some Chemist or Physicist or Mathematician (*gulp*) had just murdered a member of his family, especially those who were still seething from mid-year exam papers which contained topics that were not yet taught nor revised in school.

And that was all it could remember.

The following weeks passed in several flashes as it flitted from room to room, class to class.

It was … umm … intense. And there was (literally) pressure on certain days. Heh.

There were the notes. There were the school papers. There were the intensive worksheets.

Some days were birthdays.

For the rest of each day though, there was plenty of knowledge sharing. There was plenty of practice. And there was plenty of painstaking explanation/clarification/review/interaction that went on even after official hours to ensure that no one was left behind.

And should energy levels gave the slightest hint of dropping (no thanks to the World Cup), there was always the sweet aroma of 炖鸡汤 aka herbal chicken soup and other foodie goodies to perk spirits up.

And those were all it could remember.

And then came July, when it was on hand to witness the …

… connections that had been made.

… friendships that had been made.

… Mathematical and Scientific love affairs that had been rekindled and confidence (some of which were deflated since PSLE) that have, in some ways, been restored.

Most importantly, there was enlightenment, and that the “graffiti” from many vandalised mid-year report books had mostly been scrubbed clean.

And what it remembered the most this time were the joy of those who understood and passed for the first time … and the smiles that were eventually lit from the vast, vast amount of heartware and 心思 that went into this June Holiday Intensive joss sticks sessons.

And so, as the resident moth at The Temple approaches the end of the latest cycle of its short life (an adult moth typically lives for only a few weeks), the flashbacks of its brief past give way to premonitions of what is to come … just like how it saw Andy’s dad winning bet coming

[source]

It sees a short Semester II. It sees end-of-year exams on the horizon. It sees endless upon endless prelims and mock exams for those taking O Levels.

It sees CCA performances and competition occupying students’ times right up till the very end.

It sees the weary and the weak-minded succumb to earthly temptations during the September break.

It sees glimpses of school teachers struggle to finish the topics in time. It sees frantic glimpses of topics rushed and covered in a short time.

It sees countless compulsory night study sessions in schools.

It sees many suffer short-term memory loss, suddenly forgetting how to answer questions that they previously breezed through.

It sees utter chaos and a BIG MAD RUSH for many at the end.

And then, it sees horrid visions of culling, of those being forced to dropped their subjects when they failed to make the grade.

With that, the moth settles on a remote corner of The Temple, closes its wings and prepares for its inevitable reincarnation – its final, fading vision being that of lines upon lines of those facing up to their past academic deeds on Judgment Day …

… and with its final breath, wishes that more will help banish these dark visions from its next life by conquering the most common ills in Semester II (as of 2014) through:

• being well in the process of attaining consistency in your work i.e. no more excuses like these and these
• being well in the process of clearing all your work/doubts/weaknesses in advance i.e. NOW
• being aware that end-of-year exams are tested on EVERYTHING you’ve learnt so far i.e. SA1/Sec 1/2/3 topics

… in addition to what has always been said before.

And for those who need some extra help in your Maths and Science, The Temple has just opened up a few more chambers in anticipation of the annual rush of Semester II Last-Minute Buddha Foot Huggers

Follow our Semester II schedules for details and updates

© 2007-2019 Jφss Sticks Tuition. Copycats will be mercilessly hunted down. 

At the ground floor of a housing estate block on a warm May night, she waited impatiently for the lift to arrive.

Humidity hung heavy in the air, creating a sombre mood that reminded her of students receiving their mid-year exam results during this period.

Just when she felt that her makeup was about to melt, the lift door opened. She gleefully stepped inside, only to sense that she was not alone.

Eeks! [source]

Looking up, she was stunned to see a gigantic moth staring back at her from the roof of the lift cabin.

At this moment, the door suddenly slammed shut and the lift ascended rapidly to gain an equivalent of 23 storeys worth of gravitational potential energy (her mass being totally negligible) to arrive at the top floor of her flat.

When the door opened again, a strange instinct beckoned her to follow the flitting moth out of the lift, towards the rooftop access trapdoor, which she was surprised to find unlocked.

Grateful that she could still somehow manage to squeeze through the gap at her age, she stood atop the dimly-lit roof area … to be confronted by the shocking sight of unspeakable graffiti sprayed all across the surrounding walls.

Hey! Stop! What do you think you are doing?!

Her yell startled the hooded figure who was about to put the finishing touches to his latest “artwork” at the opposite end of the roof area.

You may be upset at something. But this is most definitely NOT the way to vent your frustration! Do you know the police will catch you faster than they can catch loan sharks these days, especially when it involves HDB rooftops?

For what felt like a long time, her words seemed to carry the persuasive weight of an electron as they faced each other tensely in the semi-darkness, with the hood keeping the culprit’s identity firmly under wraps.

I failed my mid-year exams.

Finally, the hood was pulled back to reveal a youthful face, with eyes glinting with immense sadness under the random lights from adjacent flats.

I failed my exams. They said I was lazy. They said I was playful. They said I didn’t study hard enough.

His voice began to tremble.

But they did not say why my teachers didn’t revise certain topics that came out in the exam.
They did not say why my teachers never finish teaching certain topics that came out in FULL in the exam.
They did not say why some of their notes were incomplete or missing.
They did not say why they gave me the (wrong) impression that only this year’s work would be tested.
They never taught me the techniques required to answer those structured questions in the exams.
They only knew how to minus our marks.

His finger tightened on the nozzle of his spray can.

They expect us to self-learn everything.
They think we are SUPERHUMANS!

Visibly agitated, he raised and waved his can high in the air.

And now that I’ve failed my exams. My teachers are asking me to drop certain subjects.

Yesterday my Chemistry teacher even told me sarcastically “you ain’t becoming a doctor, so might as well give it up!”

They only know how to blame me when I fail. I can’t stand this anymore!

I HATE MY SCHOOL!
I HATE MY TEACHERS!
I HATE EXAMS!

Inevitably, like a scene straight out of a Hong Kong Police Negotiator drama, she interjected just as he was about to press the nozzle to release a lethal spray of red mist on the poor wall.

请你千万不要冲动! Please calm down! 凡事都可以商量!

Think about your loved ones before you do anything rash! How would they feel if they see your full name and handsome face plastered across all newspapers, even though you may be underaged?!

I understand your frustration. But please, please know that you are not alone …

Upon her pleading, the spray can was lowered, and his voice softened.

Will you really help me?

Will you teach me the topics my teachers didn’t cover in time?
Will you give me complete notes?
Will you teach me the techniques to answer those twisty structured questions which I always don’t understand?

Will you ask me to drop the subject at the end of the lesson?

Don’t be silly! Of course we’ll help you! Join us and we’ll always be there whenever you need someone to talk to.

Now, Dear, would you please give me your spray can? The wall is innocent. My block is innocent!

As he slowly stepped away from the wall to pass her the spray can, there was one more thing on his troubled mind.

But as you can see, much damage has already been done. These walls, like my report book, are filled with my red “artwork”. Is it too late for me? Will the police catch me and shame me in the newspapers?

Not to worry. I’ll make sure I clean up your report book and ensure it’ll be free from such vandalism in the future

As for these walls …

*Picks up mobile phone and calls Mr Esa*

Note: While this story is obviously fictitious, the experiences of the youth vandal were collated from actual students.

© 2007-2019 Jφss Sticks Tuition. Copycats will be mercilessly hunted down.