WITS Settlers meeting

For those of you who knows how to play CATAN the Settlers, you will probably understand some of the phrases described in the following article. And I do hope you find my writing amusing. Er...for those of you who don't know how to play th Settlers...go learn !!

It was the departmental WITS team meeting this afternoon and I had a very good idea of what and how the meeting is all about...the night before I quickly go through and revised the detail rules of the Settlers ...to make sure I am well prepared for the various options i have and geared myself for this exercise.

So the meeting went exactly according my expected way...me and Alvin are now the 2 WITS team leaders stuck in the island of CPT and have to scramble for the available resourses we can get hold of to reach the final goal...

We rolled the dice - and it was clear that Alvin team had the bigger number so they will have to do the next project first. Lucky start for this session.

Then my turn came; In order to have a head-start, I buy a development card and it was as such :

" I would like to retained my old members BBB and CCC, they have work very hard during the last project and derserve a good rest and will want them start off the next project after the other team." (Year of Plenty - take any 2 resources of my choice).

Then it's Alvin's turn and he wanted DDD - "he is full of ideas and made a good team member."
(Woa Liao!!! He took my gold mine - the ORE card is now gone!!)

"EEE is very good at computers stuff...will help my team stronger to prepare for presentations and reports." (after loosing the ore hexagon I quickly place my settlement in the BRICK hexagon)

"FFF is good at Chemistry and can help to solve the smell problem in the coming project..."
(The hair colour of him reminds me of WHEAT...hee)

"GGG is a team player and nice to work along...pleasure to have him in my team"
(Nice n friendly??? I just got myself a SHEEP card!!!)

Then we went on for another few rounds to get ourselves more resources... now come the more interesting part...trading!!!

"HHH and JJJ is very very busy with their coming projects, wish not to burden them with extra WITs duty." (I think the CPT island is full of WOOD resource, exchange 4 to 1 also the banker dunt want to acccept).

"KKK - why don't you take him in your team? My team is full now"
(Wah - Alvin use robber!!!! He also afraid he kenna 7 if he has more than 8 cards...)

"Really i perfer a small and compact team,"
(I have to use my another development card - SOLDIER!!!)

Finally I suggested to limit our team member to 8 rather than 10. Managers and both team leaders agreed.
(Trimming down of more WOODs cards)

"Alvin - can I trade LLL plus MMM with your NNN with PPP?"
(Need more Ore to upgrade to city!!!)

"Are U Crazy!!! No Deal!!!)
(Hey Alvin - stick tyo settlers - dun get distracted by the TV show)

After 1 hour of trading, both team finally settled with they resourses in hand and seem happy. I think both teams are now strong and very balanced...i guess we both reach 10 points at the same time and should be win - win.

Never had such a fun meeting in my life - let along here for a long long time. How I wish every meeting is like that. During the course of negotiations, Alvin and I, who both played settlers, wink and laugh off wildly during the trading session, the managers had no idea what we are laughing at...

Dun think I will able to write another hilirious article like this for a long long time...enjoy reading while u can. :)

Graduation Video Filming

It's close to June and it's the time to film for the coming graduation day video for CPT again.


This is the time where we need some students volunteers to come back school to help out the filming, be actors and actresses (some as keleifeis as well) and say afew nice things about their stay in the school for the past 3 years.


I think we were very lucky last year...they finished their studies and university start date is rather close...so quite many of them didn't actually bother to actively work and were free and also willing to help out. After afew calls and we are in no shortage of helpers on that day.

We all had a good time filming together and followed by lollipops / dinners and picture video taking session followed. Still keep this one in my folder : wow!! close to 20 helpers!!

(And it cost us a bomb to treat them for dinner after that too!!!)





This year the calender has shifted further back, the graduate class had more time in searching for a p/t job to save up for university. Many also started working full time too.

So when Christof asked me to help out to invite afew more students to come back helping the graduation video shoot...it was not as an easy task as per last year.

After looking through my list of regular contacts, at least half is rulred out as i knew they were woring...so the 1st principle of not to disturb heir work applies and I was only left with 50% of the students I knew well.

Then some are unsure as they have various uncertain plans ...as these are of course more urgent matters, really don't want them to miss out due to the filming. Then that know off at least another 5 -7 off the list.

Then i thought i hit a lucky jackpot and there are 4 indicated FREE and all sounds enthusiatic about coming back to help. But as soon as let them know it's video filming them...suddenly all of the MSN connections got problem and cannot be found le...

Of course I learnt from my mistake immediately and for the next few who responded...I just tell them we need helpers...that all. Details I also dunno very well...Mr Luda in charge...I only help in jio-ing students to come back and help....etc etc...

To lure student S back is plain simple...Got choc!!! (I have to bought her some Godiva chocs over the weekend to strike a deal with her). Too bad the same trick don't work on Student A.

Thank goodness Student Y and C agreed to come back n help also without much hesitation. (without the true info of course)..then during the filming Y told me she would not be here if she knew it was filming session....hahahhaa.

Don't want to go through the details ...that should kept as a surprise for your big day itself. All I can say is at the end of the filming at 6.30pm...Chirstof was very happy and satisfied with the about of footage captured and we both hope you all will enjoy the show on July 3.

Biggest joke of the day is of course assocaited with student S - she tried to leave Q402 and the door was jammed locked...after afew hard pull/push and she gave up. We all regretted forgot to tell her that she need to unlock the door - by pulling the handle in safty shower nearby...and we really really think she will do it if told. oh what a miss!!

After the hardwork is of course reward time...we decided to try the cheapest japanese resturant in S'pre (as procliamed by the shop) at AMK central. Casual talk till 8.30pm b4 call it a day. Oops forgot to ask Chin Li to take a picture b4 she left at 8pm...sorry.

I hope we are in better condition next year...if not you all have to see more of myself or even Teo-san in the video le...I am sure you don't want that!!

One more thing...this year the powerpoint slide show also in jeoprady...no current batch DT here to do the editing / scripting....yo - any volunteer??

Qian Lang Si Zai Sa tan shang

Still on the same subject of SCBA. This the current batch of students have the privilege to listen to the following funny jokes about the seniors have committed, including :

Ninja turtle (where one forgot to turn on the cylinder valve b4 donning),

Zhen Zi (where one's long hair flip to the front after donning the mask),

Facial spa treatment (where one never check for seal tightness and proclaim it's ok), and finally

The cylinder is actually pure air and not laughing gas....

Well during the course of practise, they also contributed a couple of funny incidents too...that will add on to the stories to tell the next batch!!

Incident 1 - student S is so weak that she can't even support the weight of the half-full cylinder...need another student to carry the weight behind her in order to do the donning of mask properly. We were jokingly saying that for the 1st time in history we send in recusers in pair...and the rescue was successful!!...but the one behind carry the weight died because he never put on mask.

Incident 2 - Student Y was not able to absorb / comprehen the procedures very well...need students at the side to yell the steps at him in order to carry on the next step. After donning the mask the students are shouting "check seal!!! check seal!!" and "use hand !! use hand!!" he kind of lost under all the sgouting...hesitated for almost 15 secobds and finallt use one finger (YES ONE FINGER) to poke into the air supply inlet and look at us....

no need to say these are the moments that send the class wild and laugh until tears come out. I also dunno should I laugh or cry...anyway...like all others...when you are last in the group and need to do a second time...one usually do much better...so far this year 1 almost broke record doing the donning 4 times...almost....

No Cowgirl to pull along this sem...but the demo student also really sweat alot like her also...in the end i ask him what is the lesson he learn??

"never come last for Mr Goh's SCBA class" - how true!!

we shall see next semester how my PEM group perform then...until then...adios!!

长江后浪推前浪

Times flies. It's now week 5 and it's time for Safety SCBA lab practical lessons again. This semester I am lucky to take 2 classes for tutorials, which allow me to cover 66% of the program. In this way I will have cloaser contact with them and also will have a better feel of their understandings during tutorials.

I always like conducting SCBA donning practise. It's so rare to have a Lab which can be fill with laughters and enjoyment yet it's something everyone can try individually and last but not least..it's useful too.

They are a lucky bunch...as every semester goes by..there will be new jokes / points to note / past incidents to add onto the teaching instructions. Now that the steps are very clearly defined and with so many mistakes / incidents that their seniors made are highlighted to them, they become rather good at it in a shorter time.

Took picture for each group after each round, this will come in handy when preparing for the graduation photos later...they probably didnt't realised the imprtance of such pictures till later stage.

Then of course comes the highlight of the day...the class elect 2 best stydents to have a competitionwith me for the donning speed race. I msut sat for the past 3 years I had it rather easy and win all those competition rather easily. Micky gave me a good fight last semester...the difference is only thenth of a seconds i think.

That's why my guards are abit down this year...I now treat it as a fun session to spend with the students rather than thinking too much about the competition. and guess what - I WAS BEATEN IN BOTH OF THE SESSIONS IN THE DONNING COMPETITION!!!!

No excuses...but to look at it at another angle, I should be happy that the students are getting better - meaning that Iam doing a better job at the instructions stage right?

A coach don't have to beat his players at the skills ...but to pass on to him what he knows about and push them to their own hights / limits. In he is capable in doing so...I guess one can argue that the coach is successful. Agree?

Or simply put in another way - I old alreday.

For got to tell them b4 the cpmpetition...those dare to win will have 5 marks deducted.

Maybe next semester I will ask the class to nominate the worst 2 to compete with me instead...