Written by: Jimmy

This was a dream come true for me as I get to visit the Theatre of Dreams at Old Trafford. Manchester United is a club I have supported since 9 years old. I have always admired stars like Eric Cantona, David Beckham, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Ruud Van Nisterooy, Wayne Rooney, Christiano Ronaldo and of course my idol, United Club Captain "Gary Neville". This is because in soccer, I used to play right-back, contented with doing a good job at the back and admire his leadership qualities to speak up for the team.

This was in Term 1 of Year 07/08 when I first went for my exchange at the University of Manchester.

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Written by: Dr Lemmy Teo, Director at TMC Educational Group

There are many reasons for choosing to study in a private school in Singapore as opposed to a Public or government funded school. Secondary or High school overseas students studying in a private school often benefit from a seamless progression to tertiary education with the Private Schools’ partner university (ies). The duration to attain a Degree (some offer a Honors Degree) is also shorter, as compared to traditional pathway. While there are advantages studying in a Private School, one should also choose the school with care. Look at the credentials of the school, their university partners, the learning environment, their lecturers, niche or courses they specialized in and the stability of the school.

For more information on how to choose a private school for your education needs in Singapore, please click here.

"Most students plan a graduation trip to nearby and cheap places like Australia or Indochina. More ambitious ones head to Europe and the US. I wanted to go somewhere exotic yet light on the pocket. Somewhere most Singaporeans never head to. Yet it had to be a place, which could hold our attention for a month. After considering many regions, we finally settled on North Africa. Why North Africa? Well, for one, we could say I have been to Africa. Secondly, it was safer than other parts of Africa. Lastly, it was culturally more twined with the Middle East; two for one." ...Ashiq

To read about Ashiq's experiences in North Africa, click here.

Written by: Dr. Elgin Tan

Can you think of a 4-letter word ending with k? Something that many people profess to do and yet evidently they are not doing enough of? Yes, the answer is R-I-S-K or more accurately, the ‘management of risk‘ as they go about their daily lives.

At Smart Incubator, we passionately believe that teens and adults can make far FEWER and AVOIDABLE financial mistakes should they be be equipped with the right tools and framework for thinking about risk. Smart Incubator does this through a number of ways:

- Provide students with a good essential understanding of financial markets and investments
- Emphasize the need for proper risk management in trading and financial investments
- Highlight the dangers of gambling both from a macro and a micro perspective
- Identifying scams

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Travel has increasingly become another integral part of our lives and the desire to explore the rest of the world is infinite. Discovering nature’s beauty and immersing oneself in the depth of culture that resides beyond our shores is education as much as it is enjoyment – perhaps even an enlightenement of sorts.

However, existing travel programmes and means are becoming unsustainable and excessive. The zeitgeist – the spirit of the times – reflects a paradigm shift towards a more holistic travel experience that will nurture the intellect, promotes a deep understanding of truth, beauty and good. There now exists an uncompromisable need to bring the intrinsic value of nature’s beauty to the travel experience while creating new frontiers to sustainable travel.

It is time that we step up and realise that travel can be sustainable; we can thoroughly enjoy ourselves without affecting the livelihoods of our fellow global citizens in a different part of the world.

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La(h) Singapore! by Karen

There’s a big difference in visiting Singapore and actually living in the country. For someone from Philippines, the weather, the trees, - to some extent - the people look the same. But it was not an easy ride to adapt into its pace and culture. Naturally, during the first 6 months, I hated it. But I stuck it out, for many different reasons (well, I had to finish my 4-year degree). Over the years, hate gave way to tolerance and then to attachment and pride to this sunny island.

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Written by Adam Khoo

We are all born geniuses but in the process, many of us have been 'De-Geniused'. Dr. Georgi Lozanov, a Bulgarian educator, psychologist and the father of Accelerated Learning once remarked:
"All children are born with the potential for genius. However, in the process of growing up, many have been de-geniused by negative societal norm suggestions."

What if you were told of a kid who could not speak until the age of five and failed his early school entrance examination? What if this same child was labeled as being educationally subnormal, dyslexic and spent many hours a day daydreaming?

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Written by: Clarence Goh

It was a tough decision to make: I knew nothing about the country, i had no experience or real passion in doing volunteer work, and most of all i had no idea what kind of life awaited me there. However, it was also such uncertainty and the exoticness that drew me in. I imagined a land where all the stereotypes i had of the middle-east existed, and imagined myself living amongst them for 3 months. It was a thought that exhilarated me.

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