Business Trip to Tokyo this Time - Part 2

Work was ok and bcos I slept, I survived very well. Soon, it was lunch time and a colleague asked if I wanted lunch. The usual lunch in Tokyo is bento and there is a supermarket right across the street.

So many choices! 

What I got. Nom nom.

By the time I left the office, the sun had set. 

It was cold but a nice walk and I had time to observe my surroundings. I saw Hardtock near the hotel! Though I had no intention to visit. 

Then I realised that the Tokyo tower is right ahead of me. So pretty. Again, no intention to visit.

I went back to the hotel to offload and put on my tights before heading to Donki. I didn’t have anything in particular to buy but it is too wasted to miss Donki when it was that near. This Donki didn’t have bento and cooked food like what we have in Singapore. I bought snacks, intending to bring back to Singapore and then went to the Family Mart next door to tabao dinner. Maybe it is unhealthy but convenient food from Japan convenience stores are the best.

My dinner.. very nice. Hohoho. 

What I got from Donki. 

I started snacking on them. Not sure if there would be any left to bring home. Hohoho. 

Sleep was easy in the big bed. I woke up a few times but sleep was still good. Then, the alarm rang at 6am, I thought I snoozed it but it didn’t ring anymore and I was late for gym, waking up only at 6.45am. 

The hotel has a small gym. There was one other person sharing the gym with me. 

Unfortunately, it didn’t have the elliptical machine that I like and ended up with 5km on the treadmill instead.

Then, I had bfast and ordered some charcoal omelette this time. It tasted like… omelette. Lol. 

I have already decided that I would have the Japanese traditional bfast the next morning bcos I saw somebody had that and it looked good.

My ootd as I headed to office. Same jacket, same stocking and same cardigan underneath. I can’t even tell what I actually wore to office. 

As I walked to the office, I am wondering if I am eating too much and was contemplating if I should skip bfast the next day. Then I remembered that I wanted to try that Japanese bfast. Cannot skip. Lol.

It was a super busy day bcos many of the employees were in the office. I was so busy such that I didn’t even have time for lunch. Just nice, save some calories. By the time I found time, it was already 5pm, I couldn’t wait until dinner and went to the Family Mart for a triangle rice. Triangle rice in Japan just taste nicer. Haha.

It was drizzling when I left the office at about 7pm. I had been contemplating to get a new jacket from Uniqlo. Why? Bcos I always travel light and bcos it is so cold, I kept wearing the same cardigan and jacket and it looked like I didn’t change. Lol. I eventually bought a jacket and bcos of the lower exchange rate, I think it should be cheaper than in Singapore. 

On the way back to the hotel, I bought dinner. 

I had been craving for that katsu sandwich! I had the same instant corn soup 3x during my trip. Hoho. 

With a full tummy, I headed out to Donki again bcos it is again too wasted not to. This time, I bought a lot more, especially cosmetic and related stuff. By the time I as back to the hotel, it was already 10pm. My loot! 

Directly tax free bcos I spent more than JPY5,000. Not sure if that is a good thing. 

Again, sleep was easy. 

Good night! 

Mummy Lim

Business Trip to Tokyo this Time - Part 1

I feel a little confused - did I just came back from Jakarta 2 weeks ago, went to JB on Saturday morning, and am now flying off to Tokyo? One thing for sure, my passport has been well utilised, collecting immigration stamps that were missed out during covid years. 

I remembered my last trip to Tokyo for business in May 2024 was very comfortable. The weather was nice, the food was good. I was happy to walk to office and back to office. It just felt different. 

The last trip was short, I flew redeye on Tuesday night and back on Friday evening. This trip is short too. The main difference is that I get to fly business class! So exciting. I didn’t know that I can fly business class the last round and was in economy redeye, going into the office all groggy and lack of sleep. 

My flight was on Sunday night 2220hrs. There was actually nothing much in my checkin size luggage.

Changi airport is very efficient and there isn’t even a need to arrive 2 hours earlier though I usually do, so that I didn’t have to rush. This time, I didn’t spend much time at DFS. I bought the concealer and lipstick that I wanted and quickly rushed off bcos I so wanted to find the business lounge. Then I was trying to find the money changer, thinking that I only have $80 equivalent of yen with me from last Tokyo trip leftover currency. Luckily I checked the exchange rate. I actually had $800 and not $80. Haha. 

The last I traveled business class and been into a business lounge was in my last job and that was more than 5 years ago. Even though I didn’t have much time to burn, I die die wanted to visit the lounge. 

I told Daddy Lim that one of my bucket lists is to one day fly business class with him. The kids can cramp in economy if they tag along on the trip. Haha. 

Found the lounge and it was crowded even at that late hour. So many rich people around. Buffet style food. I got a little cake and some watermelon even though I wasn’t hungry bcos it was too wasted not to.

The trip has started so wrong! Too much eating! Should I have my meal in the flight? Business class flight meal ah! As expected, I didn’t stay long before heading to the gate, which was a walk away.  

I took the ANA flight bcos SQ was way too expensive and JAL is not star alliance. I want to clock my krisflyer miles.

Auntie S and her kids are going to Tokyo during the March school holidays. She told me that it would be warm this week. My Japanese colleague said that the temperature plummeted last Tuesday and they even had snow but temperature will pick up this week. We are talking about 20 degrees. It sounded like a perfect weather. I contemplated bringing my Zara trench coat but decided that it would be silly for Spring. 

Hello business class! 

I happily settled down and was whatsapping the aunties when Auntie S said that the temperature had dropped again!!?? I am so ill prepared for the cold, bringing only a light jacket. There is no way to turn back in the plane. 

The bfast menu. 

I knew that I have to sleep to be able to survive the next work day. The stewardess came and asked if I wanted Japanese or International bfast. I chose the latter. “Bfast” will be served 2 hours before landing, that means 3am SGT. I said I will decide if I wanted bfast or to sleep when it is time.

Sleep I did. I was almost dozing off when the plane took off. The moment the seatbelt light was off, I moved the seat to full sleeping position and slept. I woke up a couple of times but sleep is definitely much better than in economy. Then the lights came on. I thought it was bfast time. No ah, it was time to descend! I missed bfast and all I got was this. Lol.

And a nice sunrise. 

So, the company paid a lot of $$ for me to sleep in the air.

I duno what was the temperature when I landed but was braving myself for the cold and it was very cold… I think it was at most a few degrees above 0. Thank goodness that the airport was heated. Immigration was smooth and I was eager to jump into a taxi. 

My last trip, I headed directly to the office. This time, I was thinking to change and leave my luggage at the hotel and headed to the hotel 1st. It is about 10 mins walk to the office.

Fortunately, I didn’t have to wait long in the cold for a taxi. It cost a good JPY7,000 for a 20 mins ride, my driver was interesting, he is dark skin with an afro hairstyle but doesn’t speak English and speaks Japanese. Hoho. 

I am staying in Mitsui Garden this time bcos I was told that they have a gym. Hoho. I found the common toilet and it was a squeezy single cubicle with a sink. I managed to change and put on my makeup and did a checkin.

Surprise! Surprise! There was a room! I get to leave my stuff in the room! Should have asked 1st and would have been able to get ready in comfort. The room was bigger than the APA hotel and very comfortable in Tokyo standard.

I dropped my luggage and paid for bfast at the hotel restaurant bcos I can claim from the company. Hoho. 

I still had a bit of time and decided to snooze in the room. I napped for a good 40 mins, so needed. 

Bcos it was so cold and I didn’t want to freeze to death, I decided that I will have my thighs and shoes while walking to the office. Then I will change out thereafter. I look so funny, but funny is better than dead. Lol.

While walking to the office with the trusted Google map, I walked past Donki just 1 block from the hotel! Woohoo! I managed to get a pair of black stockings and felt that I had been saved. 

I saw people on the road with winter jacket and trench coat and here I was with a light jacket. I made it to the office alive though and saw that there is a Uniqlo in the mall opposite the office. That will be my option if the cold really gets too much. Hohoho.

Mummy Lim

Go JB Jiak Bfast

There were only 2 of us organising yday’s ride. The other partner suggested that we will head to JB for bfast and back. Let’s go! 

The group yday was small, only 9 of us. It is good to keep it small especially when it is an almost impromptu “overseas” ride. It is unfamiliar terrain and not fun to lose cyclists. 

The group rolled off at 5am and I got to join them from Junction 10, shaving off 10km one way. I don’t mind the shorter distant and in fact was secretly happy. When I texted the group to share their location when they roll off, I was still in bed. Then I don’t know why I ended up 摸-ing and the group had to wait for me. Sorry, sorry, coffee on me. 

Rolling to the custom.

We made it nicely into JB, there was barely any Q for cyclists/ motorcyclists at both sides of the immigration but the cars were already starting to Q at 5ish. We made it safe and sound and continued to Bukit Indah for bfast. 

It was a kopitiam but you know how the JB kopitiams served darn good food. Hoho. 

The Malaysian couple who brought us here are foodies and this is their usual bfast hangout. You know that it is good. Hoho.

As we were tucking in, the same couple was telling us that a few streets away, we could have mango sticky rice that sold out quickly and is to die for. What must we do? Stay calm and eat mango sticky rice. 

The mangos were so sweet. 

We started to head back at 8ish. Out came the sunblock slapping and arm sleeves. It is always harder to ride when the heat is turned on. We had a quick water break near to the custom. 

The custom is usually not so busy when we head back to Singapore. They were saying that maybe it was bcos we were earlier than usual and at 9am, the Malaysians were trying to make their way to Singapore for work too. It was very crowded and thus very dangerous. It was like risking our lives to go JB eat bfast. Hoho. 

Our group was split bcos of the crowd. I intentionally waited for the rest to clear the custom to ride together out of the Singapore immigration bcos I know that there is a right turn that we have to make and I duno where that exactly is. Riding together is always safer and it was really scarily dangerous bcos there were so many motorcycles and vehicles, all trying to cut into each other’s lane.

Our group made it safely into the right lane/ turn to go home, then realised that we were missing 2 cyclists from the other group. Those 2 had missed the crucial turn and went straight, which would lead them directly to BKE. They eventually caught up and shared that they indeed almost went into BKE. They had to dismount and push their bicycles to safety and then get back into the right route. See, see, don’t know route must wait. 

I got home the earliest. Hohoho. 

Nice ride! One of the cyclists in the group said that we should do this again next month. Hmmm.. I am not sure if I want to risk my life yet ah. Lol. 

Mummy Lim

A Levels

JC is only 2 years and very short. Nana just got into ACJC for barely a month and she would be taking A Levels at the end of next year. While she mugs for A Levels, Zaky would be mugging for O Levels. Good ah, study together. Lol. 

The O Levels scoring system hasn’t changed and I am familiar with it. Daddy Lim was telling Zaky on Thursday night that the entry to JC will be revised to L1R4 too! But only in 2028. Lol. I read that the L1R5 for JC was decided bcos the passing rate for JC was super bad many years ago but we no longer have this problem, thus revising to L1R4 to relieve some study pressure. I think it is a good move but my kids are born too early.

The A Levels results for University admission is very different from my time. The grading still comes in the form of A to E but they now have this University Admission Score (UAS). The gradings are translated to numeric scores. 

The UAS is based on a maximum score of 90 - 3 H2 subjects (3 x 20 points) + 1 H1 + GP + Project Work (3 x 10 points). This will be revised to a maximum score of 70, where only the 3 H2 + GP will be considered. PW is graded either as pass or fail and whether the rest of the subjects will be considered as part of the UAS depends on whether they help to improve the UAS.

Bcos Nana has done well for O Levels, she is now taking 4 H2 subjects. In the event that she takes all the subjects at H2 level, the one with the worse score will automatically become a H1 subject. I think she has the option to downgrade one of the subjects to H1 in year 2 too and then.take it as a H1 during A Levels. 

So, when will the 4th H2/ H1 subject and Chinese results be taken into the UAS? Let’s say that the student scores A, B, B, C for the H2 subjects, B for GP, and A for MTL. 

UAS omitting both 4th H2 and MTL = 20 + 17.5 + 17.5 + 8.75 = 63.75 (this is the baseline)

UAS with 4th H2 = (20 + 17.5 + 17.5 + 7.5 + 8.75)/80 x 70 = 62.34 (4th H2 pulls down the grade)

UAS with MTL = (20 + 17.5 + 17.5 + 8.75 + 10)/80 x 70 = 64.53 (MTL improves the grade)

UAS with both 4th H2 and MTL = (20 + 17.5 + 17.5 + 7.5 + 8.75 + 10)/90 x 70 = 63.19 (4th H2 and MTL together pulls down the grade)

So, the UAS calculation with MTL added improves the UAS from 63.75 to 64.53. Hence, the final UAS is 64.53.

This calculation will be done automatically by MOE. Now, back to the question that Nana has asked on whether Chinese result is important. If she is intending to go into a highly competitive course (doctor/ law/ dentistry), then I am sure all subjects are important bcos when 2 or more students have the same UAS, the school looks into the subject scoring details. 

Sadly, Nana has no aspirations to go be a doctor, lawyer or dentist. Lol. That is also to say, MTL plays a much less important role in the UAS. Nana has worked very hard at the last minute and gotten an A2 for Chinese at O Levels. In the end, she didn’t even need to use her Chinese result score for her L1R5. I think the same will apply in her A Levels bcos I don’t think her Chinese result will be good enough to pull up her UAS. I think Nana will be super happy to hear this conclusion. She was just asking me the other day during her Chinese lesson, on how hard she has to work for her MTL. Lol. 

She is now taking tuition for Maths and Physics. As expected, she is enjoying Econs, I did too. I am not sure what is happening to her Geography and if she needs to downgrade 1 subject to H1, it is probably Geography. The other 3 subjects are too precious (and useful for University course selection) to take at H1.

That concludes my “study” of the UAS. I am so clever. Haha. 

Mummy Lim

Mugging has Started

Time really just flew by. We are now in March and Zaky had finished his WA1. I had been hearing Zaky whined about the heavy school load and how his school ends in the late afternoon every school day and it is killing him. To add on to his pain, he has started his A Maths tuition in end 2024 and I had just added on Chinese tuition. Zaky seems to be struggling with his Sciences and I am waiting for him to tell me if he needs help with Physics or Chemistry. 

Zaky is under the same Chinese tutor as Nana. He had his 1st lesson 2 weeks ago and surprisingly, the tutor said that his foundation isn’t too bad. I asked if he is better than Nana. The tutor in turned asked if Zaky is as hardworking as Nana. Ok, GG. By the way, he failed his Chinese WA1 and just had his 2nd tuition yday, the tutor now said that while he learns quickly, he has also forgotten a lot of the simple vocabulary that he has learnt in the past. Zzzzz.

I think he is struggling, such that he had asked if it is ok for him to go poly instead of JC bcos he is so sick of studying and thinks that poly has more hands-on curriculum. Hello, poly also needs good O level result to go to a good course leh. In Poly, also need to study hard to go NTU/ NUS ah. I am not heartless. I just don’t buy his arguments that he needs to relax during the weekends and too tired during weekday evenings to do work/ revision. I duno when to step in but probably will at some point when it seems to get out of hand. 

Yday, there was some parent engagement session in SST at 8am. I wanted to go and signed up. However, it was raining so heavily when I left the house at 7am. I figured that I will be late when I arrived in SST and then will be late for work when I leave SST for office. In the end, I skipped the session and headed to the office instead. Lol. It is mentioned that the briefing slides will be shared later. I will read that instead. Hoho. 

I think I didn’t miss much. From the parents’ chat group, the most important point is that majority of O levels syllabus will be taught in Sec 3. Sec 4 is mainly for revision leading up to O levels. Zaky, fighting! 

It had been a month since Nana started JC. She has gotten her desired subject combination and bcos she opted for hybrid combination, taking up Econs and Geography, her days are stretching late too as Arts subject classes are usually later in the day. Her school year barely started and she has asked for Maths tuition. Not long after, she has requested to start Physics tuition too bcos she didn’t understand what was taught. When I checked with Nana last weekend, she said that the full curriculum has started and showed me her packed time table. Nana, fighting! 

Nana said that she will be taking her H1 Chinese exam at the end of JC1. If passed and satisfied with her result, she can then drop Chinese in JC2. Her Chinese tutor said that the H1 Chinese syllabus is pretty similar to O levels and that Nana wouldn’t need tuition. During her Chinese class yday, she asked me if she needed to work very hard for Chinese and how much the Chinese result affects her A level results. That is a story for another post. 

ACJC has a parent engagement session this evening at 6pm. I thought I should attend, given that we are new to JC school life. The students are invited but not compulsory. Nana happily skipped the session. I took the MRT and walk the familiar, yet unfamiliar walkway to the school. 

About 30 years ago, I walked the same walkway every weekday morning for 2 years. Then, there was no mobile phone and no covered walkway. It was a dark pathway with the road on one side and a lot of trees on the other. Today, it is nicely sheltered and bright, with new buildings replacing the plot with trees. 

Several years back, I had the chance to visit ACJC for Sunday service, when Faith Methodist Church was undergoing renovations. It was nostalgic. This visit, it continued to bring back many memories. 

This was my classroom! I think I had the same classroom for both years.

The briefing was conducted in the auditorium. It is the same! 

The best seats are at the sides, where the railing is - best bcos it is the most comfortable to doze on tired mornings during assembly. Hoho. 

The session started online and with a prayer led by the pastor. That was nice. This was followed by the staff introduction and the principal’s speech. It is the usual school history, motto, values, etc. What I did hear is that the A levels today is very different from our times and a lot more difficult. Ikr. Lol. 

There is even a theme verse for the year!

The session went on and on. I got bored and read my story book. Hoho. The key takeaway? The key dates and university admission score. 

Finally, the session ended at 7ish. The parents were invited to meet their form teacher - I don’t even know which class Nana is in. Hohoho. I left. 

The most interesting part of the visit? When I was leaving the school, there was a signboard at the entrance and a big chicken was perched on it, enjoying the view. Lol. 

Mummy Lim

Zaky’s Bike Sold

When Zaky outgrew his kiddish Trek mountain bike quite some years ago, we bought him a 2nd hand Triban 100 hybrid bike. He was still fairly little at that time and was barely tall enough to handle the XS bike. It was a decent buy for $100. 

Over the years, he rode it occasionally. Initially, only during family rides, which are really rare, to riding more frequently in the last 2 years with his classmates. He has definitely outgrown the bike in the last few years but he insisted that he liked the bike and that it is ok. I bet he looked like a circus bear on a bike. Lol. 

Zaky still insisted that we keep the bike even when Daddy Lim passed him the roadie. Sadly, he only rode on the roadie once but that doesn’t change the fact that he is now too big for the hybrid. 

Both Zaky and Nana’s hybrid bikes are kept in the corridor and they are collecting dust. With the impeding move, I have decided that we will let go of Zaky’s hybrid. He didn’t object. 

I listed it on Carousell for $70. There are other Triban 100 listed at a higher price. 

There were queries almost immediately, asking on condition, etc. Sold! $70! 

The bike is seriously in a super dusty and dirty condition. Daddy Lim pumped up the tires, cleaned up the bike a little. There were quite some scratch marks. The buyer didn’t complain. Heng ah.

It is such good deal, to think that we had it for so many years and the depreciation is $30. Hoho. Daddy Lim is also happy bcos the buyer PayLah him and he pocketed the proceeds. Hoho. 

As I was looking through the blog for information of our cycling journey, I saw this.

I cannot help but make Zaky do this. 

Hohoho. 

Mummy Lim