TP4ME

temasekpoly.sg

2011-04-20T17:01:00.002+08:00

We've moved!

Temasek Polytechnic's new official blog is at temasekpoly.sg.

See you there!

Yes, we're still alive.

2010-07-07T14:15:00.003+08:00

It's been a good month since we've last posted on TP4ME. That's definitely the longest time we've been on a break, and an unannounced one at that. But yes, everyone, we're still alive.

Fanning and I could write essay upon essay on what we've been up to, I'll spare you the agony. Basically, both of us got caught up tied up with work. Project work, assignments, running around avoiding hordes of fans (that's just me, by the way. Fanning doesn't have hordes of fans and understandably so), that sort of thing.

In a sense, it's all pretty mundane stuff. Well, not exactly mundane. School life has its up's and down's, after all.

But what I'm here to say is that we're back blogging and actively so. In fact, we have two very important announcements for everyone.

Announcement One - TPRAWKS 2010

I know I'm not the only one who feels this way, but to me, TPRAWKS is my favourite event of all the major events in TP. Even compared to the Open House. I mean, the Open House is FUN, but TPRAWKS is FUN-ER. FUN-EST, in fact. Look at me and my excellent English skillzorz.

If you didn't know already, TPRAWKS is already open for registration. SIGN UP NOW OR I SHALL SHOW YOU FANNING'S REAL FACE AND YOU WILL TURN TO STONE.

Website is HERE. GO CLICK. NOW. It's currently the "early" website, from what I understand. The full version is coming soon. Tell all your friends! Tell your friends to tell their friends!

The Official Temasek Polytechnic blog - temasekpoly.sg

Some of you have asked us before - are we TP's official blog? Well, it pretty much depends on what you mean by "official". We are an official blog of TP, but if you mean official official then that would be the new temasekpoly.sg blog.

So yeap, TP now has an official blog manned by 2 of our staff, one of which is someone some of you know - Fabian! He's one of the staff TP4ME usually corresponds with to find out things and is incidentally a TP alumni. Lucian, his colleague and fellow blogger, is quite the photographer and is responsible for many of the photos you see on the TP Facebook fan page.

I'm not sure why they don't use cool nicknames like Fanning and I, but hey, that just means we're still cooler than them.

Wait, so does that mean that Frayon and Fanning won't be blogging anymore??

... What? Where did you get THAT idea from. Of course we'll still be blogging. In fact, you'll see things on TP4ME that you'll never get on the official TP blog. No no, not me with my clothes off. Your monitor will explode from the sheer Awesomeness™ of that. Plus I'd get arrested.

What I mean is that TP4ME is dedicated to showing everyone the quirkier, different side of TP as well as what it's like for us studying here in TP. Plus, we have a healthy tagboard on the right - our very own TP4ME community!

In fact, you'd probably see us commenting on the temasekpoly.sg blog, and vice versa. Whatever the case is, just know that you'll see, watch and read more of TP then you ever had online.

Now stop imagining me with my clothes off.

Seen at TP - The T-shirt of Irony

2010-06-03T15:43:00.001+08:00

Difficult Group Mates

2010-05-24T15:08:00.006+08:00

One thing that's absolutely unavoidable in life is there somewhere, sometime... someone's really going to piss you off.

I mean, there's IRRITATED. And then there's ANGRY. And then there's this:

Or in Fanning's case, it's:

The problem with these people is that sometimes they're unavoidable. Like in group work.

Let's call him J.

J is in my group for a particular major project. Now J is a nice enough guy. ... Okay. No. He's not. He's obnoxious, for one. He has an amazing ability to take credit for everything. First time I met him I thought he was an overachiever. Now I know him to just be a LIAR.

One of his recent boasts:

J: Yeah, I used to dabble in hacking a bit.
Me: Wow, really?
J: Yeah, used to be in the same circle as some of Singapore's best hackers.
Me: Wow. Really?
J: Yeah, but I got bored of it. It's not all that interesting.
Me: ... ... Okay.
J: They begged me to stay.
Me: (really beginning to lose interest) ...
J: But nah. They weren't good enough lah.

But the problem isn't his boasting. The problem is his incredibly irresponsible attitude. Today, for the 5th time consecutively, he didn't come for our group meetings. The REST of us have been doing his work for him, while he keeps saying he's got X meeting with Y people regarding Z.

CAN'T. STAND. IT. I want to POUND HIS FACE IN WITH HIS OWN LEG.

*breathes in, breathes out*

I don't get it. Seriously. If you're in a group, and you don't show up for meetings, you don't do your work, how on earth do you expect to get away with it? Your group mates KNOW. It's plain to see how lazy and incompetent you are. I don't know what's more shocking: J's bad attitude or his assumption that he's getting away scot-free.

... RARRGH.

SO!

2010-05-13T15:43:00.003+08:00

DO YOU GUYS LIKE PRIZES?

Heh. Heh. Heh.

update:
Frayon, I LOVE PRIZES. And I know I will win every single one of these prizes, if not for the fact that I am banned from participating in the... thing. Which is so unfair. Even though I'm part of the organizing team. It's still unfair. I deserve a prize for just being me. But the lucky ones who are neither Frayon and I should totally Watch. This. Space.

(Psst, seriously Frayon, I will find a way to win That Prize! I WANT THAT ONE, and you're not stopping me! *hissss*)

Happy Birthday TP!

2010-05-07T14:55:00.001+08:00

Today is TP's 20th Anniversary celebrations!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TEMASEK POLYTECHNIC! WOOHOO!

End of Week 2

2010-04-30T16:25:00.003+08:00

Tomorrow's Labour Day. On a SATURDAY. =(

I've probably said this a lot of times before, but having a public holiday on a Saturday or during the holidays is like... letting you smell a wonderful bowl of instant noodles, but not letting you eat it. >_<

So. Anyway. Week 2 ends. How's everyone holding up?

Frayon's Food Recommendations For Today

2010-04-26T12:58:00.003+08:00

Okay, seriously. If you guys are NOT ordering the Baked Beef Lasagna and/or Mango Salad from the Salad Bar in Mensa today, you need to correct that error right NOW.

Believe me. You won't regret it. In fact, it's on the exact opposite spectrum of regret. It's the feeling of utter and total fulfilment, like you've achieved everything you meant to do. Yes. You, my friend, as with the rest of us, are all meant to eat the Baked Beef Lasagna and Mango Salad from the Mensa Salad Bar.

Now that you've received the Commission of Your Life™, go forth. Consume and be gratified. Before it's all sold out. Otherwise you'll need to wait till next week to fulfil your reason for existing.

In other news, I still think these two girls are the cutest girls ever.

Eekgads, it's Week 1!!

2010-04-22T15:38:00.004+08:00

Okay, so I didn't manage to put together a post last Saturday. Many apologies, but I was hibernating. Got totally zonked out by the Orientation, which unbelievably concluded nearly a week ago.

A week! When all the Orientation activities first start two weeks ago (and mind you, there were WEEKS of preparation done even before that), it seemed like we were all gearing ourselves up to for a long, drawn-out event (not that we minded of course).

And suddenly, it's all over. Heck, it's already nearing the end of Week 1. I doubt I'm even capable of talking coherently in this post.

Someone asked Fanning and I whether we miss the Orientation.

YES. WE DO. WE DEFINITELY DO.

I know I keep saying this, but it's true - I really believe that our Freshman Orientation shows the very spirit of TP. THIS is why we're the most vibrant polytechnic around - we're bonded, we're passionate and BOY CAN WE HAVE FUN.

Our budding photographer/videographer Lucian (we'll properly introduce him soon) painstakingly weathered sun and rain to shoot videos and a tonne of photos for the event. And we've just linked up with the Visual Central folks for THEIR photos as well, which we'll be uploading very soon.

Oh, and if you've got some time on your hands and, like us, really miss the Orientation, I've put together a 15 video-playlist for your viewing pleasure (vids all taken by Lucian). And MAN, HD CAMERA FOR THE WIN.

Week 0 Orientation was simply amazing

2010-04-17T01:37:00.001+08:00

It was.

Really really amazing.

I'm now partially deaf with no voice... and happy.

We'll blog more about our experience tomorrow. When we wake up. At around, what, 3pm? Heh.

CBox RENEWED + IIT Mass Dance Rehearsal Video

2010-04-15T00:27:00.015+08:00

The CBox has been renewed everyone! REJOICE!

YIKES.

In all our excitement over the Orientation, we missed an email from CBox telling us that it was expiring. Sorry folks! We'll get it up by tomorrow, promise!

To keep you guys occupied till then check out the following vid!

IIT Freshies' TP Mass Dance Rehearsal

TP and our Orientations

2010-04-12T11:54:00.009+08:00

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And in case you don't know it already, we're all extremely EXTREMELY proud and excited about our Orientation programmes. "But why, Frayon?" I can hear you ask. "It's ORIENTATION. It's just, people getting to know the school better."

Ah, you couldn't be more wrong. Let me enlighten you, since I'm so good at enlightening people:

1) The TP Orientation programmes embody what life in TP is like.
I'm not exaggerating. Yes, sure, we don't go around screaming like mad people everyday. But the unity, the camaraderie (big word, I know), the Awesomeness™? That's just part and parcel of life here.

2) It. Is. Super. Fun.
I'm serious. The Orientation is stupendously fun.

What, this doesn't look fun to you?

And this is just ONE event for ONE school in TP (namely, the Temasek Applied Science School, which started their Orientation today).

3) The TP Mass Dance, the TP School Song and the Chicky Dance.
This should've been 3 different points, but I didn't want to make your head explode from having to read too many Awesome™ points.

We have a tie-up with the Official TP Fan Page this year to cover the Week '0' Orientation. Be sure to keep your eyes posted on this blog and the fan page for more awesomeness!

Just a glimpse of what the FOW was like

2010-04-08T17:21:00.002+08:00

What was the FOW like?

We'll let the freshies show you themselves.

TP's Birthday, Bedok Reservoir in the Morning and FOW Day 2

2010-04-06T13:58:00.008+08:00

80px; height: 92px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_cRtzFgDGe9s/S7B1GX7U53I/AAAAAAAABy4/pMpix2D7BFA/s200/Frayon+DP.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5453987901108184946" border="0" />HEY EVERYONE!! TEMASEK POLYTECHNIC'S BIRTHDAY IS TODAY! WE'RE 20 THIS YEAR! AND THIS DEFINITELY DESERVES 1) ME TYPING IN ALL CAPS AND 2) A BIRTHDAY CAKE!

I BAKED A BIRTHDAY CAKE FOR TP! HERE IT IS!!

I saw these pictures posted up on the TP Fan Page and thought they were marvelous:

Today's Day 2 of the Orientation Workshop. Those of you who're in it, how do you find it so far?

Day 1 of the Freshmen Orientation

2010-04-05T14:12:00.003+08:00

Hello and welcome to TP4ME!

2010-03-31T16:01:00.005+08:00

80px; height: 92px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_cRtzFgDGe9s/S7B1GX7U53I/AAAAAAAABy4/pMpix2D7BFA/s200/Frayon+DP.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5453987901108184946" border="0" />It looks like many of our readers today are first-time readers of TP4ME. No doubt you guys received this Awesome™ postcard.

WELCOME TO THE TP4ME BLOG. I'm Frayon, one of the two bloggers of TP4ME. We're the official bloggers of Temasek Polytechnic as well as all-round-cool-people. Well. Actually I'm the cool one. Fanning is the monster from The Great Dark Beyond.

We're here to tell you all about life at Temasek Polytechnic. Our tagboard is (for now) our main way of interacting with you (and many current TP students come by TP4ME too), so drop us a question or comment and we'll get back to you asap!

I'm sure Fanning will want me to introduce her too, so here goes - she's a beastly, monsterous, ugly alien from outer space and in real life she looks something like this:

Freshies Oeei! Orientation FAQ

2010-03-29T10:16:00.009+08:00

Update: All updates/changes to this post will be in light blue.

Alright folks, as promised, here's my Awesome™ on the Orientation! It will be further updated as we get more questions/answers!

And for the record, I LOVE OUR NEW BLOG. Mwahahaha!!

Before we start the FAQ, we'd like to put up a clarification one common misunderstanding when people see questions/answers appear regarding the Orientation. There are essentially two "types" of Orientations -

1. the Freshmen Orientation Camp (FOC)/Freshmen Orientation Workshop (FOW), otherwise known as the Residential / Non-residential Camp
2. the Week '0' Orientation

More information on what exactly the differences are between the 2 can be found in this post.

Sometimes when we or other people talk about the Orientation, it might not be immediately clear which one we're referring to unless you've been following the conversation. When in doubt, be sure to ask which one we're talking about.

Didn't I already send my indemnity form together with the Enrolment Package back to TP?
Okay, there is a bit of confusion over this issue - the "indemnity form" and the "consent form" in the package that they send you is the same form. So what they mean is for you to fill in and bring the consent form on your first day of Orientation.

I don't have an indemnity / consent form though! How??
Different schools send different letters regarding their orientation. Generally speaking, DES and ASc students will have consent forms included because there'll be one day that they are required to stay overnight. Other schools don't, however.

I still haven't received my orientation letter, but my friend has!
Not everyone will receive their orientation letters at the same time, even if you're in the same school, because the letters go out in batches (like the Enrolment Package).

Is the Week Zero Orientation compulsory?
Yes, it is. However, if you really have something on and can't make it for certain days, do inform your school. Contact information can be found in your Enrolment Guide, page 20.

How do I know if I've been selected for the FOC/FOW?
They will most probably inform you via the email you registered with. ~~Our current understanding, however, is that they haven't started sending out confirmations yet.~~

Update: Freshies have reported receiving their confirmation emails already!

I have a bridging programme that clashes with the FOC/FOW!
You'll need to call the hotline that the Applied Science School included in your Orientation letter and arrange with the school itself.

And yes folks, ONLY the Applied Science School has a bridging programme for some of their students. The rest of you don't. =P

The Brand New, Amazing and Lovely TP4ME is here!

2010-03-26T15:24:00.007+08:00

Ladies and gentlemen, cats and dogs, aliens, plants and rocks of different sizes - welcome to the brand new TP4ME blog.

I know I'm usually not so flowery with my language, but today is a special day for all of us. This new TP4ME look was a work that spanned a long time, and would not have happened without the hard work of some of the best artistic talents Frayon and I have had the honour of meeting. They are now officially inducted into the TP4ME team, and you will see other products of their hard work for many months to come.

Credit must be given when credit is due:

The wonderful postcard Frayon previewed the other day was designed by Hiro. She (yes, she) also designed several other, shall we say, items that TP4ME will be featuring soon.

The new blog was designed by Meow. If any of you see any bugs with the new blog, or have any feedback, just let us know and we'll let Meow know and she'll fix it like the pro she is.

And last but certainly not least, Quirkie is the artistic genius behind our new look! I'd like to personally thank her for my cool, new skull hair-pin that I totally, absolutely adore. I nearly gushed when I saw it, and I don't gush.

So, ladies and gentlemen here it is - the new TP4ME, redesigned on the outside but still the same on the inside. We're still here to answer questions, tell you all about TP life and poke fun at Frayon. 'Cuz he really just asks for it sometimes.

Orientation Queries

2010-03-25T17:46:00.002+08:00

Freshies of TP! We're collaborating with the TP Fan Page to help answer Orientation-related questions. To make it most effective, we're trying to compile as many queries as possible to put into a Q&A - if you've asked something but it hasn't been answered yet, can you write it in our tagboard or email us?

Of course, if you have other questions to ask, feel free to do so. =D

New tp4me preview 2

2010-03-24T18:39:00.006+08:00

Another sneak peek!

Let us know what you think!

(also know that this image is obviously still a work in progress =P)

New tp4me preview 1

2010-03-22T17:55:00.005+08:00

We'll let the peektures do the talking!

tp4me update

2010-03-17T17:37:00.002+08:00

Hey everyone, Fanning here.

Over the next few weeks (till the end of the month), we'll be rolling out a new look for the tp4me blog. As Frayon has previewed in our previous post, we'll not only be changing the look, we'll also be changing the way the blog looks and works.

In the meantime, there might be some bugs on the blog as we mess with the formatting and code and stuff, so if you find that something looks funny, do let us know.

Frayon: PS. HOLIDAYS YOOOOOOOOOOOO!!

Fanning: ... ... please don't shout in my ear like that.

Holidays. HOLIDAYS. HOLIDAYS!!!

2010-03-11T15:05:00.003+08:00

I woke up this morning at 7.00am. That is because I purposely set my alarm clock at that time the previous night.

The reason I did that was so that I could wake up at 7.00am, observe how early it was, wish I could go back to sleep and then actually go back to sleep.

It's like when you're falling asleep listening to someone boring, but know that you need to stay awake? What if you one day actually had the freedom to actually fall asleep? Wouldn't that be really sweet sleep?

That's precisely why I did what I did. Every morning, I have the feeling of wanting to go back to sleep. And today I DID.

Why?

BECAUSE IT'S THE HOLIDAYS!

Actually I'm rather late in celebrating. Our school holidays officially started on Monday (and for those lucky enough to have papers who ended earlier, it started last week). But we've been working on something recently in tp4me, and we've decided that it's finally time to show you... this:

*dum dum dum dummmm*

RARRR!!! & The Tuition Grant Form

2010-03-08T17:26:00.003+08:00

... FRAYON.

I am going to find the biggest spiked club I have in my cupboard, and I am going to club you on the head in the most PAINFUL OF WAYS. REPEATEDLY.

That little worm accessed my Gmail account and changed my password to "hahayougotpunked".

Edit by Frayon: HEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHE.

This is WAR, Frayon. You are TOTALLY going to get it from me this week.

Edit by Frayon: Oh I'm so scaaaared. Oooooo...

While I plot the doom and destruction of that little pipsqueak, I did receive a rather interesting email from a rather interesting person today.

There're probably a large number of you who are already fans on the official TP Fan Page. Well. The TP Fan Page administrator contacted us to help with some issues that the fans have been posting on the wall, specifically regarding the Tuition Grant Form.

So we've put together another FAQ to help you guys out. Here it is:

I haven't received my Tuition Grant Form, but my friends have! Help!
Don't worry - just like the Enrolment Package, not every TP freshie receives the form at the same time. Due to the huge volume of mail that needs to be sent out, the forms are mailed in waves - so you'll most probably get it this or even next week.

But what about the deadline? My friend said that the date to return the TG Form is xx March!
Now here's the thing. The actual deadline depends on when YOU receive the form, not your friend. Typically, it should be about a week later that you need to return the form.

My TG form didn't come with an envelope!
Yeap, sorry, you'll need to find your own envelope to send it back to TP. Oh, and don't forget the postage.

So who do we send it to?
Preferably, send it to the Finance and Administration department (the address should have been given to you). You can also send it to the Student Services & Admissions address (on the Envelope A given with your Enrolment Package).

I downloaded the TG form from TP's website and included it into Envelope A. Do I have to fill in the one they sent me and send it back again?
After speaking to a Finance staff in TP, we feel it's best that you DO fill in and send it in again. This is because MOE had made certain changes to the form - it's possible that the form you downloaded to fill in and the form that TP sent you is different. So yes, please do fill in the one TP sent you and send it back.

Week 2 of Exams and Enrolment Packages

2010-03-02T16:35:00.003+08:00

And we're now into the 2nd week of exams.

There're already a lot of people who've finished their papers, which means they're now all out frolicking happily across meadows into sunsets... pfft.

Fanning: You're just jealous that I finished my papers and you haven't. Hyuk hyuk hyuk.

Frayon: *sticks fingers into ears* LALALALA I CAN'T HEAR YOU!

The rest of us hardworking, diligent students on the other hand will continue to study hard to ace our papers and show the world how hardworking, diligent and successful we are.

Fanning: *rolls eyes*

Frayon: Why do you keep interrupting my post?

Fanning: Because I have a lot of free time.

Frayon: ... ... *twitch*

We think it's time to update some information on the Enrolment Package FAQs.

Fanning: I'd do it but it's your turn on the schedule to post. I guess that just means I have even MORE free time on my hands now.

Are there any courses where a laptop is compulsory?
There are NO courses in TP where having a laptop is compulsory.

Where's the Tuition Grant Application Form, and why is it crossed off from my Envelope B?
The form will be sent to you at a later date, so don't worry about it. Just send in the other forms first.

I have problems printing my form from the TP Enrolment website!
Currently the website works best with Internet Explorer. If you happen to be using Firefox, Chrome, Safari or other browsers and that causes problems with your printing, try using IE instead.

What branch do I put in the Giro form?
Many banks require you to specify which branch you'll be charging your bills to under a Giro scheme. Do check with your bank on which branch it is (it should also be in your bank book for some banks).

End of Week 1 Exams

2010-02-26T17:46:00.002+08:00

The end of the first week of exams is finally here!

We noticed that there'll still questions regarding the Enrolment Package, and that sometimes the questions get lost inside the tagboard. So guys, feel free to either leave a comment or email Fanning and/or I - we'll get back to you once we have the answers. It might be a tad slower during the weekend though, but we'll do it asap!

As for the current TP students - How do you feel you fared? Did anyone finish all your papers this week already? How many papers left? ANYONE GRADUATING THIS YEAR?

Exams, Enrolment Packages and Chocolates

2010-02-22T15:49:00.008+08:00

Fanning here.

It's the start of the exam period for TP today (well, most of TP at least - the Temasek Design School has a different academic schedule). Which means that TP is somewhat quieter, and there's a air of nervousness around.

In contrast, while current students are busily tackling the exams, the inbound 2010 freshies have started to receive their confirmation packages.

tp4me will be committing itself to helping freshies with any help they require regarding the enrolment package. We know that it can be a bit overwhelming - there are a LOT of documents to prepare - so if you have any questions, ask away! We'll be updating this post consistently with questions to some of the queries already asked on our tagboard so they don't get lost.

Now then, I should go back to my chocolates. Chocolates are my exam fuel.

Enrolment Package FAQ

Q: If I've also applied for a course / appealed for a course via the DAE, do I still fill in and submit the current enrolment documents?

A: Yeap, you still do. If your DAE application is successful, TP will contact you and guide you through the process to switching courses.

Q: Where're the Matriculation Card Application Form and the Parent's / Guardian's Consent & Indemnity Form?

A: They're at the back of your Enrolment Guide - pages 23 and 25 respectively.

Q: What if my medical form requires more than 5 working days for collection? How do I inform TP?

A: You can leave a note inside your Envelope A that on the date you'll be collecting your Medical Form. Once you have it, mail to the same address as indicated on Form A, or if you want, you can come down to TP's One Stop Service Centre to submit the form.

Q: I haven't received my Enrolment Package! Will I still be in time to sign up for the Freshmen Orientation Camp / Workshop?

A: Don't worry, you'll receive your package soon. Also, the closing date for registration is March 6, so you've still got a while. =)

The DPA student hunt

2010-02-19T17:31:00.003+08:00

FRAYON, LORD OF AWESOMNESS™ AND ALL THINGS THAT ARE LIGHTER THAN 2KG, WOULD LIKE TO WELCOME -

THE DPA STUDENTS!!

Everyone say HI!

While school starts for most freshies in April, there're ALREADY a group of brand new year 1's that have started their TP experience.

We're going to try and ~~hunt them down~~ politely ask them out for tea so they can let you know what they think of Poly life so far.

*puts on hunting gear*

Fanning: ... ... ... Frayon. Do you even know how to use a bow and arrow?

Frayon: What? Of course I do. You choose put this sharp part here, with the stick like this, pull the string and -

*thwonk*

Frayon: ............!!!!!!!

Fanning: aaand you just shot yourself in the foot. You're the only one I know who can do that with a bow and arrow.

Frayon: *whimper*

We're back! And it's time to hit the books!

2010-02-17T18:30:00.003+08:00

And after that long weekend, tp4me is back on track!

HELLO ALL MY FANS AND LITTLE MINIONS!

This week is TP's study week, which means most TP students do not have school. So that we can study. And bemoan the fact that the long weekend is over.

So if you'll excuse us, we're going to hit the books.

How was your Chinese New Year / Valentine's Day? Did any of you manage to celebrate both on the same day (I honestly have NO idea how you'd pull that off)?

Happy Chinese New Valentine's Year Day!

2010-02-12T16:13:00.004+08:00

Fanning: Frayon, that was the most confusing blog title you've ever put up on a post.

IT'S A SUPER LONG WEEKEND! 4 DAYS OF WEEKEND! 1 + 1 + 1 + 1!

Well. It'd taste sweeter if it didn't actually coincide with the TP Study Week, but that's still fine.

But this weekend we'll see the clash of two extremely important events. In one corner, weighing at a hefty 2000 kilograms from all the pineapple tarts, love letters (the biscuit type), almond cookies and mandarin oranges...

CHINESE NEW YEAR

In the other corner, weighing at a light (but expensive) 10kg full of roses, jewelry, love letters (the real type) and poetry...

VALENTINE'S DAY

Okay, those two events aren't REALLY going to fight. But considering they're both on the same day, which one will supercede the other? Provided you're celebrating both of course.

Anyway, have a happy Chinese New Year and Valentine's Day! Let us know how yours went. tp4me will be taking a break for the festivities and will return back to our regularly scheduled programme next Wednesday.

The Enrolment Package

2010-02-10T23:39:00.000+08:00

Fanning here.

There've been a number of queries regarding the enrolment package, the medical checkup and what needs to be done before school starts for the freshies.

We'll detail it down those 3 ways -

The Enrolment Package
First up, here's the very important and detailed official page for the Enrolment Package:

http://www.tp.edu.sg/home/admissions/enrolment.htm

Make sure you read everything in your enrolment package. We can't emphasize this enough - the enrolment package contains a whole lot of stuff, it's true, but everything's important. Don't worry, you'll be given time to react to the enrolment package (just make sure you don't procrastinate about it).

At a glance, the enrolment package will:

1) reach you some time in March. Different people will get it at different dates.
2) contain information such as your reporting date, medical checkup requirements, financial schemes and orientation.
3) require your full attention, so don't skim / speed-read it!

The Medical Checkup
This medical checkup is a basic, routine thing. It consists of things like getting an X-Ray done, getting your eyes checked and stuff like that.

I think a few people asked if you can "fail" your medical checkup. Again - this is just a checkup, not a test. However, if through the checkup you discover certain conditions that would affect your course of study (such as having severe colour-blindness in a Design course) that you didn't know about before (which would be strange), that might have some bearing on your course (though what exactly depends on the condition).

Please note that there's a specific list of clinics where you should be doing your medical checkup at. Don't worry, they've been doing this for years so they'll know what to do.

What To Do Till School Starts
Everything the Enrolment Package tells you to do, of course. Oh, and go buy new clothes for school. Trust me, when you're changing your clothes everyday to go out, suddenly your wardrobe might seem kinda... small. Especially when you're just used to wearing uniforms everyday

Frayon: I don't change my clothes everyday.

Fanning: ... The mixture of disgust, shock and exasperation is leaving me speechless.

The Orientation Workshop / Camp and the Week 0 Orientation

2010-02-08T17:38:00.007+08:00

I AM FRAYON, OVERLORD OF AWESOMENESS™.

There are basically a few main groups of people reading this blog, including:

1) 2009 O level students, many of whom are now 2010 TP Freshies
2) Current TP students
3) My fangirls from all over the world (edit by Fanning: Yeah, all -34 of them)

For the first 2 groups, specifically the Freshies and the current TP students, February represents a very interesting contrast between them.

You see, while the JAE recently ended, and students got their placing, this week is also the last week of school for most TP students. Next week is the official "study week", which basically is a break week for students to study and prepare for their exams.

On one hand, freshies just got news that they're coming to TP. On the other hand, current TP students are seeing the few days of their academic year. Fascinating.

Well, let's move the focus a little bit more towards the freshies for today (as we promised).

Today, I'd like to talk about camping. No, not this kind:

I'm talking about THIS KIND:

There'll be a total of 3 types of Orientation activities for Freshmen - the Orientation Workshop, Camp and Week 0 Orientation.

The first two are optional, while the last one is compulsory. What's the difference?

Freshman Orientation Workshop & Camp (Optional)
The Orientation Workshop and Camp are actually mostly identical except for one key difference - the Camp is overnight while the Workshop isn't.

The FOC / FOW is basically a large scale event where freshies from all across the various schools and courses come together. Through games, activities, workshops, games, interaction and GAMES, freshies not just learn more about TP at the FOW/FOC, but also make new friends from all over the poly.

Take it from me - there are some events just just define what being a TP student is all about, and the FOC/FOW is one of them. EVERYONE we've ever spoken to regarding these two events and LOVED them. Just ask your seniors. =D

The Week O Orientation (Compulsory)
The Week 0 Orientation somewhat different. We call it Week "Zero" because it's the week before you official start classes in Week "One".

This Orientation focuses more on you learning about your courses and school. You'll meet not just your classmates but the rest of your coursemates as well. You'll also meet seniors and lecturers, and get to show some school pride at the end of the Orientation at the Olympiad.

And just in case you think this is the "boring" Orientation, it's not. Really. Just ask these folk:

And that's just ONE school.

Welcome to TP, Freshies!

2010-02-05T17:28:00.007+08:00

Hi all, Fanning here.

Before I welcome our freshies, I'd just like to define what a "freshie" is.

Freshies are the informal, friendlier way we call our 1st year freshmen (and freshwomen, of course). That means all of you who've gotten into TP recently, you guys are all our freshies!

WELCOME TO TP!

There's a rather fun post going on in the TP Fan Page on Facebook about what you Freshies should know about TP before you come in, posted by your seniors. Check it out here, and be sure to ask any questions at the page too.

We're really glad to have you guys in TP. We'll be dedicating the next week or so to all the freshies who'll be joining us. Make sure you identify yourselves on the tagboard!

tp4me in 2010

2010-02-03T16:39:00.005+08:00

IT'S ME, FRAYON, YOUR RESIDENT LORD OF AWESOMENESS™ (and other cool things).

*waves my hand in front of your face*

Behold... there are changes a-coming. CHANGES.

*waves hand faster*

ChaaaAAAaaaanges...

*waves hand even faster*

What you see now will not be what you see in the future because in the future, what you see then will be what you see in the future and not what you see now.

Fanning: Frayon. ... This entire post was giving me a headache, but this part just made me want to punch you in the face several times.

Frayon: That is because YOU ARE NOT SMART ENOUGH TO COMPREHEND THE VASTNESS OF MY KNOWLEDGEABLE KNOWLEDGE.

Fanning: Ugh.

In 2010, we'll be making a number of changes to tp4me. But we also want to hear from you - how do you think tp4me should change this year? It can be something as simple as our blog skin to the way we help answer questions.

Regarding JAE appeal documents

2010-02-01T15:32:00.002+08:00

Fanning here.

Okay, there're a number of you who're asking about when to send in your supporting documents for the JAE / DAE appeal, and how to. We've called the Registrar's Office to verify the issue, and there's their response:

JAE Appeal - NO supporting documents needed.

DAE Appeal - if you haven't sent your documents to TP yet, then you'll need to come down to TP by tomorrow to hand in your documents.

Applications - What now?

2010-01-29T15:36:00.003+08:00

Okay folks, today is the last day of the JAE Appeals system.

I know the whole process was somewhat confusing for some of you, so I hope that we've helped in some way. Really hope that you guys get what you chose - ALL THE BEST!

Now we move on to the next step - what happens now?

Well, depending on which category you belong to, you are now waiting for:

1) The Enrolment Package (for students who're already accepted into TP)
The Enrolment Package contains everything you need to know about your enrolment (surprise!) in TP. It'll include, among other things, the date you need to report to school, your orientation dates and so on.

You should be getting the package some time in February or March - once the date is confirmed we'll let you guys know!

2) The results of the JAE appeal (for students who're appealing)
The results of the JAE will come out by 5 February 2pm!

3) Orientation (for everyone who're currently / eventually accepted into TP)
Trust us when we say that the Orientation is one of the most defining moments of your life here in TP.

JAE Results and Appeals Process

2010-01-27T10:29:00.003+08:00

Fanning here.

So apparently some of you woke up as early as 7.30am to check your JAE results. Wow. Well, for those of you who got your choice and are coming to TP - welcome to the TP family! At a later date (depending on the school you got into), you will receive a confirmation package with all the information you need to start school. Do take note that these packages are sent out in "waves", so if your friend received his/hers first, don't panic, you'll get yours soon too.

For those of you who want to appeal, we've prepared the following guide to help you with appeals process:

How to Appeal
The JAE Appeal Process lasts from now till Friday, 29 Jan, 4pm. The official Appeal website is here - https://www.polytechnic.edu.sg/applications/jaeappeal/

You will notice that you might not have every course available to you in your options. The options have already been filtered by their MER and COP - only courses where you meet the Minimum Entry Requirements and the Cut-off Points will be displayed.

You can see this year's COP at this website - http://www.polytechnic.edu.sg/polyguide/JAE.html

Coming Down To TP
Temasek Poly also has an appeal centre open to help those who have queries on the appeal process. You can come down from 9am to 5pm daily, except on Friday where it closes at 4pm (which is also when the Appeal process ends).

The DAE
There is also a DAE process happening during this time. Basically you can look at it as a "2nd" appeals process.

The DAE is for applicants who do not meet the criteria set in the JAE, though the success of the application depends on the demand of the course.

The release of the DAE results will be in end March.

Contacting Us
Frayon and I will be actively manning the tagboard these next few days. If we're slow to reply your question, and you fear that it will be pushed down on the tagboard by other conversations, you can email us at iamfanning@gmail.com or furiouscrayon@gmail.com. You can also try posting your question on the official TP Facebook Fan Page.

The Debate

2010-01-25T17:37:00.006+08:00

Fanning here.

Frayon and I had a debate (which pretty much lasted over the weekend) about our sense of humour.

Besides the fact that I found his friends' jokes rather funny and he didn't, and ignoring the fact that I enjoy poking massive amounts of fun at him but he doesn't, we did conclude that we have rather different senses of humour.

That should go without saying, but the weird thing is that we both enjoy the same type of comedies. For example, recently we both watched the movie It's Complicated (together with the rest of the tp4me team, so NO, it wasn't a date).

Did we enjoy it? Well yes. I enjoyed it because I thought it was an insightful, honest and witty look into the world of divorcees and older folk.

Frayon thought that watching two older folk have an affair was hilarious (and their ensuing, ahem, antics).

Which made me quip to Frayon that he had a very "base" sense of humour. The resulting conversation went something like this:

Frayon: But you liked my friends' "hoodwink" and "shake spear" jokes. That is pretty base humour.

Fanning: No, it was witty because it was word play.

Frayon: IT WAS LAME AND SO ARE YOU.

Fanning: I can never have a decent conversation with you can I?

So I decided instead to give an example of another joke I like.

Fanning: "We were so poor when I was growing up we couldn't even afford to pay attention."

Frayon: ... I don't get it.

Which pretty much told me all I needed to know.

Anyway, the point of this post is - despite our differences, Frayon and I both enjoyed It's Complicated, so we both recommend this movie to help lighten the load of your shoulders.

Also, Frayon has a lousy sense of humour. But that goes without saying.

Sometimes, my friends make me laugh and cry AT THE SAME TIME

2010-01-22T18:01:00.005+08:00

During one of my lectures today (please note that this ENTIRE incident happened with everyone whispering) -

Lame Friend 1: Eh eh.

Me: What?

Lame Friend 1: (puts on his hoodie and winks at me)

Me: ... ... WHAT?

Lame Friend 1: You've just been HOODWINKED! (begins to snigger uncontrollably)

Me: ... ... ... I don't know whether to laugh or cry.

Lame Friend 2 (who overheard the conversation): EH EH I also got one.

Me: ... Really?

Lame Friend 2: (holds his index finger up) If this is a SPEAR, then what is this? (begins to shake his finger wildly)

Me: ... I don't know.

Lame Friend 2: SHAKE-SPEAR.

(Lame Friend 1 & 2 snigger uncontrollably)

.....

................

............................................

Edit by Fanning: Why so many dots? I actually thought that was quite funny.

Edit edit by Frayon: ... ... ...

Fanning's 2009 Reflections

2010-01-20T18:28:00.004+08:00

Fanning here.

2009 passed way too fast. Anyone else feel that way? I mean, maybe it was because there was TPRAWKS, the Open House, JAE (all of which Frayon and I were involved in), and term tests, projects, schoolwork - all of a sudden it's 2010.

In fact, we're more than halfway through the first month of 2010.

I'm not the kind to make New Year Resolutions. I never saw the need to mark the start of the year with big, dramatic promises to myself and the whole world. If I want to change something, I start the change now, no matter which part of the year it is. So why wait till the New Year?

However, I do find myself rather... reflective recently. I thought a lot about 2009, and noticed a number of things:

1) 2009 had a LOT of celebrity-related news. The death of Michael Jackson was probably the biggest one, but there was so many other things, like Tiger Woods' affairs, Kanye West and the Taylor Swift incident, just to name a few.

I think newspaper-ink sellers made a lot of money, what with all the BIG HEADLINES that newspapers had to print.

2) 2009 was my busiest year in TP. Projects + TP events + projects + TP events + schoolwork + CCAs + friends' birthdays x 100 + TP events = a LOT of fun + time passing very fast.

3) Frayon annoyed me less than I thought he would. I find that an achievement, but I hardly expect that he'd keep up the good work.

Frayon: I personally consider that aspect of 2009 to be a failure on my part, and will work harder at annoying you in 2010.

Fanning: Congrats. It's already working. NOW GET OFF MY POST.

4) Last year was the year of my favourite quote, ever. When commenting on whether a student should choose the course he prefers or the nearer polytechnic to study in, a forum-poster on the SG Club forum said,

"Would you rather date the person you love or your neighbour?"

I will never forget that line.

Well, those are just some of the rather random thoughts that crossed through my brain today. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go jogging.

Frayon: You jog too much, Fanning. All that jogging can't be good for you.

Fanning: And you talk too much. In fact, you breathe too much. Stop breathing this instant.

Hustling and Bustling through the JAE

2010-01-18T14:23:00.004+08:00

The tables and chairs have been kept, the posters taken down.

The JAE is over, and boy was it a rush for everyone at tp4me. It represents one of those key functions of our blog - to let people know more about polytechnic life (TP especially, of course) and to help answer the many, many queries that people have about it.

Now starts the 2 week wait for the JAE results, and I remember thinking to myself during my JAE, "No one told me there'd be THIS much waiting."

First, there was waiting for MOE to announce the O level results day. Then, there was waiting for the O level results itself. Finally, the day comes, then begins the wait for my O level results in school. Then after the JAE, there's the wait for the JAE results day (then the day comes, and there's the wait FOR the results itself ... >_<).

THERE JUST SEEMED TO BE A LOT OF WAITING.

No doubt this JAE made me reflect a lot about my own as well, X year(s) ago (come now, didn't think I was going to tell you how MANY, eh? Is it 1? Or 2? 3? Ho ho ho...). Well, all I can say is - I hope that tp4me has helped you in any way possible.

Now, with less hustle and bustle (well, lots of hustle still left, but definitely very little bustle now), we'll be concentrating on upgrading tp4me this year. What sort of upgrades? Well, we're still sorta thinking about it now. What do you think? What does tp4me need most right now? =D

Last day of JAE

2010-01-15T12:02:00.002+08:00

So folks, we're finally at the last day of JAE.

Many of you no doubt have already made your choices by now. If you haven't and still need help, do refer to our previous posts on clarifying the COP, MER and CCA-bonus points reduction and various sources of information/advice.

So what happens from here?

Well, the JAE results will be in 2 weeks' time. After which you will receive a confirmation letter (or SMS if you subscribed to that service) telling you what your allocated school/course is. Of course, we're all hoping you're coming to TP. =D

No doubt some of you will also want to know what the appeal process is like. We'll be putting up a post on this next week as well as on the day of the JAE results.

As it is, we're still open to answering questions (not that we'll ever stop haha), and from the looks of it many of you are now asking about what Poly life is like. Go ahead! That's what tp4me is here for!

Congratulations - YOU'VE GRADUATED FROM SECONDARY SCHOOL!

If you're still seeking answers...

2010-01-14T13:58:00.005+08:00

Seems like it was just a few days ago that everyone received their O level results.

Fanning: Frayon you doofus, it WAS just a few days ago.

And tomorrow's already the last day of the JAE!

We know there're still many of you out there who are still undecided about what to choose (choose TP!), so we've decided to compile a list of sources you can ask your questions at:

1) This blog. Well, duh, we're only the most Awesome™ blog about poly life, ever. As you no doubt would've noticed, we have a very active tagboard just on your right.

2) The Official Temasek Polytechnic Facebook fan page. TP staff and students alike are all on the Fan Page, so if you have a Facebook account, become a fan of TP and ask your questions on the wall! The TP fan page is manned by staff, just so you know. ;)

3) The TP JAE Centre, as spoken about by Fanning yesterday. Easily the best place to get answers.

4) There's a Live Chat going on with TP alumni over at the official TP website, where you can talk to graduates of TP who'll tell you all about what TP life is like.

5) You can also email me at furiouscrayon@gmail.com or Fanning at iamfanning@gmail.com. We'll get back to you asap!

Also, if you're wondering how COP, Minimum Entry Requirements and CCA point deduction works, then check out my post on Monday.

JAE 2010 @ TP

2010-01-13T10:21:00.004+08:00

Earthlings,

Congrats on completing your secondary school education!!

I know you guys have alot of questions about the JAE process, about the various courses, about the poly education, so come on down to TP and get these questions answered at our course counselling sessions and the course preview talks.

Here are the details:
Where? JAE Centre @ Temasek Polytechnic (Auditorium Foyer)
Time? Wed (13 Jan) and Thu (14 Jan) - 9am to 8pm
Fri (15 Jan) - 9am to 4pm (LAST DAY)

For more information you can check out the JAE 2010 @ TP website, and for more pictures, its on the Temasek Poly Fanpage.

Frayon and myself will also be answering your questions on our tag board, so ask away...

Solid as Bone,
Fanning

A Clarification on Cut-off Points, Minimum Entry Requirement and CCA points deduction

2010-01-12T11:16:00.000+08:00

Right, so one of the more common questions we've been seeing is, "ABC's course COP is 15, but I scored 16, can I get in?"

Hopefully, the following clarification helps:

There're 2 "scores" that you need to be aware of before applying for a Poly course. The MER - Minimum Entry Requirements and the COP - Cut-off Points.

Minimum Entry Requirements
The MER is the minimum grades you must attain across 5 subjects that makes you eligible (like the rest of the posters have said) to apply for a course. If you don't even make the MER, you can't apply for the course.

E.g. Most poly courses require that you score a C6 or above for English. If you score an F9, it doesn't matter that your other subjects all score A1 - you will be officially ineligible for that course. (however, you might still be able to apply for that course as an "exception case", but that's another topic)

The Cut-off Points
The COP is what the highest L1R4 that a course "cuts off" at. And while people think that the COP determines who gets in, it's actually really the other way around.

E.g. TP has a Diploma in Making Money, COP for 2008 is 15. John is a 2009 O level student, scored 16pts, and meets the MER. He tries his luck at putting this Diploma as his 1st choice.

2 weeks later, the JAE results are released, and out of the 100 students that applied for this Dip, the best 45 were chosen. It's revealed that the highest L1R4 for that course was 17 points and is the 2009 COP for the Diploma in Making Money. And John, who scored 16, got into the course.

So the COP merely serves as a gauge of how popular this course is, and the calibre of students that sign up for it.

Looking through the years, the COP usually doesn't fluctuate that much however. So if a course's COP is around 15, you will generally know your chances for this year.

CCA bonus points reduction
And finally, another often-asked question is: how does the CCA point reduction work for polytechnic courses?

Yes. If you've scored A1 or A2 for CCAs, your 2-point reduction IS taken into consideration for admission into a polytechnic course (likewise for your 1 point reduction for the B3 to C6 grade).

So we hope this clears things up a bit! Of course, feel free to continue asking ask any questions you have.

The JAE, the BOL, the Open House and tp4me

2010-01-11T11:51:00.004+08:00

The Open House and Beyond O Level Seminar is finally over, thus concluding the last and biggest events of the year. Photos will be up tomorrow (yes, not today, see below to understand why).

"What?" I hear you ask. "It's January 2010. Frayon, you still think your in 2009 issit lololz."

No I don't think I'm still in 2009, my slightly misinformed imaginary friend. By the way, it's "you're" not "your". Far too many people make that mistake on the internet, I feel.

You see, TP looks at the calendar a bit differently. Our academic year starts around April on one year and ends around late February / early March the following year. So, in other words, we look at our "year" as, say, April 2009 - March 2010. So to us, we're nearing the end of our "year".

Well, actually I was being slightly inaccurate in that first line in this post. The Open House and BOL Seminar aren't the last events of the year. Today, O level students all over Singapore receive their results, and this week, the Joint Admissions Exercise commences. The JAE, as well as the TP Graduation Ceremony in March, are the last 2 major events at TP.

So, firstly, all the best for everyone receiving their O level results! GO WITH THE POWER OF FRAYON COURSING THROUGH YOUR VEINS! FEAR NOTHING, BE AFRAID OF NOTHING, BE EMPOWERED BY MY ENCOURAGEMENTS!

We have several announcements to make as well:

TP JAE Centre

There's simply no better way to find out more about your options, admissions requirements and course information than to come down to the TP JAE Centre. TP staff and even students will be stationed all around to answer any question you have about TP.

To help answer one burning question I know you really want to know - yes, I really am VERY good looking.

TP has an official JAE website set up at http://www.tp.edu.sg/events/jae10/

tp4me tagboard

Over the next week or so, we're expecting a LOT of traffic on the tp4me blog, especially on our tagboard. To facilitate the effective answering of questions of the tagboard, Fanning came up with a set of guidelines which I'll copy and paste here:

"Frayon,

Here's the list of guidelines I came up with. Please especially take note of 2) and 5), otherwise I'll break your arm:

1) Daisy, yourself and I will need to strictly moderate the tagboard to watch for spammers and lamers. By "lamers" I mean people who come and say stuff like "HAHAHA YOU ARE ALL IDIOTS" - the banhammer will be heavy and swift.

2) We need to encourage everyone to try and keep their answers short and sweet, and YOU need to stop talking about how "awesome" you are on the tagboard. You take up way too much space sometimes.

3) Encourage people who're asking questions to leave their email address, either in the tagboard username or in the question itself. This way, we can check with them individually if necessary, especially if the answer is very long.

4) People who didn't manage to get their questions answered should repost their question, or contact us directly at our emails (insert by Frayon - furiouscrayon@gmail.com and iamfanning@gmail.com).

5) Really. Don't talk about yourself. Really."

While of course I love talking about myself, I'm going to have to hold back during this period for the greater good. And so that Fanning doesn't break my arm.

tp4me involvement

Now, I mentioned that we're not putting up the Open House and BOL Seminar photos today. It isn't because we're being lazy, but because we won't have time today - the entire tp4me team, staff and students alike, will be going out to secondary schools during the release of the O level results!

Not every secondary school, unfortunately, but if you see us in your school, there might be a chance you could be talking to Fanning or me! Just look out for the most handsome male human being you've ever set your eyes upon (that's me) and the multi-eyed, tentacled alien-monster-scary-creature-type-thing (that's Fanning).

Once again, all the best for your O level results!

TP Open House Day 1 and BOL Seminar

2010-01-08T11:01:00.000+08:00

So the big announcement has been made, and the O level results will be announced on Monday, 2pm in your secondary school.

Now, don't forget that if you have any questions regarding polytechnic education, you can sign up for the Beyond O Level Seminar tomorrow at TP on the BOL website -
http://www.tp.edu.sg/events/bol/registration.htm#content

I actually still remember what it was like collecting my O level results. And interestingly, one of the most significant things I remember was how awkward it was to wear the school uniform again. Especially for the last time, haha...

Anyway.

I. Love. The. TP. Open. House.

There's just... something about opening our doors to the public to show everyone what we're all about that makes me want to smile a large, gigantic smile for the whole day.

It's the cheering, the enthusiasm, the school pride, the vibrant colours of the various school T-shirts, the music, the CCAs on display, the booths, simulators... JUST EVERYTHING ABOUT THE OPEN HOUSE.

The official TP Fan Page has a bunch of photos up already -

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=188343&id=153763430481&ref=mf

- and we'll be putting them up on a Photobucket slideshow for those of you who don't have Facebook (!?) or not a fan of Temasek Polytechnic (?!?!).

If any of you have photos of the Open House too, send us a link and we'll put it up on our blog!

The Frayon & Fanning Show - Last Episode: The Temasek Humanities and Social Sciences School

2010-01-08T10:25:00.003+08:00

Fanning: *Sniffle* We’re at the last episode of The Frayon and Fanning Show *Sniffle*

Frayon: Hang on a sec. … Fanning. … … Are you… crying?

Fanning: No Frayon, I’m not. There’s… sand in my eyes. *glare*

Frayon: Okay okay, there’s sand in your eyes… NOT! YOU’RE CRYING! FANINING IS CRYING! FANNING IS C -

*THWACK CRUSH SMASH*

Frayon: AAAAAIEEEEEEEE!!! MY SPLEEN!!!

So here you have it folks, the final episode of the Frayon & Fanning show, featuring the Diploma in Psychology Studies and the Diploma in Early Childhood Studies from the Temasek Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS) School!

In case you’ve not caught the previous episodes of the show (where have you been?!), you can click on the following links to do so HERE.

Psychology at a glance
Highlights – this course is designed to provide a broad foundation in the study of human behavior and mental processes,
Career Prospects – students can embark on a career in any people oriented industry, such as education, human and social services, human resource management, public relations and more

Early Childhood Studies at a glance
Highlights – this course infuses a global perspective into it’s curriculum, students will get to go on educational field trips overseas to early childhood centers to learn more about the different practices in other countries. Students will also gain a strong foundation in psychology.
Career Prospects – graduates can be employed as early childhood educators, and with further studies and training, they can also become a child psychologist, play therapist, curriculum specialist or children’s literature writer.

We’ve come to the end of The Frayon and Fanning Show, and I hope you enjoyed the clips as much as we enjoyed filming it. If you found them fun and informative, make sure you tell your friends and ask them to watch it too!

* thanks to the students that played Frayon and Fanning in this clip, and to everyone else that made this series of videos possible.

The Frayon & Fanning Show - Episode Six: The Temasek Business School

2010-01-06T11:41:00.003+08:00

Fanning: It’s such a bittersweet feeling I’m happy because we’re at the SIXTH episode, and I’m upset because it’s the SIXTH episode (2nd last one)!

In this ep, we’re again featuring TWO diplomas – the Diploma in Communications Management and the Diploma in Hospitality and Tourism Management from the Temasek Business (BUS) School.

If you’ve not watched the previous episodes, or want to watch it again and again and again, you can do so HERE

Communications & Media Management at a glance
Highlights – this course combines hands-on training with conceptual and critical skills to help students adapt to the needs of a rapidly changing industry.
Career Prospects – broadcast journalists, copywriters, print journalists, radio and TV producers or TV presenters

Hospitality & Tourism Management at a glance
Highlights – this course aims to provide it’s students with an educational experience that is both industry and life relavant. Students will also get to undergo hands on projects and practical training sessions at the Temasek Culinary Academy. IN the second year, students will get a real-life learning experience at the Tourism Academy @ Sentosa
Career Prospects – students can work in many tourism related industries, such as in: hotels, clubs and resorts, event management, leisure attractions, national tourism organinzations or travel businesses.

Will Nicole and Frayon will live happily ever after?

Fanning: *Barf*

Tune in to the next episode to find out!

* thanks to the students that played Frayon and Fanning in this clip, and to everyone else that made this series of videos possible.

Beyond O Level Seminar: Student Feature #2

2010-01-05T15:35:00.000+08:00

Earthlings,

Today we will be featuring another 3 students who will be sharing their experiences in TP during the Beyond O Level Seminar (BOL) happening on 9 January 2010.

Kelvin, 3rd Year, IT Course

Why did you choose to enroll into the IT Course?

IT is my interest, I like the technical aspect, such as programming.

You went to Myanmar for your internship?
Yes, I did, I went to Myanmar because I wanted to try something new, and widen my horizons.

You took part in a couple of competitions, can you tell me more about one of them?
I took part in a robotics competition in Japan.(Monodozukuri Competition) I also took part in the Imagine Cup Competition which people know it as the Olympics of the IT world, and my team came in Second (National Level).

Valerie, 3rd Year, Veternary Technology Course

Do you work with animals outside your course?
Yes I do. I often volunteer at a animal shelter (Mutts and Mittens).

Can you share with us an interesting fact about marine creatures that not many people know about?
Did you know that turtles need sunlight to keep their shells hard. Without enough sunlight, the turtle's shells will turn soft and than crack.

You're having your internship at the Underwater World Sentosa. Do you like it there?
YES! I took diving lessons before I started my internship, so I get to dive into the tank to feed the fishes and other creatures like the sharks. I've learnt alot there, and it was an opportunity to apply the knowledge learnt in school in actual situations.

Foo Nyuk Xin, 3rd Year, Aviation Management & Services(AMS) Course

Why did you choose AMS?

I've always associated aeroplanes and working in airports with glamour so my interest has always been there.

You worked with Tiger Airways during your internship, what did you learn from there?

I've learnt how to deal with the different types of people and in that way improved my people skills and also communication skills.

What was your job scope at Tiger Airways?

I was part of the cabin crew so I flew with Tiger Airways but aside from being a stewardess, the cabin crew also have to perform safety checks and the checking of passenger details.

Want to find out more about Kelvin, Valerie, Nyuk Xin and the many opportunities TP students get to experience? Register for the Beyond O Level Seminar NOW.

Solid as Bone,
Fanning

The Frayon & Fanning Show - Episode Five: The Temasek Engineering School

2010-01-04T09:31:00.002+08:00

Wow, we’re already at our fifth episode! In this ep, we’re featuring not just one but TWO, that’s right, TWO diplomas – the Diploma in Aviation Management & Services and the Diploma in Clean Energy from the Temasek Engineering (ENG) School.

In this ep- Frayon wants to take Nicole into the skies (Literally). Will he succeed?

In case you haven’t caught the previous eps, we’ve linked them below! Get yourself up to speed now!

CLICK HERE TO VIEW PREVIOUS EPS

Aviation Management & Services at a glance
Highlights – this course is a first of it’s kind in Asia, and will equip it’s students with a broad range of specialized skills and knowledge to meet the aviation industry’s needs.
Career Prospects – graduates can embark on careers in aircraft leasing companies/airports/ground handling companies/aviation consulting and investment companies/civil aviation and airport authorities

Clean Energy at a glance
Highlights – students in this course will be trained in various clean energy technologies, such as solar cells, fuel cells, biomass, hydropower and wind energy.
Career Prospects – students will get job opportunities in the environmental, energy, power utility and electrical service industries, renewable or clean energy companies and research centres.

* thanks to the students that played Frayon and Fanning in this clip, and to everyone else that made this series of videos possible.

The Prehistoric Times Issue 8 - The TP Open House and Beyond O Level Seminar

2009-12-31T12:37:00.001+08:00

ISSUE #8
The TP Open House & Beyond O Level Seminar

Fanning: Gentlecavemen and caveladies, today marks the last issue of the Prehistoric Times.

Frayon: Frayon will not cry. Frayon will not cry. Frayon will not cry.

Fanning: Frayon will cry. But not right now. Now Frayon and Fanning need to talk about the Temasek Polytechnic Open House.

Frayon: Frayon will not cry. Frayon will not cry. Frayon will not cry.

Fanning: … Frayon. Keep that up and Fanning will bash Frayon’s head in with a giant spiked club and THEN Frayon will cry.

Frayon: Frayon will n- … FRAYON AND FANNING WILL NOW TALK ABOUT THE TP OPEN HOUSE!

Fanning: Much better. But don’t shout into Fanning’s ear.

Welcome to the 8th and final issue of The Prehistoric Times! We’ve been covering a lot about life in TP in many, many ways and our final issue will cover something that’s about to happen – The Temasek Polytechnic Open House 2010 and the Beyond O Level Seminar!

The TP Open House

7 – 9 January 2010

The Open House is an annual affair and easily the biggest event TP organises for anyone who’s interested in TP. But what exactly is an Open House?

Frayon: Technically of course, Temasek Polytechnic isn’t a “house”. In Singapore, the phrase “Open House” can apply to a few things, usually referring to the “opening up” of a venue, in this case a polytechnic, for people to walk in a see for themselves what the polytechnic is like.

Fanning: ... Fanning know that Frayon got that off Cavekipedia.

Like Frayon said, the Open House is basically when Temasek Polytechnic “opens its doors” for the public to walk in and see what TP is like. Booths will be set up, student guides will be on duty, lecturers will be on the standby all to just let the public have a glimpse of what life is like in Temasek Polytechnic.

Here’s what you can expect at the Open House –

A Visit To Any Of Our 6 Academic Schools

Students and lecturers will be all pumped up and ready to show visitors around their respective School. You’ll get to see what our lecture halls look like, what equipment we have in our labs and studios and many of the the fancy, high-tech (and sometimes even bizarre) things that TP students will need to work with!

Frayon: Watch out for the Dinosaur X-Ray machine! You can’t miss it, it’s 2 storeys tall!

Fanning: It was 2 storeys tall. Then Frayon’s pet T-Rex ate most of it. Now it’s 2 centimeters tall.

In-depth Course Information

The Open House is an excellent opportunity to get to know our courses better. Got a question about admission requirements, future prospects or what you’ll learn in a specific course? Just ask our academic staff who’ll be on duty to answer all your queries!

Find Our More About Our CCAs!

We mentioned booths earlier, but those booths are not just set up for course information – there’s also an entire hub dedicated to showing you what our CCAs are like!

The Beyond O Level Seminar

9 January 2010 @

the Temasek Convention Centre

So maybe you don’t just want to visit TP. Maybe you also want to hear from us specific information and examples of how to get into Temasek Polytechnic, our brand of education, the various opportunities our students are given and far a diploma from TP will take you.

The Beyond O Level Seminar 2010 will do just that. Held 9 January 2010, which coincides with the third and last day of the Open House, participants will hear from our Registrar, current students and even a graduate on what TP offers. And yes, it’s totally free! Do note however, that this event is exclusively for O level students and their parents only.

Frayon: ... Okay. We're at the end of The Prehistoric Times. Frayon will go cry now.

Fanning: ... Sheesh. Anyway, Frayon is right. This marks the end of The Prehistoric Times series. Frayon and Fanning hope that it has helped everyone understand TP better. Come for the TP Open House next week!

Frayon: ... WAAAAAAAAH!!! *sniff* FRAYON LOVES ALL OF YOU!

Fanning: Oh brother.

Thanks for reading folks! See you at the TP Open House and Beyond O Level Seminar! To find out more, check out the following websites:

The TP Open House: www.tp.edu.sg/events/openhouse
The Beyond O Level Seminar: www.tp.edu.sg/events/bol

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2009-12-31T10:39:00.004+08:00

HELLO 2010, goodbye 2009.

It has been a good year, and we're hoping it will be better next year!!!

The tp4me team will like to wish everyone a

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

See you guys at TP's Open House 2010 ;)

The Frayon & Fanning Show - Episode Four: The Temasek Design School

2009-12-30T17:18:00.000+08:00

The Frayon & Fanning Show – Episode Four: The Temasek Design School

We’re at the fourth episode of The Frayon & Fanning Show!

Today’s episode we’ll be featuring the Diploma in Visual Communications from the Temasek Design School!

In this ep –
Nicole wants to fulfil her delusional and misguided dreams of being a model, and wants Frayon to find a photographer for her. Will Frayon be able to do so? Find out what happens...

If you’ve not caught our previous eps, you can check them out by clicking on the following links:
Episode One
Episode Two
Episode Three

Visual Communication at a glance
Highlights – Students of this course will be taught graphic design, advertising, photography and illustration.
Career Prospects – graduates can pursue careers in designing graphics, logos, packaging and publication. They can also be illustrators, typographers, digital imaging specialists, photographers or photo journalists.

Be sure to check back for more episodes of the Frayon and Fanning Show, right here on tp4me!

Useful Links:
The Temasek Design School Website
Check out the 2009 Course Cut Off Points

* thanks to the students that played Frayon and Fanning in this clip, and to everyone else that made this series of videos possible.

Beyond O Level Seminar: Student Feature #1

2009-12-29T12:01:00.001+08:00

Earthlings,

The Beyond O Level (BOL) Seminar is 11 days away.

Today we will be featuring two students from the Diploma in Leisure and Resort Management (LRM), Andrea Chew and Xavier Khoo, who went to Universal Studios Orlando for their internship. The both of them will be part of a group of students who will be sharing with you about their experiences in TP during the BOL Seminar.

Andrea Chew 3rd Year, LRM

Xavier Khoo, 3rd Year, LRM

Why did the both of you choose to come to LRM?
Andrea: LRM was a new course, and I would be the 2nd batch of graduates, so I would be one of the pioneer students from this course.
Xavier: The IR was coming up so I felt that there would be a lot of opportunities for me if I had this Diploma.

So, what is your favourite LRM subject?
Andrea: SPA and Wellness Management. We get to learn everything about the SPA industry, from how to set-up our own SPA to running and managing it. I really enjoyed this subject.
Xavier: My favourite subject would be Attractions Management. I've always been interested in theme parks, furthermore, after my internship at Universal Studios, I was able to relate to this subject better, and realised that what was taught in school is actually very industry related.

The both of you went to the Universal Studios Orlando for your internship, what was it like?
Andrea & Xavier: It was the highlight of our time in TP. We had a blast!

To find out more about their time in America, come on down to the Beyond O' Level Seminar on 9 January 2010, at Temasek Polytechnic.

Register HERE!

*This event is exclusively for students awaiting their O Level results and their parents.

Solid as Bone,
Fanning

The Frayon & Fanning Show – Episode Three: The Temasek Informatics and IT School

2009-12-28T13:00:00.001+08:00

Hey everyone, here’s the third episode of The Frayon & Fanning Show, featuring the Diploma in Cyber and Digital Security from the Temasek Informatics and IT (IIT) School!

In this ep –
Nicole's Facebook walls had some nasty comments about her, and she wants Frayon to solve the problem for her, and trace the hacker down. Is Frayon up to the task?

And if you’ve not caught our previous episodes, you can click on the following links to do so:
Episode One
Episode Two

Cyber and Digital Security at a glance
Highlights – students of this course will gain an understanding of cyber attacks and how to protect organizations from phishing scams, spamming and hackers.
Career Prospects – IT security analysts, auditors, specialists, product developers, solutions providers, network & systems specialists.

Fanning: And once again, I help Frayon solve his problems.

Frayon: What?? I would’ve been perfectly fine on my own.

Fanning: Yeah. As fine as a tissue paper in a forest fire.

Be sure to check back for more episodes of the Frayon and Fanning Show, right here on tp4me!

Useful Links
Check our The IIT Website
View the 2009 Cut Off Point List

* thanks to the students that played Frayon and Fanning in this clip, and to everyone else that made this series of videos possible.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

2009-12-24T10:05:00.005+08:00

IT'S CHRISTMAS EVE!!

Can you hear the bells ringing and feel the Christmas Spirit in the air?

To celebrate the occasion, Frayon and Fanning had a little "makeover".

Aren't they cute?

Edit by Fanning: How do you like my new snowflake skull pin?
Edit by Frayon: My Christmas tree shirt is so much better!

THE TP4ME TEAM WISHES EVERYONE A MERRY MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

The Frayon & Fanning Show - Episode Two: The Temasek Applied Science School

2009-12-23T16:54:00.000+08:00

We’re at episode two of The Frayon & Fanning Show, featuring the Diploma in Veterinary Technology from the Temasek Applied Science (ASc) School!

In this ep –
Nicole asks Frayon to help her tame her pet rabbit! Will Frayon be able to manage a pet that even Nicole, Queen of Tantrums was unable to deal with?

Frayon: Fanning, why do you always call my angel-sweetheart-muffin such mean names?

Fanning: ‘Cuz they’re true, that’s why. And keep this up and I’ll be calling YOU names.

And in case you missed the first episode, click HERE to view it.

Veterinary Technology at a glance
Highlights - This course deals with veterinary science and technology, pet care management, and laboratory animal studies. Students of this course will participate in a five-month internship programme either locally or overseas in research institutions, animal facilities/parks or veterinary clinics and hospitals.
Career Prospects - Graduates can be animal health or veterinary technologists, animal welfare educators, laboratory animal and/or research technologists.

That’s all we’ve got for Episode Two of The Frayon and Fanning Show, stay tuned for more episodes of the show, right here on tp4me.

Solid as Bone,
Fanning

Useful Links:
Check out The Temasek Applied Science School Website
View the 2009 Cut Off Point List

* thanks to the students that played Frayon and Fanning in this clip, and to everyone else that made this series of videos possible.

Jingle Bells...Jingle Bells...Jingle..

2009-12-22T09:22:00.003+08:00

Earthlings,

Christmas is just ...3 DAYS away!

The lights in Orchard Road, the festive songs playing in the malls, the santa hats... and receiving PRESENTS! I cannot wait!

So to put all of you into the same festive mood as I am, I've created a video just for you..

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Solid as Bone,
Fanning

The Frayon & Fanning Show - Episode One: Where it all began

2009-12-21T10:25:00.001+08:00

The annual Frayon & Fanning show is BACK, BIGGER, MEANER AND MORE POWERFUL THAN EVER BEFORE!!!

Fanning: Frayon. Must you always be so melodramatic?

The F&F Show is our tribute to all the O level students reading this blog, who, incidentally, are about to receive your O level results! So we’ve put together a series of videos that talk about Temasek Polytechnic and a number of our courses.

Fanning: And just so you know, the storyline behind the vids is loosely based on a true story. Frayon really did “fall in love” with “Nicole” (real names changed to protect their identity and sanity), and he really acted very crazy and goofy through it all. Well after Nicole found out the Frayon likes her, she morphed into this ferocious monster… Okay maybe not exactly ferocious, but pretty much a monster.

Check back soon for the next Frayon & Fanning episode, featuring the Temasek Applied Science School!

* thanks to the students that played Frayon and Fanning in this clip, and to everyone else that made this series of videos possible.

Beyond O Level Seminar & TP's Open House 2010

2009-12-18T09:00:00.004+08:00

HeLLoooo *chirp chirp* to all!

I'm guessing all you secondary school graduates must be having the TIME OF YOUR LIFE now with the holidays and the festive Christmas mood:D I know I am!! *whistles* "The weather outside is frightful and the fire is so delightful and since we've no place to go, LET IT SNOW, LET IT SNOW, LET IT SNOW"*whistles*

Amidst all the celebration, I'm sure you guys are still thinking about your future and where you're going to go from here on. You must have received a "Beyond O level Seminar 2010" postcard in your mailbox.

It looks something like this,

Beyond O Level Seminar 2010(BOL) will be held in our very own comfy Temasek Convention Center and once again, ADMISSION IS ABSOLUTELY FREE!!! and and FREE shuttle bus services will be provided from Tampines, Sengkang and Ang Mo Kio Interchanges! so CHOP CHOP go to http://www.tp.edu.sg/ to register for it!:)

Not forgetting, TP's Open House 2010 is from the 7th-9th of January and it'll be equally beneficial as you'll get to find out more about the 51 courses and view showcases from the six different schools. For more information you can always drop by our website http://www.tp.edu.sg/

Alrighty, I've got to go continue decorating my nest for Christmas now.

I'll talk to you soon but til' then, SHAKE YA TAILFEATHERS!!!

Humming off,
huMMingBird

The Prehistoric Times Issue 7 - Projects

2009-12-16T18:32:00.037+08:00

ISSUE #7 Projects

Frayon: Oooooooo. Fanning, what is that?

Fanning: It is Fanning’s major project for the semester, a model of the Hugahaga Volcano Island, made up of recycled materials on the scale of 1:100. Fanning spent the past semester working on it, and now it’s finally ready for –

Frayon: Ooooo what does this do Fanning?

Fanning: Don’t touch that Frayon. It’s the switch to simulate an actual volcano eruption, but Fanning has not installed the safety mechanism to ensure that the entire volcano doesn't blow u–

Frayon: (flips switch)

*deep rumbling* *volcano model explodes*

Frayon: Oooooooooooo! FRAYON LIKE BIG EXPLOSIONS! CAN FRAYON DO THAT AGAIN?

Fanning: ... Sigh. Fanning feels like Fanning should’ve seen this coming. Frayon, pass Fanning that spiked club next to you.

Frayon: Is it for more explosions?

Fanning: ... Frayon can say that.

*BASH*

Welcome to the 7th issue of The Prehistoric Times, where we’ll talk about a cornerstone characteristic on studying in a polytechnic – PROJECTS!

In TP, projects are vastly different from their secondary school counterparts. Project work in polytechnic education, besides being a significant portion of your grades, is often much bigger (and much more fun!).

From designing a website to creating a handphone game to designing products for the elderly – doing projects will allow you to test your knowledge, creativity, groups skills and tenacity. In this issue, we’ll be featuring 2 interesting student projects to give you an idea of what you might do if you were to study a course in TP.

Frayon: One of my favourite projects Frayon did was to plan for a Dinosaur Delicacy Restaurant. Frayon planned it all – the design, the menu, the marketing, EVERYTHING! It would sell the best dino steaks a caveman could eat!

Fanning: What happened to it then?

Frayon: ... Plans got eaten by a hungry dinosaur.

SmartShop

Rodney Tan, Nicholas Foong and Brandon Lum, are students from the Diploma in Cyber & Digital Security, and the developers behind the application “SmartShop”.

The purpose of Smart Shop is to enable online shoppers to "view" the product from different angles/distance as though they have the product physically in front of them. They can "try out" items such as clothing on themselves using a normal webcam and computer.

And just to tell you how cool this project is – in a hotly contested competition between five teams from Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand and Singapore at the Raffles City Convention Centre on 28 July 2009, “SmartShop’” won the Open Jive Regional Competition!

Singapore

Heart Foundation

Elaine Ong Pei Xian, Nur Fazeela Bte Hairil Basark, Samuel Chong Lee Keat and Vanessa See Ee Wen raised over $40,000 for the Singapore Heart Foundation by selling advertising space on two websites (TPbuysell which is an online marketplace of goods and services and TPon9— a social networking platform, boast a membership of close to 4,000 Temasek Polytechnic students.)

This was part of their Final Year Project for their ‘Business Process and Systems Engineering’ course. (The requirement of the final year project is to create an innovative business model which demonstrates the skills learned during the course in order to raise funds for charity.)

Frayon: Fanning, Frayon is sorry that Frayon blew up your volcano.

Fanning: Frayon’s apologizing? That’s rare. Fine, fine, Frayon. Fanning forgives you. This time.

Frayon: Really?

Fanning: Yes. But it doesn’t mean I still won’t give you a sound beating. Again.

*THWACK*

That’s all for this issue of The Prehistoric Times! See you in the next Issue of The Prehistoric Times!

Winners of Celebrate 2010

2009-12-14T11:14:00.006+08:00

Earthlings,

Thank you to everyone who participated in our Celebrate 2010 contest.

We have our Winners!! Each of you will win a pair of tickets to Mediacorp's Countdown Party, Celebrate 2010.

Drumroll please....AND.....

The winners are:

Joshua Ng
Yi hao
Foo Si Hui
Michelle Lim
Noor Rashikin Binte Mohamed Rashid

Congrats guys!! We'll contact you directly on how to get the prizes.

Solid as Bone,
Fanning

More TPRAWKS!! Outings

2009-12-11T10:07:00.003+08:00

Earthlings,

Wow another batch of Rawkers had an outing.

Punk Red Group 5 met up yesterday, here are some of their pictures:

I'm sure you guys had a great time!

Rawkers Oei!!!

Solid as Bone,
Fanning

TPRAWKS!! Outing

2009-12-09T15:20:00.001+08:00

Earthlings,

I'm happy to announce that many of our Rawkers are still keeping in touch with each other, and recently, some of our Rawker's met up for an outing at Sentosa. Check out their pictures!

It sure seems like they had loads of fun!

What about the rest of you? Did you guys meet up? Do keep us updated!!

Solid as Bone,
Fanning

Beyond O Level Seminar

2009-12-07T11:19:00.007+08:00

Earthlings,

Temasek Polytechnic's BEYOND O LEVEL SEMINAR 2010, will be on 9 January 2010!!

If you want to know more about our various Diploma courses and Academic Schools, hear from students about their life in TP, and tour our campus...then this is the event to attend!

What? Beyond O Level Seminar 2010
When? 9 January 2010
Time? 10am
Where? Temasek Convention Centre, Temasek Polytechnic

Seats are limited, so hurry REGISTER now!

*This event is exclusively for students waiting for their O'level results and their parents

Solid as Bone,
Fanning

The TP Open House is coming!

2009-12-04T17:55:00.006+08:00

TEMASEK POLYTECHNIC

WILL BE HOLDING

ITS OPEN HOUSE

FROM 7 - 9 JANUARY 2010

WOOOOOOT!!!

Celebrate 2010 Contest

2009-12-02T18:03:00.003+08:00

If you didn’t know already, Mediacorp Channel 5 will be holding their annual countdown celebration at The Float @ Marina Bay this year.

Celebrate 2010 will be a star-studded countdown show with regional and local acts, Mediacorp artistes and spectacular fireworks display.

WHO’S GOING TO BE THERE? Well. Among others, there’s Asian Sensation Da Mouth from Taiwan, Malaysia’s Dayang Nurfaizah, Zirca’s DJs Ko Flow, George Leong & Kennerve, The Singapore Idol Top 13, Sleeq, John Molina & Krueger, Jack & Rai, Heregoesnoth!ng, The Great Spy Experiment, Juxtapose, Bloco Singapura, Stylez from Beyond and Fantastic Crew. Mediacorp artistes such as Jade Seah, Dai Yang Tian, Michelle Chia and Michelle Chong will be also be making special appearances.

A whole 7 hours of NON-STOP entertainment.

Sounds GREAT doesn’t it? Now, maybe you want to go, but you don’t have tickets or haven’t bought them yet. Maybe you’re still thinking of who you should ask. Why are we talking about this on tp4me anyway?

Simple.

tp4me is holding a contest to give away 5 pairs of tickets to the Celebrate 2010 countdown at The Float @ Marina Bay to tp4me readers. Each ticket is worth $30, which means you’ll be winning prizes worth $60!

What? Celebrate 2010
Where? The Float @ Marina Bay
When? 31 Dec 2009, 8pm to 3am

All you have to do is answer 3 questions, and email your answers to mailto:iamfanning@gmail.com/furiouscrayon@gmail.comor furiouscrayon@gmail.com by 13 December 11.59pm. Oh, but don’t think we’ll make them easy, oh no. These questions are really difficult and challenging. You might be surprised at just how difficult and challenging these questions are.

These really difficult and challenging questions are:

1. Name one group or artiste that will be making an appearance at Celebrate 2010.
2. What is Frayon’s favourite word when describing himself?
3. What is the shape of Fanning’s hairpin?

There you have it, the really difficult and challenging questions. So what are you waiting for? Send in your answers NOW.

The contest is open to Temasek Polytechnic students and secondary school students. For TP students, please send us the following:

1) Your full name & matric card number
2) The course & year you’re in

For secondary school students, please send us the following:

1) Your full name
2) Your secondary school & level
3) Your handphone number

Fanning: Did I mention that I really love my SKULL hairpin? You can see this on my picture at the top of this blog!

Frayon: And did I mention that I think I’m AWESOME™? If you’ve ever wondered how to write that trademark sign “™”, it’s (hold) Alt 0153 (on your number pad). Or you can just copy and paste. Just thought you might like to know.

The Prehistoric Times Issue 6 - Opportunities

2009-12-02T17:50:00.001+08:00

ISSUE #6
Opportunities

Frayon: Ah yes. Frayon and Fanning’s 6th Prehistoric Times issue. Yet another opportunity for Frayon and Fanning to speak on Temasek Polytechnic.

Fanning: ... Is Frayon doing what Fanning think that Frayon’s doing?

Frayon: Frayon very glad for the opportunities that The Prehistoric Times has given Frayon, and will seize the opportunity to do a good job for all cavemen and cavewomen.

Fanning: Frayon. Stop that.

Frayon: And what a coincidence, this issue of The Prehistoric Times is talking about STUDENT OPPORTUNITIES in Temasek Polytechnic!

Fanning: Frayon. That was just sad.

Frayon: (whispers) Fanning think that our readers know it’s about opportunities now?

Fanning: Fanning just saw an opportunity to club Frayon’s head in.

*THWUMP*

In many, many ways, life in a polytechnic is vastly different from life in a secondary school. In the past few issues, we’ve covered some of these major differences like the CCAs and internships that are in TP, but that’s not all.

TP students have a very large range of other opportunities available to them where they can pick up skills, gain experiences and win awards outside of their curriculum or CCA time. These include competitions, forums, events, overseas exchange programmes and many, many more.

This issue of The Prehistoric Times will talk about how TP students gain these opportunities and highlight a few interesting ones available to students.

Just what sort of opportunities are we talking about?

Outside of the time spent at their studies and CCA activities, TP students can sometimes be involved in events or projects that are either fun, beneficial or even earn them some money.

For example, during TP’s annual events like TPRAWKS and the Open House, students are picked to be emcees for events or school guides (known as i-Guides).

These activities not just reflect on your transcript when you graduate, but also net you valuable experience and exposure.

Also, there is an annual event known as the Polytechnic Forum, which involves all the polys in Singapore, where students discuss social issues and current affairs among themselves and with the guest speaker(s).

Frayon: Temasek Polytechnic once gave Frayon the opportunity to be a Dinosaur Tamer!

Fanning: But Frayon ended up to be a Dinosaur Run-away-er instead, hyuk hyuk.

Some other interesting opportunities include:

Expeditions
Every so often, overseas expeditions are organized to countries such as Myanmar as community-building projects, cultural exchange programmes and the like. TP has also conducted student exchange programmes with Australia and Japan!

Push-cart stalls
TP has our very own push-cart stalls! Made a batch of cookies that are just to-die-for? Designed or imported a line of clothes? Got a service to sell? Be your own boss and set up a stall!

Student Modeling
Ever seen those Temasek Polytechnic banners or ads that feature good looking students and wondered, “Are those really TP students?” Well they ARE! Traffic-stopping, head-turning students are scouted to be our ad models, and these ads can go anyway from our school to Orchard Cineleisure!

Performances
Part of a band? Events like the TP Arts Fest will allow you to show off your vocals, guitar shredding skills or mad drumming styles.

Competitions
There are also competitions such as the WorldSkills Competition, which is for students at the polytechnic and ITE level who excel at technical skills. Each School also has their fair share of competitions (internal and external), such as the Worldwide Competition on Microsoft Office that students from the school in IIT can participate in.

Why are there so many of these opportunities anyway?

Frayon: Because that’s what it’s like to study in Temasek Polytechnic!

Fanning: What kind of question is that anyway? That’s like asking why do pancakes come with maple syrup? Because it’s good, that’s why.

These opportunities are simply part and parcel of the vibrant life here in TP. Do what you like, where you like!

Frayon: Which, COINCIDENTALLY, is also the catchphrase of this year's TP ad!

TPRAWKS Contests Results and More...

2009-11-30T15:48:00.006+08:00

Earthlings,

So, for the past few days, Frayon and I have been going through tons of entries for our TPRAWKS!! 09 contests, and ...... WE HAVE A WINNER!!! (for each contest)

CONTEST ONE - BEST BLOG ENTRY

Drumroll please.....*boom boom boom*.... the winner is... Siti Norhanisah.

Click here to view the winning blog entry. Congrats Siti, you've won yourself an Ipod Nano!!

CONTEST TWO - BEST ONE LINER

The winning entry is: "TPRawks will not only be in my heart but in EVERY RAWKER's heart as one of the most memorable and FUN event in their lives, the spirit of TP will never be forgotten" by Nor Hafizzul Hakim.

You've won a Haversack!

CONTEST THREE - BEST PHOTO

Yay, grats to Aikha, you've got the winning photo, and you've also won a Haversack!

Congrats to all our winners! We'll contact you directly on how to get the prizes.

Solid as Bone,
Fanning

The Prehistoric Times Issue 5 - Internships

2009-11-26T16:29:00.004+08:00

Issue #5
Internships

Fanning: FRAYON. Hurry up!

Frayon: They heavy, Fanning. Frayon used to carry one person at a time, not two.

Fanning: The other day, Frayon tell Fanning that Frayon carry big dinosaur with one hand.

Frayon: Err. Yes! And after that day, Frayon hand hurt, so Frayon not as strong!

Fanning: JUST HURRY UP.

(some shuffling)

Fanning: Okay, put them down here.

(fwoomph)

Unknown Person 1: Mmmpmmmppph!

Frayon: No talking! Talk only when Frayon and Fanning talk to you!

Fanning: Right. Ahem. Welcome cavepeople to another issue of The Prehistoric Times. Today, Frayon and Fanning very happy to have 2... volunteers to join us on this issue of Internships.

The SIP

One of the biggest highlights of studying in a polytechnic is that you'll go through internships. In TP, it's known as the Student Internship Programme (or SIP), where year 2 or 3 (depending on your course) spend anything between a few months to a full semester working for a company related to your course of study.

Frayon: Frayon smart this time! Frayon know "internship" not a type of ship!

For example, if you were studying in the Diploma in Law & Management, during your internship, you might work in a law firm. Or if you were studying in the Diploma in Information Technology, you might be working in an IT firm, like Hewlett-Packard for example.

These internships are just "training programmes" or just simply for exposure. You will need to report to work, be giving real-life assingments or projects and receive an internship allowance.

Frayon: During Frayon's internship, Frayon worked for a dinosaur hunting company! They give me many real life assignments. Frayon running away from dinosaurs all the time!

Fanning: Wasn't Frayon supposed to hunt dinosaurs?

Frayon: THE DINOS WERE BIG!

Throughout your internship, a lecturer will be appointed to oversee your attachment to the company as well as to guide you along, known as a School Liaison Officer, or SLO.

The OSIP

Students can also choose to apply for overseas internship. Malaysia, Shanghai, Ireland, Australia and Cambodia are examples of some countries where our students did their internships.

Fanning: I did mine in China.

Frayon: KUNG FU DINOS!

Frayon and Fanning managed to ~~kidnap~~ ask two students from TP who've already completed their internships on what it was like and what they learnt from it.

Frayon: OKAY, NOW YOU CAN TALK! AMANDA, YOU FIRST!

Amanda Cheok, 20, Diploma in Business
Where did you have your internship?
Mmmpphmmpmhmpphmph.

Fanning: Sigh. Frayon, remove the gag BEFORE Frayon want her to answer questions.

Frayon: Oh. Right.

Amanda Cheok, 20, Diploma in Business
Where did you have your internship?
I was attached to CNBC Asia Pacific. It is a Financial Business News Channel, that can be found on Starhub Channel 15.

What did you do during your internship?
During my 3 months at CNBC, I was given the opportunity to put what I learnt in the classroom to practical use. I was given the chance to work on print advertisements, and I was involved in preparing the monthly schedules that would be sent out to all cable operators in the region, among many other things.

Did you find the internship beneficial?
This Internship truly allowed me to learn many valuable lessons that can never be taught in a classroom.

Frayon: Okay, you're free to go.

Amanda: You know, you really didn't have to club me over the head, put a gag in my mouth. All you had to do was ask.

Frayon: THIS WAY BETTER. Next, Woon Chi!

Hoe Woon Chi, 20, Diploma in Retail Management
Where did you have your internship?
I had the privilege of being attached to SRE (Synergistic Real Estate Management and Network Pte Ltd), a Singapore real-estate consultancy firm based in Shanghai.

What did you do during your internship?
Working there, I was exposed to what working life was like. Our supervisors came from Capitaland and they would often spend time relating their experience with us. We had the opportunity to contribute ideas and even got to call up big retail firms such as Zara and ask them if they were interested in taking up tenancy in the mall.

Did you find the internship beneficial?
Being overseas, I learnt to be independent and I was also exposed to the culture in China. I began to see things from a global perspective and it has prepared me for the working industry in Singapore.

Frayon: And now you're free to leave too!

Woon Chi: ... Why are the both of you dressed up as cavemen?

Fanning: Too many questions! Only Frayon and Fanning can ask questions! Now go!

(both run away)

For more information on internships, log on to www.tp.edu.sg and explore the various school’s websites. See you next issue!

Pssst!

2009-11-25T17:06:00.004+08:00

So lately the tp4me team has been rather contest crazy. Well, specifically Fanning's been rather crazy lately. While we're on that, the reason you haven't heard from her recently (well, blog-posting-wise at least) is because she's been busy putting the Prehistoric Times together, putting the photos up and getting lost in school. MWAHAHA.

Anyway, back to what I was talking about. We've been very contest crazy lately. On Monday we announced the TPRAWKS contest (keep your entries coming in folks, it's closing on Friday!), and we'll be announcing ANOTHER contest soon! THAT'S RIGHT. WE'RE CONTEST CRAZY.

And now, I'd just like everyone to know that I think I'm Awesome™. Like really Awesome™. REALLY REALLY AWESOME™. Heck, AWESOME™ is my favourite word. I think it's AWESOME™, the word AWESOME™. Uh huh. Really. REMEMBER THAT.

Oh, and Fanning's hairpin is in the shape of a SKULL.

*walks away whistling innocently*

Rawkers' Outing

2009-11-23T18:08:00.003+08:00

So we've been noticing that many of you Rawkers are planning to meet up over this week (some even tonight!).

GOOD.

WE AT TP4ME WANT YOU TO TAKE LOTS AND LOTS OF PHOTOS, AND SEND THEM TO US. We'll put it up here on the blog, like this group last year.

So, we know Punk Red and Blue Hoodie Rawkers are meeting up. WHAT ABOUT THE REST? DID YOU INVITE YOUR CLs AND PLs?

DID YOU INVITE FRAYON AND FANNING? *GLARES*

TPRAWKS Contests

2009-11-20T17:44:00.005+08:00

Alright guys, as promised, we'll be holding contests for all you Awesome™ Rawkers out there! The TPRAWKS team informed us that they emailed you the following as well, so check your inbox!

Here're the details of the 3 contests:

1) BEST TPRAWKS BLOG ENTRY
We know that many of you are bloggers and have blogged about the time you’ve spent at TPRAWKS. So we are looking for the BEST blog entry on TPRAWKS!

If you wrote a blog post that you believe accurately captures the spirit of TP, either send a link to the entry to furiouscrayon@gmail.com or iamfanning@gmail.com! If your blog is private, then just copy and paste the entry into an email and send it to us!

Prize: An iPod nano

2) BEST TPRAWKS ONE-LINER
Are you a fan of TPRAWKS on Facebook yet? If not, click here to become a fan and meet all the other Rawkers, PLs and CLs! Look for a wall post that talks about the Best One-Liner contest, and comment in one line how you feel about TPRAWKS. The best one-liner wins!

Prize: A haversack

3) BEST TPRAWKS PHOTO
Ah yes, photos! We know YOU took a lot of photos while you were at TPRAWKS, and we want to see them! Send your photos to us and the person who sends the best photo wins! Each Rawker can send up to 5 photos!

You can send us the photos in the following ways:
- email the photo(s) to furiouscrayon@gmail.com or iamfanning@gmail.com directly, but try to keep each photo below 1MB.
- if you have uploaded the photo to a website like Facebook, you can email us the link at the above-mentioned addresses or you can put the link to the photos on our Facebook fan page wall.

Prize: A haversack

The contests are open from now till next Friday, 27 November 11.59pm. SO GET TO IT!

MORE TPRAWKS PHOTOS

2009-11-20T16:25:00.010+08:00

MORE PHOTOS.

(2nd photo set by Visual Central)

MORE TO COME!

(p.s. We heard that some people are experiencing some bugs with the photo sets. If they keep cycling between the same photos as if there's only 3 or 4 in a set, please try refreshing the page)

(p.p.s If refreshing doesn't work, try letting the slideshow run on its own, there might be a bug with the manual player)

TPRAWKS lives on FOREVER

2009-11-19T17:24:00.003+08:00

EDIT: Big announcement! We're going to hold some post-TPRAWKS contests! Check out our blog tomorrow for the details!

TPRAWKS is over.

I walked around school today in a happy daze... Sure, I lost my voice, and I was tired liked I didn't sleep for a month, but it was very happy sort of daze and tiredness.

I was talking to some of the other CLs and PLs earlier, and you can tell that everyone has a sense of achievement at not just seeing how successful TPRAWKS was, but also at the happy faces of the Rawkers. When we hear how YOU the Rawkers feel, when we see how you refuse to go home after TPRAWKS and insist on cheering over and over again, when we read what all the stuff you write in the cards... Well.

It makes us feel like we'd do it all over again. And again. And again.

The above set of photos are just a small sample of what we have. The Visual Central photographers are working hard to sort out their photos (and they have still have class!), but we've just collected a bunch of photos from them, so we'll be uploading them asap. Give us an hour or two!

TPRAWKS, TPRAWKS, TPRAWKS RAWKS MY SOCKS

2009-11-18T23:08:00.001+08:00

I lost my voice. Totally. All gone.

AND I LOVE THE FEELING.

BECAUSE YOU RAWKERS WERE AWESOME™.

TPRAWKS IS OVER, BUT THE SPIRIT OF TPRAWKS CARRIES ON. The tp4me team will be resting tonight, and will upload the photos tomorrow.

DID I MENTION YOU GUYS WERE AWESOME™? BECAUSE YOU ARE!!!

TPRAWKS Day 2

2009-11-17T09:37:00.008+08:00

THIS IS FRAYON. I AM LOSING MY VOICE FROM THE SHOUTING. THEREFORE, I SHALL SHOUT ONLINE INSTEAD.

FANNING WAS SUPPOSED TO BLOG TODAY BUT SHE'S STILL GOING AROUND WITH SOME OF THE PACK LEADERS SHOUTING AND HAVING FUN. I'VE NEVER SEEN HER LIKE THIS, AND IT AMUSES ME GREATLY.

DAY 2 HAS COME AND GONE, AND ... Okay wait this is hurting my eyes.

Ahem. Day 2 has come and gone, and what a day it's been.

The Talk by the Director of Design School was HAWT stuff, and the Rawker's Challenge was HAWT HAWT HAWT stuff (partly due to the HAWT weather).

And today, officially, the Rawkers are now part of the TP family since THEY'VE LEARNT THE STEPS TO THE TP MASS DANCE!!

WOOOO!!

And now, PHOTOS, PHOTOS and MORE PHOTOS!! (courtesy of Visual Central of course)

Oh, and just so you guys know - for Day 1, 18GB of photos were taken. Which is approximately around SIX THOUSAND PHOTOS.

SIX. THOUSAND.

TPRAWKS DAY 1

2009-11-16T11:27:00.008+08:00

TP OEEEEI!!

WOO! TPRAWKS first day!

And you guys RAWKED. The weather was a bit of a downer though. But even a rainy day can't stop THE AWESOMENESS™ THAT WAS TPRAWKS!!

The Singapore Idol Top 5 came by! Sylvia, Charles, Tabitha, Sezairi and Faizal - and they were amazing. Sezairi was funny, Charles showed off his breakdancing moves, the girls looked pretty, the guys looked cool... it was just such a blast (and Sylvia singing "Warwick Avenue" made my jaw drop. MY JAW. MINE. FRAYON, LORD OF AWESOMENESS™ WAS AWED).

AND NOW, PHOTOS, COURTESY OF VISUAL CENTRAL!!

There're also photos uploaded on the TPRAWKS Facebook Fan Page. GO THERE NOW!

And now, a note from the TPRAWKS Team

2009-11-15T19:02:00.003+08:00

RAWKERS! The TPRAWKS team dropped us a mail and asked us to remind you that tomorrow:

- you need to bring your signed indemnity form
- you need to wear sports shoes and attire
- thattomorrowisgoingtobethefirstdayofanabsolutelyAwesome™
3daysthatyouwillnevereverforget!!!!!!

TPRAWKS TOMORROW! WOOOOT!

TPRAWKS IS NEXT MONDAY

2009-11-13T12:19:00.004+08:00

TPRAWKS is next Monday.

Repeat after me.

TPRAWKS.

IS.

NEXT.

MONDAY.

Never have I wanted so much for the weekend to PASS QUICKLY.

BEHOLD, WHAT I HAVE INCLUDED IN THIS POST - VIDEOS. VIDEOS!! TPRAWKS!!!!! MWAHAHAHA!!

TP OEEEEEI!

Rawker's X'clusive #3

2009-11-11T16:36:00.001+08:00

Hey guys, the Rawker's X'clusive #3 has been sent out, and now it's HERE on our BLOG.

---
Hey Rawker!

Welcome to Issue 3 of the Rawker’s X’clusive! In this issue, we’ll be featuring the TP Mass Dance and Jam & Hop, two good reasons why TPRAWKS!! will RAWK your socks off! After all, how can you RAWK without good music?

The TP Mass Dance

Temasek Polytechnic is the only polytechnic with a synchronised, large-scale dance that every one of our students know by heart.

Danced to the tune of New Age Girl (you can check out the song here), the mass dance is taught to every new TP student during their Orientation, which marks them as part of the TP family. Since it was first introduced, tens of thousands of TP graduates have learnt the steps to the mass dance!

But TP students aren’t the only group of people who are taught the TP Mass Dance. There’s another special group that TP teaches the mass dance too, and that’s YOU – the Rawkers! You’ll swirl, cheer, run, clap and laugh – it’s our way of saying, welcome to the TP family!

The Jam & Hop

Another event that’s characteristic of the TPRAWKS!! spirit is the Jam & Hop on the night of Day 3! It’s the last item on the programme and the best way to end TPRAWKS!! – with a big, RAWKING bang!

This year, you’ll be jamming to the sounds of Plain Sunset and hopping to the beats of Zouk’s DJ Andrew Chow! Let your hair down and RAWK the night away!

And special appearances by Sleeq

Sleeq, Singapore’s award winning hip-hop duo, are also TP students! They’ll be making a special appearance during TPRAWKS!! to perform LIVE for you, our Rawkers.

So with just so much to RAWK, TPRAWKS!! is definitely geared up to be a blast for everyone. We simply can’t wait to see you at TP!

Regards,
The TPRAWKS!! Team
Temasek Polytechnic
Enquiries: 6780 5017, 6780 6556, 6780 5024

YOU'RE MORE THAN HALF WAY THERE!!!

2009-11-09T11:55:00.004+08:00

A big HELLO to all O'Level Students,

I know you've been mugging real hard but YOU'RE MORE THAN HALF WAY THERE!!! You'd probably be attempting some last minute cramping the night before your paper but remember that a good night's rest is very important to keep a clear and composed mind. Just a little more to go so give it your best shot and it'll be all about celebrations thereafter:D:D:D

I'm guessing some of you may be looking like this now,

But soon it'll be MORE LIKE THIS!!!

I hear from my friends that today's the Geography, Food & Nutrition as well as the Art paper. For those taking any one of the papers today, here's me, CHIRPING YOU ON!!!

Alrighty then, till the next time... Continue SHAKING YA TAILFEATHERS!

HuMMing off,
HuMMingBird

The Rawker’s Kit has been sent!

2009-11-07T00:03:00.001+08:00

It’s Friday! And it was raining! Hmm. I wonder how many Fridays have rainy weather in one year. FANNING, GO CHECK OUT THIS INFORMATION AND GET BACK TO ME AT ONCE, SLAVE!

Anyway, today I’m the bearer of both good and bad news. First, the good news – for those of you who signed up for TPRAWKS, I just heard that the Rawker’s Kit has been mailed out to you!

What is the Rawker’s Kit? It’s basically a neat lil’ package that contains everything you need to know about TPRAWKS - what to wear, what to bring, where to go, how to get to TP etc.

What’s the bad news? Unfortunately, I haven’t received my complimentary copy (the TPRAWKS committee passes Fanning and I a copy every TPRAWKS just cuz they love us so much) yet, so I can’t show you a picture.

But fear not! I have whipped up MS Paint and, with my Awesome™ and l33t MS Paint skillz, made a portrait of the Rawker’s Kit. And if I may say so myself, the likeness is simply uncanny. A very striking resemblance indeed.

Once I get the real thing I’ll put it up here on our blog of course.

JUST 10 MORE DAYS TO THE EVENT OF THE YEAR! MWAHAHA!!

The Prehistoric Times Issue 4 - Facilities

2009-11-04T16:32:00.010+08:00

ISSUE #4
FACILITIES

Fanning: Welcome one and all to the 4th issue of The Prehistoric Times. Today Fanning and Frayon will –

Frayon: *SULK*

Fanning: ... And what’s Frayon’s problem THIS time?

Frayon: Frayon used to always start each issue of The Prehistoric Times. Why Fanning take away Frayon’s favourite part?

Fanning: Did Frayon really interrupt Fanning for this extremely insignificant detail? Frayon and Fanning have a LOT to cover today.

Frayon: *SUUULK*

Fanning: Stop that before Fanning take a cho-gah-hoo-gah and shove up it up Frayon’s left nostril.

Frayon: *SU-* …. Uhm. FRAYON GO PREPARE THE FACILITIES FOR TODAY’S ISSUE, FANNING! *runs off on a dinosaur*

Fanning: Finally.

Studying in Temasek Polytechnic isn’t just about classrooms and lecture halls – far from it, in fact. Each of the 6 schools in TP has its own specialized labs, studios and facilities, which are the focus of this issue.

Frayon: Frayon and Fanning will be featuring some of the top-of-the-line, state-of-the-art, absolutely-fantastically-Awesome™ -

Fanning: FRAYON.

Frayon: BUT IT’S TRUE.

Fanning: ... Well fine. Carry on then.

Frayon: - cool-and-hip, sleek-and-modern, fabulous-and-all-round AMAZING school facilities.

The Prehistoric Times will be covering the sports facilities, the Interactive Digital Centre (Asia) and the Koolwerkz Training Factory.

Sports Facilities

In the last issue, we mentioned our many sports facilities that support the various CCAs, but they’re also for students who wish to just enjoy a game or two with some friends.

The Sports Complex comprises of a running track, stadium, badminton courts, a gym, squash courts, dance studios, tennis courts and even a rock climbing wall!

Temasek Polytechnic also has an Olympic-sized swimming pool that’s open to TP staff and students.

Frayon: Frayon likes to go swimming! Good chance to show cavewomen Frayon’s big, bulging, manly muscles.

Fanning: The only thing Fanning remembers seeing is Frayon struggling to reach the other side. Next – the Interactive Digital Centre Asia.

Interactive Digital Centre Asia

TP is home to many, many specialized facilities known as Centres of Excellence (and some Centres aren’t even on campus, like Koolwerkz in Bedok which we’ll talk about later and the Tourism Academy @ Sentosa).

At the Temasek Engineering School (ENG), students from the Diploma in Interactive Media Technology are supported by a specialised facility known as the Interactive Digital Centre (IDC) Asia, which was set up in collaboration with IM Innovations Pte Ltd and EON Reality Inc.

IDC Asia is a training centre for students to learn to develop advanced 3D applications, visualizations and animations. The technology that this centre uses have made many visitors think about the sort of things they see in futuristic movies such as The Minority Report.

Frayon: Ooooooo. Pretty colours.

Fanning: Frayon, stop staring like that. Frayon’s embarrassing everyone.

These applications can be used in healthcare, transportation, education, engineering and many, many other industries. IDC Asia is truly a state-of-the-art facility.

Koolwerkz Training Factory

Frayon: Before we talk about Koolwerkz, Frayon wants to point out that what you see in that photo is ICE CREAM. THAT’S RIGHT. KOOLWERKZ MAKES ICE CREAM.

The Koolwerkz Training Factory is a Centre of Excellence from the Temasek Applied Science School (ASc), and as mentioned earlier, one of the centres that are actually situated off-campus. In short, it is an ice-cream factory currently producing 3 flavours of ice-cream – Green Tea, Mango and Strawberry – and is unique in the sense that it’s both a training facility as well as an actual business venture. But that’s not all.

Students from ASc aren’t the only ones who spend time at Koolwerkz – besides ice-cream processing, students from all over TP come to Koolwerkz to learn about inventory management, Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP), quality control and assurance, logistics and marketing functions to name but a few.

Frayon: ICE CREAM. ICE CREAAAAAAAM.

Fanning: Keep that up and Fanning will make Frayon SCREAM instead. Now pass the Mango flavour, Fanning hungry.

Frayon: Anyway, these are just some of the many facilities that TP has to offer for their students. Frayon one day will set up a Dinosaur Hunting Training Facility too. Be sure to look out for it.

Fanning: They will just be busy looking out for the Dinosaurs, Frayon.

For more information on facilities, log on to www.tp.edu.sg and explore the various school’s websites. See you next issue!

Happy Halloween!!!

2009-11-02T09:54:00.006+08:00

BOO!!

Earthlings,

I had a blast celebrating Halloween last Saturday!!

The rest of the tp4me team and myself headed over to huMMingbird's place for a small party. There was tons of food, like eye-balled eggs, green mashed potatoes (which were really yummy), batty chocolates....

After dinner, we went around the neighbourhood trick or treating, haha, we did get some candy, but we also had a lot of doors that shut on our faces. (they must have thought Frayon was really ugly)

Wanna see our costumes??

Here is mine! Can you guess, what I was dressed up as?

Look at Frayon's costume, I really don't know what possessed him to dress up as Seaweed Man.

So how was your Halloween? Did you have fun? Did you dress up, and if so, what did you dress up as??? Drop me a mail to tell me more, or leave me a message on the tag board ;)

Solid as Bone,

Fanning

In the midst of the O'levels

2009-10-30T13:56:00.004+08:00

Earthlings,

All our sec 4 friends are in the midst of their O'level exams, in fact, some of them are taking their A math paper right now.

Today, I'm going to share with you my top 3 activities that I do to help me maximize my revision.

1. I spend 30 min practicing my martial arts after studying for 2 hours. Practicing martial arts help me calm my nerves and keeps me relaxed, enabling maximum retention. (you can try spending some time on your favourite hobby)

2. Eating comfort foods. Chips, cookies, pizzas with works, cakes etc. Somehow, eating helps me concentrate and retain what I'm studying.

3. Making fun of Frayon really helps me relax :)

Well, everyone has different revision/relaxing methods to help yourself cope with the exams.

I would love to hear what's yours, so drop me a mail to tell me more ;)

Solid as Bone,

Fanning

TPRAWKS!! is coming

2009-10-28T20:11:00.005+08:00

I'd like to point your attention to our countdown timer on the right.

You'll notice that, as of this posting, it says "18" days to TPRAWKS!!

I'm going to break this down for everyone so that you know what exactly that means.

- On average, a month has 30 days. 18 days is LESS than that.

- A week has 7 days. 2 weeks is 14, and that means TPRAWKS!! is coming in 2 weeks and 4 days.

- 18 days includes 3 weekends which, as we all know, pass faster than weekdays. Which means out of the 18 days, 12 days are weekdays and 6 days are weekends.

No matter how I break it down, I reach only one conclusion.

TPRAWKS!! IS COMING SOON.

REALLY, REALLY SOON.

So why don't you read up on some of the highlights on TPRAWKS!! here on our blog.

You might want to start counting down too.

IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY.

Fanning Reminisces

2009-10-26T11:03:00.004+08:00

Earthlings,

Hmmm... I remember when I was preparing to sit for my O'levels.

I stopped going for my martial arts classes a month before the O'levels, so I can concentrate on my revision. I made a study timetable, I would concentrate on the subjects that I was weakest in, and for those subjects that I was rather confident in, I would just run through it again a few days before the exams.

Every now and than, I would be SO stressed up, and I felt like my brain couldn't take it anymore. So I watched some TV, ate junk food, did some martial arts, just to calm and relax myself.

As the exams drew near, I was rather confident, but at the same time I was really nervous. So I made it a point not to study before the paper, so my mind was clear and I was relaxed. Well, I guess this worked out because my results were better than I expected.

So to everyone taking their English paper today, stop thinking about the paper, and relax.

Good Luck :)

Solid as Bone,

Fanning

Rawker's X'clusive #2

2009-10-23T16:56:00.004+08:00

Hi everyone! The Rawkers have already received the 2nd issue of the Rawker's X'clusive earlier this week, and for everyone else, here it is!

---

Hey Rawkers!

Welcome to Issue #2 of the Rawker’s X’clusive! In this issue, we’re going to let you in on one of the key activities happening at TPRAWKS!! – the TP XPeriences!

TP XPeriences (or XPs for short)

To have a better idea of what life in Temasek Polytechnic is like, you’ll go through XPeriences (XPs) – an exciting set of workshops, tours and activities at the various schools in Temasek Polytechnic. The 6 schools of TP are:

Temasek Applied Science School (ASc)
Temasek Business School (BUS)
Temasek Design School (DES)
Temasek Engineering School (ENG)
Temasek Humanities and Social Sciences School (HSS)
Temasek Informatics and IT School (IIT)

Every Rawker will go through a total of 4 XPs (and hence visit 4 schools), and which schools you visit will depend on which group you’ll be in (further information on the groups will be sent to you in a later X’clusive).

To have a better idea of what these XPeriences are like, we’ll be featuring 2 XP activities here – the MediaBiz Studios Tour from BUS and Runway Fotofun from DES.

MediaBiz Studios Tour
So you’ve dreamt of working in the media as a news anchor or a radio DJ? Then see if you have what it takes to make your dreams come true! Be brought on a tour of the MediaBiz Studios, TP’s very own radio and TV studio. See our state-of-the-art equipment, get invited as a guest on a live radio programme, participate in the filming of a TV talk show and meet some of our celebrity lecturers who are still very involved with the media industry.

Go behind-the-scenes to see how radio shows work at the MediaBiz studios!

Runway Fotofun (DES)
Are you a budding fashion designer? Or maybe a go-green environmental supporter? Better yet, are you BOTH? The Runway Fotofun workshop will allow you to put your creative juices to work, in more ways than one! Use environmentally friendly materials to design a fashionable outfit for your team, dress your teammate up and have them strut the runway before a panel of judges! You’ll even get to have your designs photographed and put up on the internet!

Are balloons environmentally friendly? Does she look ready for the catwalk?
Yeap, you can definitely do better than that!

The Rawker’s Badge

Do you have a blog or Facebook account? We’ve created a special Rawker’s badge for you to put on your blog or Facebook page so you can tell everyone that you’re a Rawker! Simply right-click and save the below image and put it up.

That’s all for Issue #2. If you want to view the previous issue of the Rawker’s X’clusive, you can check it out on our blog at the tp4me blog.

And before we forget –

ALL THE BEST FOR YOUR O LEVEL EXAMS!

See you next issue!

Regards,
The TPRAWKS!! Team
Temasek Polytechnic
Enquiries: 6780 5017, 6780 6556, 6780 5024

The Prehistoric Times Issue #3 - CCAs

2009-10-20T12:50:00.014+08:00

ISSUE #3
CCAs

Frayon: Hello Cavepeople! Today Frayon serious. Today Frayon going to talk about something Frayon very familiar with.

Fanning: Oh, really?

Frayon: CCAs! Frayon very familiar with CCAs!

Fanning: ... Really? Frayon very familiar? Frayon going to say something like, "Today we're going to learn about the alphabets, starting with the letters 'CCA'?"

Frayon: Fanning think Frayon is dumb! But Fanning doesn't know that Frayon is an expert on Co-curricular Activities! Frayon join many, and is leader of 2!

Fanning: And which would those be, Frayon?

Frayon: The "Dinosaur Hunting Club" and the "Dino Dance Ensemble".

Fanning: Fanning never heard of those groups before. How many members does Frayon have in those CCAs?

Frayon: Err. 1 in both.

Fanning: Fanning thought as much.

No school experience can be complete without being part of CCAs or Co-Curricular activities! In Temasek Polytechnic, there're over 50 different CCAs and counting, spreading across several categories. In today's issues, we take a brief look at the various categories and interview a few students on their CCA experiences in TP.

But before that, a quick couple of facts about CCAs in TP!

Facts on CCAs in TP:

- CCAs are NOT compulsory
- CCAs WILL appear on your transcript when you graduate, with a list of all your achievements
- You CAN have more than 1 CCA (provided you can juggle your commitments between them and your schoolwork)
- CCAs are run generally by students with little direct intervention from TP staff

Fanning: CCAs aren't compulsory, but they give you many opportunities you wouldn't have gotten otherwise.

Frayon: Like hunting wild and big dinosaurs, and discovering that Frayon can run really fast when Frayon's really scared!

Categories of CCAs in TP:

Adventure
Adventure CCAs are for those with a passion for the outdoors, and can involve activities like rock climbing, cycling and kayaking. The two Adventure CCAs are the Adventure Club and Experiential Learning Facilitators.

Arts & Culture
Arts & Culture CCAs are for those who love music, drama, dance and other forms of artistic expression. CCAs under this category include - Band, Chinese Orchestra, Dance Ensemble & Drama.

Community Service & Leadership
If you have a penchant for leadership or helping those in need, then a Community Service/ Leadership CCA is for you! CCAs under this category include - Students' Union, Community Service Club & Toastmasters.

Interest Groups
Have a specific interest and want to be part of a group of like-minded people? Interest Groups are CCAs for those with a type of passion or deep-seeded interest, and CCAs in this category include: Visual Central, Japanese Cultural Group and Global Connect Club.

Sports
With our own state-of-the-art and varied sports facilities, including a stadium and courts for various sports, those with an interest in sports will feel right at home in a Sports CCA. These include: Tennis, Taekwando and 10-pin Bowling.

Frayon: Frayon's Dinosaur Hunting Club is a Sports/Interest Group/Community Service/Leadership/Arts & Culture/Adventure CCA! Join now!

Fanning: ... Sigh.

Student Interviews

Frayon and Fanning managed to ~~kidnap~~ catch up a few students on their experiences in their CCAs: Jacyln Ying from the TP Concert Band, Joshua Ng from the TP Kayak Racing Team and Jonathan Lim from the TP Intellectual Games Club.

Fanning: Okay Frayon, remove the cloths we stuffed into their mouths.

Frayon: Yes Fanning!

Jaclyn Ying - TP Concert Band

Why did you join the CCA?
I wanted to pursue my interest in music and playing the trombone after my secondary school days.

How often are the training/practice sessions?
Twice weekly, on Mondays and Fridays from 6.30 pm to 9pm.

What are the practices like?
Practices usually start with warm ups and tuning, and then the conductor will focus on the pieces chosen for an upcoming event. If there are no upcoming events scheduled, a few pieces will be taken out of the band library to be sight-read by the members. Practices are enriching as the conductor is extremely willing to share his extensive knowledge of music theory to help the members interpret the piece better.

Joshua Ng - TP Kayak Racing Team

Why did you join this CCA?
It seemed different and a relatively uncommon sport here in Singapore.

How often are the training/practice sessions?
Well, our training sessions are twice daily except for Sunday, once at 9.30 am and again at about 4 pm. It may sound scary to beginners at first, but you will come to realize that we put in the hours because we want to, not because we were made to.

How have your experiences in this CCA been so far?
I feel that joining the team was the biggest turning point in my life. It was because I joined the team that I turned into a full-fledged sportsman. I’m now also an avid marathoner, and it was with the team that I ventured into my first few short runs such as the Nike human race and Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon.

Frayon: So! Anyone want to join any of Frayon's clubs? Fanning?

Fanning: Fanning would rather jump into the mouth of a hungry dinosaur.

Jaclyn: Uhm. Can we go now?

Fanning: Oh. Yes you can.

*Jacyln and Joshua run away*

See you in the next issue of The Prehistoric Times!

And the 'O' level begins...

2009-10-19T11:14:00.013+08:00

The O levels are finally here! I know everyone has been working real hard and so...

You deserve it and you ought to be proud of yourself .

It's the final lap already, time to give it your best shot and put your best foot forward!

And finally, the tp4me team wants you to know that:

We'll be cheering you on!
All the best for your 'O's!

Humming off
HummingBird

The TP Mass Dance @ TPRAWKS!!

2009-10-16T17:27:00.003+08:00

There's a little something you guys should know about Temasek Polytechnic. It's known as the TP Mass Dance.

But BEFORE we talk about the TP Mass Dance, let's talk about a song. The song is called New Age Girl. You can check out their music video on YouTube. Yes, it's kinda weird, in a fun sorta way. And yes, the song's nice.

Now that you know the song, you have to know about the dance. It's like this -

1) Every TP student, during the orientation, learn the TP Mass Dance. Every. TP. Student.
2) The TP Mass Dance is the oldest, coolest and most fun mass dance in any polytechnic.
3) Every Rawker at TPRAWKS!! will learn the TP Mass Dance.

See, the thing is this - the TP Mass Dance is EXCLUSIVE to TP. Usually, only TP students (and lecturers mwahaha) get to learn the TP Mass Dance. It's sorta like a way of inducting people into the TP family.

HOWEVER. At TPRAWKS!! Rawkers will get to learn the TP Mass Dance too! You see, there are a few groups of students that are particularly special to us. The DPA students form one such group. The other very special group are the Rawkers. To us, it doesn't matter if you come to TP at the end of the day (though you should!). If you're a Rawker, you're an honorary member of the TP family.

And so yes, YOU CAN DANCE!

A Joke

2009-10-14T14:39:00.004+08:00

Earthlings,

Are you guys feeling stressed out with studying for the 'O's?

Haha let me tell you a joke (to help you relieve some stress).

One day Frayon, huMMingbird and Daisy was sitting at a coffee shop chatting. After finishing their food, they realised that they didn't have money to pay, so Frayon suggested that they hide till the stall owner forgets about it.

They found 3 sacks near their table and decided to hide inside.

The stall owner walked towards the first sack and hit it, huMMingbird purred "MEOW MEOW", so the stall owner said "O it's just a cat".

He than walked towards the second sack and hit it, Daisy barked "Woof Woof", the staff owner said " O it's just a dog"

When he approached the third sack, he hit it, and Frayon said "Carrots, Carrots, Carrots!"

hahahahahaha isn't that funny.

Solid as Bone,
Fanning

Edit by Frayon: No, it's not. >_<

The most amazing music video ever

2009-10-13T19:08:00.005+08:00

I usually don't do this on our blog, but I'm just overwhelmed by how Awesome™ this music video is.

It's a song called Hibi no Neiro by the Japanese band Sour. Okay, I've never heard of them before this (since I generally don't listen to Japanese music, there - now you know something else about me!), but I saw a link to this video on Facebook and I'm now a fan. And trust me, if the Lord of Awesomness™ is a fan of something, that something must be Truly Awesome™ indeed.

Now watch it, and bask in its amazingness.

O' Level Practical Begins

2009-10-12T09:24:00.005+08:00

Earthlings,

The O'level Practicals start tomorrow!

Are you prepared?

Here's my advice.

Go through all the practicals you did. The questions will be somewhat similar, and studying all your practical practices will be very useful. Also, when you receive the question paper, don't rush into it, read it twice to make sure you know exactly what you need to do.

I wish you all GOOD LUCK!

Solid as Bone,

Fanning.

A Bird's Eye View of TP

2009-10-09T17:46:00.008+08:00

Hi little chirpies!

As you may know, TP students are having our holidays and so TP's more peaceful and quiet now (without students stepping on my tail all the time haha). I've decided to fly around and get some good shots from a bird's eye view, haha... Enjoy!

Strutting across our plaza!:)

Everyone hands-up....and salute!

The Mushroom!

Our Design school canteen!

Can you spot the cleaning guy on the vehicle?

Our fountain! Time for me to take a bath!

I also flew to the Bedok Reservoir to take some pictures of TP :)

Bedok Reservoir!

These shots are nice aren't they? I'm hungry from all the flying around. Gonna grab something to eat!

Humming off,

Hummingbird

The Prehistoric Times Issue 2 - Scholarships

2009-10-07T17:07:00.004+08:00

ISSUE #2
SCHOLARSHIPS

Frayon: HELLO CAVEPEOPLE TO SECOND ISSUE OF THE PREHISTORIC TIMES! As you can see, today Frayon very excited. TODAY, Frayon and Fanning going out to the SEA! We going hunting for sea dinosaurs! We –

Fanning: What is Frayon talking about? We’re not going out to sea.

Frayon: Fanning not know we talking about special type of ships today?

Fanning: What? What in the hoogah-chaga is Frayon – Oh. Sigh. We’re not talking about SHIPS, Frayon. We’re talking about SCHOLARSHIPS.

Frayon: Which is a special type of ship! Though Frayon not sure what are “skoh-lers”.

Fanning: They are something Frayon can never be. And no, scholarships are not a special type of ship, though Fanning right now wish to ship Frayon off somewhere else.

Frayon: Skoh-lers are edible, maybe?

Fanning: Only if Frayon is big dinosaur.

Temasek Polytechnic is announcing a brand new scholarship scheme for 2009 O level students called the Scholarships for Newly-Enrolled Full-Time Subsidised Students. But before we go into it this issue, let’s talk about what scholarships are.

Fanning: Frayon, listen up so that Frayon will stop babbling nonsense.

Scholarships are cash schemes and awards for students who have excelled in their field of study or talents. Some scholarships come with bonds and conditions, while others do not.

In Temasek Polytechnic there are 3 types of scholarships, namely:

Academic Scholarships

Awarded to TP students with outstanding academic results and have a track record of involvement in co-curricular activities. The value of the scholarship is usually the cost of the tuition fee plus an optional book allowance of $200 to $300.

Frayon: Books! Frayon likes books! They taste good with ketchup and fried dino toes!

Fanning: Well. That certainly explains a lot.

CCA Scholarships / Awards

Awarded to students who have contributed significantly to co-curricular activities in the Polytechnic. Leadership qualities and academic performance are also taken into consideration in the selection process.

Frayon: Frayon very active in leadership positions! Frayon leads groups to hunt dinosaurs all the time!

Fanning: The last time Fanning saw Frayon on dinosaur “hunt”, Frayon was running away.

Frayon: BIG DINO HAD SCARY TEETH!

And finally, the latest type of scholarship released by Temasek Polytechnic, as well as the topic of this issue of The Prehistoric Times –

Scholarships for Newly-Enrolled Full-Time Subsidised Students

Fanning: To find out more about these scholarships, Fanning approached Mr Alex Tan, an Examinations Officer of TP.

How do students qualify and apply for this new scholarship?
Firstly, they must meet the following critieria:

1. O level results - 10 pts and below for 5 subjects
2. Strong CCA leadership qualities / achievements

If students who apply for the scholarship meet the criteria, they will be shortlisted for an interview. Those who are selected will be informed and awarded the scholarship.

Sounds good! What benefits come with the scholarship?
Besides awarding $2,500 per academic year, which basically means your TP schools fees are covered by this scholarship, recipients will get a chance to go undergo Student Leadership Programmes or participate in overseas leadership and talent development programmes.

Frayon: Students go overSEAS? Scholarships are a type of SHIP after all!

Fanning: … … Sigh. Fanning guess there’s just no helping some people.

Are there any bonds or conditions for this scholarship?
There aren’t any bonds, but recipients must be able to achieve a GPA of at least 3.5 for every academic year.

Fanning: Thank you Mr Alex Tan for helping to explain the new scholarships better.

Frayon: Frayon want to go on sea-ride on scholarship to hunt dinosaurs now!

Mr Alex Tan: Uhm. Frayon, scholarships aren’t a –

Fanning: It’s okay Mr Tan. I’ll handle this. Frayon, BIG SCARY DINOSAUR BEHIND YOU!

Frayon: AIEEEEEEEEE!!!

For more information on scholarships, be sure to log on to http://www.tp.edu.sg/home/admissions/fees/scholarship.htm. See you in the next issue of The Prehistoric Times!

TPRAWKS!! Countdown

2009-10-05T15:08:00.005+08:00

It's October, which means we're just slightly more than a month away from TPRAWKS!! 2009, and we're STOKED. EXCITED. ECSTATIC EVEN!

And of course, like any major event, we're going to need a COUNTDOWN.

As you can see, this countdown is now at the right hand of our blog. With all these upcoming stuff at TP, our blog's righthand-column sure is getting crowded... GETTING CROWDED WITH AWESOMENESS™!

ZOMG 41 DAYS TO TPRAWKS!! ... Or 40, depending on which day you're seeing this post. ... Or 39. Or 38. You get the point.

Movie Review - District 9

2009-10-02T14:11:00.008+08:00

Earthlings,

If you like alien movies, than you should catch District 9. But District 9 is an alien movie with a twist. (It is delivered documentary style, not what you'll expect from alien films.

Millions of aliens (the last survivors of their home) were forced to live on earth in make-shift homes somewhere in South Africa, their slum-like home was named District 9. While the aliens were living their lives as refugees, the world was debating on what they should do to the aliens.

This story is about a company (MNU) has been trying to reproduce the alien weapons that they found. But they have proved futile, as alien DNA is required to activate these weapons. A man contracts a mysterious virus that begins changing his DNA. He suddenly becomes the most hunted man on earth, because MNU wants to make use of him to test the alien weapons. And to escape from them, he hides in District 9.

Hmm... I want some of that mysterious virus, so I can alter Frayon's DNA, muahahaha

It's a movie worth watching.

Solid as Bone,

Fanning