Attended the SJI Open House at Malcolm Road today. Decided not to drive, as the school had warned that parking was very limited and there would be congestion. So we took the MRT, which was a good thing because now I know for certain how far the School is from the nearest MRT station, which was Stevens MRT station on the Downtown Line. The walk from MRT station to school didn't take more than 5 minutes. Very manageable.
SJI, founded in 1852, is the 3rd oldest school in Singapore. The school had recently been renovated (and in some places rebuilt), and they moved back to the Malcolm Road campus earlier this year. The sight that greeted us going into the school.
School field, and the new Indoor Multipurpose Hall (which incidentally is huge inside - 8 badminton courts)
Very nice field.
SJI Open House 2017
The whole process was very well organized. When we arrived, we headed to the registration foyer, and the students found my son's name (we had pre-registered), and we quickly joined a tour of the school. Well, the tour was a private one because we were the only tour participants! The school got many of their Sec 3 Uniformed Group students to lead tours, and our tour guide was from the NCC Cadet Air. He gave us a tour of the school, including the library, science labs, humanities room, indoor sports hall and many more areas. It was a big school.
Glass paneling at the library.
Secondary 1 Talk
We were registered for the 12:30pm Sec 1 talk, and we got there early. See the empty lecture theatre! But not to worry, it filled up completely very soon. There was large interest.
Father Adrian (SJI Principal) Speech
The talk started with a Sec 1 boy giving the opening prayer. Prayer is an integral part of school life. After that, the Principal, Father Adrian, gave a speech, which was very interesting because he quoted from two of his favourite poems. He told us that he was an English major. I managed to record the entire speech, and here it is.
The two poems cited were Days by Philip Larkin, and the Summer Day, by Mary Oliver. Fascinating stuff. Father Adrian cited the closing line from 'Summer Day' - "Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?" Worth pondering over.
The main segment of the Sec 1 Talk was conducted by the Secondary 1 Level head, who gave us very insightful information. I will just highlight a few points here. SJI offers both the O-level and the Integrated Programme Route. In terms of numbers, about 220 boys for O-level, and 120 for the IP route accepted in previous years.
The Integrated Programme is different from most schools because SJI offers the IB, or International Baccalaureate. Most IP schools offer the A levels.
Cut-Off Points
In terms of cut-off points (a very important question), the parents were shown this slide. You can see that the Cut-Off Points were high. For O0level route, non-affiliate schools was 246 in 2016 and for Integrated Programme (IP), it was a hefty 253 in 206. Take note - no affiliation for IP programme. Even the Cut-off for affiliated schools (for the O-level track) was rather high at 238. In short, if you want to get into SJI, your PSLE score must be pretty good.
School Fees
There was also the issue of fees. SJI is an independent school, and the fees are not insignificant. This was the chart shown below. For O level track, it was $340 per month, for IP Track, it was $380 per month. MOE provides a means-tested Independent School Bursary (for Singapore students only). Finally, the Level head assured all parents that if any kid had financial difficulties, please talk to the school. They would find ways to help the kid.
Distinguished Alumni - parents were also shown several slides on the distinguished alumni of SJI. This is one such slide. Bottom right is Dick Lee, who infamously caused a controversy by saying that everyone 'did drugs' at SJI. Oh well, maybe during this time!
Conclusion
I have no affiliation with SJI, but decided to visit SJI because I had read that SJI was achieving very good IB results. My impression of the school was generally good. I think the focus on values and character is important, yet there is also an increasing pursuit of academic excellence.
After all, SJI must the one of the few mission schools with such a high cut-off point for its affiliated schools. Also, there is no affiliation for their IP programme, and hence the student quality (as measured by PSLE score) would be high.
Definitely gave us a lot of food for thought.
For those kids taking PSLE this year (2017), good luck and God Bless!
2016 would be remembered for Brexit, Trump's stunning victory, Carrie Fisher's passing, just to mention a few. For myself, I thank God that 2016 has been another fruitful year, one that has passed by very quickly during to a hectic schedule. In 2016, new experiences were Virgin Atlantic Upper Class, Turkish Airlines (Economy) and Vietnam Airlines (Economy and Business). Repeats included AirAsia, British Airways and Singapore Airlines. All these trips have allowed me to continue my hobby of publishing Flight Review videos on YouTube - Guitar Singapore Travels - now exceeds 4.6 Million views (as at end Dec 2016). Thank you viewers, for all your support! And most grateful to God for the opportunity to travel and for the many new experiences!
On this summary blog post, I post a summary of the various flights that I have enjoyed in 2016 as well as the memorable moment or learning point for each flight mentioned. The year started with an AirAsia flight from Singapore to Langkawi, Malaysia . Memorable moment, cabin crew were still serving the pre-ordered food even as the plane descended into landing. I had food as the plane landed! (Technically a safety breach)
The return flight from Langkawi to Singapore was on SilkAir, fully owned subsidiary of SIA. I've not flown SilkAir in many years and couldn't remember what it was like. Memorable moment - no In-Flight Entertainment system but I could use my own phone to watch some movies.
Next, was a long-haul trip to Washington DC, flying Singapore Airlines Business Class to London, before transferring to Virgin Atlantic Upper Class to DC. This would be a long flight, across many time zones! This first video is Part 1 of the SQ 306 Singapore to London flight. Memorable moment - caught up on many movies, including Star Wars Episode 7.
I had read so much about the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse at London Heathrow, and so it was a real privilege to be able to use the Heathrow Terminal 3 Club House for a few hours before my connecting flight on Virgin Atlantic to Washington DC. Memorable moment - the lounge serves a mean breakfast! This is arguably the best Business Class lounge in London Heathrow.
Flying from London Heathrow to Washington DC was on Virgin Atlantic Upper Class, my first time on this premium product. Memorable in many ways, including this wonderful afternoon tea service which I had on board prior to landing. Service was very good too! I enjoyed my flight, but certainly didn't enjoy the almost 2 hour wait time at Dulles International to clear immigration. (No Fast Track either!)
The return trip from Washington DC to Singapore was the reverse order of flight - Virgin Atlantic from Washington to London Heathrow, followed by Singapore Airlines from Heathrow to Singapore. But before that, I spent a few hours at the Virgin Atlantic Dulles Clubhouse, and this experience was awesome! Food was great and so were the craft beers (Flying Dog Seasonal Hop).
From London Heathrow, I took the Singapore Airlines SQ 305 flight back to Singapore. It was on a retrofitted Boeing 777-300ER and I managed to snag seat 11K which was super private and comfortable, right at the front of the Business class section and just behind the First Class cabin (which had only four seats). Awesome!
In the middle of the year, we tried something new - Turkish Airlines! We had to make our way to Copenhagen, Denmark, for a cruise to the Baltic Seas. We chose Turkish due to the good price and the fact that we could return from London Heathrow. This was the almost brand-new Turkish Airlines plane we sat for the Singapore to Istanbul Leg, on flight TK55 out of Singapore. Interesting experience with interesting food. Memorable moment - Turkish Airlines have flying chefs and they serve passengers in Economy class too.
The second leg of the flight from Istanbul to Copenhagen proved to be interesting because one of our seats was missing a seat cushion! Definitely a first for us.
After our cruise, we made our way from Copenhagen to London, by plane. The flight was with British Airways BA815 (Airbus A320), and it was a glorious sunny day in Copenhagen. Even though it was a relatively short flight, we still got something to eat, and I even managed to get whiskey to go with my coffee. Hilarious me. (We bought a one-way ticket from Copenhagen to London)
Flying back to Singapore from London Gatwick, was our return leg on Turkish Airlines. This was our first time flying out of Gatwick (in many years) and I didn't like the experience much. The airport was really far away. Anyway, Gatwick aside, the flight back to Singapore via Istanbul was fine. The first leg on TK 1998 from London Gatwick to Istanbul on an Airbus A321-200. This regional jet had personal In-Flight Entertainment system installed.
From Istanbul to Singapore, we flew on TK54, which was also an Airbus A330 (similar to the one we flew Singapore to Istanbul). The Economy seating was in a 2-4-2, which was more comfortable. I must say that after flying a few times on Turkish Airlines, the food (in Economy class) started to taste the same. Not that it was bad, but the taste was very similar across flights. (Yes, I got bored)
On a whim, we decided to take a short family holiday in Hanoi, flying Vietnam Airlines! Fun and exciting. It would be our first time on Vietnam Airlines, and we had no idea what to expect. It turned out to be very good, given the price. Food was good and service was also very good, given that this was a 3 hour regional flight. The aircraft used was an Airbus A321, Flight VN 660.
The return flight from Hanoi to Singapore was also good. On this flight, we had an interesting dessert, which I don't know the name in Vietnamese. We have similar desserts in Singapore, but the concoction provided on the aircraft was nice. Also tried Halida beer!
Towards the end of the year, it was a real privilege to fly again in premium cabins. This was on the new Singapore Airlines Capital Express, connecting Singapore with Canberra (capital of Australia) and Wellington (capital of New Zealand). This flight route started in mid Sep 2016. The video below was Part 2 of the Singapore to Canberra leg, which they call a sleeper service. I booked the cook (choosing a beef dish called Soya Beef), which ended up being my breakfast before landing!
On the flight back to Singapore from Wellington, I spent some time at the Air New Zealand Business Lounge in Wellington before boarding the plane. It was a decent lounge. Star Alliance Gold members could also gain access to this lounge.
The first leg coming home was Wellington to Canberra. SQ 292 would depart Wellington for Canberra at around 2100hrs local time. This was a relatively short 3 hour leg. A full meal (dinner) was served on board and I thoroughly enjoyed the food and service. After the dinner, I managed to grab a 1 hour nap before the aircraft arrived in Canberra.
The next leg was Canberra to Singapore. This was a sleeper service, as the aircraft departed Canberra in the early hours of the morning. Given that I had a full meal on the previous leg, I wasn't hungry, therefore I chose to go to sleep shortly after take-off, and have a full meal just before landing. Food was good, service was great. Well done, Singapore Airlines.
And finally, the last trip of the year (with the family), was again on Vietnam Airlines, this time to London Heathrow! Now, doesn't that sound exotic. Yes, we fly Vietnam Airlines to London, from Singapore. The first leg up was Singapore to Ho Chi Minh. But before the flight, we checked out the SATS Premier Lounge at Changi Terminal 3, which came with Osim Foot Massagers and chair massagers.
The first leg was Singapore to Ho Chi Minh, on a regional Airbus A321. Of course, being in Business class, we sat in front. I found it interesting that the Business Class cabin only had 2 rows of seats, in a 2-2 configuration, with 8 seats in total. Service was good, meal was good!
We had a rather long layover at Ho Chi Minh before the next flight. No worries, we camped at the Lotus Lounge, which was nicely decorated with decent food, especially Vietnamese Pho. Wifi connection was very strong, so the time passed quickly. Here is the video of Lotus Lounge.
Finally, it was time for the Ho Chi Minh to London Heathrow leg. This was the exciting part of the trip because we would be flying on a brand new Boeing 787 Dreamliner which uses the latest Business class product for Vietnam Airlines! Yes, it was the reverse herringbone 1-2-1 configuration. The seat could easily turn into a flat bed, which was very good for a long flight of 13 hours. Flight VN 51 would bring us to London Heathrow, and it was a very good experience indeed.
In part 2 of the Ho Chi Minh to London leg, I called it Bed and Breakfast because I took a closer look at the bed. At first, I could not deploy the bed fully into a lie-flat position and I wondered if my bed was not working properly. Turns out that it was my own fault. My backpack and shoes were blocking the way! Silly me. I also show you the wonderful Vietnamese Pho we had for breakfast. It was an awesome experience and I drank up all the soup. My first time experience Vietnamese Pho on board an aircraft - only on Vietnam Airlines, of course.
After our holiday in the UK, it was time to fly back to Singapore. Vietnam Airlines operates from Heathrow Terminal 4. Before the flight, we spent some time at the SkyTeam lounge, which frankly was a tad disappointing. Food at breakfast wasn't great, the coffee machines weren't working properly and the empty cups were not re-filled. The lounge looked pretty though, with the green walls.
This time round, we would fly to Hanoi first, before heading back to Singapore. Yes, it was the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, though this time the plane was a bit older (more than 1 year), but hey, we were flying in Business Class so can't complain! Looking back, it is a great privilege and humbling to be able to do this as a family. This was a day flight (departing LHR at 1100hrs), so we didn't sleep very much on board. Spent the time watching movies and day-dreaming.
We arrived in Hanoi on schedule (5 AM local time) and had plenty of time to kill because our next flight home wasn't till 1050hrs local time. Thankfully, the Lotus Lounge in Hanoi was a nice place to chill for many hours, and I captured our experience in the video below. When we arrived shortly after 5, the lounge doors were opened but everything was still dark. The staff had just arrived and were setting up. Fortunately, they let us go in and rest. Later on, all of us took a shower. What was memorable in the lounge was instant noodles and instant Vietnamese pho. You had to prepare the noodles yourself, using hot water from an electric flask, and then using the micro-wave to further heat the noodles up. First time I see this in a Business Lounge - Fascinating.
Our final flight for the year, Vietnam Airlines Hanoi to Singapore. This flight was completely full! Flight to Singapore was about 3 hours. Meal service was efficient and thereafter, I managed to get a nap, before arrival in Singapore.
That's it! This wraps up my flight travels for the year 2016. Looking back, it was a wonderful year of flying, with many new experiences and learning points. Grateful for the opportunity and thank God for journey mercies, and the ability to see and experience so many new things. I do not know what 2017 will bring, but I trust the Lord to open and close doors as He sees fit. Wishing one and all peace, and a very fruitful and healthy 2017 ahead.
Happy New Year and best wishes for 2017. Thanks for reading.
