Dear Readers and Subscribers,

All of us here at SimpleChemConcepts.com & Winners Education Group (parent company) would like to sincerely wish you and your family “Happy New Year” and a most wonderful festive season! This is that special time of year to reflect on all the things we are so grateful for and also a time to set our goals & inspirations as we enter 2010.

2009 was a massive year for me – both personally and on my Chemistry blog / coaching

As we reflect, we acknowledge all the milestones we have achieved in 2009 and all the amazing support that we have received and had the opportunity to give; as well as the spectacular results achieved together.

Thank you all so very much ~ we are eternally grateful!

Let’s take a look at some of the “Best of SimpleChemConcepts.com 2009 (Academic Year)“:

• Chemistry Exam-Based Questions & Answers (Summary): Must-Read for students
• Qualities of a Good Teacher
• Chemistry Phenomenon – Gift from my best friend on his wedding
• Revise Early & Stay Positive – your School Teacher will be Asking You to Quit Chemistry
• How to Revise Effectively for Mid-Year Exams
• How to Revise Quickly & Effectively
• How to Revise for GCE “O” Levels Chemistry Exams: Summary
• Chemistry Exam Preparation – 1 Day before
• Best way to Revise: Review your Past Mistakes, Learn from it
• Professional Guest Speaker @ Association of Professional Trainers, Singapore
• Successful Completion of Organic Chemistry Mastery Workshop (Transformer as Co-Trainer)
• Mole Calculations Challenging Questions 2009: Seems like students still Hates Mole!
• Teacher’s Day 2009: Pleasant & Teary Surprise!
• 2009 Graduation Classes: Proud to have coached these students!
• Errors in Marshall Cavendish Textbook “CHEMISTRY Matters” – 3 parts series
• Score 100% Chemistry MCQ Mastery Workshop – Rave Reviews
• 2009 Dec Holidays Chemistry Revision & Headstart Workshops
• Chemistry Phenomenon – Trip to Perth; A place of Fun & Chemistry

We’re also very excited about entering the next decade together and are looking forward to continuously offering you our best in (more…)

Sean with Kangaroos in Caversham Wildlife Park

This blogpost has been delayed for quite awhile, after we  (Winners Education Group) came back from our backpacking trip to Perth, Western Australia in early December.

The theme of this chemistry blog is meant primarily for students / educators / parents to know more about Chemistry theories and how they are linked to our everyday lives. It is also fused with discussions on Chemistry Tips as well as Exam-based strategies to help students to score in the GCE ‘O’ Levels, IP and IGCSE chemistry examinations.
Having said that, i always believed that “All work but no play makes Jack a dull boy!”. As such, i would like to share with you the other side of me besides being a Chemistry Coach and an author of this chemistry blog. I love to travel and see the world!!!

Let’s get started…

Perth is the capital & largest city of Western Australia. The pace of living over there is so much slower and relaxing as compared to other Australia Cities such as Melbourne and Sydney. Most of the shops & eateries are closed after 6pm and the streets will be quiet at about 8pm.

Enjoying my cup of coffee at 7am in morning

As usual, looking for connection with CHEMISTRY – no wonder my students commented that i “Eat, Sleep & Shit about Chemistry!”

What a discovery! The signage must be there to welcome me!

Besides the City of Perth, we also ventured out to “nearby” National Parks with daily tour operators, and i am amazed with several sites that are linked to Chemistry! Yes! Chemistry theories and terms in real life!

Welcome to The Pinnacles Desert – limestone formations contained within Nambung National Park

The raw material makeup of the Pinnacles are essentially limestone (that is Calcium Carbonate, CaCO3) came from seashells in an earlier (more…)

From my previous blogpost, you would have realised that i have presented my talk on “Coaching the Not-So-Interested” to a group of professional trainers/speakers by now.

It was an awesome event where i get to know professional trainers / speakers from all walks of life, each a master in their own field / industry. We share alot of coaching and training tips on how to become a better trainer / coach. This means adding more value to our students and participants during training.

On my part, i shared with the group on:

1. The importance of taking care of the “Not-So-Interested” Participants
2. Importance of creating and sustaining a HIGH ENERGY Level throughout the training
3. Trade-secrets of TOOLS that i am using to create and sustain the HIGH ENERGY Level

I am glad to receive several positive feedback from follow professional trainers and coaches.

& (more…)

I am honoured to be invited by my former teacher to be one of the guest speaker at alma mater for 2009 Motivation Forum for O Levels Graduating Classes.

In fact, this will be the 3rd time that i will be going back to share my experiences and thoughts on approaching their important qualifying exams in October, as well as discuss with them the strategies and tips on how to perform well for their subjects, typically Chemistry and Science.

I look forward to meeting you (i know some of you are subscriber of this blog) on 24th July 2009!

Hi Chemistry Students,

Since the start of the year (2009) , there were several blogposts made on O Level Chemistry Questions & Answers. Some were answered while others are still waiting for suggested answers from readers.

I am going to list them below (in the order of Topics) so that you can access it easily. Alternatively, you can do a search of the chemistry topics that you want to revise on using the “SEARCH” field located on the Right-Hand-Side-Bar on this page.

Periodic Table Mini Series – Part I
Periodic Table Mini Series – Part II
Periodic Table Mini Series – Part III
Periodic Table Mini Series – Part IV
Periodic Table Mini Series – Part V
Periodic Table Mini Series – Additional Video Tips
O Levels Chemistry: Secrets of SPA / Chemistry Practicals
O Levels Chemistry – Selected Exam Questions
O Levels Chemistry – Selected Exam Questions Cont’d
O Levels Chemistry Questions – Periodic Table & Group Trends
Chemistry Phenomenon – Limestone In Action
Summary of O Level Chemistry Examinations Questions

Try it out! and leave your suggested answers and reasonings in the “Leave A Reply” section of each post.

Rmbr: “80% of the Success is Just About Taking The Necessary Actions!” (more…)

Chemistry Phenomenon – Linked to ART? (Image by B’Rob)

For those that have been following this chemistry blogsite for a while, you should have noticed that i have been constantly sharing:

1. Chemistry Notes Tips (yes, i do not give straight forward answers and notes..u have enough in textbooks and from your teachers….what i do? i love to point out misconceptions of many students have, so that you are aware of the pitfalls)

2. Exam Strategies (where i share general as well as Chemistry examination strategies to score the marks you truly deserve)

3. Chemistry Phenomenons (this is my LOVE..linking Chemistry abstract theories to everyday life examples)

Last December i made a blogpost on the title: “Why Am I Providing So Much Chemistry Tips, Strategies & Phenomenons” and it was published on my facebook profile.

A comment was quickly made by one of the avid reader of this chemistry blogsite and it suddenly throws a different dimension on how i should view Chemistry Phenomenons – in the form of ART!!!

Check out Leow Pei Shan’s comment:

“Totally agree with the statement that Chemistry is all around us. A pity that the current education system still does not make enough impressions and linkages to the application of chemistry in real life. Chemistry is a central science and it is a highly abstract type of hard science. For example, the periodic table of elements is a deeply abstract piece of art. There is a reason behind the placement of elements in the table. Each of them has their own history and their own unique relationship with their neighbors. Isn’t that the same when one looks at a piece of art and tries to interpret, understand the painter and its significance. Some people are hard core lovers of science (just like some are hard core lovers of fine art), some just hated it (just like some people claiming that the fine art is only for the atas). Chemistry is challenging and difficult for some, but if one can survive that painful learning process, one also gain an insight to life.”

Stay Tuned for more Chemistry Tips, Phenomenon and Exam Strategies!

PS: I would love to hear from you! Drop me a comment in “Leave A Reply” below.

Recently, i went to watch KNOWING, a science fiction / disaster movie starring Nicholas Cage. I always like to watch movies related to Science (particularly Chemistry) and Geography. I think they are awesome! Back to the movie – Solar flare (from the Sun) eventually strikes Earth and incinerates all life on the planet (except a few of the selected that were rescued by “aliens” and were released back after  earth were reborn.

(Image from Wikipedia)

Back to real life situations – temperature has been rising in almost all countries for the last few years. In Singapore (South-East Asia), we are living in a HOT-and-HUMID environment  365 days (yes..we only have 1 Season). The rise in temperature are greatly felt. “Is the Solar Flares nearing us???” one of my student asked me in today’s chemistry class. “Not really due to the Solar Flares” i answered (i am glad..cos life is beautiful). But the world is living in danger, due to Global Warming and temperature is rising.

Yesterday, i was at Singapore Botanical Garden with follow Master Trainer for Mathematics, Miss (more…)