Author: gan54506@gapps.uwcsea.edu.sg

On Tuesday, we made Thai Green Curry.

I was partnered with a far more experienced cook than me and managed to learn a few important skills from him.

Firstly, he taught me how to properly use a knife, which involved me “tucking” fingers into my hands, where I would let my knuckles guide the knife over the item that was being chopped. He also taught me ways to chop an onion, which I should avoid chopping off the root to prevent the release of these substances that would cause people’s eyes to tear up.

These are skills I hope to bring to university with me!

Yesterday, I learnt how to make quiches that did not involve the use of crust.

Using a combination of ingredients, I attempted to make a protein-packed quiche to help energise and repair any damaged tissue within my body and is great to start mornings with (something I’ll take with me in university!).

Next week we will be learning to make Thai Green Curry.

I was able to intricately explore the reasons why there is a gap between the rhetoric and the successful implementation of government policies, and the consequences of this gap – linking back to economic, social and environmental factors. Additionally, I was able to offer a balanced analysis and evaluation for every paragraph, whereby there wasn’t a section dedicated to one subject and would regularly have a mixture of the two subjects – making the essay strong.

One of my limitations is how much of my research came from secondary sources; this affected the reliability and validity of my information as there was limited transparency on the issue due to key stakeholders reluctance in releasing any information. A lot of interpretations were made to why stakeholders reacted in a certain way to different events regarding the issue; this is where my knowledge of economics and politics came into play as it helped me identify valid motives behind stakeholder actions – supporting it with in-depth analysis and evaluation.

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Having engaged in a meeting with my EE supervisor, there are strengths and improvements that still need to be made to improve my EE. It was described to be a strong first draft that could already be submitted as a final. However, fundamental issues are still preventing me from obtaining a high grade. I need to conduct fundamental requirements such as utilising better in-text citations to ensure I properly meet the guidelines of the Extended Essay.

My EE still requires an effective methodology that properly analyses the limitations of my research and still requires specific points made in my EE to be further elaborated to improve the overall analysis and evaluation of my current topic. I need to better mention how slash-and-burning is a common problem all around the world. However, only the most significant impacts have been caused by Indonesia, which is why I decided to focus on Indonesia More Global Political concepts are needed, like the concept of securitisation and how that relates to the issue of slash-and-burning in Indonesia, to further demonstrate my understanding of the subject. (180 words)

In the first few badminton lessons, I have focused on my movement and my techniques in striking the shuttlecock. Although these skills may seem to only apply to just badminton, it has greatly benefited me in my personal life too. I have become more spacially aware of my surroundings and have seen an improvement in my fitness in general, aiding my frequent sessions at the gym. Hopefully, I will continue to learn new skills in badminton while improving my fitness to benefit my mental and physical well-being.

During my time cooking at MasterChef, I learnt how to make the following dishes:

• Cupcakes
• Cookies
• Spanish Omelletes
• Lemonade Scones

I have learnt more about the creaming method and how it is vital when attempting to make bakery goods or how roasting is one of the many ways you can cook meat. I have been able to utilise the skills I learn in MasterChef to cook for my family with wonderful deserts and dishes.