what is beauty?

To most people, beauty is how a person looks like. Whether is the person decent or not. That is beauty. However, I think that beauty is more than skin-deep. It is not just how a person looks like, but how he/she thinks and the attitude of them.

If a person is very beautiful (the skin-deep version), then people get attracted to him/her. However, when those people get close to him/her, they can feel the hostility, bad points about that person, then that person is not truly beautiful. He/she is just fooling him/herself. The true beauty lies beneath.

I think that many of you have heard this story but nevertheless I shall repeat it to illustrate my point. This is my version and I made it up in the influence of other materials. Once upon a time, there was a man called Francis. One day, he went into a city to buy something. When sitting down to rest for a moment, he saw a beggar opposite him. Hence, he sat there and waited for people to pass by and see what would be their reactions. After waiting for a few minutes, a lady with heavy make-up passed by. She did not even glance at the beggar but walked away with prejudism and cold-heartedness. Francis could not help but shake his head in disapproval. Then, a housewife wearing poor quality clothes came along and noticed the beggar. Immediately, Francis could see the housewife's heart melt and she gave the beggar one euro. The beggar was so happy that she cried and thanked the housewife profusely. Francis saw this scene and he was touched. He could see the beauty of the housewife and she seemed to putting heavy make-up like the previous woman. Hence, he also walked forward and gave the beggar a 50-cent coin.

This simple story illustrates what beauty is. Beauty is the compassion a person has for another person. Beauty is indeed from the bottom of the heart, and I am working towards it.

home leaning lesson 5

The casino being built in Singapore is supposed to be a money-maker and job creator. However, many people have spoken against it. Talk to a parent or adult and get their view on the casino. Listen to the NPR and YouTube offerings and choose one that substantiates your viewpoint and include a quote from it as well. Your blog entry has to be at least 200 words and you must either support the casino or condemn its construction and ultimately the hardships it will cause in Singapore.

I have asked my mother about the topic of building a casino in Singapore. She said, “Nowadays gambling is so widespread and easily accessible. Even you can find 4D or Toto now in Cold Storage! The government has somehow made too widespread that teenagers often get too exposed to gambling. Yes, the government says that they have organizations that help those who are addicted to gambling. But in reality, it is a very difficult job and the people still have the urge to gamble after getting treatment as seen in the video. The best thing is, don't gamble. Teach them from young.

"The casino is built to help boost up the economy and provide jobs for Singaporeans. However, in the process of building it, they have a lot of work to do which can be put in other places. Banning those addicts, making sure that the people do not cheat etc. takes a lot of time and effort. However, the government has neglected the underlying principles in the midst of planning long term. It attracts people to gambling and it destroys some of their lives. Broken families etc. If a lot of people get addicted to gambling, this would be a common sight in Singapore."

It was indded a fruitful session with my mother. She gave me insights that i have never thought of before. My conclusion: Just don't gamble, don't be greedy.

references: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=93191168

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4801449

home learning lesson 2

My Favourite Poet -- Shel Silverstein
Born: September 25, 1930, Chicago
Died: May 1999

“When I was a kid,” he told Publishers Weekly in 1975, “I would much rather have been a good baseball player or a hit with the girls. But I couldn’t play ball. I couldn’t dance. So I started to draw and to write. I was lucky that I didn’t have anyone to copy, be impressed by. I had developed my own style.” In such a state, where he was not good in anything, he developed his own style. He is an inspiration to me. When you are not good at something, try not to copy the styles of those who are better than you; instead, try other things and who knows? We might become another Shel, one of the most famous poet in the world. "Shel Silverstein never planned on writing for children – surprising for an artist whose children’s works would soon become available in more than 30 languages around the world." Another fine evidence that "What you think is not possible is most likely to become possible."

Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein
There is a place where the sidewalk ends
And before the street begins,
And there the grass grows soft and white,
And there the sun burns crimson bright,
And there the moon-bird rests from his flight
To cool in the peppermint wind.

Let us leave this place where the smoke blows black
And the dark street winds and bends.
Past the pits where the asphalt flowers grow
We shall walk with a walk that is measured and slow,
And watch where the chalk-white arrows go
To the place where the sidewalk ends.

Yes we'll walk with a walk that is measured and slow,
And we'll go where the chalk-white arrows go,
For the children, they mark, and the children, they know
The place where the sidewalk ends.

This poem tells us the yearning the poet has for something to end, just like the sidewalk. In life, when we meet troubles ahead of us, we must continue walking until it ends. (This is only my opinion. If you have better ones, please feel free to share.)

It's Dark in Here by Shel Silverstein
I am writing these poems
From inside a lion,
And it's rather dark in here.
So please excuse the handwriting
Which may not be too clear.
But this afternoon by the lion's cage
I'm afraid I got too near.
And I'm writing these lines
From inside a lion,
And it's rather dark in here.

This is another exaggerated yet inspirational poem, saying that he his inside a lion. This poem shows his determination to write poems even when he is in trouble, i.e. inside the lion.

The Little Boy and the Old Man by Shel Silverstein
Said the little boy, "Sometimes I drop my spoon."
Said the old man, "I do that too."
The little boy whispered, "I wet my pants."
"I do that too," laughed the little old man.
Said the little boy, "I often cry."
The old man nodded, "So do I."
"But worst of all," said the boy, "it seems
Grown-ups don't pay attention to me."
And he felt the warmth of a wrinkled old hand.
"I know what you mean," said the little old man.

This poem reflects the modern society where grown-ups often ignored the old and the young whom they claim are irritating. The message the poet wants to convey is that for the grown-ups to realise that they are neglecting them and wants them to pay more attention and care for them.

Bibliography:
http://famouspoetsandpoems.com/poets/shel_silverstein/poems/14823
http://famouspoetsandpoems.com/poets/shel_silverstein/poems/14836
http://famouspoetsandpoems.com/poets/shel_silverstein/poems/14831
http://famouspoetsandpoems.com/poets/shel_silverstein/biography

home learning lesson 1

Bear In There by Shel Silverstein
There's a Polar Bear

In our Frigidaire--

He likes it 'cause it's cold in there.

With his seat in the meat

And his face in the fish

And his big hairy paws

In the buttery dish,

He's nibbling the noodles,

He's munching the rice,

He's slurping the soda,

He's licking the ice.

And he lets out a roar

If you open the door.

And it gives me a scare

To know he's in there--

That Polary Bear

In our Fridgitydaire.

Hyperbole:

A polar bear cannot roar obviously; only lions do. It is just to exaggerate how the polar bear gave the writer a scare.

Personification:

The writer describes the polar bear as though he is eating like a human. Only licking the ice seems relevant to what a polar bear does. Please correct me if polar bears do not lick ice. The message the writer wants to convey is that the polar bear kind of 'invaded' his refrigerator.

Metaphor and Simile:

I don't think I can find any metaphors and similes in this poem. Please tell me if there is.

Symbolism:

In my opinion, the refrigerator is the symbol of the hunger of the polar bear as this poem is about a polar bear eating in the fridge, scaring the writer in the end.

Why I like this poem:

I like this poem as it is quite humorous. It is easy to read and not complicated and long like some other poems. I think it is children-oriented as Mr Shel uses animals children are fascinated with like in this poem, the polar bear. He makes things exaggerated, thus making the poem funny. It is also filled with personification, which makes the reader feel that the polar bear is a human, scaring the writer when he opens the door. It also portrays the polar bear as being cute, seeing a polar bear licking ice, munching noodles would be amusing to most.

will having fun make you happier than studying?

Some people sit down there whole day, playing computer games all day long. Some people sit in pubs drinking non-stop. While others sit in front of teachers, listening to them drone. Who enjoys the most? Of course you would say the first or the second. However, what do they gain there? When you beat a monster or complete a level, it just gives you a temporary sense of achievement. You don't learn any skill there to use in daily life. Or any applicable knowledge. You just learn that this monster is easy to kill or that level is hard to clear. You do not learn that propaganda is used in literature and teachers are tools of propaganda for the government. Hence, it is quite obvious here that studying is better than having fun.


Studying can be fun too. You learn that the British aeroplanes were like flying coffins in history, that Singapore is suffering from an ageing population in geography and that Animal Farm is a satire to Russia in literature. You learn all kinds of information you would never be able to find in computer games.


However, All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. If we just keep studying and studying, then life has no purpose. We should find some time to chill out with our family, have some family time with them. Or else, we may become too stressed and I have heard from reports that some people even die when studying too much. As my PE teacher says, being so smart has no use, you need to exercise, have fun and relax. No point having a big brain with no other usable body parts.


Hence, I would conclude that, we should study adequately but also have fun. A good balance reults in double happiness.

thanks a million.

(I know this comes late but I still feel compelled to write it)

I looked out of the window. I sighed. It was terribly hot under the summer sun. Then, I felt something touch my face. It was familiar, a feeling that I had a few months ago. I tried to remember what it was. Oh, it was the breeze. Since April, our house had been nearly burned down because of the heat. Now, as the breeze finally comes back on my birthday, I feel an immense joy. It was a pleasure to see the wonderful breeze celebrating my birthday. Thanks.

I looked at the caravan. I sighed. It was a chore to explain everything to the dentist over and over again. I walked towards it, one heavy step after another, with my head hung low. As I was walking slowly, a nurse suddenly appeared in the doorway of the caravan and said, 'Boy! Are you coming for an dental appointment? Come! Which class are you from?' I nodded my head and told her. As I stepped into the caravan, I could feel the warmth of the dentists and the atmosphere. It was after all a good scaling experience. But before I forget, Bin Hui appeared and asked, 'Today is your birthday right? Happy Birthday!' Thanks Bin Hui, denstist ____ (I forgot your name) and nurse!

Two new messages. I wondered who would send a message early in the morning. Then I realised. It was two midnight messages! One was from Yew Tong, 00:01 and the other from Nicole, 00:09. There were also other messages from Charlene, Esther and Kathleen. Bryce sent me a message via MSN. Thanks all for your birrthday wishes!

Thanks Dad for that fabulous a la carte buffet dinner! We had a good time together eating unagi sushi and delicious desserts! Thanks Mum for the wonderful card (smudged a bit)! I appreciate your passion for stamps. Thanks Sis for that origami set! I will try to fold one for you...

Thanks.... thanks.... thanks....

should you be rewarded for your efforts in school?

When I first saw this question, my definition of reward was those sweets teachers give or early recesses teachers release. However, 'rewarded' can also mean good results we achieve for ourselves after putting in months of hard effort. Hence, this is obvious that we should be rewarded in this way. However, for the case of whether to give material rewards, I think it works for some but not the others.

It definitely would not be effective for those who only work hard just for the little present. That defeats the purpose of coming to school. The teachers' role is just to give you some knowledge, not giving rewards for things that benefit oneself. We go to school for the benefit of our future, not to get little gifts.

However, some people really need encouragement and reward in order to do well in school. Once they do not have any aim or target, they will just neglect their studies and play elsewhere. These people need rewards to be motivated. I think most teachers would like their students to do well in their studies so I think that rewarding some would do but not all. The teachers would have to explain the different learning styles and methods each child needs to receive and each of them have very unique ways too. I think that would encourage them a lot and not blame the teacher for favouritism.

To conclude my point, I think rewards, both material and academic, should be given in schools but to differnt circumstances.

so we control technology or does technology control us?

of course, it is obvious that we should control technology.

However, as technology gets so advanced each day, it may be difficult to control technology. We have computers in every single home, but does that control us? Or do we control it? Are we sometimes too addicted that a non-living thing start to control us? Or are we very self-controlled that we control them? To control technology, we must use it for the right thing. If the computers or other gadgets get too advanced, then it may be too strong for humans to get charge of them again. However, it is an irony that we humans are the ones who create them, yet they can overthrow us. Would we be too reliable on technology that our future generations do not even know how to write a single chinese character? It is evident now that education is getting a little bit too advanced. We even learn infocomm studies now. But would that help? We stare at the computer all day long, not doing anything else, is that really that useful? Is technology getting too advanced that it is starting to control us now?

In my opinion, I would prefer the 'primitive' lifestyle that we are having now. We have all our needs now, why invent something else that might even get uncontrollable in future? Those rubbish touch screen televisions, those useless and sophisticated phones, what good use are they? We might even have all kinds of muscle illnesses as we do not even exercise. Everything comes to us. Hence, is technology controlling us?

We can't social around when technology gets too advanced. We chat on MSN, send things by e-mail, buy things by e-delivery, and study by e-learning. How do we really know what is happening outside the real world? The virtual world might imitate all the real scenarios, but would it really help us to become a better person. Now, on the roads people rarely say a simple ‘hello’ to another. What would you think would happen in future. Crime would take place more frequently as technology gets more advanced, despite the amazing firewalls and powerful anti-virus software. How, then can we control technology?

Now technology also controls what we think. Action and violent games make us also violent in real life. Now small kids like to shape their hands into guns and go around 'BANG! HA! YOU DIE!' Children become sadistic when they are just four years old. How would they be like when they are forty? They watch power rangers everyday, addicted to the television. When you talk to them, they would just ask you if you have watched this show and start blabbering all sorts of foreign language to you. You seem confused and ask the parents. They just say they do not care and claim that it is the maid's fault that she let the children watch too much television.

Hence, in this world of modern technology, we must have on thing -- self-control. If do not control ourselves, we would too sooner or later become addicts and the whole world would be helpless against technology. Let's work hard towards controlling technology!

being a sec one student for the first semester

I have finally found out something.

I have found out that secondary school life was after all quite 'slack'. I did not really work very hard to get this kind of results. It was just like PSLE, playing all day and just mugging before the test date. I have found out that it was quite fast to travel around Singapore. I initially thought that from my house to my school, it would take one hour. However, it turned out that it only took 45 minutes. I have tried out different bus and MRT routes and found myself to be more independent. I have found out that learning a third language was after all not very difficult and learnt to enjoy while studying it. I have tasted how it feels like to leave school late, and my record was at 8 p.m. I have learnt that to juggle 7 subjects, I had to prioritise time well and not procrastinate. I also have found out that it is essential to set some time out for relaxation; now I am watching War and Beauty on channel 48.

I found out that I like humanities, which contained bits and pieces of information that were intriguing. I found out that English was challenging and learnt to become a critical thinker through studying literature. I found out that maths was the same to me, interesting yet complicated. I found out that primary school Chinese was nothing compared to secondary one. I found out that in order to do well in infocomm studies, I had to listen to that teacher where to copy his template from. I found out that I dislike science and find it troublesome to memorise the periodic table. I learn to appreciate art and master, excel in it. I found that music was very difficult compared to the past although I am have a music background.

I found out that teachers were quite nice in secondary school, not so naggy yet more knowledgeable (not trying to insult my primary school teachers). I found out that my mentor was after all quite friendly and forces us to do work in an organised manner. I found out that I must run down the canteen immediately when the bell rings. I learnt how to grab the computer before anyone else gets it. I learnt to use sarcasm as my weapon to attack people who are physically stronger than me. I learnt to take 170 instead of 67 when going home and forbid myself to board 156 until Circle Line opens. I learnt to choose the right door on the MRT to alight so as to rush up to catch the bus which arrives at the same time as the MRT.

My plans? 1. to improve my English to A1, which is quite impossible, to pull my MSG to 1.0 (:

2. to max up my ACEs as fast as possible

3. learn to be self-controlled

4. try to like my science teacher

5. be less sarcastic

6. prevent H1N1 from entering Singapore

8. blog more

7. read more books

9. watch more TV

10. go less online

Farewell Term 2/Semester 1! Au revoir!

If you could eliminate one emotion from the world, would you? Which one? Why?

emotion: a strong feeling such as love or anger, or strong feelings in general.

Fear. I would choose fear.

If everyone lives in fear of being eaten, or retrenched, or betrayed, then what is the point of living? Life should be cheerful and happy, with some downturns. Fear. Like the animals in Animal Farm. They feared that if they voiced out their own opinions, they would get punishments from Napoleon. As a result, their lives got worse instead of the better. I dislike this emotion a lot as I was always in fear during my young childhood days. I did not dare to ask questions, nor point out other people's mistakes. Ms Soh, now you know why I do not participate actively in class. I have a phobia of voicing out during English lessons. I was afraid of getting scolded by teachers in case I said anything wrong. Especially English. Now I have somehow overcome it by posting this post.

Fear. What if everyone fears that they would not have enough food tomorrow, or would lose their jobs? Then the world would not be a happy place anymore. People fret all day long and cannot concentrate on what they are doing. Is that useful? Does that benefit the whole society? The people in Singapore during the Japanese occupation lived in mistrust and fear lest they get caught by the Japanese to Sook Ching, or a place to get killed. Does that make life easier? Fear comes with suspicion. Everyone suspects that the opposition has something to hide. Hence, they report them. Is this an ideal place to live then? I believe that a lot of knowledgeable people would rather take their own lives than to live in this kind of situation. We also would not want to break our family relationships. With fear, we would accuse someone for things that go wrong. Everyone would definitely not like to live in this kind of home.

Fear, go away.

concert

Although it is already over, I still feel compelled to write this: I finally know how a concert looks like and how it flows. I can still feel the warmth that the concert has brought to me, and I can also feel how a Victorian concert will feel like. This is because I was in Victoria Concert Hall. I learnt how to appreciate concerts and learnt how it was like. I thought it was like the Tan Kah Kee show, where there was no interval. This performance showed me the proper etiquette of being in there although some inconsiderate people still used handphones. I would have liked to go up to stop him, but I did not want to start a commotion. Did he not know how it feels to be on stage and see a person distracted by other things?

As a performer myself, I know how it feels.

I feel offended when people sleep in the middle of performances. They give me the impression of us singing so boringly and have no taste. As I think about it, I can only shake my head. Let's talk about more positive things. An old man sitting beside me suddenly said in Chinese," It is very exciting, isn't it?" I nodded my head and smiled at him.

At that moment, I felt my heart melt and could feel the warmth between an old man and a young teenager.

I could feel the old man enjoying the performance although i did not have the power to telepathy. His comments made me feel relieved. At least some people appreciate performances and know the proper etiquette. Hence, I want to tell all the blog readers, be considerate and you will get more than you expect.

mother's day

to all the mothers in the world: Happy Mother's Day!



On mother's day, what do we actually do? We give them flowers, buy them chocolates and make them cards. But what is the meaning behind all this? Why do we only present them with these gifts on this very day? So are we hypocrites? Giving them these presents just to be with the crowd? In my opinion, everyday should be a mother's day. We should thank our mothers just after she has helped us, or cook for us. We should also repay them by getting good results, or helping them with chores.

Talking about chores, I think it is everybody's responsibility. i have read on the newspapers that nowadays a lot of kids do not housework as either they have maids or they are just too spoilt. I think all parents should make their kids do work from young. For example, I was always instructed by my mother to wash the dishes, hence even when I am very busy, I would try to take an initiative to help her. That is how we can celebrate mother's day everyday. Giving her a cup of water when she is resting can also make a perfect gift. The water will taste sweet somehow and she would thank you profusely and you can feel your heart melting instantly. Hence, tell your mother this, "Thank you!"

H1N1 flu (aka swine flu)

Primary 1 --> SARS

Secondary 1 --> H1N1 flu

Creepy or what? Why has this kind of epidemic happen to me once I am adapting to a new environment? Now we have to go through this all over again. Temperature-taking, blah blah blah. WHO has increased the level to orange. Duh. Does this kind of level have any impact on our lives. Orange or black or green, we still have to go on with our lives. However, complacency comes in too. Do we trust ourselves too much just for the reason we were well-experienced since SARS? We should take more precaution though. I think that prevention is better that cure. If we just don't do silly things such as putting our fingers into our mouth, then there would be no need for any vaccine etc. By doing that, we are actually mutating the virus and we have to create a new one when perhaps fish flu (touch wood) comes. Hmmmm... our school tells us to stay at home if we are sick. That means that we would learn fewer things and skip lessons. Would I rather take the risk to go to school or stay at home doing nothing? Of course the former. I can't really comment on this as we are in a competitive school. Missing lessons means that you would lose to others. However, we still must be considerate to others. Do to others what you want others to do unto you. That sounds reasonable. But am I creating a propaganda tool for myself? that is something to think about. I am using this statement to persuade myself. Isn't that glittering generalities? Hmmm... I think that is just personal basic values. Just. Oh yes. E-learning. Thank goodness technology has improved. E-learning is possible in times of emergency like this. However, there are still pros and cons about this. (I will separate this topic in another post) Nevertheless, it is still a good back-up. OK. I will end my post here. Wishing everyone the best in preventing this flu!

may

It is now May.

Labour Day.

A new month, new resolutions.

1. Of course, to blog more frequently. I did not even blog in April. I hope my ACEs have not flown away... I will blog starting tomorrow, with fresh topics in my mind.

2. Sleep earlier. I know this sounds quite contradicting, as it is 11.30 now. I think my target would be 10.30. (considering I sleep at 12 everyday)

3. Relax more. I found out that in April, the test month, I had not enjoyed myself to an adequate extent. I think I would chat more on MSN or read more books. :)

4. Be immune to H1N1 virus. Go less frequently to public places. (that will mean less trips to the library... ) I hope Singapore will not be launched into a pandemic where everyone is frantic and kiasu.

I think that is all for my resolutions. I will work to it especially the first one. See you tomorrow (which is 30 min away)!

Hitler's speech--analysis

This speech is about how Hitler wants the country to be; not to collapse and be obedient to the government. After listening to his speech, I felt the charisma in Hitler and finally understood why the German people adored him so much. This was because his speech was so convincing and the people were somehow 'brainwashed' by him. The overwhelming response of the people after the speech tells us that how much they revere him.

It was during probably the election time when he gave this speech as he wanted the people to vote for him and hence get the power of the whole country. He was actually quite clever in the sense that he could craft his speech so well to persuade almost half Germany to vote for him and statistics shown later were in his favour.

In my opinion, I think that his speech was actually quite true at that time as there was a Great Depression and the German economy fell weak. Hence, Hitler wanted to tell the Germans that must bbe loyal their motherland and serve the country when they were young and not waster their teenagehood doing other things. Hitler also wanted the people to be obedient as maybe he was afraid that some people who were after that not agreeable with him and would overthrow him. If I am in the crowd that day, I might be convinced and perhaps carried away by the speech without even using critical thinking.

Great Leader

If you would ask me who is a great leader in history, I would say that David Ben-Gurion is one fine example. He was the first prime minister of Israel and helped Israel fight for independence, returning to their homeland after centuries. The Israelis were being invaded by several countries and were caught away to be slaves in another country. Hence, the kingdom of Israel was split up and Jews were scattered all over the world. In a chapter in Isaiah, God mentioned that He would gather Israelis all around the world to come back and be reunited in thier homeland. This Ben-Gurion helped them.

He was born in a poor Polish-Jewish village and was clever from young. He had good oratorical skills, which most leaders have. He was a good planner and thought of an excellent idea for Israel to be united again when times were dire. During World War 2, Jews were being round up by the Germans and were killed. Most countries denied asylum so he thought of an idea. He inspired tens of thousands of young Jews from Palestine to join the British army in fighting the Nazis, but at the same time authorized an underground agency to ship Jewish refugees into the country. As the British were intercepting, deporting and locking away these survivors of the Nazi inferno in barbed-wired detention camps, world opinion grew more and more sympathetic to the plight of the Jews. This strategy helped bring about the favorable atmosphere that led to the 1947 U.N. resolution, partitioning Palestine into a Jewish state and an Arab state.

Later, he helped Israel achieve peace by resolving conflict among the Middle East states. Hence, I think he is a great leader as he was a person who had the initiative to reunite the long lost country and had the will to achieve independence for the nation's people. I think that such attitude and mindset are good examples for us to learn.

The Lottery

I think that this story has great relevance to our modern day society. Humans are cruel by nature. We cannot avoid it. In the story, they were cruel for the sake of a good harvest. Now, we bully other people or even harm them just for the sake of our own benefits. Sometimes, we also fail to reject what is wrong in the society and continue to do it without thinking of the consequences and sometimes even cause huge problems to the world.
Hypocrisy is also very common nowadays. Tessie Hutchinson was very cheerful when she arrived at the lottery and even joked when it was supposed to be a solemn ceremony when somebody was bound to die. However, when she was chosen to be stoned to death, she claimed that it was very unfair when she support it for years. This also represent how selfish someone can be. She stoned other people in the past but now, when it was her turn, she said that it was not fair and demanded a redraw. The world is very unfair and nothing is fair to anyone. Some people may be better than the others. Hence, we cannot make the world fair but what we can do is to be fair to others first and we would naturally not feel the unfairness that is around us. We can learn a lot from the story such as thinking before we do, think through if the thing is logical and humane before materialising it and not following the tide and stand up for our own say when we think that things should not go by that way etc.

$110 - the pessimistic post

$110. I would not forget this sum of money. I wasted it due to the compulsory camp. It went down the drain. Let me elaborate on it.

Nothing was positive there. Once I stepped into the campsite, I could sense a premonition that nothing good was bound to happen. The most common voices heard was. "Headcount!", "Line up in two straight rows!", "Distinguish yourselves!" So irritating... We are already distinguished enough to go into a good school. What for distinguish ourselves in this camp. I feel so despised. Why do the student leaders need to head count every single minute? How could we escape from this dilapidated and unmodernised place? There is only one bus and we do not even now where it goes to! I feel so depressed at the thought of being treated like a primary one schoolkid. Even if we get lost, we are also able to find a solution right? And somemore, they use the tone like used in the army. Why can other leaders be gentle while you need to scream and shout at us, making yourselves unpopular as ever? I think you are the ones who caused the camp to have very low ratings.

Next, you force us to do things that we do not like, especially a clean person like me. You force us into the Milo pond but you do not have enough time to do so. You force us to sit on the mud. You force us to wait till our stomachs grumble like bears then allow us to eat. Yet you want us to have fun. Is that logical? Is that fair? Is that dictatorship? Is that 'humane'?

The food we eat is the lousiest quality. The rice and fish soggy, the chicken cold, the fruits sour. Is that enjoyable? We pay $110 to enjoy these things? You must be joking. But you are not. I am so relieved to be out of this terrible camp.

Edit to Scarlet Ibis 2

In Scarlet Ibis 2's post, I made a mistake. The perception of winged creatures for the second part is wrong. It was my own perception. Hence, I wish to clarify this mistake.

The Peacock has a ten-foot tail which is considered a very long one. In the beginning of the story, there was a a description of a tail when naming Doodle William Armstrong. Hence, the peacock in his own fantasy story refers to himself as he wants to be admired and respected by others. Peter also refers to Doodle as his robe was so bright that even the sunflowers turned away from him. Only divine light can do this kind of thing. Hence, the winged creatures refer to angels and James Hurst, the author of the story, thinks he symbolises one.

Conman or Patriot?

Look at this news article.

Is he, Cai Mingchao, a patriot or a conman? Actually, I personally do not take any particular stand as both sides may be somehow logical. He was willing to stand up for his own country for getting back the precious statues by 'violating' the Christie's rule and become somehow infamous. would you, readers, do that just to demonstrate how much a love your country and want to get back the statues desperately just for the heritage sake of the country? I think that most of us, including me, would not do that. That is how patriotic a person can get. You may think that lay man like us cannot and will not get this chance to show our great patriotism. However, simple things like singing loudly during National Day could also show that we love our country dearly. Hence, being patriotic does not need great things to be done.

Maybe he is also a conman, considering he did not pay for the statues after being eligible to do so. Yves Saint Laurent has the power to keep the statues but I still think that the statues should be returned to China. Yes, this two statues has been lost during the Opium War and should be the Westerners who keep them but still, it should return to their rightful owner.

China should also think about their past and instead of desperately wanting the statues back, they should reflect on their failure in the Opium War and treat that as an invaluable lesson.

This is a video showed to us by our form teacher, ms lee. I think this video of Van Gough paintings with background music by Chiyi is a very good one as it illustrates the starry night very well and I am somehow touched by the paintings. The paintings are very beautiful, with every stroke of paint illustrating the dark nights. Did you notice something? There is Snoopy in one of the paintings! Watch carefully and have fun searching!

Scarlet Ibis 2

To add on to yesterday's post, I would like to share what ms soh taught us about symbolism. Symbolism is to use something to represent something else. In my opinion, I think that it is a superb literary device to use during compositions although it may a bit hard for me. In scarlet Ibis, the author uses the scarlet ibis to represent Doodle. When it died, it foreshadows the outcome of Doodle later on.

When Doodle talked about the winged creatures in his fantasy stories, his main point was that he wanted to be free instead of being confined in his boundaries. He also wanted to tell others that he was proud of his brother and at the same time wanted attention in his story of Peter and his peacock. He yearned for his brother's love, care and attention. The wooden objects that his father made for him symbolises the fact that his parents has lost all hope in him and did not expect much of him. He was literally confined to his go-cart and his life seemed hopeless until his brother taught him how to walk.

But was his brother really that kind? No. I do not think so. He taught Doodle how to walk just because he did not want others to look down on him as having a crippled brother. To save himself from shame, he forced Doodle for trainings but was too harsh and in the end, Doodle died because of his inability to handle that amount of hard work. Hence, Brother could be indirectly responsible of Doodle's death.

The name of Doodle his brother gave him was probably the worst thing he had done to him. Doodling means to scribble mindlessly and unintelligently. That means that the author is trying to say that his brother was useless and nobody expected much of him.

I think that Scarlet Ibis is a great story to help us reflect on how we treat other people and the values of real love etc. Hence, I recommend all to read this book as it is both a pleasure to read and a tool for reflection.

The Scarlet Ibis

Now, as I am reading The Scarlet Ibis, I wonder if I had even reflected on some things nowadays. Was I also like Brother, forcing Doodle to be the same as the rest? Are parents nowadays forcing the best out of them? Are our parents like Daddy, confining their children in a certain area, not allowing to grow and learn?

Maybe or perhaps I was Brother.

I have a sister who is six and I always find her irritating. Why? Maybe because of the age gap like Brother and Doodle. They were six years apart and I am too with my sister. I cannot empathize with her and often find myself scolding her as a result of not knowing her somehow naive thoughts compared to mine. I always treat her as if she is my friend, but somehow, after a few minutes of talk, I find myself diificult to communicate with her as she has a completely different mindset. I being a considerably pessimistic, find that her thoughts are unworkable ALL the times. However, as I reflect on my past, I notice that she is in fact very mature compared to me when I was her age. Hence, some of her ideas are quite good in the sense of a six-year-old child. Although my sister is not slow, I always make her think that she is not right.

We should not be like Daddy.

We should not underestimate anyone as who knows? They might become someone famous and we may regret terribly like Brother in the story. We should not be like Daddy as he is TOO pessimistic and even thought Doodle would die even before he was given a chance to live. Parents should not give their child the understanding that they are very lousy, cannot make it to the top universities. Instead, we should help them know their strengths and develop on it. However, we should not be too forceful, expecting the best from the children. They must learn how to accept failures so instead of scolding them, we should give them a few encouraging words and teach them how to handle these failures. Hence, we should be lax in the sense that we give children the place and the opportunity to learn but not focing out the best of them, making them stressful.

Beach Cleaning

When we all hear 'Beach Cleaning' for CIP, we would pull our faces and say, "Why us? It should be the workers job." When we have that kind of thinking, we are wrong. We should try do our part to serve the community. Let me share the experiences I had.

Early in the morning 7 o'clock, we had to go to the beach to clean a lot. It was dirty there, and not a single patch of clean sand could be seen there. (I know that it is a bad rhyme...) It was true that Changi beach was extremely dirty. We could see all kinds of litter, from a shoe to a dozen batteries and from cigarette butts to Apollo biscuit wrappers. So atrocious. So inconsiderate. So funny. Can you imagine a shoe on the beach? Or a dozen of batteries lying around you when you are suntanning? It would be extremely unsightly. No wonder there were so little people despite the fact that it was a Saturday. East Coast Park is so much cleaner... (not trying to be bias.) I learnt that we must be considerate to the environment and the same time to the people around us. By doing that, we are actually practicing responsibility. Although we clean the beach for CIP hours, we should really learn to serve the community as the community has served us. Hence, we should not do this just because of the hours. (though sometimes I am that kind of people.) It was indeed a great learing experience for me to learn.

Complacency

Everyday we meet people who are complacent. Even the government was complacent. This led me to think about the Mas Selamat case. In his escape, so many people were affected. Even the common commuters travelling along the Causeway were affected. Who is to blame?

The goverment?

Or the erred guards?

Which one of them? Think about it. Did the goverment take too little action to maintain the detention centre? Or was it the guards who did not take too much attention on Mas Selamat?

Actually, in my own opinion, I think that both sides were complacent. The government thought that Singapore was a very reputable place for good security.Hence, they thought that enough has been made to keep the prisioners 'safe' inside the camps. However, did anyone of the ministers thought that some terrorist could actually escape through the toilet? And did the guards not pay much attention to him because they thought that the security was too good for Mas Selamat to escape? Please comment as this is no laughing matter and over lives could still be in danger under the escape of Mas Selamat. Nobody knows when would he appear again...

A Story II

(continued) However, two vigilant policemen passed by block 452. They saw a lift going up the block to the highest level and saw a shadow appear. Who was it? Why was the person there in such a deep night? Without hesitation and having the same thoughts, they ran to the lift and boarded up. When they reached the 16th floor, they saw slowly but carefully. They hunted when... bingo! The murderer was hiding between the flowerpots. Of course, he got arrested.

This is a story told by general Teo when I went to the Police Heritage Centre yesterday. The background information is this: There were a few continuous burglary near the bungalows of Dunearn Road. Hence, Sergeant Boo Tiang Huat tried to comb the area in the middle of the night. He and his companion saw a suspicious-looking men walking around the Newton Food Court. Hence, they ordered the men to empty the contents inside his huge haversack. However, he fished out an axe and chopped Boo's neck! Hence, he died instantly and was given the gallantry award by the president. This is just an example of a policeman who was willing to risk his life serving the nation. The main objective of this journey is to educate us about Total Defence Day and let us know the important role of a policeman in our society. We should follow their example and serve the country when we grow up, i.e. serving in National Service etc. It was therefore a meaningful and at the same time interactive and fun trip. I hope that there would more of such trips in future.

A Story

BOO was axed. Axed terribly. The axe could not even get out of his neck. Terrified, horrified, petrified were the murderer's emotions. He ran. Ran as fast as he could. HELP, he thought, I am so not going to be caught by the police. He ran to block 768 and went to the topmost floor. Where should I hide, he thought again, AH there is the place! Behind the flowerpots. No one will see me. Hehe...

Meanwhile, Boo's companion was in a shock. Witnessing a murder taking place! How terrifying was that! However, he immediately fished out his walkie-talkie and said," SOS! SOS! Back-up needed... ..." He waited and waited. They came finally. RUN LIKE THE WIND! GONE WITH THE WIND! They combed the whole Newton and Dunearn area. But to no avail. However... (to be continued...)

Valentine's Day

Yesterday was Valentine's Day. How did it come about? I have done a little bit of research on it. Please see below.

(Saint) Valentine's Day is a holiday celebrated on February 14 by many people throughout the world. In the West, it is the traditional day on which lovers express their love for each other by sending Valentine's cards, presenting flowers, or offering confectionery. The day was originally a pagan festival that was renamed after two Early Christian martyrs named Valentine. The day is most closely associated with the mutual exchange of love notes in the form of "valentines". Modern Valentine symbols include the heart-shaped outline, doves, and the figure of the winged Cupid. Since the 19th century, handwritten notes have largely given way to mass-produced greeting cards.

One of the version of the origin of Valentine's Day is:

It was said that Claudius II banned young men from marrying as he felt that unmarried men could become wonderful soldiers. A priest named Valentine secretly helped a couple hold a wedding ceremony. It was said that Valentine was killed by the emperor for not listening to his law. Valentine died in AD269 14th February. Hence, 14th February is named Valentine's Day in remebrance of Valentine.

There are many more sayings of Valentine's Day. Personally, I do not celebrate this festive day as I believe that in such a young age, we should not be involved in such affairs. However, we can use this day to say a 'thank you' to our parents for giving us so much of their love and kindness. Happy Valentine's Day!

acknowledgements:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valentine%27s_day

http://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%83%85%E4%BA%BA%E8%8A%82

Flowers for Algernon

5. Should science be used to artificially improve someone's intelligence or external appearance?

As a christian myself, I totally disagree with this act. This is "playing god" and defying against Him. When god created us, He thought that everything he did was perfect and did not regret anything. Everyone is special and we should not change ourselves just to blend in with the others. That is all as this is a stub and not the 'official' question I would want to answer.

Flowers for Algernon

3. What makes an ideal human or the ideal life?



Actually, there are many aspects of ideal. Happiness, family, friends, discipline are all factors. The main topic I am going to touch on is happiness as it covers most of the other aspects. Without happiness, how are you going to live your life? Without happiness, how are you going to socialise with people? There is one story that I read before when I was young. It is one of the Mr Men stories. It is, as you may have guessed, Mr Mean. He was a very stingy person and would not even spare someone a coin when he or she needed it. He lived in sadness and had no one to talk to even though some people tried to to him. Finally, one day when he was sleeping, he had a vision that he would be going to be an old and lonely man and would die unnoticed. He was so afraid that he immediately became friendly and became one of the most popular person in town and was never called Mr Mean again. This simple story tells us that we should be kind to each other and thats makes our life more interesting and happier. If we are not happy and not socialise, then we are like Mr Mean. Freinds. If we do not have friends, even virtual ones, then we are living our lives for nothing. We cannot just have our families around us. We need to ourselves with others to know the outside world better and socialise. We might be mad if we do not interact with others. Family is also important. They give us encouragement everytime we need them as they are the closest to us. They are important when we meet failures etc. Orphans find themselves very lonely and have no one to talk to and usually remain lonely for their life. A person without discipline will find it very difficult to things as he or she does not have self-discipline to do things themselves without somebody to look after them. Hence, I think happiness, having friends, family and self-discipline is a an ideal human and can live an ideal life.

Chinese New Year is Over! ):

Chinese new year is over. That means that we must start to study hard and treasure our time. Yesterday was yuan xiao jie and the moon was very round. It is said to be the roundest moon ever seen since 52 years.

Cyclist on Bukit Timah Road Riding Dangerously

Yesterday, when I was going back home from school, I saw a cyclist riding dangerously. He was riding slowly in front of my bus 170. As a result, the bus had to keep to his pace as Bukit Timah Road was very jammed yesterday. If the bus driver had not noticed him, he would have knocked down the cyclist. I think that the cyclist should take care of himself and not put himself and others at risk. I think the government should also create a lane specially for cyclists like other countries such as the States. Cycling not only does not pollute the environment but is also good for one's health. Hence, I think the government should think about it as it is safer for cyclists and others near them.

The Taximan's Story

1. The irony of the story is that the taximan's beloved daughter went to cheat him and went to become a prostitute. That broke the taximan's heart as he had loved her and did not think that this kind of irony would happen to him.

2. The themes are: i. Self-dignity. -- Lay Choo did not demonstrate it.

ii. The abuse of the excuse of school activities. -- Lay Choo said that she had meetings and went to Orchard Road.

iii. Love of father. -- Father loved her daughter--> textual evidence --> he saved money for her to go to university.

iv. Perspective of taximan's family. --> Taximan told his version of story.

v. Irony -- see above

vi. Abuse of love -- Lay Choo did not respect his father who gave her so much love.

3.The story is very realistic as nowadays, students always use the excuse of school activities to go out and gamble, play, shop etc. However, teachers do not know this most of the time. Hence, I believe that the communication and interaction between parents and teachers is very important to prevent such things from happening.

4. I think the taximan is very greedy and and the same time should be sympathised of. He already objected her daughter to become a prostitute. However, now he goes to Elroy Hotel where many of them are there as he wants to earn more money. Hence, he should set a good example for his daughter to follow. At the same time, he is using this money to help his daughter to go to University. However, Lay Choon misuses his love and do the things that is not right for her to do.

5. I agree with his lamenting in some parts and am against other past. I agree with him lamenting about the behaviour and acts of his daughter but am against him lamenting about people bargaining with him. He should be more concerned about his family's well-being instead of complaining about petty matters.

6. I sympathise with the taximan's eldest daughter. She is so obedient and filial towards her parents but does not have good health whereas the second daughter is so unfilial but is healthy and strong. I also sympathise with the teacher as she does not know the condition of students nowadays. Being a teacher, she should know her students the best as they spend half of their time there.

Happy Chinese 牛 Year! (haha)

Today is the day of Man! Happy day! This year's Chinese New year was fabulous! First, we had the half-day celebration which was really wonderful. Firstly, we had an extra day off! (: Secondly, there were wushu, lion dance and many other performances. They were really wonderful and interesting. Next, we went to our former primary schools to see our teachers. It was nice to see my teachers back although they sometimes scold us horribly... They gave us all sorts of advices which were of at least some use to me. (haha)

Then our whole Lim family had renunion dinner at my uncle's place. Everyone was early and this should be the first time in history that that happened. (We were always late.)Then it was Chinese New Year! I slept to about 10 and our family was like OH NO! We are so late today! We reched my grandfather's place at 2. Then we exchanged mandarin oranges. (Actually all the oranges were taken from the same pile. (haha)) We went to take pictures of our entire clan at the park. My uncle, being a photography lover, took many scenes with care and creativity. But suddenly, it turned dark. Then I realised what was happening. There was a solar eclipse today! My family rushed to the science centre to witness the historical moment. It was so beautiful! I hop e there would be another one... (Yes, there would be another one on July 22 but its a school day so...) So this is the end of my happy new year. I am somehow rich and happy. How about you? Au Revoir! (By the way, I am learning french.)

The Inaugaration of the 44th President

Barack Obama was inaugarated yesterday! There were many Americans at Washington D.C. to witness the moment of history. Sadly, i was not there. (By the way, I am an American born Chinese (ABC)) Why was it so important? It was because the 43th president, George Bush did not govren America well. America is in a mess. Economy crisis, war in Iraq, Afghanistan and many other problems. The Americans hope that Obama will change new policies and transform America.

Personally, I think that Obama is charismatic and would win more people's votes if joined the Republicans. America is a christian state so many conservative ones would vote for the Republicans. Why? That is because of the different beliefs of the 2 parties. The Democrats agree with the issue of homosexuality. Many christians do not encourage or are against that. Me too. That is why if I have the vote next time, I would definitely vote for the Republicans. However, last year was different I do not really support mcCain. He is too old and Sarah Palin, his vice-presidential candidate was inexperienced if he fell ill or anything that happened to him. Obama is too young. Even mcCain is a quarter of a century older than him. In conclusion, Obama's inaugaration should be something to be happy of and what is over is over. Have a Happy Chinese New Year!

Article on an Old Man Burning MP Seng Han Thong

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/401836/1/.html

I refer to this article above. (There is still another article I have found yesterday but I cannot find it today. I will fill you with the information.) In my opinion, the attacker, Ong Kah Chua, should not have attacked the member of parliament just because he could not get the SGD$200 hong bao from the government. I think he is very selfish and does not think of the ones around him who are more needy than him. On top of that, the minister needs to undergo operation and cannot even talk. How can he listen to the resident's voices in future?

A member of the parliament is to listen to the residents suggestions and feedback, but may not definitely act on them as some of the suggestions may not be realistic. Hence Mr. Seng's attacker should not have hurt him. Some people may say that the alleged attacker is a mental patient. More the less, he should control his emotions, and seek help from the grassroot leaders. I think that they would be more than happy to attend to him.

new blog

Helllo everybody, this is my new blog for lanuage arts 2009. Hope I can update it often! (if I have the time)