Seriously, why not?

Where'd all the love go to?

2011-08-08T04:22:00.000-07:00

As in seen in the news on 3rd August 2011, it says that a Ukraine Zookeeper plans to spend 5 weeks inside a lions' cage in an effort to raise money for new buildings.

ARE YOU OUTTA YOUR DAMN MIND?

Five weeks? With lions? You must drinking some nasty stuff that's all gotten into your head. But then my eyes glance back at the title:

TO RAISE MONEY?

Why in the world you gotta be risking your life and well being just to raise money for buildings? Something is very wrong here. It seems that a man has to risk his life in order to get people to have the initiative to donate money.

I ask myself: why in the world does it have to be this way?

Why do people not donate money when organizations need funds in order to support a greater cost such as for building infrastructure for the masses or caring for the poor and disabled? Does a person need to saw off his head then will he be able to raise money?

I've seen numerous charity shows. And they usually depict celebrities experiencing "near-death" situations or a torture. All while mimicking the shape of a phone with their hands and asking you to call in.

What would be running through his or her head then:

"Oh my god, I'm dangling above sharp rocks just by a single piece of thread! Call the hotline now or I would be doing this for nothing!"

"I really feel for those helpless old folks right now, hope you people call the hotline to help them in some way-which still does not explain why I could die at any moment"

The truth that many of us would like to deny with is that people don't want to donate money unless they feel that they would be getting their money's worth. Let's say if Ren Ci Hospital were just to announce that they are accepting donations in large amounts during this period of time, would anyone donate and raise the 2 million dollars they usually get from these charity shows?

NO.

Where'd all the love go? Where is the sincerity that comes along with a donation. We often fool ourselves into thinking that we call to help the old folks.

We do not. We only call because we enjoyed a certain performance.

Why? Shouldn't a donation come from the bottom of your heart and not just because of some Ninja-warrior stunts they pull? That is the problem with many now. We just are not fully willing to let go of what we have in order to truly help that person without getting anything in return.

Giving $2 to the disabled man playing the erhu does not count. You actually think $2 is what he needs? What can $2 buy? A roll of cotton candy? What he needs is a companion. Someone that can actually help him financially so that he does not have to wheel himself all about the place playing the same old tunes on his erhu everyday. We do it just to console ourselves that we are not bad people.

If everyone around the world can show a little more love to everything around them, the world would be a much better place.

The innocent, can never last

Perfect world?

2011-08-06T07:30:00.000-07:00

Everybody has their own ideal world in their minds, their own ideal version of how everything should be and the ideal occupation that they would like to take up. Is this perfect world utopia? No it is not. In fact, it is far from it. A perfect world for you is a place in which everything is what you truly want. It is not just a perfect world, it is heaven on earth, and yet the word heaven ain't even enough to describe how awesome it is.

Yes. It is that awesome.

But these thoughts only remain in our minds, our perfect little island getaway from the hustle and bustle of this huge competition that we are constantly in. Whenever a huge pile of work presents itself, the scent of freshly mashed wood pulp bleached and dried wafts into your gaping nostrils, you immediately lapse into your getaway, imagining how wonderful life would be if it actually turned out like that. Don't try to deny it, we all know this happens to you.

By now, you might be expecting this post to be about how this perfect world would be impossible. And the thing is,

You're right.

A perfect world is indeed impossible. No one can possibly hope that the entire world would just change for us when we wake up in the morning. The only thing that we can change, is our mindset.

Right now, our world is not perfect because we have a different expectation or "vision" for our perfect world. We do not find reality appealing in any way is because a different version of perfect is in your head. This is why nothing is perfect. We want to live a world where we're rich, but in reality, we could be the richest that we will ever be, with a steady job and a great family.

Why don't we try to morph the perfect vision of a world in our heads, into something that is more concurrent to reality? Only when we believe we live in paradise, then will you truly live everyday like paradise. Stop wishing for more and more and more and more. Try to see the beauty all around us. Make reality perfect.

We are always bombarded with one question: What is your aim in life?

I say "to be happy".

If you'd ever say I didn't understand the question, I'd say you don't understand life. What is the use of anything if you are not happy?

Toodles!

Hakuna Matata, what a wonderful phrase

Hakuna Matata, ain't no passing craze.

It means "no worries" for the rest of your days

Dreams......?

2011-07-04T03:28:00.001-07:00

The topic of our lifetimes: Dreams.

Dreams are what propel us forward

Dreams are what define what we do.

Yet, dreams are what destroys us.

Ever since we were a young child, we would have dreams. We dream to be the heroic police or soldier we seen on TV, or maybe some of us would dream to be the teachers that educate and nurture us through our young years.

Then we move on to our teenage years. Some dream to be the superstar or actor seen on TV, or maybe some of us would dream to be the doctors and lawyers that earn so much and what we were told to be the best paying jobs through our adolescent years.

We have all these dreams in hand, we work feverishly towards them, hoping to one day, be able to achieve them. Some fulfill their dreams, having the time of their lives, but many many do not fulfill their lifelong dreams, living through their lives knowing that they will have no chance at living their dreams anymore.

Right now in our society, are there really that many vacancies for people to fill in for their "dream career"? Obviously people would want jobs that bring them fame and fortune, or just fortune, and not care less about the others. With about 5% of people achieving their dreams, what about the other 95%? What happens to them? They just try to find joy in whatever they have right now? Let's face it. No one can truly be happy with what they own. You may claim to be happy with what you own, but when we look deep down, we know that is not the case.

We write in essays, that happiness is to be satisfied with whatever you have right now. Damn right if I had a Ferrari! But yet again, no I don't. It's nearly impossible to be truly happy for what you own. You may be happy for a short period of time, but seeing someone with something better, you ain't happy anymore.

So what do we do? We fight. Since vacancies are limited, we rush for them. We struggle, we bite, we tear for every last bit that is ours. As they say, all's fair in love and war. You want a fair fight? You'll get it; right after I win. I'm not trying to say that we should cheat or anything, but to get a fair 'fight' in life is not going to happen. To get anywhere, any position, you need to get connections, play tricks, or simply have a head-start. Life is not a race. Life is survival.

Therefore, I'm trying to say that we must grab at every opportunity that comes to us, snatch anything that belongs to us and make sure that it stays ours. For if you want to call them dreams, they'll always stay a dream.

And again, another song to end this post, the motto,

(Some explicit language)

Your sympathy will get you left behind

Ourselves

2011-06-25T04:28:00.000-07:00

Nowadays in our lives, everywhere we go, people encourage us to be different, people encourage us to display our own style and not to try too hard to fit in, changing ourselves dramatically during the process. However, with all the preaching of such a behaviour, do most of us actually achieve it? We see people trying to tell others to be themselves and not be under the influence to act like anybody but do they themselves really practice what they preach and truly be themselves?

In our society now, given the advances in our civilisation, we have a certain set of rules that would dictate how we would act, appear or do as a person. Everything we do now is according to what other people has told us how to do dress and act. Even those people that try to be "out of the ordinary" by dressing freakishly, are also following the norm that to be different, you have to dress like a total freakjob. Everyone tries to be different, tries to be themselves, but are never truly successful.

Not only people are affected in this mad race to comply. Take the music industry for example, we are seeing more and more young and rising artists storming into the music scene, ready to live their dreams and be the star that they always wanted to be. One problem exists though, and that is that music entertainment is an INDUSTRY, people running record labels want to make MONEY and therefore, the music they make has to be able to SELL. And if they want the music to sell, it has to follow the "formula" that allow current records to be able to sell as much. Therefore, with this requirement in mind, artistes are unable to fully let their creative juices flow and express their music in the way they want because they would be restricted to the tried and proven method to get people to listen to their music. This is why music sounds so much the same from each other now, this is my opinion of course. Take a look back into the 80s and 90s, when music is famed to be at its height, when artistes could really let it flow, that evolved great legends of various genres like Michael Jackson of pop and AC/DC of rock. This was a time where music had no "formula", when it was all for the love of music and fans.

Looking now at the music scene, everything just sounds similar, with that tried and never failed pattern and rhythm in order to become successful. While I'm not saying that music now is bad, its just that I don't see anything special that would blow my mind in today's music. Almost everything now is about love and relationships, break-ups and infatuation. Why? Because it is tested and proved that people like these kind of music. While we look at previous artistes like AC/DC, they write about almost everything under the sun and Michael Jackson has songs that talk about racial equality and many great things like world peace, a sharp contrast to all the love songs by everyone out there. This is what makes people to really understand and actually feel your passion for music rather than just making money.

While I used music as an example, I think that you would be able to get at what I'm trying to get at here, that people should try to be themselves, rid themselves of all influences that would change the kind of person that is inside of you, that would allow you to fully express yourself in the way you want to be.

So when you feel that no one likes you for who you are, and that you're covered in a shadow, don't fret, cause when there's a shadow, it simply means there's a light shining somewhere.

And with that, I leave you with a beautiful piece of music, perfect to end this post

I hope you have the time of your lives

The Earth is SHAKING

2011-03-24T19:53:00.000-07:00

Yes. The earth is shaking. I am pretty sure that everyone here has already heard of the terrible and horrifying ordeal that has struck Japan. An 8.9 magnitude has struck Japan, leaving thousands dead and destroying vast areas of property. The earthquake triggered massive tsunamis that crash and destroy and crush and mangle and obliterate anything and everything in its path. The Earthquake has also caused the explosion of a nuclear reactor in Fukushima, sending radioactive material floating all around the twisted wreckage of Japan.

Japan is now struggling. Devastation, chaos and grief fills the radioactive air as people scramble to safety and for loved ones. The elements have struck mankind. The water has shown its might by leveling anything in the path of the fearsome tsunamis. The air strikes a dirty blow by spreading radioactive materials, contaminating food and water. The land deals the most damage by its terrible rumbles that send people scrambling for support and buildings totally destroyed.

Japan is now in ruins. People can only watch hopelessly as huge waves and crumbling earthquakes suck in monstrous buildings and fling cruise ships around like little rubber duckies. mother nature has issued a challenge. A price to pay for our ignorance at protecting her. People are left with broken homes, broken families and broken hearts. Japan's lush honeymoon feeling is now replaced with panic and distraught. Industries have shut down, businesses stopped and trade comes to a screeching halt. Japan is being hit from all different angles, economically, politically and socially.

Mother nature has struck a near-fatal blow to Japan

Countries are now trying to help save Japan from this insane crisis. Financial aid is pouring in, food and rations supply injected in to resuscitate the unconscious Japan. well-wishes come in torrents, keeping the spirits of affected Japanese afloat. It is only through a disaster like that then only would you know how many people actually care for you a great deal. The Japanese have shown great strength, rising out of the tides of this disaster and shining light in the face of the shadows of destruction. Youths volunteer to help with rationing and administration stuff in order to keep evacuation and refugee shelters running smoothly and comfortably. No one is shown to be exceptionally selfish, people still queue up properly to use phones and get food in spite of the monstrous catastrophe that has struck them. For this, I really admire their mental courage as well as the discipline that has been instilled into each and everyone of them from the very day they were born.

From this incident, we have witnessed how fragile human life can be. We may seem so strong, so smart, so powerful in this world, in the end, when your heart stops beating, there you go. Life is like a candle, burning so bright and strong, while the wax slowly drips down to the "deadline" The flame burns brighter in light breezes, but goes out immediately with a forceful blow. So we must always learn to treasure life. Live life to the fullest, live in the moment, and live like theres no tomorrow. Help others in need, cause you never know when you're gonna need some help yourself.

Sportsmanship much?

2010-08-19T08:28:00.000-07:00

Being an athlete, I like sports to be engaging and entertaining. With the many sports competitions that have been organized, more and more students have opportunities to represent their schools in these games. Sports and games among schools are always competitive so as to instill the spirit of determination among the students to strive for victory. Of course, the students train hard for many days just to perform their best during the competition where the eventual aim is to be champion. However, in any game, there can only be one champion, and some participants have to contend with losing in the competition. While it is important to achieve best in the competitions, students have to be able to take losses in their stride, as no one would be able to stay at the top forever. Thus, sportsmanship among students is more important than the end result of the game.

Though school sports are much less competitive than international sporting events, students have a tendency to think only of winning the game, where sporting values such as sportsmanship and friendship are rarely observed. Such can be seen in this case, where the brawl has taken place between the two schools. It is because of the lack of the display of vital values such as sportsmanship that has cause an after match brawl to take place. The implications of the brawl would be disastrous, where students were injured and being an athlete, I wonder if the coaches have instilled a sense of sportsmanship within the players where it is not winning that counts, but the process in pursuing that victory. Often, morality is forgotten where the individual only cares about winning.

A brawl is just a demonstration of how coaches are failing to channel the correct mindsets into their athletes where losing a game is perfectly alright and the right thing to do would be to congratulate the other team and not bash them up. Such is the failures to promote healthy competition within our student athletes where the actual meaning of the competition is diluted.

Also, I am more concerned for the safety measures that the schools take in ensuring that no casualties arise from the competition. There are many incidents that reflect on the mistakes the schools have neglected to rectify such as a student injuring his head in a judo match, a rugby player was hospitalized after foul play during the match and the student that died after a fatal kick in a taekwando competition. After such disastrous accidents that happen, many people are now afraid to continue in that sport for fear of ending up In the same fate as the people. As an athlete, I would like to encourage more students to take part in sports, but if the safety measures are not properly taken care of, how can we expect our students or their parents to participate in that sport without the fear of getting injured? We want to promote sports, and not shun people away from these sports that will be safe after safety measures are taken.

Hence, I think that for the true spirit of competition and sports to be made clear and enjoyable, the spirit of sportsmanship have to be understood and displayed where safety is also another major contributing factor to the overall enjoyment of the sport.

Life

2010-08-13T06:27:00.000-07:00

Wow. The amazing topic on life. Life means a lot of things in different contexts. Scientifically, life is the continuation of biological processes in your body that allows respiration to occur to keep your heart beating. Religiously, life is a gift from god who created people. However, life can be summarized in a few lines.

You are born

You spend your first years learning about everything around you

You spend the next 10 or so years studying

You work for the next phase of your life

You grow old and wait for the Grim Reaper to come and take you away.

And that's it. That's what everyone experiences. It is monotonous. Nothing ever changes for anybody. (Unless of course, if you drop out of school at a young age.) If not, nothing is ever anomalous. If we skip some lines in between the order, Life is simply a slow wait for death.

Why? I don't get it. We work so hard and go through so much pain, suffering and mindless gaining of knowledge all for it to just go down the drain when you die. Well of course, if you look at things scientifically its just the end of biological processes.

Life can be exciting or a torture for us human beings. Some of us study hard, earn money and then have fun, while some play hard, earn money, and wish they could have studied harder. Life goes through stage after stage, bringing upon new challenges and discoveries for us. life is magical. Life allows us to feel, to hear, to see and to communicate.

Nowadays in this rapidly developing world, we tend to lose ourselves. Life is now but a way of getting on with each passing day, fulfilling what necessary duties there are for the day and then we go to sleep, not-so-eagerly waiting for the next day to come while we do the same things. We often have aspirations. Let's say we meet that goal. So what? We now have to contend with the workload or duties that comes along with it. Life goes back to another endless cycle of working our hearts out for the hope of a better retirement. After working like slaves for almost a quarter of our lives, we are now retired. And then? we are now too old to have any sort of 'real' adrenaline pumping fun. The giant savings we have acquired over the years have now not much use to us, except maybe for our daily cup of coffee or tea. Going traveling is possible, but tiring, pulling about your old frail body like that around the romantic streets of Paris doesn't really hit the mark. Well, we could go back to working, but then it would be the same process we have gone through for the last part of our lives. And then, after many years of sitting in our houses and watching soap operas or taking care of children, we rest in peace in the holy sanctuaries. That's life.

Sometimes, I really think that Life is just lifeless.

Childhood

2010-08-07T18:26:00.000-07:00

Childhood. A word that immediately brings up bright pictures of children running around in the playground, chasing butterflies in big plain fields and behaving like monkeys around parks. Or is it? Childhood now brings up books, school and video games. Whatever happened to the time where children climbed around in trees, flew hand-made kites and caught spiders in match boxes? That was childhood in the past generation. Now, children stop having all these experiences, where they attend school for long hours everyday, when they reach home, spend long hours doing homework and when it is the weekends, spend long hours playing video games. The outdoor fun-filled activities that are experienced everyday have evolved to the stressful and fast-paced lifestyle now. Why are more and more children experiencing the stress and have to combat the rapid advancement of myopia among the children now?

First, let us talk about the education system. School begins early in the morning, a time where students are not awake enough to even be sure where they are. Then begins the lessons. lessons carry on for another 6 hours, where only a very small portion of it is recess. Fine, after school ends, where children are looking forward towards a rest for the other half of the day, then the teacher gives a massive pile of homework. Why? I thought we just spent a whole day at school? Anyways, the children that time only need spend 1-2 hours doing their homework. The rest of their time is spent playing with their neighbours and having valuable bonding time with their family. Children now are cooped up at home after school trying to finish their homework. Children then sleep late at night due to homework or maybe they just want to unwind after finishing their pile of homework. When weekends arrive, children are gripped by the hungry claws of more weekend homework. In any case, children are still buried under academics where they have lost their child spirit where mostly, they worry for the fact that they might be haunted by failed tests. Thus, children fail to experience the joy and laughters that children of the past generation cherish so much.

Next, technology is also a factor. With the rapid development of new technology and gaming consoles, most children now don't care about outdoor activities anymore, all they think of is leveling up their personally customized online avatars. Occasionally, they might come out for a game of soccer or two and then, it's back home for more mindless staring at the screen. Spiders now need not live in the constant fear of dying a slow death in a match-box or plastic bottle. Such practices are unhealthy but it seems the only alternative for modern day kids as people now are lazier and less willing to expose themselves in the sun when they can enjoy themselves in the comfort of their homes. As our world becomes more 'screeny' more and more kids are also suffering from myopia. Such is rare among children of that generation.

Hence, I feel that childhood has changed a lot through the years. I wonder when will be the next time where children would catch spiders, climb tress and play harmless pranks again.

Shakespeare, I doubt you!

2010-07-11T00:21:00.000-07:00

The authorship of many famous plays of romance, comedy and tragedy have been doubted as the works of the great writer, William Shakespeare. Shakespeare is said to be the writer of 38 plays, 154 sonnets, 2 long narrative poems and many other poems, however, the actual authorship of these great works have been debated over the years. Many people claim that all of these works could not have probably been penned down by this man over here. Many reasons are available to let us believe that Shakespeare could not have possibly been the author of these works of genius.

Firstly, let us examine Shakespeare's background. Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire England. Throughout his years, Shakespeare had only attended a few years of grammar school and had not went on to study in any universities or traveled abroad to study. With such little command of the English language, how could Shakespeare have probably constructed and written some of the most profound usages of the English Language in the poems that were credited to him? Therefore, it is quite impossible that the greatest writer in the history of England never went to school and still had the ability to write such great plays of sophistication.

Also, Shakespeare never traveled abroad. So, without traveling or going to school, how did Shakespeare suddenly gain the education to write great plays of such varied subject matter? How was Shakespeare able to find out so many accurate details of what life was like in the royal court when he was just a poor "writer" during that time?

Furthermore, Shakespeare's exact date of birth is unknown, few documents or verifiable sources of Shakespeare's life exists, much fewer than what would be expected of such a prominent figure and none of his original manuscripts have survived. No documents are available to provide as evidence that anyone has even met him, where not even his own family referred to him as a famous playwright. When Shakespeare died, he did not leave any letters or diaries that referred to his writing career at all.

Many theories exist as to who actually wrote Shakespeare's works and many suitable "candidates" have been selected as who would be the author of those works. William Shakespeare might also be a fictitious person where it was just a cover-up of the author's actual names as many of Shakespeare's plays were highly political and the author would likely have his head resting on his feet if the original writer were to be found out. However though, we can still continue to believe that Shakespeare wrote Shakespeare and let us just enjoy what great works he or someone else wrote.

LA task 2: Rainbow Death

2010-05-25T20:23:00.000-07:00

1) Point of view
I think the poet wrote this poem in a third person point of view where he addresses the problem and situation as someone who is explaining them, depicting the damages that the Americans have dealt on the innocent Vietnamese by using the deadly chemical known as Agent Orange. This can be seen from how the writer starts off with the phrase "America did not foresee," where it can be interpreted that the poet was trying to show how careless America was in using the chemical Agent Orange which caused heavy damages to the people where they were "now thinking twice" but it had already taken its "toll on the innocent and unborn". Throughout the course of the poem, the poet seems to be narrating on how the chemical has destroyed lives and caused countless damages. Thus, the poet adopts a third-person point of view.

2) Situation and Setting
The setting and situation displayed in the poem is according to the Vietnam War where the Americans utilised the chemical Agent Orange to expose Vietnamese soldiers hiding in the foliage. This move proved useful in the early phases of warfare, but as time passed, the harmful side-effects of Agent Orange slowly began to reveal itself. It caused widespread damage to people's health everywhere. The poet chose to reflect Agent Orange in this poem as it can be considered as one of the most controversial incidents that has happened where its effects are still living on in our current society now.

3) Language/Diction
The poet masterfully incorporates appropriate diction to fully display the entire "feel" of the poem. The title itself, Rainbow Death, is an oxymoron where a rainbow would least likely be associated with death as a rainbow is bright and colorful while death is dark and sinister. Thus, the writer makes a reference to the "Rainbow Herbicides" that were used in the war that have caused many deaths when it was never meant to be lethal or damaging to health. Therefore, depicting the surprise that they got when something that they thought to be harmless was actually harmful. Another word that has the same meaning and effect as the title would be the words "death potpourri". A potpourri is a mixture of dried, natural and fragrant flowers. It is a stark contrast from death as a potpourri is usually to have a gentle fragrant scent through your house. But to associate it with death would turn it into an oxymoron, with the same effect and meaning as the way the title is written. Thus, with the careful use of these words, it can be seen that the poet is mocking the way the American soldiers used Agent Orange without realising its repercussions.

4) Personal response
This poem seemed strange to me at first, until I saw the last line that finally mentioned about Agent Orange. I have read about this Agent Orange before but that remained at the back of my head until I came across this poem that reawakened the spirit of the Agent Orange in me. I pitied the people who have and are suffering from the after effects of this deadly chemical. This poem also made me feel for the people that have gone through the tough trial oof warfare, where the war is not over when it stops and are still fighting battles of their own either physically or mentally. War has horrible repercussions that are unimaginable if started. Hence, I have understood and received the message that the poet was trying to convey and I hope that one day, war will be a distant thing of the past.

LA task 1: Rainbow Death

2010-05-25T19:10:00.000-07:00

Here is the poem that I will be writing about:

Rainbow Death

America did not foresee
Green, pink, purple and other colors death potpourri!
Expecting others to pay a high price.
Now thinking twice?
Toll on the innocent and unborn.

Omnipotent and disregarding who will mourn.
Reflective about all the illness, birth defects and prematurely dead.
All the deceit continues to spread.
Nefariously America led astray -
Generations untold WILL pay -
Execrable effects of agent orange spray!

Hubert Wilson (Ssgt USAF 1968-1972)

Hubert Wilson is a Vietnam War veteran who served in the USAF Security Service. Along with a dozen or so intelligence school graduates, he was assigned to Shemya Island, Alaska which heavily contaminated by Agent Orange. Agent Orange is a code name for a herbicide and defoliant contaminated by TCDD and used by the US army in its herbicidal warfare program during the Vietnam war. Agent Orange was used to cause the leaves to drop off of trees and plants, thereby exposing the Vietnamese soldiers that were hiding within the foliage.

This poem speaks mainly of the Vietnam War that lasted between 1955 to 1975 along with the use of Agent Orange. This was a cold war military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia where eventually, other countries and states joined in the great battle. The Vietnam War probably would only be remembered by the harmful chemical of Agent Orange that was introduced. The use of Agent Orange seemed to be effective at first, where soldiers were easily exposed and "taken care" of. However, Agent Orange is said to have caused many side effects among the soldiers and the people living in Vietnam. Also sprayed in Vietnam were Agent Purple, Agent Pink, Agent Green, Agent White, and Agent Blue as well as a bunch of other herbicides where it was named the Rainbow Herbicides. The poet, Hubert Wilson, drank water contaminated by this Agent Orange and after that, his central nervous system radically deteriorated with Parkinsonian type tremors, severe headaches, progressive limb pains, etc.

Agent Orange has been said to cause many deformities among the newborn where babies would be born without limbs or are severely disfigured. Many generations have cursed this use of Agent Orange where its effects are felt even till the young of today's Vietnamese children. HOWEVER, contrary to popular belief, Agent Orange has nothing to do with the disabilities that are present in their offspring. Scientists have not proved that there is a link between Agent Orange and the disabilities.

Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agent_orange
http://www.johntreed.com/agentorange.html
http://onlyaliberal.com/blog/2008/01/
http://www.warpoetry.co.uk/2010warpoetry.html#Rainbow

Temptations

2010-05-01T22:18:00.000-07:00

The world around us is full of temptations. Be it temptations of food or games or anything. Temptations cause people to lose control of themselves and succumb to the wonders and joyousness of them. Temptations are deemed as bad by many. Unless of course, one is a student and is greatly tempted by the allures of schoolwork then he or she would be the model student for everyone to follow. Those cases rarely happen though. Now in our fast growing world of technology, more and more temptations are now radiating off technological items. Ipods and games and many more. All these ensure that you waste your time on it instead of doing something useful to your life. Little by little, we find technology slowly invading into our lives, causing us to lose sense of the appropriate things to do at the appropriate times. Temptations for technology, double T, double the danger.

Many people find themselves unable to live with the form of technology they are so tempted by, such as laptops or their favourite PSPs for even a day. This turns us into gentle addicts to our technological items. Nobody can possibly firmly turn down a temptation. Temptations are the world's number 1 at ruining our life's schedule. People often feel the regret and anguish of their valuable money and time lost just because they failed to control themselves for that few minutes when their "addiction" acted up. Many have tried to relieve themselves of their killer temptations, but many have failed.

Unlike popular belief, a strong will is not enough to combat temptations but does give you an upper hand. For me, the best medicine to cure the enticements of those temptations to you is to simply avoid it. This works to an extent until the temptation is just right beside you. Then all you have to do, is to curse the temptation and list out all its bad points, out loud. this really helps you to bid farewell to those pesky temptations that are costing you your valuable time and money. Temptations are hard to forgo, but it can be cured. All it takes is for the power of time to kick in. The longer you forgo the item that tempts you, the lesser you will be attracted to it. Your efforts will be successful the day you find yourself staring at the television without switching it on at all and leave 3 seconds after. That will bring you to the highest stage of self-control. Thank you.

51st Inter-school track and field coverage (Long Jump-Finals))

2010-04-11T02:47:00.000-07:00

Hello again everybody. This will be the continuation of my experience at the track and field nationals. This post will be on the finals. As you can see from the previous post, I qualified with a breeze. Qualification was easy. The challenge only comes in the finals, where everyone there is already a 5 meter jumper. Being in the finals means a lesser "confidence bonus". I had to constantly remind myself that my personal best was 5.52 meters, that I could easily be on the podium if I manage to pull of a jump of that caliber. Such self consolation worked to a certain extent.

Minutes ticked by arduously. The rain was not stopping. My event was to be pushed back. This only helped in assisting the little devil known as nervousness to gnaw away bit by bit into my heart. The rain, as I thought that my event might be postponed to a later date, slowed to a slight drizzle, and soon, to a complete stop. I jumped straight away into my track suit and rushed to the call room immediately when the rain stopped. I took long deep breaths to regulate my ever racing heartbeat as well as to keep my muscles warm in the frosty cold call room. The 15 "survivors" of the qualifying round lined up and geared up, ready for some fierce competition.

Surprisingly, I was really surprised, I was the first jumper! I always thought I was one of the last and had time to prepare myself mentally for the competition. So, after a few practice jumps, the competition commenced officially at 5.30pm. I rubbed my hands together and wished for luck from the other competitors (Its a track value of friendship at competitions). I headed for my starting point. Slapped my thighs a few times to get them in "working condition" I took three steps back in prepare of my run up. I gathered my thoughts and off I went! I gathered up speed with every step I took (kind of obvious). my eyes flickered from the foul board to the end of the pit. I neared the foul line and leaped at the very last moment.......

A red flag came up. I looked away in despair. Faulting the first jump was not a good sign of things. I slumped back down onto my seat and tried to get myself to focus better. The next jumper had better luck than me, jumping a 5.08 meters. Quite easy for me to beat him, but my faulting condemned my first jump. I watched as the other Hwa Chong athlete jumped a distance of 5.21 meters. That was when I told myself that my medal was on the line and I had to buck up. The final Hwa Chong jumper also faulted his first attempt and we exchanged consolations. One jumper stood out from the rest of the other schools' jumpers as he jumped a distance of 5.52 in his first attempt. I was dumbstruck when I first heard his distance. He had already jumped my personal best! Therefore, if I wanted the gold medal to be mine, I had to set a new personal best.

The last jumper made his jump with a distance of 5.13 meters. I was up again in my 2nd attempt. I repeated the words "do not fault do not fault do not fault" over and over in my mind. Until I was sure of myself, I proceeded with my run up. Each step brought me closer and closer, I aimed at a few centimetres before the fault line and jumped, I could feel that I reserved a little power and had not gave it my best. I saw the white flag go up and waited eagerly for the results. It appeared I had jumped a distance of 5.34 meters. It was disastrous. I slapped myself a few times and told myself to get a grip. I was not leaving that event without a medal. Apparently, that distance alone brought me to 2nd place. That was until Marcus, the other Hwa Chong jumper jumped a distance of 5.35 meters! 1 centimeter hung in the balance. After all the jumpers finished their jumps, I readied myself for action once again.

I sucked in my stomach again and slowly let the air out. I calmed myself down and stretched some of my muscles. I told myself, it's now or never. Without much thinking anymore, I just broke off into a slowly accelerating run. At the last few moments, everything seemed to slow down, only the sand pit remained in my sight. I jumped.

The white flag was raised! I was actually quite delighted at that jump as I felt myself really soaring for the first time in the competition. The result was out and I jumped a whopping 5.51 meters! not my personal best but still, it was a good jump. In the end, my last 3 jumps still did not enable me to get a breakthrough and I settled for silver. It was a rewarding experience though, pressure on the mind and lots of new friends made. All in all, the competition was enjoyable and I now have 12 more contacts added on facebook Bye!

51st Inter-school track and field coverage (Long Jump-Qualifying)

2010-04-06T22:57:00.001-07:00

It was a clear blue day when I arrived at Choa Chu Kang Stadium for my event, the long jump. Crowds of students were present at the grandstand, eagerly waiting for their event to begin. I found a comfy spot and plonked myself down onto one of the seats. I thought to myself that this would be the most important track and field day for Secondary 2. Soon, the time for reporting for my qualifying jumps drew closer and closer. I went to warm up at the allocated space in the car park, having jitters all over me that I would not even qualify. Alas, it was 10am, the officials called for all C division long jump boys to report to the call room. I picked up my shoe bag containing my precious spikes and went off into the call room.

A cold rush of air blasted itself onto my face as I walked into the call room. Eagerly scouting for my possible "threats", I began to shake myself up a little, to loosen up all that tightened brain nerves. Finally, we were led to the long jump pit. My heart rate went up. My breaths became shorter and quicker. After a quick confirmation of our positions, the qualifying round began.

429! the official called out. My fellow Hwa Chong Institution participant, Jonathan Chuang, was up. He strolled forward with an air of confidence and took his position along the runway. With a few fast strides, he broke off to a fierce run and jumped. Sand deposited itself metres away from his landing point. a white flag was raised. He qualified! Well, actually it was kind of expected but you sure got to be happy when you qualify for such a big event as this. The next participant looked as confident, but failed to qualify. Many people in front of me failed to qualify. This only added up to my anxiousness in my ability to qualify.

472! my number was called. I jumped up and down a few times on the spot to get my muscles geared up for action. That was it. I had to make it big. Qualify now let's go! I broke off into an insane run, a run I had never ran before. I felt myself picking up lots of speed as I neared the foul line. At the very last moment, I pushed my legs as hard into the ground as I could and felt liftoff. I watched the qualifying length throughout my entire jump. Thankfully, I had to look behind me at the qualifying mark after my jump. I saw a white flag raised and just realised I had qualified! The pressure in me loosened and I managed to regain calm and peacefulness. I smiled to myself as we walked away from the jump pit. It was just a matter of hours before I had to go for the Long jump finals held at 4pm. Stay tuned as I will bring you the coverage of the Long jump finals in the next blog post.

Visual: Obituary for Mrs Dubose

2010-03-01T23:53:00.000-08:00

I will be posting the the obituary for Mrs Dubose on Edmodo. So if there are any questions, note them down at the comments and I will see what I can do about it.

Musical: Poem on Life in Maycomb

2010-03-01T22:58:00.000-08:00

Maycomb County, old and sleepy,

home to many walks of life.

Maycomb County, old and sleepy,

home of racism and despise.

But there was one wise lawyer,

whose name goes by Atticus Finch.

He harbors no discrimination,

Neither do his children, not to an inch.

There was a scary place,

whom everyone found taboo

It was the Radleys'

that lived a stranger known as Boo.

No one dared to walk up there,

a Negro especially.

For the fear of Boo,

and Mr Radley.

School was a weird place,

With Burris Ewell arriving only for the first day.

And Scout was punished,

Just for knowing how to read an essay.

Everyone was discriminated against Negroes,

But Calpurnia was lucky,

she had Atticus's support,

and lived quite happily.

To put a long story short,

Maycomb County is more than meets the eye.

With many more incidences coming up,

Such as Tom Robinson's trial.

Multiple Intelligences test

2010-03-01T19:57:00.000-08:00

I feel that this multiple intelligence test, a set of 40 questions designed to determine how well you are are inclined towards 8 different aspects of intelligence, is not entirely correct to determine exactly what kind of a person you may be. This is because this test is a computer generated program that gives answers to whatever order you may have put your answers in. This way, many people could feign the answers and be the perfect man on Earth that excels in all aspects of intelligence. Confidence, here, plays a vital issue as to whether one scores well in this test.

For example, if you are not very confident of what you may or may not be doing, you might put down the answer that you are not very proficient in that aspect of intelligence. On the contrary, if you are too confident to the extend that you become egotistical, you might put down that you excel in all aspects, which of course, also results in an inaccurate result. Therefore this test is very subjective as to who takes it.

If organisations want to hire or evaluate a person's character, they would mostly use this test to determine their various aspects of intelligence. Once again, this test would be inaccurate if placed in different situations. In one, a it could be that a person is being accessed to see if he would be hired into the company. A common trait in most humans are that they want to be better than others. Hence, the person might purposely associate all the best answers to himself, in the process, making himself look good in front of the employer, resulting in inaccuracy once again.

Hence, this test is not entirely correct as people can just fake answers (I was also tempted to). I think this kind of tests should be performed with a person of more qualifications that will produce results of greater accuracy.

It is. Or is it?

2010-02-14T22:38:00.000-08:00

Forgive me if you think my title is inappropriate after you read but I hope you are able to see why I used it. Okay, back to my main post. I am sure that most of you here has been to at least one motivational talk in your life where they tell you to treasure what you currently have and be satisfied and things like that. Then they start showing you pictures of a very stressed up kid and say "do you hate studying?". Then they show you another picture of children from third world countries writing on the sand and tell you "they don't even have a proper classroom to conduct lessons." My first reactions are, yes of course I should treasure my time to study because they cannot even have a proper classroom or even shelter to conduct their lessons in. However, after thinking about it more, I realized, there seems to be some kind of mistake in this logic that I hate studying while they want to but cannot. Firstly, children nowadays do not hate studying, they just prefer to relax more than to doing work. Secondly, we are in a more developed country, we have i pods and computers and Facebook nowadays to distract us from studying, while they do not.

With all these distractions, children nowadays definitely would prefer all these things to homework whereas in third world countries, they have nothing to do except laze about, catch fish, or anything that they have done for over a decade. Of course if we let them study, they would love it as it is a change of activities for them instead of the usual stuff that they do.

Therefore, my take on this issue would be that, keep the message about treasuring whatever you have right now. Throw everything that they compare you to third world countries out of the window, because the living conditions between theirs and our's is imply too great for an equal or at least comparable comparison

Ostracism

2010-02-09T01:41:00.001-08:00

I think that most of you here, when you see this lame old topic, immediately think of Negroes or foreign workers that have a darker skin complexion than us. However, my post today is not on that kind of ostracism that has already been debated and spoken about for a few hundred years. Rather, I will be discussing on the discrimination not of skin colour, but rather, one kind of ostracism that many many people have been through. I shall not tell you the exact kind of ostracism I am talking about here through definition but rather, through a short scenario.(I know this trick is old)

Student A: Hmmm! What a nice weather today. I think I shall take a short jog round the track!

(Puts down bag and starts jogging)

Student B: Eh? Isn't that the dwarf from 2K2 (Class changed to protect identity) "sprinting" round the track?

Student C: I think is him leh! Eh let's go "sprint" with him la.

(Put down their bags and sprint to the track, jogging next to Student A)

Student B: Woah! Not bad eh? The dwarf knows how to run leh! I'm very impressed!

Student C: Looks like our "teachings" worked after all eh? Finally can move his legs front and back! Oh, I feel so honoured!

Student A: (Stares at them and returns to his bag)

Students B and C: Aiyo, jog so little cannot run already, maybe his little dwarf lungs cannot take the huffing and puffing running causes.

Student A: (Quickly walks away.)

As it is pretty clear now, the kind of ostracism I am talking about is about body build and size. Many people around the world have been ostracized due to their body size, whether they are too big sized or too skinny. These people are normally shunned at school or any place else. They are tormented day after day by insults about their body size. These people take the insults, feel hurt, but normally can do nothing about it. Those people with a more average body size continue to insult them as they think it is fun and allows them to feel as if they are some great dictator. This could and most probably will scar those people emotionally. All I want to say here, is that nobody can determine the figure of your body. If you are obese, there is a slim chance that you will slim down to a "normal" body size anytime soon and if you are skinny, eating a lot will not help either, so my blog post here today is to put through the point that nobody can choose what his or her body is like, but they can feel less hurt if people do not ostracize them. Therefore, we have to stop this kind of ostracism before it really gets out of hand and the ostracized goes through a tough regime to get his body in shape which might endanger his health. However, this ostracism is very hard to curb as long as there are people that one to feel as if they are lords by insulting other people of different body sizes. Therefore, if one is on the receiving end of these insults, I say just take it as a small breeze of dirty air and blow it away, so as to enjoy the cleaner and fresher air around you that is your true friends.

Terrible terrible accident.

2010-02-01T04:07:00.000-08:00

Right, I must make this clear before you carry on reading the rest of this blog post, the accident DID NOT happen to me. (Sorry to disappoint). Now that that point has been put through, I shall continue with the rest of the blog post. Ok, today, after boarding an unusually crowded bus during an unusually peak non-peak hour, I stood back and tried to relax. Through the entire journey, I lugged my heavy school bag behind me. Hoping for a place to sit that was apparently not going to come. I lasted through the entire journey. Heaving a sigh of relief once I saw the interchange coming in sight, I reached for my wallet, waiting to tap it when I saw this young boy bounding down the stairs. (It was a double-decker bus). Within moments, what began as a moment of joy for the kid, soon turned into tragedy.

The boy missed a step and fell face first into the unforgiving base of the stairs. Many people around merely gave off a "Ohhhhh" and just turned and enjoyed the "show". The parent of the boy then came running down. (He did not fall). He aggressively pulled up the weeping boy and gave him a tight slap across the face. My first reaction was like (forgive me)......WTH? I listened on only to hear the father scream at his son for being so utterly careless. The more I heard, the more question marks started to form above my head. First, I was completely stunned that the father added a slap to his son's already severe injury. Second, I was wondering, why the hell is his father scolding him for the fall when he is already crying as if he had just his hair pulled off violently? I alighted the bus, pondering over this question. Are parents nowadays using this "spectacular" teaching method? This method, I must say, is quite effective if it is used in a minor accident that occurred, but I feel what this parent has done today is too much. Come on, the child has fell face first onto the cold hard floor. Another slap to his FACE just worsens the injury. Though I must admit that the child can only learn if he has been through a terrible accident like this but I feel that the slap unnecessary.

Thus here, I sincerely feel that the parent is at fault here. Because the child has not done anything wrong. The slap was bloody "extra" What are your thoughts and takes on this matter?

Metaphor

2010-01-27T05:58:00.000-08:00

This is a song that I feel has deep (Or maybe a little) meaning. Here are the lyrics first.

The secret side of me, I never let you see
I keep it caged but I can't control it
So stay away from me, the beast is ugly
I feel the rage and I just can't hold it

It's scratching on the walls, in the closet, in the halls
It comes awake and I can't control it
Hiding under the bed, in my body, in my head
Why won't somebody come and save me from this, make it end?

I feel it deep within, it's just beneath the skin
I must confess that I feel like a monster
I hate what I've become, the nightmare's just begun
I must confess that I feel like a monster

I, I feel like a monster
I, I feel like a monster

My secret side I keep hid under lock and key
I keep it caged but I can't control it
'Cause if I let him out he'll tear me up, break me down
Why won't somebody come and save me from this, make it end?

I feel it deep within, it's just beneath the skin
I must confess that I feel like a monster
I hate what I've become, the nightmare's just begun
I must confess that I feel like a monster

I feel it deep within, it's just beneath the skin
I must confess that I feel like a monster
I, I feel like a monster
I, I feel like a monster

It's hiding in the dark, it's teeth are razor sharp
There's no escape for me, it wants my soul, it wants my heart
No one can hear me scream, maybe it's just a dream
Maybe it's inside of me, stop this monster

I feel it deep within, it's just beneath the skin
I must confess that I feel like a monster
I hate what I've become, the nightmare's just begun
I must confess that I feel like a monster

I feel it deep within, it's just beneath the skin
I must confess that I feel like a monster
I've gotta lose control, he something radical
I must confess that I feel like a monster

I, I feel like a monster
I, I feel like a monster
I, I feel like a monster
I, I feel like a monster

This song basically means that majority of people put on a facade that's not the actual you. The "monster" the song mentions is the "inner you" the one you will not want people to see and if you reveal the "monster", it could tear apart your reputation and all that people believe that you are. (Stanza 5) Based on the above "meaning" to the song, one can easily find out the other metaphors that bring out this point of people putting on facades. This song is loaded with metaphors which is why I feel its so fun to read.

p.s. The song is: Monster by Skillet.

A freshening up

2010-01-27T05:28:00.000-08:00

Ahhhh... A new year has finally arrived. Stand up and wave the welcome of the year 2010! (Though we are already a few weeks into it) A new year means a new resolution, new academic syllabus and a touch-up on what seemed a dead blog a few months ago. This blog, is mainly for educational purposes. Not for posting what shoes I wear or anything. Posts here will be serious, thought provoking (I think) and anything else except fun and excitement. (Sorry to disappoint here). Although it might seem boring, the posts can and will appeal to the vast majority of people. (I sincerely hope so)

This blog, I must say, being revamped, does look a little better. Lots of new stuff while capturing the essence of the old stuff. So there you have it, and incredibly short blog post that marks the debut of this new persona of the blog. Thank you. (My apologies for the number of bracketed words)

Narcissism- Really, good or bad?

2009-07-13T05:18:00.000-07:00

Well, the word narcissism means self obsessed, self-centered. To say that you are a narcissistic person is to say that you are too obssesed with yourself and care too much about yourself than others. This, to many people, would be seen as a bad thing. But actually, is it really that bad?

When a person is self-centered or obssesed, he or she becomes immune to the other pains and anxieties of other people, making them seem as if they are unfeeling towards other people. However, is it really that bad? Firstly, we can look at it from that person's point of view. Maybe the person is just being a little self protective? Or maybe the person has been teased when he was very young, saying that he could not do what other people would dare to do. Thus, he could now be giving himself some self encouragement, and that the other party would, feel mildly offended. That is psychologically common through people. Thus, is there really a need to resent narcissistic people?

Now we can look at the other party's perception. Imagine when you see a person flouting everywhere with his or her results and you obviously got higher than him, but then, when you break the news to him, he would not care and still flouts with his results. Another common psychology of people, when a person flouts about having something good and you have better, you would want to tell those people that they got better, but the news has probably spread out of your range. That is how we can see it from the receiving side.

Thus, this topic does not really have a definite answer, some people may find the person correct, or the other party correct. It is entirely up to one's judging. So, do you think that narcissistic people should be welcomed? Or should they be shunned?

A lottery- Yay or Nay

2009-07-02T17:26:00.000-07:00

Personally, I support the holding of the lotteries. Whilst this would not be the best of choices for family counsellors, but I still think that the lottery should still be carried on. Many people or family counsellors say that gambling leads to many family and marital problems and I must agree, it does cause problems, but not that many. Actually, the lottery is not as bad as it may seem. The lottery is simply a form of more subtle gambling compared to other gambling games such as poker or roulette. Those games involve high risks that in any moment, you may lose all your money in an instant. Lotteries simply allow an opportunity for people to try their luck, for, money is the key to most things in life. The lottery must not be seen as only a bad habit, it can also be seen as a way to get money, although it is not as stable as a job. Winning the lottery gains you instant money, the sums more than you could ever work in a month, or even a year. Check out this article on the man who wins the lottery and how he truly came from rags to riches. http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2009/06/232m_lottery_winner_is_true_ra.html

My parents also, though in not all ways, support the lottery. They say that it is something for the people to look forward to. Life would then not be so dull as they have that lottery ticket in hand, waiting eagerly for the results to come out in the weekend. So, in some ways, adds joy to people's lives. Also, they thought of something that i did not think of. They said that if lotteries were to be condemned, more people would resort to gambling illegally and causing even more family and marital problems, though the "black gambling table" already exists, condemning the lotteries would only cause more people to seek the "black gambling table" to satisfy their wishes for money. Then, those people would probably result to underhand methods to win, causing fights or disputes which may require the police, which, we are now, now seeing or hearing much about such incidences.

Thus, I support the lotteries as the way I see it, condemning the lotteries would only create more problems to people, and would also result in the lost of that wee bit of thrill in our lives, dulling their days.

Poet: Robert Frost.

2009-06-29T18:03:00.000-07:00

For this blog post, I shall do on Robert Frost.
Personally, I think that Robert Frost is a great poet. Some of his poems are have huge symbolic and metaphorical meanings, such as The Road Not Taken, Mending Wall and many others. Though his family was plagued with death, with all but two of family members all dying before he did, he had a strong will, is famous quote was "I can sum life up in just three words: it goes on" thus, from here we can see that Robert Frost did not dwell too much time on grief, but expresses it through his poems. Robert Frost suffered from depression, just like his mother did, but had the will to live on.

Robert Frost was a man that never really, could leave his pen. Through his years, he wrote his first poem, My butterfly: an Elergy. He sold it for fifteen dollars. Afterwards, he attended Harvard University and did extremely well there. Soon after, he got married at Harvard University and attended liberal arts studies for two years. Though he was doing quite well at Harvard, he had to leave to support his family at a farm his father bought for his amily just before he died. Robert got up early in the mornings to write his poems, then in the afternoon, work to support his family. This carried on for nine years. After the nine years, his farming proved unsuccessful and he returned to education as an english teacher at Pinkerton Academy.

Then in 1912, he sailed with his family to Great Britain, where he produced most of his famous and successful works. During his life in Great Britain, he worked as an english teacher once again. Then, for the next forty-two years, Robert spent most of his summer teaching at The Bread Loaf School of Middlebury college. Robert received many honoroury degrees in his years of teaching and had a library named after him.

Through his life's years, Robert devoted most of his time to writing and teaching, a man who constantly was enriching himself, producing great works and touching others' hearts. He is a poet that deserves not only to be respected for his great works, but also, deserves to be respected for his devotion in education, as well as his zest for life. Thus, I would say that he is truly a man that never left his pen, for, it was always following him, producing works that touch lives and instill spirit. For that, I really am in awe of him.

Most of Robert Frost's works have great metaphorical and symbolic meanings. For example, his poem, The Road Not Taken. It displays the choices in life, of what choice you should make that would really help you.

Another piece of his work: Mending Wall, questions of why people must build walls, literally walls, from them and the outside world, he believes that man should leave together and not be isolated from the others.

The final piece of work I am going to share is Nothing Gold Can Stay: This poem tells that not everything can remain perfect and pure for long, and that there will come a time for things to end and die down. Everything will soon be lost to time.

That is all for the poet and for this blog post.

Figurative Language in a Poem.

2009-06-28T17:30:00.000-07:00

The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood,
and I-I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

This is the poem I have chosen to analyze for figurative language.
1) The poem uses symbolism and itself, is a metaphor.
The words in the starting of the poem, "Two roads diverged in a yellow wood", symbolises the choices being laid out for oneself at the peak of one's life, as when the wood is yellow, is a metaphor to autumn, which is the point of one's life before old age, in which is winter. I think the author used this figurative language as he wanted to paint out a picture that seemed as if he was just talking about an ordinary forest, but was in fact talking about life's progress.

The next words in the next line symbolises that in life, you are only allowed to make just one choice in which the path of life you want to take. The author used this as he wanted to paint out that both, in a forest and in life, you cannot take nack the choices you make at the start, as you will just go deeper and deeper into the outcomes of your choices.

The next eleven lines (The whole line) are consisted of mainly metaphors in which it depicts the road that many people have traveled before and that things look way better if the author were to travel by that road and it also depicts the scene in which the road that had not been taken in a long time. This part the author chose as he wanted to emphasize that the road which many people took before seems the best way out, going to the destination where every one went to. Howver, the other road seemed unsure of where it led to, giving the metaphorical meaning that if you follow the direction where every one is going, you would achieve the same amount of success or failure as everyone else. But if taken the other road, you would achieve something that not everone has done, but it would be a risk.

The ending few lines is also a metaphor, telling the reader that after many years, looking back at the road he took, he realised that he had made the right decision by choosing the road less taken. The author put chose this as he wanted to relay the message of trying out a different road from what everyone took will bring you unexpected rewards, and would help you in the long run.

2) The like the poem as I find it inspiring and uplifting, undestanding the hidden meaning behind the poem. It illustrates the path of life, choosing the path less taken will bring unexpected rewards, and benefit in the long run. This poem will then spur me on to try new things, to endeavor. With this poem, many people would then understand that choosing what everyone else has chosen will not exactly be the more successful one, and you wil just be equal, if not just a wee bit better or worse than the other people whop have taken that road, or in this case, choice. Picking the road less traveled will bring surprises along the way, in which would help you grow more experience and in the end, emerge as the last man standing. However, it does contain its risks. The road, in another circumstance could also be dangerous, thus the avoidance of the road. Sunmming it up, I like this poem as it displays how to achieve in life not directly, but in a more peaceful, "nature-friendly" way.

2nd Book Review

2009-06-28T01:36:00.000-07:00

Book Read: Zoology, A Novel
Author: Ben Dolnick
Questions I will be answering:

20) What lesson did you learn from the story?
30) Write a different ending to the book. Tell why you changed it.
40) Write a poem about the book.
53) Is the title a good or a poor one and why?

Before I start on answering the questions, I shall give you a bief overview of the book first.

This book, is written in a first person perspective. The reader takes on the role of Henry Elinsky, a collenge freshman that failed his freshman year and had to take it again. This book illustrates how a teenager goes through the woes of being an adult. So, for the summer, his brother, David, offers him a job opportunity for the summer at the Central Park Zoo. Henry starts to work at the Central Park Zoo, starting out at the children's zoo. Henry stays in David's apartment and one day, when he was swimming, meets the girl of his dreams, whose brother he caused to have two chipped teeth.

He tries all methods to win over her heart, but stuns when he finds out that she already has a boyfriend, he now tries even harder with no avail. Also, Henry encounters obstacles in his job, such as workload stress and the desire to stop working there and then as working at the zoo seemed diferent to him from Animal Planet.

Finally, when Henry thinks that things would not get anymore worse, the city goes into a blackout. He goes into the zoo at night, hoping to check out the animals, but accidentally lets out Newman, a goat which children love and the main attraction at the children's zoo. Henry gets fired from the zoo, never to return as a worker or even as a visitor. Henry learns that being an adult is not as easy as earning a weekly paycheck and fulfilling his life's dreams.

Now I shall proceed with the first question: What lesson did you learn from the story?

This story is all about telling us the woes and hardships of adulthood, while many children would be jealous of the adults, thinking that an adults life is much easier than their school life. This book proves them wrong utterly. Firstly, it introduces them to the workload of adults, and the displeasures of work, after that, it introduces them to the affairs of the heart and finally, problems which risk your career and your life without a job. Finally, the book will then talk about the author in school, when life was so much easier. I learnt that being an adult is not as easy as just working and getting paid, buying stuff, using stuff and more. This book actually made me realise that being a student now is actually lucky, without having to worry about as many things as the working class do.

Now for the next part: Write a different ending to the book and why you changed it.

The original ending to the story is this: But when I keep remembering is a moment just before all that, when I was still carrying the dog across the water, alone and freezing and whispering with mud smeared over my face, and how happy I felt, how simply and suddenly happy. What a strange place for a life t start, I remember thinking, and my flashlight flickered on the water.

Now I shall proceed with my own ending: But what I keep remembering was the time way before all the police and stuff, when I had just started my second freshman year, the freedom, the spectrum of choices in which to choose for my next step. Only then, did I realise that being a working adult was tough. Real tough. Thus then, I kept to my studies and passed my second freshman year. That was when, I truly felt the greatest.

Time for the next task to: Write a poem about the book.

Henry Elinsky failed his first year of college,

he wanted to try out his father's lifestyle that age.

His father wanted him to help out at the school,

but Henry refused, and worked at the zoo.

----------------------------------------

He moved in with David,

and worked like they did.

He thought it was easy,

but it was a tough duty.

----------------------------------------

One day at a swim,

he met the girl of his dreams.

He helped take care of her brother,

but taking care was a lot tougher.

----------------------------------------

He tries his very best,

to win her zest.

But he found out,

he would never win the bout.

----------------------------------------

He works at the zoo day and night,

working and working with all his might.

He got sick of it,

but did not resign.

----------------------------------------

One day at a city blackout,

he went back to check it out.

When he reached the goats',

he let a goat out.

----------------------------------------

For that blunder,

he got the sack.

He vouched to himself,

he would never come back.

----------------------------------------

He finally goes back,
back to the school he went.
He seems satisfied now,
after those dreadful events.

Okay, the poem is now over, and that brings us to: Is the title a good one or a bad one and why.

Personally, I think that the title is a good one. It is good because the title does not only cover Henry's job at the Central Park Zoo, but also means the ups and downs in adult life. So, the word zoology can mean both Henry working in the zoo, studying a bit of Zoology, or it can mean the wild mishaps and challenges in adulthood. Thus, I think that the title is a very good one.

And there we have it! The end of the book review. Hope you pick up a good book anytime soon.

Book review

2009-06-25T02:20:00.000-07:00

Book read: Lottery
Author: Patricia Wood
Questions I will be answering:

20) What lesson did you learn from the story?
26) If your story happened in a foreign land, compare that land with Singapore.
40) Write a poem about this book.
56) What did you think was the most interesting part of the book? Why?

First, I shall start by giving you the main ideas and a summary of the book.

This book is written in a first-person point of view. The reader takes on the perspectives of Perry L. Crandell, a person who is mentally challenged, having an IQ of 76, and insists that he is not retarded, though he is just one point of being a retard, that is, with an IQ of 75. Since his birth, Perry has been living with his grandparents, until his grandfather died one day while coming back from sailing. His grandmother has since taught him many things, including writing things down so that he would not forget, and many other life skills which might help him improve in his critical thinking.

As when someone is mentally challenged, the society would be biase towards him. his was the case with Perry, being a worker at a small shop selling boat equipment. He suffers insults and frustrations such as the cashier, who would not hand the change to him, handing it to his accompanying grandmother. His cousin-brothers, including his mother, would not even talk to him, let alone acknowledge as having him as a relative. So, all through the years, Perry lived with his grandmother. All that changed when Perry won the twelve million dollar lottery.

Perry, after winning the lottery, gains instant fame, regardless of press, society, who would now readily talk to him, even his family members have now come for him. The people who meet Perry are just curious on how he feels after winning the lottery, however, his family members want the money that he is holding on to.

Perry's best friend is Keith, a crude and rude person, but is a true friend to Perry and befriends him not for his money.Together, they stick through thick and thin, go on a holiday to Hawaii and helps each other to settle problems. Keith and Perry's next best friend, Gary, together help Perry fend off the multiple attempts by Perry's family to get the twelve million dollars. Through the book, Perry learns to overcome his disability, learn how to handle his new found riches and learn whom to trust.

Towards the ending of the book, Keith dies and leaves Perry and Gary alone. Overcome by sadness, and his knowledge of the importance of sharing, and signs a legal document, then, for Perry, none of his lottery money remains by his side. Perry claims that he was happy and still does not notice the mistake he made by giving the money to them. Actually, Perry's cousin-brothers have all taken the money and fled, due to some law issues. Perry helps his store receive an award for Business Vision. Finally, Perry has outlived his days as being a retard, and has now become his long awaited dream of being a businessman.

Now, for the first question: What lesson did you learn from the story?
From this story, I truly understand how someone's determination and will can make him successful. Though Perry is mentally challenged, he lives through the mean comments and gestures that people make when close to him. He has willed himself through his grandmother's teachings, to go through every word in the dictionary, something which many people find a tedious task to complete. One can really admire his passion for learning, his will to overcome and his spirit to forgive. He reads the papers, though he can only finish one in a week, has overcame the challenges and cruelty of the society towards his mental disability, and has forgave his family members for what they did to him and eventually gives them the money since they so wanted it that much. I have also realised that the society now has not been fair to people with disabilities. The society now is neglecting the people with disabilities, they laugh at them, stare or laugh at them whenever he or she does something funny, or worse, hurl direct insults at those with the disabilities. People should try to understand the needs of these 'special people'. When people understand, they are able to feel their pain, and change their attitude towards these people. Only then, will our society improve, and then, people of different needs will be able to live among the rest.

The next question: If your story happened in a foreign land, compare that land with Singapore.
In comparison, the place where Perry lives in, Everett, the people there seem to be of a colder attitude towards people with these special needs. They criticise the special people in public and look down on those with these special need. They feel that they are a burden to society and also a threat to their businesses or lives. They only talk to them when they get some reward in return. While in Singapore, though some people are as bad as those in Everett, I would say that majority of the people in Singapore recognise the position that the "special" people are in, and they show compassion to them, making them feel that they are not alone, and that we would always except them. For this kind of scene, in which someone readily renders help when they stand nothing to gain, is almost extinct in the book's state of Everett. The children would not play with Perry as he is not as smart as them and is unable to control his urges as well as they can. This could happen in Singapore, but it rarely happens, this sets Singapore apart from Everett.

I move on to my next task, to: Write a poem about this book.
I now begin:

Poor Perry Crandell was close to being retarded,

"I am not stupid, just slow" he insisted.

He lived through all the insults,

With his granny and Keith to consult,

He turned into a stable adult.

Whenever he was bullied,

his granny and Keith worried.

All these went on continuously,

almost driving poor Perry crazy,

until the day he won the lottery.

Perry could not believe he won the lottery,

and believed that his L stood for Lucky.

Now, almost everyone knew about his wealth,

strangely, people started to care for his health,

when he thought that they were leaving him on the shelf.

With the new found fortune he just had,

he wanted to share with his grandma and grandad,

but a pity, they were already not there.

His family members now pester him,

but their thoughts look dim.

Now Perry finally has the ability,

to give him and others some luxury,

but his family wants more than that,

they want his entire bank.

Poor Perry is now at a lost of who to beg.

A tragic end meets Perry's friend,

a nightmare that haunts and will never end.

He turns sad with much anguish

of why he did not make the wish,

the wish was for him to stay.

Finally, after their long wait,

Perry's family members get their own way.

They got Perry's lottery prize,

and fled the country like a dozen mice.

They got themselves into lawsuits that were not nice.

Perry now receives an award,

his boss gives him another reward.

For now, Perry is happy,

he is finally getting recognised in the nation,

all because of his grim determination.

Now that the poem's over, here comes the last part: Which part of the book was the most interesting and why?

For me, I think that the most interesting part of the book is when Perry finally wins the lottery, and gets to do all the stuff that he listed out in a little game he and his gram used to play, about listing the things you would do with the money if they won it. I think that I would see it as interesting is because some really funny things happen on the trip, such as when Perry and Keith go to Hawaii, and that Perry was trying to find a present to give to his friends and that Keith was trying to peek under the coconut bra worn by a hula girl doll. That part knocked me out. (Not literally) Many other interesting events also happened during the time when Perry was spending his money, so I would find it the most interesting part of the book.

So, that is the end of my review, hope you enjoyed it, I really do hope.

If many people think something is true, is it true?

2009-06-20T20:39:00.000-07:00

For this question, there are many circumstances in which will produce different answers. The first circumstance is when someone has really seen and observed something, and that it is a hundred percent true, then when he tells someone else, the story would least likely to be altered. The witness tells someone, and that person hears the story, it will be the original version, and continue to tell the original version to someone else, who, in turn, would also tell the equivalent to another person and this carries on, so under this kind of circumstance, the story, or belief, is true.

However, contrary, if a group of people have just met a coincidence, and are met with no proof or evidence what so ever, then they try to come out a reason for their fortune or downfall, with this, they start spreading their own creations of the story and that version of the story is least likely to be true.

There is also a third circumstance to the situation. It is when a person tells a true version of the story, and is overheard by a third party, however, the third party has not completely heard the whole version of the story, and tries to cover up the unheard parts of the story with her own, telling a mixture of both her own, and the original version. For this kind of circumstance, the story is of course, untrue.

Therefore, a validity of a certain story is pretty much undecided due to the many possibilities of the story's origin. So, for this question, the answer remains as plausible, the story may come from the true person who experienced and witnessed it happen, or it may come from someone who jus filled up the missing patches.

Will having fun make me happier than studying?

2009-06-19T04:56:00.000-07:00

Well, for many school boys right now, the answer would be, maybe, a yes. However, does having fun really beat studying? I agree, for many students, school workload now is tremendous, and they would very much like a break from all the school work they are doing. Thus, they have voted for having fun. School work may be tough, but it is necessary. If we do not study, our knowledge would come to a slower pace in terms of problem solving and calculation. Fun is good, but too much fun would make you idle, and make your brain stale. While having fun promises you of much leisure, studying promises you a brighter future. When the odds are weighed, to me, I do think that studying will make me happier in the long run.

Now, i shall state explicitly why I chose studying that will make me happpier, seems weird to many of you. But still, I insist on making this stand. Why, you say, now I shall tell you why. Look, you are given one whole month of holidays, with no homework! How will you spend it? I doubt that you would be occupied for the whole holidays doing all kinds of different activities. There would bound to be a time where you get bored of playing, where you would feel this horrible empty feeling in you. It will be this time, that you would be cooping yourself up with the computer, playing, though you do not really feel like it. Finally, you give in, and pick up a book to read. There, you have succumbed to the awesome powers of studying. Reversibly, studying can keep you occupied for the whole of the holidays, with also some time for a break and fun. Studying almost never gets ruled out. Even if you are really sure of the topic, you can always read through it again and hammer the concept deeper into your mind. Unlike idling around and searching for "fun", you can always learn more things, learning is a never ending journey,which is why you will never find yourself out of stuff to study. So, all in all, I would say that studying will indeed, make me happier.

What is happiness?

2009-06-18T04:36:00.000-07:00

To you, what do you think happiness is? Is happiness measured by the amount of money you have, or the things you own? If you really are having that kind of thinking, then you are just being too materialistic. Actually, happiness comes in many forms, not only through material forms, but also through many, many other forms. Firstly, happiness can come in the form of companionship, having companions around when doing things really is a kind of happiness. imagine if your friends were to leave you alone one day, and you had to survive a whole day without anyone to talk to, and nobody to share experiences with. I am pretty sure that if you got into some sort of trouble, you would wish that your friend was there to suffer the punishment with you. Or it can be even when you are just going out for lunch, having friends around to eat with really increases your appetite as you know that someone is there to accompany you. If you were to eat alone, you would feel that eating is just another labour of life that you need to go through, thus, companionship brings happiness as it gives you a sense of belonging, and that there are truly people that are willing to confide in you.

My next point on what brings happiness, is of course, kinship. It is your family and relatives that brought you up to what you were today. Forget their scoldings and what punishment they gave you before, as what the seniors say, a parent would not punish their children for no rhyme or reason, it is the children who must have done something that breaks their heart. So think clearly, your parents must have punished you because of something you have done. Maybe it was because of the issue on punctuality or behavioral. In happiness, kinship is one of the most important aspects of it. Your parents and relatives must have gone through many happy moments with you. And those happy moments are what really counts the happiness of life, without the presence of your parents, you would not have been able to develop a healthy psychological mindset, as they were not around to share the joys of what you were doing.

The other aspect of true happiness is having adequate food, water and a roof over your head. Many people take this for granted, thinking that all these come easy. However, the truth is not as they see it. Many people, as you are seating down right now, are starving, thirsty and cold. How they must yearn for the things that most of us take for granted. They yearn for food, that will enable them to stop the constant rumble of their stomachs. Water, that will help to soothe and revive their parched and sore throats. Also, they yearn for a proper place of accommodation to shield them from the harsh wind, the scorching sun, and the relentless rain. All these that they yearn for, to them, would bring them into utopia, to help them achieve ultimate happiness, from all the suffering that they are going through right now. Thus, why do some people disregard this simple and most basic aspect of happiness?

To sum it all up, happiness is not by the things you wear, the model of your phone, the type of house you live in, the amount of pocket money you have right now, or the brand of shoes you are wearing. True happiness comes from having the bliss of having companionship, kinship, and having the basic neccesities. All these are what truly counts as happiness, and what you should truly be happy about.

Emotions, one of them must go.....

2009-06-16T04:59:00.000-07:00

If I had the power to eliminate one emotion from the word, it would be jealousy. The reasons, jealousy is, to me, the actual root of all evil. When one becomes jealous, one tends to do whatever it takes, whether righteous or not, to own, or be par with it. We say that money is the root of all evil, well, only when we a re jealous of what handsome amounts of money others have, we then, would be tempted to own it. Okay, here comes a real life experience, one day, as I was walking down a shopping mall, I saw two brothers, one having a PlayStation Portable, and the other one begging for a PlayStation Portable. The brother that was begging for it was wailing out loud "Mummy, I want a psp like him, why you buy him the psp and not buy for me? " This fiasco carried on for about 5 minutes, until the brother who did not have the psp deliberately stuck out his foot and tripped his brother, causing his brother to fall. Then, he said "Since mummy does not want to buy me the psp, you also cannot have the psp, or I will take" , and with that, he snatched his brother's psp and looked up at his shocked parents, who were busy helping the tripped brother up. The parents then snatched the psp away from him, and kept it, leaving the two brothers crying. This incident taught me that jealousy often come with greed, and if jealousy were to cease, then greed would be no more.

Another point to prove that eliminating jealousy would be a good point. Have you ever wondered what it would be like if you had that other set of parents that gave in to every need of yours and give you the every right of freedom you want? That is also your jealousy working its magic. You are probably jealous of other people's parents that give them that kind of freedom. However, think about it, is it really worth it? Do you really want your parents to not care about what you do? I hope not. It is for one sole reason that they give you these restrictions, it is because they love you and would not like to see you harmed. Imagine if you have too much time on your hands and you start to visit arcades oftenly and neglect your school work, which should be your top priority. If you start failing your tests, you would be most likely be unable to catch up with the pace that the teacher is going at and that would cause you to ultimately, ruin your own future, so just accept it, enjoy those restrictions, thinking about how much they help you.

Thus, with this, I conclude this blog post, what you can do after reading this post, is think about how eliminating jealousy would have a downside, for example, it would lead to a lack of competition as people are already too contented with what they already have. So think about it and comment, as they say, nothing is perfect, so comment on this post to share how it would be imperfect, and I do hope you get some 'rewards' for commenting.

Reflections for a quite interesting show I watched.

2009-06-05T00:30:00.000-07:00

Recently, I watched a television show on AXN. The show title was : Breaking the magician's code, magic's biggest secrets revealed. In this show, it showcases the many television magic tricks that magicians have famously performed over the years. From the trick where the magician slices himself into half, to the classical magic trick of disarmament. My first reaction to the show was, oh man, I am finally going to know how they did it, but another side of me wanted to look away. The reason, read on to find out.
The other side of me wanted to look away as I was thinking, the magician who originally performed this trick had spent days, maybe even months, coming up with the trick and perfecting it. All with the thought of impressing, and achieving. With this show, not only that magicians cannot perform the trick again, they have also lost their creations and ideas to these people. Think about it, if you finish a project worth a very high A1, and someone steals the thumb drive it is stored in, and presents it off as their own. How would you feel then? However, this show would bring in lots of revenue, not for the magician, but for the producers of the show.
Another point, the magician will never be able to perform the magic trick again as people already know which are the areas that give out the whole trick. Thus, the magicians have to come out with new tricks, only for them to be exploited again. This point can be displayed elaborately in the following scenario: One day, you finally invent the washing machine that irons the clothes automatically after they are washed. Your assistant steals the plans and applies for copyright of the product. You now, can no longer claim to have invented the product, and can never be able to use it without payment. This is just like what the magicians are going through now. They invent the trick, the producer of the show exploits it, turns it useless, and leaves the magician thinking for another trick to truly amaze.
Over all, I still think that the show is quite interesting though I have forty percent of my conscience screaming for me to change channel. Thus, I will only recommend for you to watch it if you really are desperate to know how the trick is done, if not, keep figuring out how the trick is being carried out, and continue to be amazed, that would make a magician most happy.

My First Semester As a Secondary One Student

2009-05-31T00:37:00.000-07:00

Finally, a gruelling 6 months have passed by from the start of the year 2009. Time flies pass when you do not really notice it. Also, now I find myself here, in front of the computer, typing out the contents on my first semester as a secondary one student. It all started way back in January third, the year 2009m, when I entered the famous grounds of Hwa Chong Institution. Around me was a class of complete strangers, whom I might have met before and not bothered to care, nonetheless, I doubt they would have remembered seeing me. Thus, from this point of time, the infamous days of hectic secondary school life began.
The first day of school was not as bad as I had expected it to be, with no much teaching or remembering to do. There came the second and third days, and nothing had much changed in those few days. However, the fourth day came the trial, and lessons began. Still, I did not find it that bad, though I was announced to have seven subjects to take. Next came the next toughest trial of decision, the Co-curricular ativity I was going to take. Many choices flooded my head when asked to choose, though shortlisting a not that short list of CCAs, or as they call it the EP3s. Air rifle would be good, out of the sun, cooling and relaxing, but it would be too boring. Next came badminton, not bad a choice though, but they were only willing to take in the good ones in as they had a competition coming up soon, really really good players, so, another selection crossed off in my mind. So, it was after these tiresome task of crossing out and listing the pros and cons, I decided to go for the Track and Field team. I heard that they were holding the legacy of the B division boys champion for 18 years, and the C division boys, for 8 years. Thus, my mind was set, with all the abilities of a sportsman, I thought to myself, okay, Track And Field it shall be, and I hope to be part of the legacy when they hold the C division boy's champion for the 10th year and the B division boys' for the 21st year.
After the selection of the EP3, came the even more tedious task of balancing homework, with EP3, it was a little hard to do it at first, with me having to burn the midnight oil to finish them sometimes. As the saying goes, "Practise makes perfect". I practise my time management skills through my everyday timetable and has finally managed to strike a blance between work and play. As in how I am coping, there is not much homework to be done in the first term, striking that balance was afterall, quite easy a task, I wonder if how I am doing things now would tide me through the rest of the year, or maybe even for next year. From what the seniors say, homework is going muliply into a terrible beast which would soon gt out of hand. So I believe, proper time management is vital in "surviving" the homework load.
So all in all, I have learned many things in secondary school, though only in the first semester. Time management and critical thinking, are what I have learned, and what has helped me to survive the "treacherous" days of secondary school. With many more years to come, I will definitely learn many more survival tips and help me achieve high in the days, of the infamous secondary school life.

Competition:Yay or Nay

2009-05-24T01:32:00.000-07:00

Today's post is quite obvious, about competition. In our lives, we will and had, come across many competitions in our lives. Whether is it in a musical competition or a sports competition, some of us might had been in it. Ask yourself, whenever you take part in a competition, do you take it very very seriously, as if your life were on the line, or do you take it not that seriously, that it is just another chance to learn and gain experience? Well, competitions are mainly to pit a person or team against another. Also, the main point in a competition is to see how well you perform in a particular environment. Therefore, it is advised not to take a competition too (keyword being too) seriously as we would probably take part in many other competitions later on.

Moving on to the issue of competitiveness in school and between schools. Many parents nowadays are worried that their children might get too competitive and and might not be able to take the blow if they lose. I have to agree that children nowadays are more focused on the result of the competition then on the process of the competitions and the experiences gained by it. The whole main purpose of the Ministry Of Education introducing the SYF competition, track and field nationals and many others, is to let children learn from the competitions and improve on what might have gone wrong in the competition. However, the children have now forgotten the true meaning of the competitions and became competitive, in a wrong way. That is why the parents are complaining that the competitions have made their children grow too competitive, and lack the correct values when in a competition. For example, the children attending the track and field nationals would even jeer at the schools that are rival to theirs. This deviates from the whole point of a competition. Under these circumstances, the children are unable to understand the true spirit and meaning of the competition.

Hence, the true spirit and meaning in a competition is the process, experience and then, the result. It does not matter if you win or lose, it is what you gain from the compeition that counts, and that is where you grow from, by learning, understanding and improving. With that, we become a better person, a more learned person and a more experienced person.

What is the world becoming of now?

2009-05-11T05:49:00.001-07:00

Sometimes, weirdly enough, this question will pop up in my head: What is the world becoming of now? Since the start of the 21st century, many disasters have struck the planet we call home. Firstly, two of the world's largest earthquake has occured. The Paskistan earthquake and the Sichuan earthquake with a magnitude of over 8 on the Ritcher Scale. Secondly, the polar ice-caps are now beginning to melt ever faster than before due to the Greenhouse effect. Next, is the spark of the many terrorist attanks. From the incident of the World Trade Centre to the Al-Qaeda terrorist group. Then, there is the escape of the Jemaah Islamiyah Singapore leader Mas Selamt Bin Kastari. Fourthly, there is the tsunami that struck the shores of Sumatra and other neighbouring islands causing millions of deaths. Also, there is the 2003 outbreak of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). Furthermore, the outbreak of two new Flu virus species, the H5N1 and the H1N1. Lastly is the crash of the world's economy.

What is becoming of the world right now? It is because of our own actions that have caused all these disasters (except for the natural ones). Man is the cause of the unseen chaos in the world right now. There are two main reasons that the world is falling apart because of man: Greed and Selfishness. It is because of Man's greed that sparked off the terrorist attacks. man's constant desire to be able to have more and more things. it is also because of Man's greed that has caused the great economic downturn now. If the fellow businessmen were to just know their capabilities and to borrow only if they are certain that they will be able to return it. They did not, and see what happens now, the great economic downturn. Moving on to the next topic of taking precautions. Many of the victims of the disaster could have survived if the people took more pracautions. Take the tsunami for example, if the people there were to install more wave barriers and tsunami warning alarms, many more people's lives would have been spared by the unforgiving waves. Many things in life can be changed when you become more selfless and careful if people were to be more like that, this blog post would then be unnescesary.

Singapore's vigilance: enough or not?

2009-05-08T06:39:00.000-07:00

I am posting this entry today with reference to the JI Leader: Mas Selamat Bin Kastari. Quite some time ago, This dangerous fugitive escaped from the Whitely Detention Centre. This resulted in the largest manhunt in Singapore, with a bounty of a million Singaopre dollars for information about his whereabouts.

For the first few months of the manhunt, Singaporeans all were constantly vigilant for the fugitive. the police carried out searches day and night to find even a small trace of his whereabouts. However, towards the later parts of the year, Singaporeans start to forget about Msa Selamat. Even the police have started to reduce their searches. Are Singaporeans nowadays really that absent-minded? The escaped fugitive had once harboured a plan to attack the Changi International Airport. Why do the people then tend to forget that there is such a dangerous fugitive on the loose? If you do not even mention the fugitive's names to them, they completely forgot that there is such a person on the loose. Even I myself had at times, forget that Mas Selamat is on the loose and could be plotting a revenge on Singapore. This issue concerns our safety. What if he attacks the airport and we happen to be victims? I was reminded at times about this issue when I was ordering a plate of "Nasi Lemak." The shopwner says it so quickly that it seemed as though she had just said "Mas Selamat". Though the fact remains that Singapore have indeed heightened their vigilance but it did not last long. After the last peice of news that he could still be hiding in Singapore, there were no more news about him. The People then slackened and did not care much about the fugitive. Finally, just yesterday, Mas Selamat was announced to be arrested in Malaysia. What were the police force doing? They did not even give the people updates on their latest information. Mas Selamat had penetrated through the Singapore guards after all. This was all thanks to the Malaysian Police who had arrested the fugitive. Singaporeans, not that much to be credited. So, thionk about it, have you at ay time forgot about Mas Selamat and the threats he could pose?

The Lottery

2009-03-28T05:19:00.001-07:00

The themes and issues raised in this story.

1) Scapegoating.

This oftenly happens in real life, with us wanting to push the blame to another person, not wanting to suffer the consequences which the fault they caused brings. This is also shown in my life too, during the secondary 1 annual camp. During our trek to the milo slide, almost half our group got lost. Those people, who did not want to take up responsibility for misleading the group, pushed all of the blame to Samuel Ng. This is a very good example of modern day scapegoating. Usually, the scapegoater is very much less believed as majority of the people all push their blame to him, making the scapegoater the underdog in this situation.

2) The unfairness of the human society.

As many people would have at least suffered a situation in which they were put in an unfair role. unfairness is rampant. Let us get back to the story of 'The Lottery'. The lottery tickets were put in a box and gives all its participants a fair chance. You get what you pick. This is the fairest way, which is by chance. Tessie Hutchinson should not have put up a fight in being chosen as the winner of the lottery. She fairly picked that ticket, fairly got chosen, but still exclaims that the lottery was unfair. In life, not many things go according to your way.

3) Hypocrisy of man

People also tend to follow blindly what others are doing, without sparing a thought about whether it is the right thing to do. Some people may follow what others are wrongly, leading to them making the same mistake. Let us get bak to the story of, ze lottery. Tessie Hutchinson in the spotlight, again. she goes to the lottery happily, joking with the others like in any other party. However, when the results of the lottery are revealed and Tessie Hutchinson is the 'chosen one' she immediately begins to shriek, "It's not fair, it isn't right." Her change in emotions is very great. From happily arriving to participate in the lottery, to receiving a death sentence. This was what happened to Tessie Hutchinson when she drawed the 'winning ticket', she did not once stop to think if having the lottery is a bad event. She only thought of it when she was chosen to die. This point can be seen in many people, doing what others are doing, and regrets it when the consequences come in.

Well, that's all for today, the next blog post should come in a few day's time. I hope.

What are teenagers' attitudes towards studying nowadays?

2009-03-07T00:40:00.000-08:00

How do you think that teenagers' attitude towards work has changed over the years? Well, it is quite obvious that majority of the teenagers nowadays have become lazier and more reluctant to study. They do not take the initiative to pick up their work and revise when they have nothing to do. They do their work halfheartedly and decide to close up the book even before they have finished doing it. Then, they plunge into video games. However, whenever a test nears, they would then hurriedly pick up their textbooks and do last-minute revision, hoping to get a good grade just through that one hour of revising. As my Japanese teacher once said: Children nowadays do not study unless there are tests. Her statement appears to be quite true. Why have teenagers degraded to such of today's state? Does the problem lie in video games? Parents always say that video games are the cause of why their children are not doing well, and that f they keep playing, they would get addicted very easily and neglect their studies. I, however, disagree with this point. I personally feel that the problem lies in the child himself, instead of the video games. It is because of the child's lack of discipline that is causing them to play video games endlessly, and neglecting their studies. If the child has self-discipline and says stop, after an hour or more of video games and gets back to his work after that, letting the child play is alright. The child should take control over the ame, rather than let the game control him.Most studying children lack this basic skill. That is why their grades are dropping and they are spending more time on the computer playing games. So, parents should stop blaming video games over their child's grades. They should instead, allow the child to exercise self-control. If this fails, Then, should video games be cut down. The child should also be willing to do self-revision. I guess if these measures are taken, the child would not only excel in his studies, but also be able to set some time aside for relaxation. As the saying goes: All work no play makes Jack a dull boy. So, instead of cutting out the child completely free of video games, let him enjoy a little, and see if he can exercise this small little thing called self-discipline.

Taxi Stand abused.

2009-02-16T00:31:00.000-08:00

When the government first installed taxi stands within the Central business District, it was hailed as a solution to the road safety issue caused by the stopping and lane changing of taxis within our busy city centre. However, very few or none of these taxi stands are operational. The taxi drivers have reverted into their old ways: stopping anywhere they wish, to drop of and pick up passengers without a care for other road users. Even worse, some of the taxi and van drivers use these taxi stands for convenient "free" parking lots! Why aren't there anybody who wants to report this abusive act to the authorities? Taxi stands are meant for taxis only, and not for other forms of vehicles to use them as free parking lots. Is it because that the electronic road pricing is to expensive? If it really is, I don't see whats the problem in taking public transport. Maybe they feel that taking public transport pulls down their social status, but actually, no one really cares about whether or not you take the public transport. To me, I think that the problem lies in the people who misuse the taxi stands.

Strange phobias that you might be interested in knowing.

2009-02-13T22:24:00.000-08:00

1) Hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia- The fear of the number 666.
2) Somniphobia- The fear of going to sleep.
3) Aquaphobia- The fear of water
4) Ichtyophobia- The fear of eating fish
5) Neophobia- The fear of trying new things.
6) Anthropophobia- The fear of people
7) Agoraphobia- The fear of going to public places.
8) Trichophobia- The fear of loose hair on clothing.
9) Tetraphobia- The fear of the number 4
10) Xenophobia- The fear of people from other countries
11) Nyctophobia- Extreme fear of the dark.
12) Gephyrophobia- The fear of bridges.
13) Bathophobia- The fear of depths
14) Phagophobia- The fear of swallowing.
15) Heliophobia- The fear of sunlight
16) Ergophobia- The fear of work.
17) Gynophobia- The fear of women
18) Caligynephobia- The fear of beautiful women.
19) Androphobia- The fear of men
20)Gerascophobia- The fear of growing old.

Well, these are all the phobias that I think are quite interesting, feel free to check them out at Wikipedia or any search engine.

Friday the 13th

2009-02-13T21:49:00.000-08:00

Friday the 13th is not actually an unlucky day. I suppose that many people who have heard of Friday the 13th is through friends or books. But have you ever paused to wonder, why is this particular date counted as unlucky? Well, it is very strange for one person, Rossini. He believed that Friday and the number 13, were unlucky. And spookily, he died on those very dates! Friday the 13th!!! Very, very, spooky. And for the 13th, Friday has the most number of 13's throughout the years! For 2009, the months which have Friday the 13th are: February, March and November.

Strange events that happened/will happen on this date: 1) Continental Airlines Flight 3407 crashed into a house in New York on Thursday 12th February, , resulting in a fire burning till Friday, 13th February resulting in 50 dead. 2) The asteroid, 2004 MN4 will make its first close encounter with Planet Earth on Friday, 13th of April, 2029. It is expected that this asteroid will be very bright and super hot, which will be visible from Africa, Asia and Europe. It has obtained the highest level of possibility of hitting the Earth. If it does, the impact equivalent will be to 880 MEGATONS of TNT. The eruption of Mount Krakatoa was only equivalent to roughly 200 megatons. Everything within a thousand square kilometers in its path will be destroyed and asia will experience tsunamis of up to 30 meters tall!!!

FYI: The term used for the phobia of Friday, the 13th is Paraskavedekatriaphobia.

Robbers turn on bus driver when he steps to the rescue.

2009-02-12T04:47:00.000-08:00

Two robbers, pretending to be passengers, boarded SBS Transit Service 160 at the Kotaraya Terminal in Johor Baru on Tuesday. But just as the bus neared the Malaysian Customs Checkpoints at about 3.45p.m., the two robbers decided that it was time to act. The duo whipped out parangs and attempted to rob a middle-aged Chinese woman passenger. Frightened by the thought that the robbers would harm her, she shouted for help. Upon hearing this, the bus driver immediately slammed on the brakes. He turned round and warned the two robbers, believed to be in their 30's, to halt what they were doing. However, his act of heroism infuriated the robbers, making them turn on him instead. They took his wallet which contained RM$260 ($108) and $40. Not content, the two robbers allegedly slashed him several times on the arm and shoulder before fleeing on foot. The bus driver sustained a deep gash on his left wrist and a fracture. He was treated at a nearby hospital and his condition is now stable. The Malaysian police confirmed the incident and are now already in the process of identifying suspects. From this incident, we can derive the fact that money is in fact, the root of all evil. If it were not for the money, those two robbers would not have done such a criminal act. It is also because of money, that people have become bolder in their actions, robbing jewellery stalls or even large banks. With money, comes the point of a limit. Do rich people have a limit in which they feel that they have enough money for the rest of their lives and wants to retire? Only the minority feels that way. Majority of people wants now, is to earn more money. A million is never enough, ten million? They still want more. They only think of themselves, and how they themselves can enjoy the luxuries that money brings, never sparing a thought for those less fortunate people somewhere out there in the world, who thank god even if they manage to find a dead bird which they can eat. If those rich misers would even care to donate a portion of their money out to help these less fortunate people, the world would become a more wonderful and heart-warming one. So, money is in fact, not the key to happiness, but the key to greed, selfishness and destruction.

Boss unconcerned over workers' safety, worker loses his left leg and right foot.

2009-02-11T04:38:00.000-08:00

Mr Abu Bakar Evos, a former worker of Likok recycling firm, lost his left leg and right foot in a workplace accident. However, this incident could have been prevented if the company's manager abode to workplace safety regulations. It all happened at a paper compacter, where workers needed to enter it about 10 times a day to change paper, remove excess paper or paper jams. They were told to use a PVC pipe or their legs to clear the jam. But each time the machine's door was opened, the sensor would be triggered and the electricity would be cut off. It took time for the machine to power up after workers were done and closed the door. This greatly affected productivity and used up more electricity. So, the manager instructed workers to install metal strips over the sensors so that it will not shut down when the door is opened. But the workers were also instructed to switch the machine from automatic to manual before entering it so that the ram used to crush paper into compact bales would not move when they were in the machine. On one fateful day, Mr Abu Bakar Evos, went into the machine and used his foot to clear the paper that was stuck. But, he lost his footing and fell into a chute where paper is fed into the machine. Sensors where activated and the metal hydraulic ram roared to life and sped towards the frantic Abu Bakar. He attempted to hoist himself out of the chute but was not fast enough. His left leg and right foot were smashed into the wall by the merciless ram. The company and its manager were charged in court with failing to ensure that the machinery was safe for the workers. I am utterly disgusted at the company, risking its workers' safety for his own profits. I hope that after reading an incident like that, companies will care more about their workers' safety to prevent a similar incident from happening

Point to ponder : Is it really the company's fault? Or was it just due to Mr Abu Bakar's carelessness?

Little Ironies-The taximan story

2009-02-11T04:00:00.000-08:00

The irony in this particular story is that the taximan is disgusted by how teenagers nowadays lack moral values, making out with Caucasian boyfriends instead of studying at home, yet he still ferries them to meet their Caucasian boyfriends. However, I do agree with some parts of the taximan's point-of-view. Those teenagers really do lack the correct moral values. Neglecting their studies, lying to their parents and disrespect themselves, all for the prospect of making a quick buck. Take for example, the taximan's daughter, Lay Choo. She is very good in her studies, being the only child in the family to be able to make it to University. One day, however, Lay Choo decided to lie to her parents, claiming that she had math supplementary lessons, but in fact, went out with a group of friends, visiting coffee houses and hotels. One day, while driving in his taxi, her father spots her and drags her out of there and beat the daylights out of her when they reached home. This is the action which I disagree. He could have gave her a stern warning and a curfew instead of acting so violently to her. I can understand that he must have been very angry with her. I think that the harshest punishment was to just give her a few strokes of the cane. Instead of hitting her till his neighbours had to pull him away. Lay Choo could have acted that way because she felt that she was not loved and needed it. But on the other hand, her father loved her very much, that was why he was strict with her, and did not know how to express his love in a manner that Lay Choo would be able to feel. We do not live in America, where parents walk up to their children, give them a peck on the cheek and say" I love you". Our society is less open, unlike theirs. So, in conclusion, I think that the these teenagers should practice correct moral values and etiquette. And remember that their parents always loved them, no matter what test scores they had or what was their actions

Mercy Killing-should it be authorised?

2009-02-11T03:42:00.000-08:00

In my opinion I feel that mercy killing should be authorised, but it should only be used as a last resort if the individual is under too much pain and would be better off if he or she was put to rest. However, the decision lies in the individual's loved ones' hands. They should have a better understanding if the individual wants to be put down. This situation is evident from a recent case of mercy killing. A 76 year-old woman was put to rest after she has been brain dead for a year. Her children requested the hospital caring for her to remove a life support system from her and let her rest in peace as she has no chance of recovery and would maybe wish to be put down to stop all of her suffering once and for all. Authorities said that the human life is sublime and must be treated with utmost care in any circumstances. Only when a patient has no chance of recovery and medical treatment is limited to maintaining his or her brain dead state. The hospital has thus carried the case to the Supreme Court to verify if this mercy kill is appropriate. In conclusion, if the patient is really incurable and under too much pain or suffering, I think that it would be better off if he or she were put to rest.

Flowers for Algernon- What makes an ideal human or ideal life?

2009-02-07T04:17:00.001-08:00

This is a question asked by many. I have heard many different opinions. But this is my personal opinion. With reference to Charlie Gordon in Flowers for Algernon, I do not think a high IQ is equal to a ideal human or life. However, with a higher IQ, you would be able to see problems more in-depth and be tortured by the problem by thinking about the many different harms caused by the problem. Charlie Gordon always wanted to be smart, but once he becomes smart, he starts having very complicated emotions. And once his IQ starts to deteriorate, he starts to scare himself with the after-effects of what he calls the 'Algernon-Gordon' effect. Thus, resulting in him being severely tortured by the deterioration.
My prospect of an ideal life is to have a regular IQ, not too high or not too low, and to just be satisfied with how things are presently. With an IQ of a regular person, you will be seeing problems just like everybody else, and not see it too deeply, too deeply till you become obsessed in solving the problem that you torture your mind and body. By achieving this will bring you to the next part, being satisfied. Only by being satisfied will you not want to set unachievable goals in life and not become too obsessed in acquiring things that you also torture your mind and body.
So, having a regular IQ, and being satisfied are what I think of as an ideal human and life.

Age and experience are important to the workforce

2009-02-07T03:51:00.000-08:00

For the workforce in any country, age and experience are vital to the success and improvement. Take a 60 year old man for example, if he is competing with a 36 year old man for a job at a hawker center as a cleaner, his chances of getting that job is very slim. As the 36 year-old man has a stronger physique, able to clear up tables at a much faster rate and so, help increase work productivity.
But now, taking a 60 year-old man who was once a company's manager for more than 15 years, competing for a job as supervisor with a 36 year-old man who has little or no experience in managing, his chances would be fairly high. This is where experience comes in. The CEO of the company would choose the 60 year-old man for his experience in this area. Unlike the 36 year-old man who has to start learning managing skills from scratch, the 60 year-old man would already be skilled in this area of work. And increase work productivity
So, in conclusion, for the success and improvement of the work force, age must be backed up with experience and experience must be backed up with age.