City life....

Justice VS Mercy

2010-08-22T04:40:00.000-07:00

If I were to choose between justice and mercy, I would choose justice over mercy. Justice should be enforced in the law to ensure that criminals or offenders get what they deserve, the punishment given out by the law. This is done so to ensure that the offenders do not repeat their mistakes and to warn the general public not to commit the same crimes or else they will be given the same punishment or even harsher, allowing everyone to live in a society without any fear of their safety, thereby giving other countries the impression that Singapore is a country where people abide by the law and not do anything against their conscience, attracting more foreign talents to Singapore to work. If justice is not enforced in the law, criminals and offender will continue to commit crimes, bringing danger to others’ lives as they will not learn from their mistake.

However, mercy still needs to be shown. If the crimes committed are not serious like vandalism, the offender should be given a second chance and let off with a light statement such as a fine and short period of jail term since it is also their first time. Speaking of vandalism reminds me of Oliver Fricker case where he was caught vandalizing on the Mass Rapid Transit trains and given 4 strokes of caning and 5 months’ jail term. The punishment given to Oliver was harsh as I do not think that vandalism should warrant a caning as it might do physical harm and probably psychological harm.
Besides this, Oliver break-in into the MRT terminal shows that there is flaw in the security system and it allows the person-in-charge to look at his mistake, a mistake that will have cause the lives of many people should the person who break in is not Oliver but a terrorist who wanted to plant a bomb in one of the trains.

Hence, this incident serves as a reminder to all Singaporeans to be more secured and not let things to be just as they are. Back to the topic about justice and mercy, I still think that justice is more important than mercy in most circumstances to uphold the law.

Sportsmanship

2010-08-21T04:24:00.000-07:00

Currently happening now in Singapore is the Youth Olympics Games and speaking of YOG, it reminds me of sportsmanship. What is sportsmanship? Sportsmanship is when one enjoys an activity with proper consideration of fairness, ethnics, respect and a sense of fellowship with one’s competitors. It is regarded as a moral value in sport where it revolves around two concepts: fair play and character. Fair play refers to everyone having an equal chance to pursue victory, acting towards others in an honest and dignified manner even when others do not play fairly and respect for others including officials. Character refers to the values and habits that determine the way one would respond to desires, fears, challenges, opportunities, successes and failures. Hence good sportsmanship must be shown during competitions and friendly match.

Acts of good sportsmanship include helping up your opponents, shaking hands with them at the end of the match, accepting bad calls gracefully and acknowledging good plays made by others. The real winners in sports are those who know how to persevere and behave with dignity whether they win or lose. However, this was not the case in the rugby friendly match between Anglo-Chinese School and St. Andrew’s Secondary School. Despite winning the friendly match, one of the ACS(I) boys went to insult another St. Andrews boy’s mother which was not an action of sportsmanship as respect was not shown. This resulted in a fight where almost everyone suffered injuries. This would not have happen if the boys have shown good sportsmanship.

Sportsmanship can also be shown in online games by saying good job or nice try if that person has done his best and saying nice one if one got defeated fair and square and not insult the person just because one gets angry over the defeat. This shows that he or she does not have self-control or the correct moral values taught by the parents or teachers.

Hence, I think that everyone should have good sportsmanship and by doing so, have more self control and not be rash in their actions, resulting in wrong decision making.

Are Risks Necessary In Life?

2010-08-09T03:19:00.000-07:00

When asked about whether risks are necessary in life, the first thing that comes into about our mind will be the consequences. What consequences will it bring? Will the consequences be dire? And is it worth the risk? It is by human natural instincts to ask that. I myself think that risks should be taken but not all the time, especially when the consequences are very dire and one cannot even carry the weight of the consequences. Thus, we should take risks after great amount of consideration and careful planning with the mindset that we might fail and embracing the consequences should we fail. Sometimes, risks are necessary as they help one to uncover things that he or she does not know, adding more knowledge, learning in the process of doing.

One such risk taken in life was about the Bijami twins who always wanted to be separated in their lives. Neurosurgeon Keith Goh was the one who pioneered this operation and he knew that should the operation, the twins might not survive as a lot of blood would be lost in this operation. However, he wanted to help the twins who desperately wanted to be separate and they would have continued looking for surgeons if Keith Goh had refused to do the operation. Keith Goh also pondered on this operation, not knowing whether he should proceed with the surgery that the twins sought after since they were born. So in the end, he of course agreed to help and went through tremendous preparations for the operation. However, the operation failed in the end and Keith Goh faced criticisms from the public for taking on this dangerous operation.

I do not think that the public should criticize him for his actions but rather praise him for his bravery that he was willing to accept the challenge and able to face the consequences with the correct mindset. They also forget the fact that the twins also desperately wanted this operation and it would be wrong to not help them when he could have done so. If the operation was to succeed, then this operation would be a new discovery to help mankind should twins be born conjoined at their head. Sometimes, risks are worth taking and the one taking it should not be blame for his action if he had put in much effort and time for the challenge.

Effects of war

2010-06-27T01:54:00.000-07:00

Movie watched: Empire of the Sun

Merchant of Venice's plot

2010-06-20T05:28:00.000-07:00

Task 2

2010-05-28T06:56:00.000-07:00

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!

1.Point of View
This poem could have been written in the point of view of someone who has gone through the Vietnam war and seen the effects 'Agent Orange' have on the Vietnamese people. The person is able to know that the 'America did not forsee' that the 'Agent Orange' not only destroyed plants but also harmed the people, the 'innocent and unborn', causing illness, birth defects and significant amount of deaths.

2.Situation and Setting
The setting is after the 'Agent Orange' has been used and the effects could be seen on the innocent people. The poet mentions of 'toll on the innocent and unborn', 'omnipotent and disregarding who will mourn' and 'illness, born defects and prematurely dead', showing that he had seen the side effects of the 'Agent Orange' beside destroying crops - it also has harmful effects on the people who were exposed to it. He also regretted that 'Agent Orange' was used in the war as could be seen from 'Now thinking twice', showing that he was having second thoughts about 'Agent Orange' being used since the herbicide caused devastating effects on the innocent Vietnamese.

3.Language/Diction
In the title, rainbow itself symbolises something positive as in Bible, it means the symbol of God's everlasting agreement with the mankind that never will there be floods that will destroy all lives. Besides that, it also means to serve as a bridge between heaven and earth. Death means something negative since it is most feared by us. By putting rainbow and death together does not really make sense but in this case, it could mean that the rainbow herbicides cause many deaths of people, including innocent people, resulting them to cross the bridge to heaven.

4.Personal Response
This poem has invoke my sympathy for the innocent Vietnamese that were affected by the herbicides used by the Americans, and it seems to be blaming the America for using the herbicides as it was referred to as "nefariously" which means wicked. America also made other to pay a high price by causing illness, birth defects and toll on the innocent and unborn, making younger generations pay with their lives and bodies.

Task 1

2010-05-25T19:19:00.000-07:00

Life is not easy

2010-05-13T04:25:00.000-07:00

Life is not as easy as it may seems, and it is not just about living life to the fullest or enjoying it while you can but to do something that will make oneself proud. This is one thing that I have yet to achieved as I do not think I have done well in my exams, this certainly does not feel good for me as everyone around me seems to improve by leaps and bounds while I am still stuck at the same place, or deproving. This is certainly not something to be proud of and I feel that I did not meet my expectations in life.

Firstly, I failed my history test, it was something that I did not really expect, since I thought that the paper was quite okay, and it was the first time I failed a test in my whole primary and secondary life. I felt so upset over the first failed paper that I did not feel like studying for the next few tests as I have already failed one paper, why study for the other papers. This sentence seems to make sense at that moment as I had lost hope at that time. However, a friend of mine encouraged me to persevere on as I had already finished one paper, why not just finish all of them? In the end, I studied for the remaining of my test, I could say that I scored quite well for the others except for Language Arts which again is going to pull my marks down.

Maybe it's because I did not work hard enough, thus not able to fulfill my target that I set last term. Afterall, life is not easy, you cannot expect the marks to drop down from the sky. Nothing in the world is free, it comes with hard work and determination.

I guess it's time to go to mugging marathon, better than spending my time idling at home. I seriously need to get a MSG of 2 or less for next term and for EOY since I really do not want to go 3Q or 4Q. So mugging marathon, here I come.....

Bystander Effect

2010-05-01T05:06:00.000-07:00

Bystander effect is a social pyschological phenomenon that refers to occasions where individuals do not offer help in an emergency situation when other people are present and such incidents happened in New York before. One incident was about Ms Kitty Gevonese in 1964 where she was being brutally murdered and raped with no residents coming down to her even though they saw her being stabbed a few times.

Not many people would remember about this incident since it was ages ago. Bystander effect was shown in this incident and there are many reasons behind why people do not go forward to help but just stay on to look or just shouting something for someone to do but not themselves. One main reason is the diffusion of responsibility which everyone usually adopt, onlookers will assume that someone else will go forward to intervene and this makes them to feel less responsible, hence refraining them from intervening. This happened to our class last year, where everyone adopted this attitude and nothing was done to solve the problem in the end. Maybe some people felt that those who created the problem should go forth to solve it but none did it anyway.

Another reason for the bystander effect is because the onlookers do not know who are the people involve and hence do not want to bring unwanted trouble or attention to themselves so the best way is to stay clear of the situation and not get involved since they are strangers and not relatives to them. Some may feel that their assistance may be unwanted or that their assistance may be rejected, causing them to lose face in front of others so they will rather wait for some expertise to help like doctors or police who could give some help. While some others look around and see no one going forth to help, hence thinking that the situation is under control and needs no one's assistance.

In conclusion, this bystander effect certainly does no good in emergency situations and this should not be promoted. Instead, everyone should lent a helping hand to those in need and not wait for others to do first, if this could be done, the society would not have the bystander effect.

Education or Law?

2010-04-30T06:55:00.000-07:00

Which way do you think is the most effective, education or law? For example, do you think the law or education will be effective towards people who have the habit of throwing rubbish onto the floor or leaving rubbish behind? Both of them will, of course, be effective to a group of people.

The law imposes fines on people who throw rubbish on the floor and have to pay the fine when caught. This will only work for people who care alot about their money. This group of people do not want to lose their money as it is their hard-earned money and it will be a waste by paying the fine($1,000) when caught for littering. It is certainly not worthwhile to just lose that much money to the government by just getting caught for littering so this group of people will consider about throwing litter. This group of people are those who are from the low class and middle class since they do not earn much money and every little bit of money matters alot to them.

Education is to educate people on the correct ways to do things like throwing rubbish into the litter bins or keeping the rubbish in a plastic bag until you see a litter bin to throw it in. Education is best taught to kids from young and this correct ways of doing things can be cultivated in them, letting them having the good habit of throwing rubbish into litter bins and despite inconvenience, they would still keep the rubbish and throw it into the litter bins if they found one later on.

I would think that educating people from young would be a most effective way and kids would learn everything taught to them since they yearn for knowledge as a curious child, allowing them to absorb everything they learn. If everyone has this good habit from young, then the law would not need to impose such heavy fines on people caught littering in public places and Singapore will continue to live up to its prestigious name of 'Garden City'. The law will only work on those who are scared of the law and do not want to pay the fines or to be caught in the public, causing themselves to be a disgrace in front of the public. Those who violate the law would only be scared after being caught once and having to pay fines, if not they would keep repeating the offences and by the time they stopped littering, Singapore would lose its name of 'Garden City'.

So what do you think? Education or Law?

Once again...

2010-03-22T05:52:00.000-07:00

Once again, school has reopened. One week of March holiday past so fast, with almost everyday busy, monday was CIP and there was this incident where one resident of the block which we were doing CIP at, threw water down. Luckily it didn't hit anyone though it was by a close margin that Hui Ming got hit. Sadly, we did not saw who the culprit was. The one who did it is so irresponsible and does not play his/her part as a resident. He/She certainly thought there was no one below and went ahead to throw the water down. That person certainly never think what would happen if he/she hit someone and the consequences for doing so. I hoped that person would not do the same thing again as it would cause serious trouble and injury if the thing thrown was not water but flower pot.

Tuesday,Friday and Sunday were EP3 days. Sunday was to perform for the Founder's Day celebration and by the time I reached home, it was 9.30pm. I was tired and my performance attire was ruined when I reach home. And feeling so sleepy in class today. During recess, I went to check my term 1 progress report and once again, I did badly, first time I have gotten a MSG of higher than 3, 3.17!!! Feeling so sad and angry with myself for getting such a poor MSG, I could have done better, better do some soul searching and work harder.... Time to be serious and not slack around, I certainly do not want to get the same or higher MSG this term. That's all for now. Mugging Time!

Sabbaticals Week

2010-03-12T04:12:00.000-08:00

So as I promised that I will post every week, here am I posting about the sabbatical I took during the Sabbaticals Week.

The sabbatical I took was Maths and Origami, where the trainers taught us the mathematical concepts behind the making of origami solids. One of the concepts was Pythagoras Theorem, a^2+b^2=c^2. This formula only applies to a triangle, a right-angled triangle, where the side c has to be the longest. This concept was from the folding perfect thirds on a piece of square paper and I am glad that I was able to learn this formula as this would probably be taught in the later part of this year. Another formula was Euler's formula where the sum of faces and vertices of a solid minus 2 equals the edges of the solid,F+V-2=E. The vertex is the sharp point of the the solid.

Of course, the workshop is not just about learning mathematical concepts but also folding origami, it was totally fun and I mean it, when it comes to folding all those solids and other stuffs. I folded alot of solids, from a tetrahedron to a icosahedron and other stuffs like box, swan and many more. Some of them took mere minutes to fold while others took an hour to do. However, I enjoyed the process of folding of this origami as it bring great satisfaction to be able to complete folding the origami and seeing it exactly like the one that was on the worksheet. It is like accomplishing a difficult feat.

Overall, I think that the workshop is pretty fun and you could learn alot of things from it. It also helps to refresh your concepts and formula about maths during the sabbatical week where you might forget everything you learn during the term. I would recommend all of you this workshop for the next term. And enjoy your March holidays!

Poem on prejudice against blacks

2010-03-01T18:33:00.000-08:00

Blacks are black,
Whites are white,
Don't go near a black if you are a white,
And don't go near a white if you're a black,
That's how the prejudice against blacks in Maycomb is.

Whites are high,
Blacks are low,
Let the seat to the white if you are a black,
And just take the seat if you are a white,
That's how the prejudice against blacks in Maycomb is.

Whites always win,
Blacks always lose,
No use struggling if you are a black,
Sit back and relax if you are a white,
That how prejudice against blacks in Maycomb is.

To sum it up,
The whites have the advantages,
The blacks are at disadvantages,
It's not fair but that's the way of life
In Maycomb, the prejudiced community of Maycomb.

Intrapersonal(LA assignment)

2010-03-01T18:07:00.000-08:00

As the highest score in the Multiple Intelligence Test is intrapersonal, I decided to do it first. And the question I had choose is question A " Who would you want to be friends with in the novel? Explain."

I wanted to be friend with Jem as he is courageous in his own way may it be wrong or right. His act of courage was shown in him accepting a dare from Dill to touch the Radleys house, taking his pants back from the Radleys house and not backing off when facing a mob of people who are older than him and even when one of them tried to beat him.

I admire his courage as not everyone could do what Jem does, especially not backing off when facing a crowd of adults or gangsters who have tattoos on their muscular arms, and are very big and tall, making you feel as though you are like an ant to them. This is what true courage is. Also, Jem knew his father would be beaten by the mob and hence wanted to stay by him to protect him. This also shows his love for his father who had taught him things, from moral values to being a true man. This is what is lacking in our society nowadays. Children leave their parents who are old in the old folks home, and not visiting them when they are free. Furthermore, children like us are defiant and do not listen to our parents, hating them for whatever choices they had make for us as we did not want it their way. This is another point why I wan to be friends with him.

He is also mature in his thinking when he told Atticus that Dill was in their house. Since he is mature, I could ask for his advice when I am not sure about something as he would not think of any crap solution but give what he views. This would be very useful to me since I am in need of advice and would certainly be thankful for any sensible advice available. He could also differentiate from what is right and what is wrong so the advice given would not be wrong and childish. Hence, I would befriend Jem for his courage and maturity in understanding.

Multiple Intelligence Test

2010-03-01T06:43:00.000-08:00

After doing the Multiple Intelligence Test, I found that I am more of a intrapersonal who prefer to work alone and I can visualise things in my mind as much as I am talented in music.

However, I do not think that the results of the Multiple Intelligence Test may be correct as they would ask us some simple questions that could be answered by you yourself without needing the question. Some of the questions are in the same format as what the Facebook quizzes have, which are redundant. Also, if someone who have his or her own pride, he or she would not put the correct options as to what he or she really is, causing the results to be inaccurate. It is best to look at the person according to his achievements and past records then having him or her do the Multiple Intelligence Test.

However, one good thing about the Multiple Intelligence Test is finalising the results to a range of numbers from 0 to 25 and comparing each kind of intelligence to another, letting you to know which intelligence are you better in which without the test, you would not have known.

In conclusion, I would like to say that everything in life does not have not only one side, may it be evil or good, but each thing has its own advantage and disadvantage.

Amendments

2010-03-01T04:03:00.000-08:00

Hi guys! Sorry to say that I did not make much changes to my blog as firstly, I feel that the blog skin colour is quite nice as the colour coordination is perfect, black and orange. Also, my slogan " City Life..." shows the life that I am experiencing which the life of a busy city, Singapore. So I changed the description about me to " Living in a city experiencing city life" to fit the slogan.

The hit counter was added to count the number of people visiting the blog and I also kept the ninja text generator which writes out my name. The music player was remove as I think the songs are very distracting to a person when he or she is trying to read the post. Furthermore, I am trying my best to add one new post each week and I think I would write about local and international news as many interesting things are happening around us. One such news is the opening of the casino in Sentosa which is to boost the economy of Singapore but instead, it caused the thefts of bankrupt people who lost their money in the casino.

And if you have any something that you would like me to add or blog about, please post it in the tag box. Thanks you.

Time flies...

2010-02-27T04:28:00.001-08:00

In the blink of an eye, it is week 8 now, how fast time past. 8 weeks have past since the start of school and I am feeling that secondary two life is so different from secondary one. Secondary two life is much busier, with more ep3 training days which means more days of staying back and there are more programmes that are coming up after school which means another more days of staying back. And with the new grading system, it certainly hard to adapt to it and some students are complaining about it. Also, this year is a crucial year for secondary twos as what MSG we get this year means what courses and which class we would be going next year. Of course, everyone want to go to CSE and certainly want to choose a special programme so that means everyone would give in their best this year so that they could get to choose the programme they want next year. This year is going to be tough year. Going to work hard to go into SMTP or BSP.

Now let me talk about Chinese New Year now. Chinese New Year would be officially ending tomorrow which is Yuan Xia Festival, the 15th day of Chinese New Year. On Yuan XinaFestival, it would be a day where people would solve puzzles on lanterns and eat glutinous rice ball and get their families united in this joyful atmosphere. There is this belief where Yuan Xia Festival means celebrating and cultivating positive relationship between people, families, nature and the higher beings they believed were responsible for bringing the light each year. Tomorrow, there would also be a full moon and there would be alot of lanterns hang up for people to appreaciate. So tomorrow is the day where people would enjoy the last day of Chinese New Year and this would be the day where people could enjoy before going back to sowing seeds in their field in the ancient times. So enjoy the last day of Chinese New Year under the full moon and enjoyed the scenery! (:

Should smoking be prohibited totally in coffee shops?

2010-02-26T03:48:00.000-08:00

Nowadays, the government has been trying to reduce the amount of people smoking as smoking is not good to one's health and could cause lung cancer and other diseases. Some of the methods that the government had used were restricting smokers from smokeing at air-conditioned places like shopping malls and they could only smoke at areas that have the signs that allow smokers to smoke. Some of these areas include coffee shops where there is a small area for smokers to smoke and also some fast food restaurants like macdonald that has both tables outside and inside the restaurant so the outside tables would allowed smokers to smoke.

Smoking are the biggest killers in the world and many people died due to smoking than due to accidents. Smokers can die 10 years before what they are suppose to live if they did not smoke. Back to the topic on whether should coffee shops be smoke free totally. To me, I think that smoking should not be prohibited totally in coffee shops now but could instead gradually restrict the places whereby the smokers can do their smoking. By doing so, the smokers then can slowly get use to the fact that the government wanted them to quit their habit of smoking and is slowly decreasing the number of areas for smokers. The smokers would then try to curb their habit of smoking since there isn't alot of place for them to smoke and if they wanted to smoke, it would be very inconvenient of them to do so. Slowly by slowly, I think that the number of smokers would eventually decreased until left with a minority that would not give up smoking habits so easily, so by then, there would be only 1 out of 100 people smoking.

However, if the coffee shops were to be make smoke free totally now, the coffee shop owners would lose alot of business as the usual customers who go there to have a cup of coffee or tea while smoking would not go to the coffee shops anymore since smoking is prohibited there. And these customers are the majority who would go there for a drink before their work or are taxi drivers stopping there for a rest.

In conclusion, smoking cannot be prohibited completely in coffee shops as there are still this minority in the society which could not be get rid of. But the amout of space for the smokers would have decreased significantly and this would be at least an improvement seen from last previous years.

It's the process that matters

2010-02-20T02:48:00.000-08:00

"The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part, just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle. The essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well."

This is the Olympics Creed by Pierre de Coubertin who got the idea for this phrase from a speech given by Bishop Ethelbert Talbot at a service for Olympic champions during the 1908 Olympic Games. This is somewhat alike to an ancient Chinese proveb, "The journey is the reward." I fully agree with what the proverb and the Olympics Creed as the most important thing is the journey and not the result. Why is the most important thing is the journey and not the result?

That is because through the journey, you will learn alot of things that may teach you moral values which is very important for your whole entire life. The most common moral value that would be learn is perseverance as usually in the process of doing something, you would always encounter problems that are difficult to solve or vexing to you, making you feel as though you want to give up. With what you learn during your journey, your result would not matter much anymore. No matter if you win or lose, it could not be as important as the reward you gain from your journey which could benefit you for the rest of your life while the winning only give you a temporary sense of satisfaction and losing would make you grieve. Why cry over spilled milk when you could think about what you have learn and how you could apply it in your life?

I would also like to say to everyone, move on in life and not look back at what wrong you have done cause it is not going to help. To those who have not done so well last year, focus on this year and work hard, with hard work and determination, it would get you to your goal. (:

Friends

2010-02-05T04:21:00.000-08:00

What are friends? Friends to me are those who support me no matter under what circumstances, bad or good. They care for you when you are down and will always have a listening ear for you and a shoulder to cry on. They will always welcome your company and shows loyalty towards, often to the point of altruism. They will give you advice on what is best for you, share with you the sweetness of success and the bitterness of hardship they or you face. They would be honest with you when in situations where it may be difficult for others to speak the truth, especially in terms of pointing out the perceived faults which you did not see.

You will meet friends throughout your life, during your preschool years, your schooling years from primary to university and when you are working. Some of them will forget who you are after a few years while some of them will still remember vividly about you or have a vague idea who you are. Some people want to be your friends with a motive in mind, it could be because you are rich or have authority and they want to gain something from you or want to use you as a tool to get something better for themselves. Then, they would try to dump you off or pretend not to know you. While some people really want to be friends with you cause you make them happy when they are sad. These people do not have any motive and would help you when you are in trouble.

Friends you make in preschool would probably forget about you when all of you went to different primary schools. Friends in primary school would not bother to greet even if they know you when you all meet, except for some whom you are good friends with. However, friends in secondary school would be the friends that would help you when you met with troubles during the time when you work. They would probably company you through your junior college time and university too. These would be the time when you have alot of troubles in your life, about your relationship with your parents, your love affair, and other troubles. They would somehow be interlink with each other and come to you at the same time, this is the time when you would need a really good friend to help you, giving you advice on what is best for you. So it is best to make a good friend during your secondary school years. They would be more mature and you could tell them your troubles, instead of keeping it to yourself and by tellling them, you would feel better.

So I would end off this blog post by telling everyone to treasure your friendship with your good friends and make them last as long as possible for when your family is not there for you, you could always turn to your good friends. =)

Plagiarism Or Not?

2010-01-30T03:19:00.000-08:00

Our class met with a case of so called plagiarism so I have decided to post a topic on plagiarism. Firstly, what does plagiarism really means and what does it means to you? I have checked it up on the dictionary and this is what it means,"the unauthorized use or close imitation of the language and thoughts of another author and the representation of them as one's own original work." To me, plagiarism means the exact copy or rephrasing of people thoughts and opinions about something. However, what I think about plagiarism may not be the same for what others think about plagiarism. And this is what happens to our class.

One of our teacher gave us an assignment to do, and alot of questions could not be found from the textbook so some of us went to search for it online and found the same set of questions with all the answers so they copied the answers from the website without checking whether the answers were right or wrong and sent it to the teacher. After that, everyone in our class received a message from the teacher about students copying answers word for word from the website,saying that it is plagiarism and hence decided to give us a test. However, some students do not feel that they have plagiarised anything as they felt that it was part of their research. I felt the same too as if we could not find the answers for our homework, we would try to find it on the internet. But I think that the pupils are in the wrong too as they copied everything without checking from other sources and some of the answers could be wrong. But the teacher meaning of plagiarism is that anything we copied from the website word for word is wrong. So this started the misunderstanding that we were plagiarisng from the website which is not really the case as everything on the website is all facts and not opinions of other people.

So what do you think plagiarism is?

A whole new year

2010-01-18T04:20:00.000-08:00

One year had gone so fast, and now it is 2010. Second year in secondary school. New subjects, new topics, new teachers, and last but not least, new grading system! I hate the new grading system, but still hating it won't do any good to me, so at least the best for me is to get used to it. Two reasons for hating it: Firstly, there are now two new subjects, Oral Communication and Independent Studies. Oral Communication requires me to speak more and to take part in current affairs, if not the total score at the end of the year will be pulled down. For Independent Studies, I relied on Project Day's Competition to max my Science ACE, but now, ACE and Project Day's Competition are two different things, each is a part of the subject, so well you get what I mean and why I hate it. Secondly, ACE and OP would not be able to help to pull up the marks of each subject, so if I were to get B3 for Science, it would not jump to A1 as 10 ACE and OP can get help me to jump two grades.

However there are few good advantages to it. Now that ACE and OP would not affect the academic results, I would be able to see what I could achieved. And the current affairs prompt me to speak up more, which is something I hate though, caused I am really scared of saying something wrong, but luckily there is this critical thinking subject which would help me to think seriously so that I would not say the wrong thing. Hopefully.

So I think I would end my post here, wishing all a happy and enriching year ahead!

CIP@Taman Jurong

2009-08-07T05:29:00.000-07:00

Today, the whole of secondary ones went to Taman Jurong to do a CIP as part of celebrating National Day and also to help raise funds for the needy people. Our job was to collect old items like newspaper and clothes. But in the end, we not only collected just these stuffs but also soft toys and even old computer!!!! It was certainly fun and tiring at the same time, collecting newspapers and enjoying the moment when we saw how much we had collected. It really brings a sense of happiness when we manage to collect the newspaper but tiring as we had to carry all the items from one place to another, and it was so heavy. But to savour the fruits of our work, we have to suffer some hardship, as nothing come without you working hard for it. This event is worth holding as it allows up to contribute to the society and let us learn a lot in the process. We can learn to be more bold and speak up as we went around knocking on the doors of the residents of Taman Jurong and asked whether they have old stuffs. It was very hard for us to ask people for something, especially those whom we are not familiar with, making us very scared. But after visiting about 10 or more units, we are not afraid anymore and went quickly to knock and asked. It helped to build up our confidence so that we can speak up in class and for presentations. There were many things for us to take note when we went around, we need to be polite and greet the residents before stating our purpose. At the end, we have to thank them even if they do not have old items to give us. It was certainly a hard time doing this CIP but we were having fun doing this. I hope that this programme would be continue on for the next batch of secondary ones,

Lotteries

2009-07-02T18:37:00.000-07:00

Many of us have heard the word lottery and many of our parents would have played the lottery. Lottery is cheap as we could have a ticket for just one or two dollar. However, this allows people to get addicted to buying lottery as it is cheap. But when they keep losing, they would keep betting as they would want to win back all their money but this small amount will become a big amount. It is not a serious problem though. The serious one is where one wins the lottery. One would continue betting as they would think that lottery is a easy way of earning more money. Also, one is greedy and do not has limit to their self-satisfaction. Once they strike the lottery, they will strike it another time, that what most people think. However, it ended up with the person losing money and wanting to make a comback, he bet more money and ended losing more. He then would not have enough money to support his gambling habit and borrow the money from his family. He may also neglect about his family members and throw his temper at them when he loses the lottery. I still remember a advertisement on anti-gambling, the link is http://www.proprofs.com/quiz-school/quizreport.php?title=statistics_9

It shows a father borrowing money from his child by saying that his luck has changed and he would win back all the money. The child however was not willing as she had lent money to her father once and had never get it back. She was in fear as she knew that the money might not come back to her. In conclusion, I condemn lottery as it harms one's mind and destryo one's lives.

Favourite poet

2009-06-29T17:42:00.000-07:00

My favourite poet is Robert Frost. He captivated me as his father died when he was young, yet he was continued to live on and not wept the day away over the loss of his father. When he sent his poems to The Atlantic Monthly, they were returned with this note which read "We regret that The Atlantic has no place for your vigorous verse." However, he was not deterred by this failure. It was followed by North Boston, which gained international reputation. The collection contains some of Frost's best-known poems: 'Mending Wall,' 'The Death of the Hired Man,' 'Home Burial,' 'A Servant to Servants,' 'After Apple-Picking,' and 'The Wood-Pile.' The poems, written with blank verse or looser free verse of dialogue, were drawn from his own life, recurrent losses, everyday tasks, and his loneliness. When he returned to US and the editor of The Atlantic Monthly asked for poems, he gave the very ones that had previously been rejected.

One of his quotes is "A poem begins in delight and ends in wisdom." From this, I think that he is a wisdom person as he knows that reading a poem is fun but what good about poem is that you will learn something from it. Like the one about the "Road Not Taken", people have to make a choice in life and this choice will lead to other choice and there is a little chance of going back, so make a wise choice in life and never regret it. Biographers have different views about him. One sympathise him while other criticise him but I do neither. I uphold him for his determination and strongwill to live on.

Below are three of his poems:

Fire and Ice
Some say the world will end in fire,
Some say in ice.
From what I've tasted of desire
I hold with those who favour fire.
But if it had to perish twice,
I think I know enough of hate
To say that for destruction ice
Is also great
And would suffice.

Into My Own
One of my wishes is that those dark trees,
So old and firm they scarcely show the breeze,
Were not, as 'twere, the merest mask of gloom,
But stretched away unto th eedge of doom.
I should not be withheld but that some day
into their vastness I should steal away,
Fearless of ever finding open land,
or highway where the slow wheel pours the sand.
I do not see why I should e'er turn back,
Or those should not set forth upon my track
To overtake me, who should miss me here
And long to know if still I held them dear.
They would not find me changed from him the knew--
Only more sure of all I though was true.

An Old Man's Winter Night
All out of doors looked darkly in at him
Through the thin frost, almost in separate stars,
That gathers on the pane in empty rooms.
What kept his eyes from giving back the gaze
Was the lamp tilted near them in his hand.
What kept him from remembering what it was
That brought him to that creaking room was age.
He stood with barrels round him -- at a loss.
And having scared the cellar under him
In clomping there, he scared it once again
In clomping off; -- and scared the outer night,
Which has its sounds, familiar, like the roar
Of trees and crack of branches, common things,
But nothing so like beating on a box.
A light he was to no one but himself
Where now he sat, concerned with he knew what,
A quiet light, and then not even that.
He consigned to the moon, such as she was,
So late-arising, to the broken moon
As better than the sun in any case
For such a charge, his snow upon the roof,
His icicles along the wall to keep;
And slept. The log that shifted with a jolt
Once in the stove, disturbed him and he shifted,
And eased his heavy breathing, but still slept.
One aged man -- one man -- can't keep a house,
A farm, a countryside, or if he can,
It's thus he does it of a winter night.

Figurative Language

2009-06-28T17:18:00.000-07:00

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.

In this poem, hyperbole is used to express that the poet sadness that he was unable to travel on both roads at the same time. He decided to travel on one road and kept the other for another day yet knowing that he would not come back. Therefore, he wanted to emphasize on how hard it is to choose which road to travel and that he would not be able to come back one day as one road lead to another road.

I like this poem as it depicts a person's life where at one point, we have to make a decision to choose what we want to do and where we want to be. For example, in our secondary schools, we have to choose what subjects we want to take even though we want to take all so that we can learn everything and hoping that in the future, we can do the other subjects but knowing that we might not have the time to do so. Life is a matter of choice, one choice lead to another and another and you might not be able to come back to the same choice as you will progress further with each choice. We must be prepare to face whatever decision we have to make and the hardships we have to suffer.

Book Review

2009-06-22T04:57:00.000-07:00

Book Read : Soul Stealer by Martin Booth

Application:

I learnt that when you are doing things, don't be rash but think calmly about whether your method will work. Also, your rashness will cause you to oversee some small matters or clues which might matter alot and would affect the results in the end, which may make you happy or sad. Think twice before doing something so as to ensure what you are doing is right and won't do harm to innocent people. Also make sure it will work without creating unnecessary trouble. Your actions can create chain actions which might create harm that you do not want.

Analysis:

I am going to show you the comparison between Tim and Sebastian. Tim is a inquisitive kids who likes to ask alot of questions and like to make some remarks about his sister but he is also a caring brother. He stood up for his sister when Scrotton bullied his sister and wanted to take her sandwich. He is quick thinking and can solve the problems that he encountered like in the supermarket, he saw a thief going around stealing stuffs yet he cannot do anything about without arousing the thief's suspicion. But then, he remember he had the power of a puniter which he did not know how is it like so he decided to try it out. In the end, the jacket of the thief was unzipped and the thief was eventaully caught. Meanwhile, Sebastian is an unpredictable person. One day he says he won't do this, yet the other day he did it. For example, he says that he won't change to an animal to go to school but on the next day, he did it, making Tim and Pip worried for him.

Synthesis:

There are many climax in this book but the most exciting part is the one at the end where Sebastian, Tim and Pip team up together to fight against Scrotton, Yoland and De Loudeac. Many battles happened there and the enemies almost succeeded in their plan in hoping to steal people soul. It was so exciting with what seems like 1 to 1 combat. And what the exciting is when De Loudeac held on to Yoland and pull him down into the reactor where both of them died due to the extreme heat. Scrotton exploded into thin air when the policeman shot him, leaving the police confused on what Scrotton was.

Evaluation:

I think that the book title is a good one. It tells us what we would expect in the storybook but I thought that it would be for the good side but it appears that the soul stealer was Yoland. It somewhat gives me the surprise that the soul stealing skill is not for the good guy but the opposite. Normally, the title of the book is to explain what is going on or what will the good side have that let them win the battle but this book is the opposite.

Book Review

2009-06-20T04:12:00.000-07:00

Book Read : The Key To Rondo by Emily Rodda

There are four rules to the old, painted music box

Wind the box three times only.

Never wind the box while the music plays

Never move the box while the music plays

Never close the lid till the music stopped

Application:

One lesson I learnt from this story is that a friend in need is a friend indeed so as a friend of someone, you must stand up for him/her and help him/her even if you are powerless and cannot do anything for him/her, even if his/her enemy is some wickest witch or a world evil gangster. Your support will give your friend moral courage, and let him have confidence that he/she is going to win even in the times of trouble, and let him/her persevere to the end. Nothing can overcome the power of true friendship.

Analysis:

I think there is a difference between Leo and Mimi. Leo is an obedient boy who never protest despite not agreeing with what others say about him and always listen to what others have told him. He also wouldn't dream of breaking the above four rules. But Mimi, his cousin, is mischievous and wanted to play a prank on Leo but it unlocks a secret world. But both of them are brave in their own ways and do not push the fault around like what people do nowadays. Leo put others in front of himself and would rather sacrifice himself than let the world become corrupted and being ruled by the evil Blue Queen. Mimi was still concerned about her cousin even in times of danger and her cleverness allows them to break free from clutches of the evil Blue Queen and escape. She even manage to surprise Uncle Henry, who was thought to be the smartest, and her uncle did not even figure out what happen until she told Uncle Henry.

Synthesis:

The climax of the story is at the ending where the Mimi and Leo face again the Blue Queen. This is the place where the truth comes out. It is the most exciting part as the real Key is not the ring, which was thought to be the Key all along but the pendant that Mimi wore around her neck which was first taught to be a useless and ugly pendant. Also, this is part where the Key was thought to be destroyed but it was actually an act put up by Mimi to fool the Blue Queen so that they will be able escape from her and Leo will also be safe and not harm. That was where Mimi's cleverness came in.

Evaluation:

The most interesting part of the story is where a hidey-hole save Leo and Mimi. This is the first time where I heard of a hidey-hole in a fantasy book and I didn't know that a hidey-hole would appeared and help Leo and Mimi escape from the police. I had thought that someone or some animal would come and safe them but in the end, it was a hidey-hole. I bet not many of you have heard of a hidey-hole. It is used for hiding people or animal from their enemies. It could read your thoughts and appear if you think of some place to hide. However, it could not hide you and travel at the same time, unlike a carriage. It could definitely talk as this book is about fantasy where many extraordinary things could happen! It could move inside walls and is definitely a good watchkeeper but sadly, it is only in fantasy. Below are the rules for successful hiding in a hidey-hole.

First rule of successful hiding:Don't dillydally!
Second rule of successful hiding:If there's a mirror, use it.
Third rule of successful hiding:Don't make your move too soon.
Fourth rule of successful hiding:Make a plan and stick to it.
Fifth rule of successful hiding:Don't lose your temper.
Sixth rule of successful hiding:NEVER jump out of a hidey-hole without warning it first.

" I am lying. " True or false?

2009-06-19T05:22:00.000-07:00

Do you think I am speaking the truth or telling a lie? This simple sentence is a simple liar yet a complicated one so I do not think any of you can answer this question cause there is no answer to this question. This sentence is an example of a liar paradox. This sentence may be true or false and therefore lead to a contradiction. If you are really lying, then it means you are lying about what you are saying right now so it means you are saying the truth right now. But if you are telling the truth right now, how can you be lying at the same time? Since this sentence is one or other, it is both! So it leads back to a contradiction as you still do not know whether I am lying or not. Even right now, I am confused about this liar paradox and don't understand what I am talking about. You have to think carefully about this sentence and give it some thoughts on what it is talking about. So if people ask you something like that next time, tell them they are contradicting themselves!

How do you know who your friends are?

2009-06-18T05:06:00.000-07:00

We all have friends but what we want is more than just a friend, we want a true friend. The sign of a very good friend of ours is when we call them at any hour and talk to them without thinking about how much time has passed. We also speak about everything in our mind without caring what our friends will think. We will also feel more open talking to them.

However, a true friend is something more than a very good friend. A true friend supports you even if there is an advantage to him. A true friend will understand your needs and will always be there for you without having excuses of having something important like work. A true friend encourages you and forgive you when you did something wrong. A true friend will help you without request and would expect nothing in return. In the hour of desperation, a true friend will be there for you even if the whole world opposes you. It will be good to have a true friends rather than having thousands and millions of very good friends. Not many people have true friend as it is easier for us to expect than to give so not many people want to sacrifice their time and job for their friends. But first be a true friend to yourself.

The most essential in having a true friend and a true friendship is trust. A true friend must be trustable as we need to be able to confine in him/her our deepest secrets, without worrying it may end up on the Internet or being told to others. Faithfulness and loyalty are also key to true friendship. Without them, we would feel betrayed, left out and lonely.

An insincere and evil friend is more to be feared than a wild beast; a wild beast may wound your body, but an evil friend will wound your mind.

What is happiness?

2009-06-11T05:40:00.000-07:00

What is happiness? Happiness is an emotion or feeling ranging from contentment to intense joy. Sadness, love, guilt, hate and many others are also emotions. All emotions have causes, causes which can be understood and controlled. Happiness is a long lasting enjoyment of life and not just momentary where you lived a life by collecting moments of pleasure.

One has to have confidence in mind and have the virtues that make our life worth living to experience a result - an earned pride and a genuine self-esteen. And of course happiness. We would feel satisfied when we finished something something we have wanted to do and would feel happy. This would eventually make our day. More wealth doesn't equal to more happiness as happiness cannot be bought by money but this is not for every case. Then what about sacrificing for others? Some people are greedy and hate to give something they own to others even if they do not want it. Yet, some people donate willingly and feel pleased after seeing many people benefit from the money they donated. Happiness is not what you think it is, it is what your actions do.

Finding happiness is like finding yourself. You don't find happiness, you make happiness. You choose happiness. Self-actualization is a process of discovering who you are, who you want to be and paving the way to happiness by doing what brings YOU the most meaning and contentment to your life over the long run.

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

2009-06-07T03:53:00.000-07:00

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

Personally, I think that it may not be true all the time. Even if many people may think the same, it might not be correct. You cannot trust a person that whatever he said is right even if many people think so. I think that everyone must have their own opinion and not blindly follow other people because they are the smartest among them or are the most reliable.

There are many reasons why others will think it is true when many people think something is true. Firstly, it is because many people are scared to raise out their opinions of fear of being opposed by other people and that they might not be able to argue back their points. Secondly, many people are timid and scared that their opinions are wrong and rejected by others, causing them to be embarrassed of themselves and then they will decide that they will be wrong all the time. Therefore, they will not speak out their own opinions and choose to agree with others. Lastly, many people are lazy to think for themselves and would always agree with others without knowing if they are true or false.

One such example is in class, when the teacher asks the pupils a question which everyone is not very clear what the answer is. So then, the top student of the class raises his hand and say out his answer. The teacher then asked who agree with him, slowly, people began to raise their hands even though who had their own opinions. However, not all the pupils raise their hands. So the teacher asked one the students that did not raise their hand to say out their answers. After the student voice out his answer, the teacher says that his answer is right instead of the top student’s answer. Astonished you might find that the top student answer might not be right.

So, not everything you should just follow blindly in people, agreeing with whatever they had to say. If we do so, we will be reliant on people and may become lazy, resulting in us not having in-depth thinking. Furthermore, I think that we all must have a stand for ourselves and should therefore voice out our thoughts and views on something and not be afraid.

My first semester as a secondary one student

2009-05-27T19:50:00.000-07:00

Time past so fast...... In the blink of an eye, 6 months have past since I first enter my secondary school. Life in secondary school is so different from primary school. I can relax when I was in my primary school but now, I could hardly do so. The subjects taught are twice the number taught in primary school and the things I learn are tougher than taught in primary school. What a large gap from primary to secondary! But after 6 months, I am used to these changes cause we need to adapt to the environment so we could learn faster and be ahead of others.

Talking about my experience as a secondary one student, there are many moments which I cannot forget, most of which are good memories. One of these moments is when we have the secondary 1 camp where we go through hardship together and try to solve problems as one. One of such activites is when we have to lift a rubber wheel out of a pole which is thrice the height of me. before putting it back. At first we though it was impossible, but after some though and some tips from our helper, we decided to from a human wall, where one person stand on top of the other and try to get the wheel, which is so heavy, out. But there are many things we have to consider first, like how are we going to get the wheel up before passing it to the person on top, how many people are going to be the base and so on. We tried a few times but to no avail cause some people were obviously not helping, and we were trying to see how many people are needed for the base so that the person on top won't fall. But in the end, everyone helped out caused we were pushed by our helper as there was not enough time, so we managed to take the wheel out. Putting the wheel back was much easy as lesser people are needed to form the human wall so most of us just support. From this activity, lots of teamwork are needed and can be see how well the team are together. Of course, we were a sort of coordinate team even though some people laze around.

There were some unhappy moments in my life in secondary school such as in class, I quarreled with my friends many times just for some small matters which I forgotten clean about it cause I believe that keeping hatred is harmful for one as the more you keep, the more you will hurt that person until everyone looks like your enemies to you. Sometimes I feel sad when my friends don't help me. Some of them are lazy, some are just trying to bully but of course I don't know what they are thinking. I am also upset that sometimes I don't understand what the teachers are talking about during lessons especially infocomm studies and chinese. Infocomm studies was like alien thing to me cause in my primary school, I don't have lessons about the programs on computer. Furthermore, the lessons taught in term 1 was hard as it was about programming. For the first three weeks, I don't understand what teacher was talking about. But after that, I somehow understood it. Chinese was like different from primary 6 chinese, most of the things were changed and new things were introduced like letter writing, shortening of sentences etcetera. I was so stressed up as I try to remember what the teacher was saying but found that I don't understand all of them. I was like so angry with myself for being stupid..... finally, asking my trustworthy friend, I understand it all. Lucky me to have such a nice friend!

Overall, I can say that my semester was a decent semester as nothing very bad happen to me even during my project's day prelimary rounds. In this semester, I experience things I never do before and I learn lots of things, not just in studies but also in morals and in life. I guess I have make the right choice in coming to this school, the school of future leaders.

Social networking sites

2009-05-15T04:28:00.000-07:00

Facebook? Friendster? Myspace? Do these ring a bell in you? Yup, you are right. They are social networking sites and are known to be the top few out of many other sites. Social networking sites are places for people to get to know and communicate with one another. It also focuses on building online communities of people who share interests or activities, or who are interested in exploring the interests and activities of others and are being used regularly by millions of people. But many people used these social networking sites for their own benefits like promoting their own business or trying to sell some items. One band got famous by promoting themselves in these sites. I cannot blame these people for doing so as these social networking sites are places where many people visits, therefore are good places for sellers to advertise their goods.
Social networking sites are also not a good place for people to make friends as people can hide their identity. They are "evil-hearted" in reality but try to be nice to you in these social networking sites and would even ask you out. Then they show their true colours. Though such cases are not frequent, we must not let down our guards and only add those we know. I had encounter such cases, people trying to make you givve your credit card number to them. So be wary of who you add as friends and what information you put.

Finally Over!!!

2009-05-13T04:45:00.000-07:00

Guess what's finally over? Tests!!! All the tests are finally over!!! Today was the last Mathematics test of the term!!! I am so happy, can finally relax and have more free time to do what I want even though got homework. Today just gotten back english composition marks and only got 19/30. Teacher say below A2(21/30) means fail and I got only a B4. But I totally agree with teacher that below A2 fail cause all of us could get 21 but is just that we did not have a good amount of vocabulary. Guess we all have to read more. So bye for now, nothing interesting to post on for now.

Malaysia trip

2009-05-11T05:21:00.000-07:00

Just went back to Malaysia last weekend to attend my cousin's wedding and had a great feast there. Nothing interesting or weird I can write about there so let me recount the days' events.

Wake up at 5 plus am to get ready before setting off. No traffic jams at the checkpoints in Singapore and Malaysia. But waited half an hour for bus 170 to come. Went to larkin bus terminal to have breakfast before going off to grandparents' house by bus. After 3 hours., finally reached my destination and found that all my relatives are there!!! I was sort of the last few to reach there. Later at night, had a buffet and was feeling extremely full. Many people came but still, the food cannot be eaten finish. I also drank beer!!! Haha!!! Taste bitter but I don't know why I drank it in the first place. Slept about 1 am after watching a chinese drama show.

Next day, I woke up at 6.30 am. At 9.30 am, the bride came and my cousin and the bride began the traditional way of marriage which is offering tea to elders. Then at 1 pm, all of us went to the school hall of my cousin's primary school to attend the wedding ceremony, also to have a wedding lunch there. The food there was delicious as there were shark fin's soup, chicken, duck et cetera. Then had rush back to Singapore. At Woodlands Checkpoint, there was a temperature check to make sure no one had a fever which can be due to H1N1 flu, lucky I am not sick caused if I am, I will have to stay indoors for observation for 7 days!!!

Track and fields Finals

2009-04-23T05:38:00.000-07:00

Today was the track and field finals and the we, Hwa Chong Secondary 1s, went down to support our track and field team. The atmosphere at the Chua Cho Kang Stadium was tense as everyone is hoping their school teams could win. The athletes from our school face tense competition as some sports school was also there, especially Singapore Sports' School. Of course, our school teams did their best and put in their best effort. And we, Sec 1s, cheered for them by shouting our lungs out. Although our athletes was behind in the track events, they make it up in the field events and the results were pretty commendable. Our school teams got CHAMPIONS in B and C division!!!!!! For A division, they gotten 2nd place for girls and 3rd for boys which was pretty good. So our principal declare a holiday!!!! Woot! Three Cheers For Hwa Chong clap-clap clap clap clap, Three Cheers For Hwa Chong clap-clap clap clap clap, Three Cheers For Hwa Chong clap-clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap HWA CHONG!!!

Food poisoning

2009-04-14T05:19:00.000-07:00

I am going to talk food poisoning in this blog post. Recently, there had been a food poisoning in Geylang hawker centre. The poisoned food was rojak. I could not believe such case has happened again after that milk poisoning in China. The poisoned rojak caused lots of people to be ill and even one pregant woman to lose her baby! I did not know this could be possible as usually, when I ate some food which is not clean, I would only get stomachache. After that day, I would be alright. The food poisoning had affected lots of people, the customers to be ill and have to be warded, the stallholders in the hawker centre and those working in the market nearby have lesser customers than usual , causing a dip in their profit. Also, from the news, the cleanliness of the stalls are very low, atrracting pests like rats. I was utterly disgusted at the number of rats they caught. But now, the National Environment Agency(NEA) is starting to do something to solve the problem. Also, the stallholders are going to clean the market once a week to ensure the whole place is clean and free of pests. I can at least see something done which is good. Some time later, I am sure the customers will come back again and need not be fear that there might be food poisoning. To end the post, I would like to say that such cases happening may not be good for Singapore so everyone, let try to keep Singapore clean as everyone plays an important part!

Famous Speech

2009-04-04T03:16:00.000-07:00

Below is the Gettysburg Address, which is one of the most quoted speech in United States history by Abraham Lincoln.

"Fourscore and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation or any nation so conceived and so dedicated can long endure. We are met on a great battlefield of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field as a final resting-place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this. But in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate, we cannot hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead who struggled here have consecrated it far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living rather to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced.It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us - that from these honoured dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion - that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain, that this nation under God shall have a new birth freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth."

The theme of his speech was to invoke the principles of human equality. He gave this speech during the American Civil War. His message was his views about the Civil War as a struggle not merely for the Union, but as "a new birth of freedom" that would bring true equality to all of its citizens, and that would also create a unified nation. I felt that what he said is true as people need to treated equally and probably a war can do that as now in U.S.A, Obama who is not a 'white man' is now president who can bring hope to people while some 'white man' could not have done so. There should not be racism as this would not lead to a cohesive country which could make the country vulnerable if other countries decide to attack them. Here is the website which you could listen to the speech: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Gettysburg_by_Britton.ogg.

Animal Farm

2009-03-31T04:51:00.000-07:00

Utopia is an ideal community or society where everything is perfect and nothing wrong could possibly happen. To me, utopia is make up of a place where everyone is equallt treated, where there are no war and people do not compete for power. The people must have good moral values such as integrity so that there will be peace among people. Everything must be shared equally among people so they won't quarrel over it. To sum the whole thing up, utopia is a place where everybody which to go, it is a place where everyone lives happily and peacefully. Although utopia does not exist and is impossible to have, many people had try to achieve it but failed. It can be only obtain when the day human beings are selfless, caring and most importantly, have integrity.

Reflections

2009-03-28T04:00:00.000-07:00

Doing some reflections about what happened in class....

On Friday, one of my classmates accidentally spilled the contents of another classmate's water bottle. So he just took some cloth and put it on the wet part, hoping to absorb the water dry. In the end, our next period teacher came in and saw it, saying that we should not this but should clean it dry. Two boys near it hastily went to take some newspaper to clean it while the rest of us JUST STOOD DOWN THERE AND WATCH. So got reprimanded for not helping.( Actually, I wanted to help when I saw the teacher's looks as if they are telling someone to go help but I was timid and asked my partner about it but he could not hear what I said.) So she told us to do some reflections and here I am now doing it.
Well.... guess we are not caring towards what may happened to other people and just only cared about ourself. I think that this is the cruel nature of mankind but we could do something about it like try to help when possible and it will become a habit. I think that our class do not really know how to solve problems and think of the future problems that the original problems might caused.
I think that the whole class can improve on it by trying to show more concern to whatever is happening around them.

Abraham Lincoln

2009-03-25T05:37:00.000-07:00

I am going to blog about one of the great leaders in history, Abraham Lincoln.(February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) . I am going to blog about him because I had read a comic strip about him in my primary school when I was primary 6. I was touched by the comic as it depicts Lincoln helping the slaves to be free,who were blacks. But sadly, Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth. He was the 16th president of U.S. and he successfully led the country through its greatest internal crisis, the American Civil War. He preserved the Union and put an ending to slavery. But he was criticised by the Copperheads for refusing to compromise on the salvery issue. Also, Radical Republicians, an abolitionist faction of the Republican Party, criticized him for moving too slowly in abolishing slavery. Still, he successfully rallied public opinion through his rhetoric and speeches, which Obama did to get elected for the president of U.S. Their speeches have make influence on people to believe in them. Lincoln brought the leaders of each faction into his cabinet to make them cooperate. When he was young, he saw black slaves being treated badly such as a mother being pulled away from her child to be sold to buyers. Lincoln immediately was disgusted by it and wanted to abolish slavery as he felt hurt for those slaves. I admired his determination to influence the country and help them despite some difficulties he faced. He aslo managed to led the country through the Civil War, which not many leaders can do.

Lottery's Q5

2009-03-23T05:04:00.000-07:00

Relevance of today:

When you are doing something bad to someone or just looking at someone being hurt, you would not complain about how nasty the treatment is. But only when such things happened to you, then you start lamenting how unfair it is for you to have this treatment and would complain why these things happened to you, and not others. From here, you can see the selfish act of people, they only want the good things for themselves and hope that others get the bad ones. This is also the cruelty of mankind. Friends are not as what you usually think they are. When you are rich, they would try to flatter you to try to get some money out of you. But when you are broke, they would just stay away from you as they can't get anything from you and might not even treat you as friend or help you.
We also tend to flock toward nasty gossip and are interested in spite of the privacy of the subjects involved. Whether it is standing on the side to watch a fight, an accident, or discussing the relationship between two people, we seem to have no problem "butting in" where we do not belong. We have no problem remarking on an individuals' actions until it is ourselves that get caught. We have no problem stereotyping people until is we who are stereotyped. It seems as though we sometimes condemn everyday truths that we know are characteristics of most people, including ourselves, and being afraid to admit them, place the spotlight on someone else. It is sad and definitely hypocritical, but it happens all the time.

Camp

2009-03-13T05:49:00.000-07:00

Just came back from the camp and I felt that I am going to collapse on my bed.....

So tired sia, went back to tent to sleep at 11pm plus but slept at 12 plus cause my tentmates were talking about some stuffs of theirs and got to wake up at 6am next day. Let me elaborate about the camp according to the days.

Day 1

Got into our own groups in school and did some icebreakers to build the team cooperation.
Then went to the campsite and settle down. Did some teambuilding games, some of which were dangerous so the trainers and student leaders kept reminding us about safety first but still got scolded in the end for not being careful. Got into the 'Milo Pond' which was super fun, though it was a bit dirty and smelly. After dinner, did rehersal for the performance on campfire night. Then debrief and supper and went to bed at 11.15pm. ( Super Late cause I usually sleep at 9pm :P)

Day 2

Wait up at 6am and got prepared. After breakfsat, we went to have teambuilding games which is super hard, had to get a heavy tire out of a pole which is so tall. Have to lift people up and let them stand on shoulders. Also, the person I lift stepped on my head!!!! But still must thanks him as he took the tire out. And got to put it back in which took us only less than 5 mins cause we already know what to do. Then went to build a raft which keep breaking up. Sigh, but nevertheless, we were not deter by this incident and continue to build it back again. But still, it broke again!!!! Who cares about the results, the process is more important. In the afternoon, did the Saribum challenge, some of which are just useless, such as the 1km trail, in which I don't see any use in it. At night, we have campfire. We did the BANANA DANCE!!!!! Funny I must say to see myself do it.

Day 3

I was so excited cause today is the last day and I am going back home cause I miss my computer and my extremely comfortable bed. Pack up our stuffs early in the morning. Did area cleaning which is so tiring. Have to unpitch the tent and clean the canvas which is very big and we took about 1hr to finish it. Then have prize-presentation which of course we did not get. Suddenly, it RAINS!!!! Sigh, got wet in the rain while walking to the bus. Home Sweet Home!!!

OUR PRECIOUS RESOURCES

2009-03-09T05:08:00.000-07:00

Today in class, we did future problem solving. During these lessons, I saw that what a big problem man can cause if we accidentally upset the ecosystem like over consuming of shark's fins, resulting in lesser sharks as fishermen have to kill more sharks to meet the human's consumption. These will allow the sharks' prey,such as cownose rays to reproduce faster and increasing at a faster rate, this will result a population to decrease as the rays might feed rapidly on other animals. In the end, it will caused the whole food chain to collapse.
Also, alot of our natural resources have been used excessively such as water, trees and petroleem. I have seen people wasting drinking water like spraying them on the ground. People also leave water running from the pipes for a long period of time and not bothering to close. People have also been wasting paper, resulting in more trees being cut down. This will in turn cause global warming as trees play a very important part in keeping the temperature moderate and not too extreme.
Petroleum is the necessary thing that is needed to power cars. Researchs have said that petroleum will be totally used up in the near future. Now scientists have begun to to turn to other alternative of sources usch as solar power and hydrogen.
So everyone, please use our resources wisely and when you see people wasting such precious recources, remind them not to do so as everything man do can affects the Earth.

Online shopping

2009-03-05T05:11:00.000-08:00

Is online shopping safe? Is it efficient? Personally , I think that online shopping is not safe at all as people could use your information to do illegal things or use the money. This happen when people sign up in the website, thinking that there might be no harm. But in actual fact, alot of things is happening RIGHT UNDER YOUR NOSE!!! You should be more aware of the websites you visit and do not let down your guard when you see something that is on a special offer. Do not reveal information to websites you are not familiar with. But online shopping is very efficient as you can buy or book the items you want a lot first before other people buy from shops. This could also save time.
I got the inspiration to write about this when i listen to the 'News in Class' in school today. :P

MY OWN OPINIONS

2009-03-03T03:51:00.000-08:00

8 weeks have past.... so FAST!!!!! Now is the 9th week and next week is my camp but I don't know whether to be happy or sad. Happy because I am probably going to do a lot of fun things and sad because I am going to leave my comfortable home and my family for three days. I have been to many camps before so I don't care what is going to happen at the camp as long as the activities are not too hard. After the camp is goin to be March HOLIDAYS!!!! ISN'T IT GREAT? Gonna enjoy the holidays soon so just endure the tough week in school.

Test results :D

2009-02-27T04:23:00.000-08:00

Within this week, I receive back my test results from my respective teacher. BUT have not heard anything or receive anything from my english teacher! :P So far my results are still okay. Sorry, cannot tell you my results or it will make you cry or jealous of me for those who score lower than me( just kidding). I think that the term 1 test was rather easy as the teachers test what was learn in term 1 only and not the whole year. Those who have not done well in term 1, jiayou to you, work hard and you will enjoy the fruit of your labour.

ANGLES grand finals

2009-02-26T03:39:00.000-08:00

On Wednesday was ANGLES grand finals and guess who won? ISPARK! Sigh, my consortium did not win but I can see that they had put in alot of efforts and futhermore, I am happy that the ispark won as we are one big hwachong family. BUT some people jeered at the ispark and we got reprimanded for that.
Hai, do not know why some people want to treat people who are smarter and those who are not as clever as them differently. I think everyone should be treated with respects, no matter who they are. Imagine you are the one being treated like that, you would not feel comfortable with this and may get upset. Most people did not think what their actions might do to the people around them. I hope that everyone is being treated equally so as to lead to a coheseive country.

Tests

2009-02-18T04:35:00.000-08:00

These two weeks have exams!!! But luckily, I pay attention in class and revise or else I WILL SURELY FAIL THE EXAMS! Maths is the easiest of them all, and guess what? History is the hardest because we have to write essay and infer which I am not good at it, therefore I hate it. But still have to learn, maybe some day, I will probably not hate it(hope so). Chinese paper is the hardest so far, alot of people in the class did not finish it, pity them. Last test on this friday, and is history. Why does it have to be the last one? I hope to get over it as quickly as possible. :P

Australian bushfires

2009-02-12T03:21:00.000-08:00

I feel sorry for those who die in the bushfires. Some of the bushfires may be attributed to natural causes such as lightning strikes and accidental causes such as sparks from machinery, camp fires and more. BUT, A LARGE NUMBER OF BUSHFIRES ARE DELIBERATELY SET BY PEOPLE KNOWN AS ARSONISTS!!!!!! Even though I don't know why they deliberately want to set fire, I think that they should spare a thought for the innocent ones. If they set the fire because of some grudges against the government or some people, they should not set the whole forest on fire, killing people but approach the person they bear a grudge to and try nicely to solve the poblem without killing people.

My opinions about flowers for Algernon

2009-02-06T06:11:00.000-08:00

3.What makes an ideal human or the ideal life?
An ideal human is one whom is responsible for all his actions and cares for his family and friends. He is also look up by others and respected by them. He is very easy to associate and easy to comminucate with. He has a very wide social cirlce. He needs not be smart but he has to live life to the fullest by helping the people in need and society. He does not need to be in the "in" group too, but as long as he has a good personality, he is an ideal person.

The taximan's story (answers)

2009-02-04T05:42:00.000-08:00

1. The irony in this story is that the taximan protest against the young girls flirting with the American and European tourists yet he still drove them around in his taxi saying that he earn alot of money.
2. The themes raised is the moral values as the young people now tell lies and do nonsensical things while in the past the young people were very obedient.
3. It is realistic as last time the parents were very strict with their child and now the young people like being fashionable to look cool to be in the "in" group. Nowadays, children also tell lies to do something they want.
4.I do not sympathy with him as it is his fault that he never brought up the child properly by teaching her moral values. If in the past the parents can be strict with their child and teach them to be be obedient, why can't he do the same. Furthermore, he also care only about himself and not others as he drive the girls and tourists around and not reject them. He only wants to earn more money.
5.I agree. Today teenagers are really getting out of hand, making their parent unable to handle them as they are capable of doing anything. This is also part of parents' fault as they never taught their child well.
6. I do not sympathise with any of them. The daughter told lies and did not care about her parents' feelings. Also, the father is prone to violence. The Madam is a teacher and should teach the students in her class or school important moral values.

About gifted education

2009-02-01T03:10:00.000-08:00

Yap Chong Sin
Block 126 Ang Mo Kio Road
#13-213
Sinagpore 509238

31 January 2009

Editor of The Straits Times
Singapore Press Holdings
Novena Street 82
Singapore 680256

Dear Editor,
Re: My Views About Gifted Education
There are diverse views about gifted education, some good and some bad. These lead to some misunderstandings about gifted education on Singapore. Gifted education was first implemented in Singapore in 1984 as the Ministry of Education has to policy to allow each pupil to learn at a pace which is suitable for them, reducing attrition in schools. Therefore, there is a need to nurture the intellectually gifted to their full potential for the fulfillment of self and betterment of society. This is also because Singapore's future depends on how well it develops its human resources. It is also to provide leadership to them to service to the country and society next time. It began with two primary centres and two secondary centres but grew to a larger number. The things taught to the gifted education pupils are at a higher level. Singapore also wanted to make sure its gifted pupils were not isolated fromother pupils in the mainstream. As such, they did not establish a school for the gifted.

But the pupils in the gifted education have been known by other pupils as arrogant and nerds, creating an argument in the country. Both gifted education pupils and mainstream pupils have criticised each other in blogs and newspapers. The Ministry of Education could not solve all the problems caused by this dispute.

There are advantages and disadvantages in gifted education. I think that the advantages of gifted education are that the gifted pupils can learn at a faster pace, taking in more things and can help the world and society in the nearby future with their knowledge. This could enhance the technology and medical research. The disadvantages are that the gifted pupils will tend to boast in front of their friends to show how smart they are, making their friends to be jealous of them and despise them. I think that the gifted pupils should help the mainstream pupils in their work so that they could learn too. The mainstream pupils should also take the boasting not seriously and use it as an encouragement to study hard as people have different learning speed. But I think that they should not criticise each other over this small matter. Gifted education is essential as it allows intellectually gifted pupils to have leadership and lead the nation towards a cohesive society.
Therefore, the advantages of gifted education are more than the disadvantages of it, making the gifted education good for the pupils.

Yours faithfully,
Yap Chong Sin

Encouragement for young people

2009-01-29T00:32:00.000-08:00

I think that young people should set worthwhile goals and work towards them. Having a worthwhile goals would help them as they have already plan their future and would not need to fret about what to do later, giving them lesser worries. They would be able to reach their goals too as it is not too hard for them to do. It would also serve as determination to push them to work hard towards their goal and not slack around, doing nothing.
While working towards your goal, you may learn some important moral values such as integrity. Furthermore, you can make new friends and get along well with them. You might probably need their help too.
When you accomplish your goal, you will be able to savour the fruit of your labour! If you are not able to accomplish your goal, ask yourself what had gone wrong. Then try again. You will surely make it!
Like me, my goal is to be a good results in my exam. So now, I am studying hard and revising my homework everyday to reach my target. There are people who are handicapped but still manage to complete impossible tasks like Dr Tan who manage to complete seven marathons even though he is on wheelchair, making him the fastest man on earth.Overcome all the challenges and you will be able to reach your goal.
So I hope what I say has inspire you to set your goals and achieve it.

Cruelty to the whales in Japan

2009-01-15T04:08:00.000-08:00

I think that the ministry need to put a stop to the cruelty of whales. Whales are hit not on their brains but on other parts of the body, making them suffer for 30 minutes before dying. The sea will also be pollute with blood, making it seems disgusting. Furthermore, if humans keep on hunting whales, they may become endangered and would soon be wipe out. If the government wants to do research on the whales, they should not kill too much whales but do it in moderation. But i think it is best that the whaling as it is unhumane. Hope that all of you can help stop the hunting of whales.

School

2009-01-13T03:32:00.000-08:00

School was pretty tiring as i have to go for cca orientation. But lucky homework is not much but is very hard to do as there is a big gap between what i learn in pri sch and now. But life in sch was fun, there are a lot of facilities to use but i hate something about the sch which is the break time. More than 10 classes would buy food at the same time. Overall, i still like the sch as the things there are top qualities!!!!!

My New Blog

2009-01-08T21:10:00.000-08:00

HI,everyone! This is my first time blogging. I was never interested in blogging but i hope it would be fun. I would be mostly writing about my own opinions, experiences etc.

(Please leave me some advice on blogging.)