Do It Or Else....

Hi,

This is the assignment on the Effects of War on both civilians and soldiers. It is very brief and consise.

References: Saving Private Ryan, Documentary on Hiroshima, Times (War), Pearl Habour (the movie)

Task 2

Point of View

Point: The poem is written in the point of view of a person who has had first-hand experience with Agent Orange.

Evidence: He knew about the “Execrable effects of agent orange spray!” and the “ deceit that continues to spread” about Agent Orange.

Elaboration: The poet exhibits a profound understanding towards the consequences and effects of Agent Orange. He knew about the “birth defects” and “prematurely dead”, both of which are the dire consequences of Agent Orange. His knowledge was most likely gained through first-had experience. We know this to be true as he was in fact exposed to this toxin during his time as a soldier.

Situation and Setting

Point: The setting of the poem is after the Vietnam war.

Evidence: The whole poem is in the past tense, such as “America did not foresee” and “now thinking twice”, which means the event (Vietnam war) happened in the past.

Elaboration

Since the setting is after the war, some of the victims of Agent Orange would have surfaced and the poet would know about the actual consequences of Agent Orange. He realizes that war is dangerous not only for soldiers, but also innocent civilians, and even babies not even born! The poet is also able to discern the :deceit” spread by the government, and provide the truth to those who read his poem.

Language and Diction

Point: The poet uses oxymorons and some other interesting words.

Evidence: “Rainbow Death”

“potpourri”

“Nefariously”

“Execrable”

Elaboration: “Rainbow Death” is an oxymoron. Rainbows are commonly associated with happiness, hope and the light after the rain. However, death is sinister, bad and sorrowful. This oxymoron emphasizes the harmful effects of using Agent Orange.

“Potpourri” is a metaphor. It means: a mixture of dried petals and leaves from various flowers and plants that is used to give a room a pleasant smell. However, the context of the poem, I think that it just means dried (or dead) petals and leaves. The killing leaves and petals are actually one of the goals for using Agent Orange. However, just like the flora, many other people were killed by Agent Orange. Also, potpourri also mean an unusual mixture of things. The effects of Agent orange were many, from disabilities to babies with two faces, or missing limbs etc.

“Nefariously” is an interesting word that means evil. The poet is indicating that Agent Orange was just evil, and covering it up was even more so. From here, we can infer that he is strongly anti-war.

“Execrable” also means evil or bad. Again, the poet suggests that war is bad.

Personal Response

The poet is able to make me change my perspective of war. His ominous descriptions of the numerous evils as well as the plight of the victims makes me pity the victims of this horrible weapon. Vietnam is known to still feel the effects of this chemical weapon. Many of the villagers were born with birth defects, although they did nothing wrong. The poet describes this groups of people as the “unborn” and “prematurely dead”. The line “Omnipotent and disregarding who will mourn” suggests that America, being powerful both militarily and politically, was bullying a weaker nation, or rather a weaker group of people. America is portrayed as selfish through the line ;expecting others to pay a high price”. Hence, the poet is able to evoke my sympathy for the victims of Agent Orange.

IT Home Learning Assignment: Task 1

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!

by Hubert Wilson

This poem speaks of a chemical weapon, called “Agent Orange”, used during the Vietnam war. This chemical weapon was supposed to kill forests such that the Viet-cong could be driven out of hiding. However, this chemical also affected humans. As a result, millions of people were infected, with over 400,000 deaths and disabilities. Subsequent generations of children had many birth defects.

During the war, Agent Orange was by far the most widely used of the range of “Rainbow Herbicides” employed in the herbicidal warfare program. This groups of chemical weapons not only infected the Vietnamese, but also some Americans. Hubert Wilson was one such victim.

Some of its effects include:

• Prostrate Cancer
• Respiratory cancers
• Chloracne
• Leukemia

As evident, Agent Orange has many detrimental effects to its victims, as well as future generations of children. Furthermore, some of its effects can only be felt 20 to 30 years after exposure. Hubert Wilson suddenly came down with some symptoms associated with Agent Orange. He thus wrote this poem to condemn war and the usage of chemical weapons.

http://www.warpoetry.co.uk/2010warpoetry.html

http://bhopal.net/oldsite/oldwebsite/agentorange.html

http://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/agentorange/

Lack of Camaraderie- A Pressing Issue Indeed

Hi guys,

Browsing through the pages of 2O1's history, I have come to a conclusion. Our class lacks camaraderie. Short, seemingly harmless, yet pressing and fatal.

The first sign of a un-bonded class is the unwillingness to help out each other in schoolwork. I would like to express my appreciation to those who really help me as well as the other classmates in the class. Yes, that means Martin, Jonathan, Hui Ming, Zhi Xin, Dexter etc. However, I feel that sometimes we are unwilling to help others, including me. Although help is still rendered in the end, I occasionally get a little frustrated or irritated. It is just human nature to be selfish and self-protecting. I promise that I will help everyone to the best of my ability.

The second sign is the flaming of classmates on blogs. From the posts that I have read, many involve unreasonable and often fictional descriptions of another classmate. It is extremely saddening to see fissures forming in the class. I hope that there will not be anymore hatred in the class, especially unjustified ones.

The third sign is the many “social circles” formed in the class. Well, it might not be bad if it was an open social circle, however in the class it is an extremely closed social circle. Somehow I feel as if the whole class has been divided into a few factions opposing each other in subtle ways. There is no sense of belonging to the class.

So how did the lack of camaraderie affect us, you may ask. Well, for one we got into a lot of trouble with our results. Our MSG ranking dropped 10 positions. That is one great “accomplishment”. However, I think this could have been averted if the class had enough teamwork to help each other out. Though it might seem troublesome, you never know when that person might help you in return. Furthermore, by repeating your knowledge to others, you are actually learning yourself! As the Chinese saying goes, revise the old and learn the new, you are able to gain knowledge just by thinking about it again. It is not a disadvantage to you to be helpful to others, in fact it is beneficial to you.

To solve the problem of the lack of camaraderie or the lack of class-spirit, I propose that we have more outings/CIP activities. Having fun is the best way to develop teamwork and camaraderie (unless you prefer the more painful solution-going through very hard times together). It will not be easy, but it is possible. For a better class, it must be done.

Whether you are a member of “fearsome four____” or the “waterpolo brothers” or the “mighty muggers”, I sincerely hope that everyone will be able to put aside their personal feuds and start anew, to rediscover the class in a whole new way.

Thank You

Popularity VS Profit

Hi guys,

I'm sure all of you have heard about the iPad or the iPhone. Much of the talk in the technology world is about these two items, which are both products of Apple Inc. Apparently, Apple has become the most popular and perhaps the most well-known computer + phone company in the world. It has sold over iPhone 3GSs since it came out last year, with over 4 billion apps downloaded from the apps store.

300,000 iPads just on the first day and 450,000 by the first week. So much so that the stores in America ran out of stock and they had to delay international shipping. Reviews of the iPad popped out all over the internet, media, newspapers and even Newsweek and China Weekly. There is so much buzz over the iPad and even the supposed iPhone 4G, which has yet to be even released! Evidently, Apple is receiving most of the attention in the tech world.

However, Microsoft has much of an "unsung success", according to Newsweek.Windows 7, Microsoft's new operating system, has sold over 90 million copies in just 5 months. The magazine said that windows 7 is "pretty high quality stuff" and has received "the highest customer-satisfaction scores of any product in its history". Its "revenues in the December quarter hit a record $19 billion", but "nobody seems to care". This is because Apple has captured almost all the computer/electronics market with its high-end Macbooks as well as its cheaper iPads and iPhones. For now, Microsoft is just raking in the money boringly, without receiving much attention.

So now for the question. Is popularity or profit better?

Firstly, I would like to say that both of them are inter-linked. If a company is popular, it will make a lot of money. However, if a company is profitable, it will most likely increase in popularity as its trustworthiness is high.

However, which one would you prefer to start off with? Personally, I prefer popularity. (No, its not because I love Apple more than Microsoft) With popularity, one can easily "convert" the people who are loyalist to your rival. Not to mention the free advertisements on newspapers and online tech blogs dedicated to your product reviews. Popularity will be a faster way to increase profits.

However, being profitable first is not so effective. If one is profitable but not publicized, your customer numbers will never increase as all the customers would be people who already trust your products, without many new customers. In fact, if you rival manages to create much better publicity, your customers would be poached. This is the case for Microsoft. They do not publicize their products much, so most of their customers are the same old ones from before. However, Apple publicizes their products a lot, and more and more people are converting to using Macs rather than PCs, iPhone rather than Windows Mobile, iPads rather than netbooks.

What is you take on this? Please Comment.

Aftermath of TKAM

WOOHOO!!! To Kill a Mockingbird literature test is finally over! Here's a song I want to dedicate to TKAM:

(sung to the tune of What a friend I have in Jesus)

When this test is gone and over,

Oh, how happy I will be!

No more boring annotations,

No more literature for me.

No more TKAM essay writing,

No more studying prejudice.

When this test is gone and over,

How I'll sleep and how I'll dream!

Well, that song pretty much sums up what I have to think about TKAM. Personally, I feel that TKAM is not very suitable to teach in Hwa Chong at a sec 2 level. Here is what happened what I first took out the book:

1. "WOW! So thick! I don't fell like reading it already"
2. I look at the synopsis and think, "I don’t know what will happen in the story at all!"
3. “Why is the first two pages about the history of some weird old guy from some fictional American town?"
4. “Hey, I think I’ll just leave this book alone until my teacher instructs me to read it.”

Even after analyzing the book in class, I still am not able to appreciate the book. If you ask me, Animal Farm is so much more interesting and captivating than TKAM. As people who have just reached teen-hood, I feel that we do not really find much importance in knowing about prejudice or moral courage, let alone take interest in it. Adults might think that it is of utmost importance to educate teenagers on the proper kinds of courage so that teenagers would not get into fights or start arguments, but instead have the courage to walk away. However, how effective can a literature book be in educating teenagers?

Yes, it is one of the greatest novels of all time. Yes, it has won the praise of many critics. However, I feel that it has not won over us teenagers. It is common to hear a swear word associated with the boredom of studying TKAM in class every morning, and sometimes on Facebook. This 'phenomenal' is not only confined to HC. There are many people from other schools such as RI or NY who post complains about the book on facebook.

The most compelling reason why this book is not suitable to be taught is because it not only did not serve its purpose of eradicating prejudice, it in fact made many of us more prejudiced. Many of the racist and ostracizing terms from the book were introduced into our vocabulary. Was TKAM counter-productive?

Personally, I think that Lord of the Flies would be more suitable to be taught in school. Although it has a violent nature, it is still acceptable to teenagers nowadays, who think nothing of playing violent video games that involve killing innocent people. Furthermore, its theme of savagery will prove to us that violence will get us nowhere. Its plentiful and varied vocabulary will serve to improve our english language skills (based on the first chapter. I am not sure whether the rest of the book is as such).

What do you think? Should TKAM be taught to us?

Disclaimer- All information provided in this post is purely the opinion and observation of myself only. This is not a critical review of the book, but a personal opinion. No offense is intended for anyone involved in one way or another with this post.

Intrapersonal Intelligence Assignment

Which character would you like to play in the movie version of the novel? Explain.

I would like to be Atticus in the movie version of the novel.

Firstly, I find that Atticus is the most likable character in the novel. Most people would regard him as the most just, non-racist, dependable, loving person/father in the story. Indeed, he sets a role model not only for lawyers around the world, but also us common folk. He is akin to Martin Luther King Jr in his actions, beliefs, and words, as seen in his unwavering belief that all humans should be equal before the law. He is willing to go to the extent of putting his own reputation, as well as his life on the line for his beliefs. Even in the face of opposition, he never faltered.

He is also dependable as he was always there for Jem and Scout, willing to listen to their grievances and stories. He never acted different on the streets as he was at home. Everyone in town respected him, even after the trial. Despite this, he was humble and respected his children's opinions, often willing to give way for his children, reaching a compromise.

But why act as him in a movie, you may ask? Well, from my experience (sorry, I could not find scientific evidence) humans always sympathize with the 'good guys', that is, the people who stand up for what is right. Take for example, most people will like Jake from Avatar because he stood up for his dreams, his beliefs and defected over to the natives of Pandora.

Likewise, acting as Atticus in a movie would boost my popularity. Acting as someone such as Bob Ewell or Mr Radley would only bring about scenarios like this:

You walk down the red carpet and a child says, "Hey! It's that bad guy from To Kill A Mockingbird!"

That would not be very nice, would it? Also, being one of the main, influential characters in a movie has many benefits. If the movie makes it to the Blockbusters, companies would flock to me to ask me to model for their advertisement. This is especially so for baby products, or law firms, where a role model as a father and a lawyer respectively would come in really handy to sell their product.

Lastly, acting as a morally upright person would no doubt affect my views on morality, and strengthen my moral courage. Although it is just an act, there is still an amount of feeling and reality to it. Just like acting out Boo Radley's rumors affected Scout's perception of Boo, acting would also affect me morally.

Do you agree with my reasons? Is my post answering the question?

Comment

Visual/Spatial Intelligence Assignment

Hi,

This is my assignment for Visual/Spatial Intelligence. It was drawn with reference made to To Kill A Mockingbird, Enotes and zsp417.tripod.com

I simplified the map and removed some less important information (or those that I could not remember whether it was mentioned in the book) such as the hardware store, the treehouse, the picket fence etc.

LA IT Home Learning Assignment

Hi,

This is the result of my Multiple Intelligences Test

As you can see, I am Visual/Spatial Smart and Interpersonal Smart. I think that through this test, I will be able to know how to make myself learn effectively. For example, if I am people smart, I would consult my friends and hold study sessions together to better facilitate my learning. If I am a picture smart person, I would create pictorial diagrams or mind maps to help me understand my work.

This knowledge is especially useful when studying for my exams as I need to know all my work in the shortest, most effective way possible. This will allow me to accomplish just that.

One thing I find weird is that I am actually people smart. I would not say that I am not, but I always thought I was better at intrapersonal. But in the end, intrapersonal turned up as the last in the test! Perhaps this test is a little inaccurate. So for the two assignments I need to complete, I will do Spatial/visual and intrapersonal.

Changes to My Blog

Hi guys,

Now I will be posting on how my blog has improved over last year's. I admit that my

previous blog was a little plain, boring and dead. So that is why I want to prove to you that my blog is better now!

(Firstly, if you happen to think that this is my personal blog, you are gravely mistaken. :D Do not take me as a "mugger"!)

Blogskin

I have adopted a new blogskin because many of my classmates feedback that the old Blogger blog template was too plain, boring and not eye-catching enough. This new blogskin features a interesting image in the background of the Earth being submerged/drowned. My world is now drowned in many things, whether good or bad. I want to share my thoughts in this blog, hence the cool new image.

I also like this blogskin because:

1. the font is not too small
2. The picture is not behind the words, thus it does not cause difficulty in reading
3. There is a clear colour contrast--Black background and white words
4. there is a large enough sidebar to fit my widgets

These improvements will be especially valuable to my blog because, though most of us do no believe it, we DO judge a book by its cover. The first impression one receives when he/she enters the blog is the blogskin. With this cool new, exciting blogskin, I am sure that people will be more interested in my blog.

Widgets

There is not much change to the widgets, except the change of music and the change of the blog visitor counter.

I changed the music to feature livelier songs that I think will help "hype-up" my visitors. These songs are not so common on other people's blogs because they are not that famous songs, but still quite nice.

The new blog visitor counter allows me to check my daily visitor traffic. This will help me better know when to write new blog posts, check back for comments etc.

Blog Slogan

I have already posted on this issue, which is available under 'older posts'. However, I wish to clarify that my blog slogan is my ASPIRATION, not what I already am.

I did not like my blog slogan (These words will change the internet) because it sounded very egoistic and proud. This new blog slogan is a little more humble, I would say. I chose to put an aspiration because I do not want to remain at what I already am, but rather I want to continually improve myself, climb higher than the highest peak!

PS. In case you have not realized, my blog slogan is an awesome alliteration!

Blog Content

I am still working on this but, I will try my best to post about things that are fresh and new, such as SLC. I try not to post about cliche topics like inconsideration on buses, what I did for the weekend etc. (If you really want to know about these topics then go visit some other boring blog.) I will also add more picture onto my posts to make my post more eye-

catching.

What I Plan To Do?

Well, I aspire to be the best I can, so no blog post about how I have improved is complete without how I will continue to improve, right? From another perspective, no reader actually would like to know how you have improved, since the end result is already right before their eyes. But rather, they would like to know how you would be in the future, and this part of my post is specially dedicated to that.

I will try to find a better font such that the paragraphs do not seem too cluttered. The current font is a little messy. I will also include more humour in my post, as well as videos to captivate visitors.

I will try to find more interesting issues to talk about, as well as decrease the amount of bias in my posts. This will be important as I want my blog to be as reliable as possible, though I do admit that there is no such thing as 'zero' bias-ness.

Is there anything else I can improve on? Please comment.

Why I LOVE IT Home Learning

Hi,

Well, as most of you probably know, next Mon and Tue will be our IT home learning days. Yes, that means there is no need to go to school! All our work and lessons will be prepared by our teachers and posted on the internet, and we have to finish it by a given time.

Personally, I like this method of teaching because I would have the opportunity to learn for ourselves, instead of having a teacher teach me everything. This will train my self-discipline NOT to play games, watch anime etc. during the Home Learning period.

On a usual day, where I have to wake up at an insane 6am, I would have lost my concentration by 11am. Hence, I would be nodding off to sleep during the second half of the day. The good news is that we only have to wake up at 8am during the two IT Home Learning days. (I know most people will just sleep two hours later, right?) This is really, really important because only then will I have the energy to work. The end result of this extra boost will be increased efficiency during my studies.

To some people, learning from the internet is easier and more efficient than learning from a real life teacher. I do not know why, but somehow an inanimate object can answer their questions and teach them better than a real-life teacher. Perhaps its because they prefer anything that is related to technology and computers. (I do)

However, everything has two sides of the story. (quite sad, huh?) There is this dark, looming, sinister temptation that threatens to seize you anytime during those two days-- Electronic Entertainment. Almost everyone in the world can be distracted with games, songs etc available in the internet. Even when in school, many people use their laptops to access Facebook, Youtube and computer games, sometimes during lessons. This problem will be worse when students are at home without the watchful eye of teachers, and are required to use the computer throughout the lesson. Work done might not be of top quality.

Also, we cannot clarify our doubts with teachers in those two days. questions directed through the forums will only be answered a few hours later. By then, student will be late for their submission of homework. There is also the possibility that students may not get their doubts clarified on the day itself and forget about the issue when he returns to school.

Lastly, if students do not complete their work properly or are unable to learn effectively during the two days, teachers would have to spend more time correcting the students' mistakes in class or revise the topics. This will waste precious curriculum time.

Verdict

It is alright to have IT Home Learning for a week at most to ensure that the students do not forget their questions and have a chance to voice them out. Also, it allows students to get a first-hand experience of independent learning, and is long enough to effectively develop self-discipline. Students can play computer games if they want to, but they have to make sure that they do not neglect their studies. Those who do not finish the work assigned may be punished by their teachers in school. (It is also like a holiday for us students!)

However, students who are unable to learn well with this system will still exist. There is no avoiding it. However, I feel that they can consult their parents or tuition teachers to teach them about what is being taught, if possible.

I LOVE IT HOME LEARNING! (who doesn't?)

Happy Chinese New (torturous) Year

Hi Guys!

Firstly I would like to wish all of you a very happy Chinese New (torturous) Year!

I am sure many of you detest the large stack of homework that is on the table/in you bag right now. (yes, even the night before school reopens) Well, my teacher once forbad us to wish her 步步高生 because it sounded a lot like 簿簿高生。The first one means constantly improving but the second one means more and more books. In other words, she does not want more books to mark. Similarly, I also strongly dislike homework during the CNY holidays.

Here are some Facebook Updates I found:

"I am overwhelmed by the heap of things to do. 4 times I have tried to sleep, 4 times homework reminded me I cant."

" is trying to do homework and watch tv at the same time..."

"it seems that the long weekend wasn't long enough..."

These are just some of the many posts complaining about the not-so-long Chinese New Year weekend. This overwhelming amount of homework has DESTROYED our Chinese New Year!!! Well there is a deeper implication to this seemingly small issue- Should our present societal norms outweigh our culture?

This issue is rather prevalent in the world today. This is because in today's society, there exists one generation of people who grew up about 60-80 years ago, therefore are deeply rooted to traditions and culture. The younger generation in today's society live in a world where culture and traditions still play an important role, but modern trends/customs threaten to overwhelm them.

If you are still confused about what I am talking about, think of it as:

A Red Packet VS A Black Packet

The reason for the usage of red as the colour for a red packet is because red is considered an auspicious colour for the Chinese. However, some people give "red" packets of other colours such as pink, orange, brown, and worse of all, black because many of the younger generation feel that red is a little boring and want to explore different alternatives. Sad to say that the usage of Black is regarded as inauspicious, a total contradiction with Chinese traditions.

The question at issue now is whether modern customs should replace old traditions and cultural customs. Let us now look at both sides of the argument. (We will be using the Chinese New Year and homework incident as an example)

For homework:

- Termly tests are just around the corner, if students do not revise their work, they will fail.

- CNY is a long weekend. Students will lose out on a lot if no work is done.

- CNY is not all about celebrating There are times to be serious and do work too.

- This is today's society. There is no escaping from homework.

- CNY is just a celebration. It is not against the law to do homework during CNY.

Against Homework:

- CNY is for people to enjoy, meet up with relatives and friends.

- Students should not be bogged down with homework during a festive season as it will cause them not being able to enjoy the festive season.

So what do you think? Which one is more important? Comment!

End of part 1

SLC 4 Weeks down the Road

Hi Guys

Sorry for not posting for so long. I know this may sound like an excuse but I have been reaching home at 10pm for a few days already, and the rest of the days are 'homework-packed' days.

So far we have started on the publicity part of our work. We need to create a publicity video, a brochure and website. Our first proposal was rejected so we are currently working at 150% trying to come up with some more by next week! I am in charge of the video. I have to say it is one of the most challenging of all, mainly because it was started only this year. That means that there are no resources from past SLCs to refer to.

SLC so far has been a cross-country run. Long hours spent in school and at home trying to dig out new ideas has left me a little tired. But this is just the beginning, still 5 more months to go! Stop and rest, and the deadlines will catch up with you. (our OS will also get to us) This mere 4 weeks is like the run from the track to the JC for Hwa Chong's cross-country run.

Just like a cross-country run, it is not just torture. There is still fun and experience gained. Just as running improves your stamina, this SLC-run has given me valuable skills and experience, such as teamwork and punctuality. I have learnt many miscellaneous things such as formality for our product, video editing etc. I have no doubt that this will come in useful in the future.

Finally, every run cannot be successful without the help of the organizer in the background. Similarly, this 4 weeks would not have been possible without my teachers, parents and friends. Thank You for all your help, and I hope you will excuse me if I am unable to complete any work.

Samuel Ng

SLC Introduction

Hi all

Somehow its seems as if everyone has dedicated at least 1 paragraph to the new future school pilot programme. A little boring isn't it? I mean like, most of our blogs will be read by either

1)people from 2O1 or

2)people from Hwa Chong or

3) some random guy who happens to fall into our boring blogs by clicking "next blog" and leaves after finding out we are NOT celebrity bloggers though we want to be one.

(the sad truth huh?)

Who wouldn't know about it? Bad analysis of target audience or possible audience, I would say.

Today I am going to write about a topic none of you guys in the class will write for this year: My experience in the Student Leader's Convention OT. (SLCOT for short) Yesterday marked the official starting day of the SLCOT marathon, according to The teacher-in-charge of SLC. I was told that being a member of the SLCOT would be really tough (so don't expect me to be posting that much) but the fruits of our labour would change our lives forever.

Yesterday's meeting started at 7pm. No, that's not a typo-error. Its ended around 9.30p.m. Yeah! What's more, I was told that this first meeting was considered very early!!! (I bet you have those three letters Mr Dennis Ong mentioned)

First we went through some Icebreakers and the Organizing Secretary, Daniel, randomly forced me to do a forfeit even though no one called my name in 'Whacko'. Sort of unfair, I would say. So I stood behind him and shouted, " Daniel, forfeit!" Everyone likes to tease Daniel so they too wanted him to do a forfeit. Sadly, in the end I still did the forfeit.

Did I forget to mention that SLC was a collaboration between NYGH and HCI? Never mind it is not that important is it? It is? (I can see you wishing you were there) In my committee (logistics) there are 5 boys and 5 girls. Thus there is this school rule that we cannot meet in school (you know why but I don't, really!) so we have to meet at someone's house. (isn't that worse???)

Enough about them. Our seniors told us that the workload will be very heavy for SLC. there are meetings about 2 times a week at night because it is hard to find an afternoon where everyone is available. Meetings can easily last until 11pm. Plus there is a general meeting once every fortnight. Sounds pretty demanding!

I hope that SLC will not affect my school performance. I also hope that this event will change me into a better person and I will benefit greatly from it.

I cross my heart and hope for the best.

Samuel

PS. I did NOT join SLCOT to be with THEM.

Which is more Prominent in Singapore: Racism or Xenophobia

Hi all,

Welcome once again to my blog. Its the beginning of a new year (sorry actually its been more than half a month already) and I am very very very glad to say we have new literature books! (sorry for the propaganda too)

I have started to read To Kill A Mockingbird, a story about racism and racial inequality in America. The first time I read it it was boring boring and even more boring. To be honest, I could not even get past the first chapter. Now that I think of it, Animal Farm was much better. The story was quite easy to understand as a whole. The dynamic characters made it easy for the reader to sympathize with the mistreated animals. The relation to real life was very eminent throughout the entire story.

Now back to the point. I was like trying to remember all those projects that I saw last year to try to improve my own project. I randomly recalled one that had a twenty word title! Mind-blowing? It was something like: examining the extent of the xenophobic tendencies in Singaporeans; case study of the Serangoon Gardens incident... This surprisingly random topic caused me to think about whether racism or Xenophobia is more prominent in Singapore.

For those of you who do not know what is Xenophobia, it actually means "intense or irrational dislike or fear of people from other countries". For example, many Singaporeans dislike Chinese nationals etc.

Note: This blog post is based on my own opinion, not on any statistics.

Racism

In Singapore, there is no laws to enforce racial segregation. However, racism is still prevalent, whether we want to admit it or not. Studies show that racism exists in the subconscious (surprise!). Some employers only want to hire people of certain races, for example. Even so, racism is less in Singapore than in other countries. This is because almost all Singaporeans were brought up in a multi-racial community, with government imposing national education to teach children about the importance of Racial Harmony. We are taught and conditioned to accept everyone as Singaporeans, not Indians or Chinese or Malay.

Xenophobia

Have you forgotten the meaning of this word yet? If you have not, then try saying "Carl's Junior Portebello Mushroom Burger" 10 times very quickly and you will forget. If you happen to still be able to remember then say it another 100 times.

Finished? Ok, let us continue. Xenophobia is a very pressing issue here in Singapore. Since we can't be prejudiced against other races (who are born in Singapore, of course) we sort of turn our racism into Xenophobia. Foreigners are often made fun of in school. Most of us in school hate International school children. We think of them as rich BRATS, who cut the queues in the canteen or even if they do not cut the queues, we blame them for making the queues so much longer.

This scene can also be represented in the Jobs scene. Foreigners are blamed for taking up jobs which the local Singaporeans desperately need. Foreigners are also associated with crimes committed in Singapore. For example: theft, rape, burglary etc. are thought to be common around foreign worker dormitories. Once some Singaporeans signed a petition to move a foreign worker dormitory away from their houses as they thought that having it nearby would cause their houses to depreciate in value.

Final Verdict

Xenophobia is seen more in Singapore than racism. But racism still exists, as part of human nature.

Amazing....

My Blog Slogan

Hi all,

I am posting two posts in a single day because today is the only day in the week that I actually have time to blog. I have two EP3s, Robotics and Fencing, Science Olympiad, Council Duties (Student Leader's Convention OT).

What's more, I am in the Future School Class, where the Just-In-Time Teaching Pedagogy is adopted. We have to read up on the topics BEFORE going to school. This means double workload!

An Acknowledged Alive Addicted Amazing Awesome Blogger

Coming back to the point, I will now be explaining my blog slogan. As most of you should be able to see, my blog slogan is actually an awesome alliteration. The slogan is actually the goal I set for myself as well as my blog. Now I will explain each and every word in the slogan:

Acknowledged

I want my blog to receive recognition as a celebrity blog. (or at least an effort to create one)

Alive

My blog will be alive with content and new viewpoints on current affairs.

Addicted

Now this is just a follow-up on my previous blog, in which the url is "iamnotablogaddict.blogspot.com" (the blog is not available now). Now I am addicted to blogging! I also want my readers to be addicted to reading my blog.

Amazing

I want to amaze people with my unique viewpoints.

Awesome

This word was our random tagline for all the buddies during Sec 1 Orientation 2010. When my readers leave this blog, I want them to shout the word "AWESOME!". If you cannot remember my entire blog slogan, just remember this one word: AWESOME!

Hope you find this awesome blog AWESOME!

Problem with Importing contacts from hotmail to apple address book

This is the export page from hotmail
Proof of download. Notice that it is a csv file
Open the Address Book to import contacts
Selection of the CSV file
Failure!

Is it the problem with hotmail or address book? How to I correct it?

New Macbook Laptop!

I am posting this blog post from my new Macbook! It's really great! After even touching this Mac, I do not want to use windows computers anymore.

Some features include:

1. Face detecting software that helps you sort out your photos
2. Website making software that you could use in your html lessons
3. Overall higher speed. (that means no more lagging like on a PC)
4. A better Microsoft office which is called iWork
5. Very impressive graphics in the entire computer
6. Fake thermal camera
7. A cool mouse I just bought yesterday that can scroll in all directions, not just up and down
8. 6-7 hour battery!

and many others...

I think I would not be using windows for a long time after this...
Most people think that a Mac is very incompatible but I find it absolutely great. All important applications such as office and adobe etc all have their Mac counterparts. What's more, Mac documents are compatible with windows documents. For example, A mac Keynote presentation can be opened in Microsoft office.

I also like the snow white colour of the Mac, the mouse and the power cable. If you look at them, they are really beautiful.

I recommend all those people who do not have a Mac to buy one. You will never regret it!

Casino in Singapore. Boon or Bane?

Yes, the casino is supposed to create hundreds of thousands of jobs and generate millions of dollars for the tourism industry. Many Singaporeans will be saved from poverty during this economic crisis. Visitors to Singapore will increase dramatically and children will have a new theme park to play in. As a precautionary measure to discourage Singaporeans from entering the casino, a fee of at least $100 will be charged. As you can see, there are many advantages.

However, I feel that the disadvantages are more. Firstly, I feel that the $100 fine is not an effective method to stop gamblers. Most gamblers go to a casino ready to win some money, possibly thousands. What is a hundred to them? Or maybe some have already lost a lot of money, losing a hundred more would not make a difference to them.

Secondly, a casino will cause many social problems. Addicts will become in debt and there may be broken families. As I mentioned above, there is an economic crisis. Perhaps a person who is unemployed wants to have a chance to strike it rich. He takes all his savings and gambles it all away in one night. In one night, his family has become bangkrupt. In the soundtrack on gambling addiction, Jonny W. lost hundreds of thousands of dollars, lost his job and got divorced. Another gambler, a woman, spent one year in jail for stealing money to gamble.

Thirdly, if many people in Singapore are addicted to gambling and lose a lot of money, the economic system of Singapore would be affected. Many gamblers who have lost money fall into depression and are unable to function at maximum capacity. As seen in a video, even famous people are not spared from gambling either. A well-known reporter neglected her child to gamble. If this addiction can affect even famous people, many not so well-known people will also fall into it.

Lastly, gambling is a habit that is impossible to erase completely. One gambler who had not gambled to 17 years could not resist the temptation and went gambling one more time. There is also and advertisment of a gambler who asks money from his children! Gambling brings out the worst in people. Thus, I do not think that a casino should be built.

My father also thinks that a casino should not be built. He feels that there are many more ways to generate revenue for the tourism industry such as theme parks, greenery and shopping hot-spots. A casino should only be used as a last resort.

Robert Frost

“The death of Robert Frost leaves a vacancy in the American spirit....His death impoverishes us all; but he has bequeathed his Nation a body of imperishable verse from which Americans will forever gain joy and understanding.” John F Kennedy

He is a man who was continuously plagued with grief and loss, but he could still write beautiful poems. His father died of tuberculosis when Frost was 11, leaving the family with just $8 after paying expenses. Frost's mother died of cancer in 1900. Frost’s sister was mentally ill and died in a mental hospital in 1929. Frost and his mother both suffered from depression, and his daughter Irma was also committed to a mental hospital in 1947. Even his wife was a little mentally ill.

Only 2 of his 6 children outlived Frost, with one of them mentally ill. One of his other children committed suicide, one died just days after birth and others died very young too.

Despite all these deaths and sadness, he was able to win 4 Pulitzer prizes (a US award for achievement in Literature, Journalism etc.) and he even managed to recite one of his poems at President John F. Kennedy’s inauguration ceremony! He is one of the most famous American poets of all time, and his poems are taught in many schools in America. In fact, I think that his life a one is very inspirational. Few people have seen so many loved ones die, Robert Frost is one of them. Despite having mental illness running through his family, he still managed to snap out of his depression and write poems. This is what we should do to. Whenever unfortunate events happen, we should not grief for too long. We should quickly “regain our composure” and try to return to our normal life.
Many of his poems are also inspirational poems. One example would be The Road Not Taken:

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 case you do not understand the poem, it actually talks about the rewards of travelling the road that is less taken. Other poems of his that I like include: Going for Water and Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening.

Sources:
http://poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/192
http://www.americanpoems.com/poets/robertfrost/12074
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Frost#Pulitzer_Prizes
http://www.ketzle.com/frost/
http://www.online-literature.com/frost/
http://www.poetry.org/famous.htm