Uniquely My Blog :D

Welcome to my blog !

Thank you for visiting my blog. I will regularly update it with posts regarding LA lessons in my school (which you may or may not know) XD

Please enjoy!

Saturday, August 20, 2011

Suggested ACE for war poetry

Poem 1

This poem was probably based on the war in Afghanistan or Pakistan, as seen from the presence of the Hindu Kush in the poem, which stretches between central Afghanistan and Northern Pakistan. The entire poem may actually be about America's war in Afghanistan against the Al Qaeda terrorist group which had their base in Afghanistan, in response to the September 11 attacks on America. The fight started in October 7 2001, and American officials claimed that they would pull all American forces out of the war by 2014, with tension between Afghanistan and America increased, and with wide-spread protests against the war. 1648 Americans died while 13 011 were injured in the conflict.
-Wikipedia

(1) The poem was written in the point of view of an American soldier, who is involved in the war in Afghanistan.

(2) The setting is in Afghanistan and apparently the poet has been fighting the war for quite some time in Afghanistan, and he seems to be describing his experiences in the war.

(3)Use of language is very strong, and gives an image of the scene in Afghanistan. The first few lines did not have anything special, and were all simple languages. However, starting from line 10 the poet started to make use of the diction and language of the poem. There was repetition and long phrases used in lines 14, 17 and 18, to show the tension in the atmosphere and possibly to show his exhaustion (by saying everything in one breath).
In the second page, he began to use conflicting things like hell and heaven, beauty and terror. This is possibly to show the mixed feelings in a war, the contrast between a war-torn world and a peaceful world in heaven. In this case, the Hindu Kush was used to relate to heaven. There is also a sense that the poet had lost hope in himself at the end of the poem as seen from his disbelief in phrases like "blood is thicker than water" by saying "lead is thicker than blood", he is giving the impression that war can tear relationships apart (lose one's kin in a war). He also wrote that brothers are not born but are earned, which is in contrast to the previous statement as this statement now states that people can in fact grow closer through their experiences in a war.
He ended the poem with a statement that war (or Earth?) is hell.

(4) I liked the use of how the poet managed to cleverly picture the scene of the war - the tension and insecurity as seen from soldiers sleeping with their boots on. The confusion and strong feelings at the end of the war to say how it is hell, and how lives are ruined in the event of a war.

How much more are Hwa Chongians likely to touch the lives of others

In general, Hwa Chongians are very privileged - They are given the gift of being smarter than average people, receive much better education, and are also constantly exposed to different things like the arts. The reason for these activities is very simple - Hwa Chong strives to groom Hwa Chongians into future leaders of the nation. As such, Hwa Chongians are given a huge responsibility for their actions, for they are responsible for the future of the country in future. As such, Hwa Chongians are quite likely to touch the lives of others, as the decisions that they make can potentially affect themselves and the people around them. Keeping in mind that Hwa Chongians may lead the country in future, their future decisions in running the nation can also have an impact on their fellow countrymen.

Even at present, when Hwa Chongians are still students, they are given opportunities to interact with others around the world. For example, the projects day competition allows Hwa Chongians to come up with various ideas which can help others in future, especially projects like service learning, where the main aim is to actually improve the lives of the needy or under-privileged people in the society. As such, Hwa Chongians are given ample opportunities to touch the lives of others.

However, it also depends on the individual himself. If the individual is not bothered about others and does not make an effort to connect with the lives of others, then he will not be able to help others, let alone make an impact. There are indeed such people in Hwa Chong, taking up space which could have been better spent on other people more passionate about touching the lives of others. So, Hwa Chongians are given the chance and opportunities to touch the lives of others, but it is whether they want to make an effort in doing that matters.

Steve Job's speech

There have been 3 stories discussed in Steve Job's speech, and there were also various lessons and morals taught in his speech. However, there were two of them which have a deep impact on me.

Firstly, find passion in whatever you do, and if you know you like doing something, then you should go out all the way to do it. This is like in Steve Job's life, where his passion of creating and making computers eventually led to him founding the Apple company. Even when he is kicked out of his own company, he did not give up and continued to do the one thing that he liked most - making computers. This single act enabled him to continue to have a motivation and aim in life, which eventually allowed him to succeed very well and become CEO of Apple. Having passion in doing a particular thing enables us to put our hearts and minds into doing it, as we really like it. This helps to unleash our full potential and allow us to succeed well in the thing that we like doing. In fact, we will put in more effort in doing things we like than in doing things we do not find as appealing.

Secondly, sometimes life throws various setbacks at us, but we should always persevere and always find a way around it, as it could actually be a blessing in disguise. This is like in Steve Job's life, whether it is his dropping out of school or him being kicked out of his own company, there is no telling whether it is actually a good thing. In fact, this events helped to improve Steve Job's lives by an unexpected twist of fate in the later parts of his life. He said that looking back, he was glad that life had thrown all these painful experiences and decisions to him, as it helped to make him the successful person he is now. Life is never a bed of roses, but it is how we make use of it that determines whether we can indeed create a bed of roses for ourselves, or just dig a deep pit.

Osama- Should he be given a fair trial?

Osama, the world's most wanted terrorist and the head of the Al Qaeda terrorist group, was finally shot and killed on 21 May 2011. This event has been a major achievement in the United State's fight against terrorism. On that day, Americans ran amok on the streets in victorious celebration - justice was finally served for the innocents who died during the 9/11 incident. However, there have been mixed feelings about this incident, as human rights groups questioned whether Osama should have been arrested and be given a fair trial instead of being brutally cut down by bullets. However, Osama should not be given a fair trial, and it was most likely the best thing to do for the American forces to have shot him dead.

Firstly, Osama is a highly dangerous man. Osama could have fled or be given the chance to retaliate if the American soldiers tried to arrest him instead of killing him. Even if they successfully arrested him at the scene, he may break out of prison or escape later, and maybe even receive help from his followers to break him out of jail. In addition, if he is kept alive, he will still be given the chance to continue influencing others to join in his beliefs and join the Al Qaeda group. If he were to be killed there and then, there would not be any risk letting him escape or allow his to continue influencing others in his captivity. In fact, the terrorist network would be dealt a very severe blow.

Secondly, Osama would have received the same fate anyway. For his crimes of murdering thousands over the last few years, he would definitely be given the death sentence. However, this would deal a great blow to America's image of being a strong and powerful nation. The man that dares to challenge the nation, receiving a fair trial and a fair punishment, does not seem feasible at all to America. They want to defend their pride and honour and do not want it taken away from them by a mere "challenger" who only serves to terrorize the nation.

Lastly, Osama did not show any mercy to innocent victims in the first place, so he does not rightfully deserve any mercy in return. He have killed thousands of people over the last decade, most of them innocent people who were leading perfectly normal lives until disaster struck. In fact, he have cause much suffering to victims who suffered under his wrath. He have caused much distraught to countless people who suffered the lost of friends and relatives, or those who suffered mental and physical harm in terrorist acts.

As such, Osama should not have been given too fair a trial. We should not risk giving him the chance to deal even more damage to the society with the little time still given to him.

Money- curse or gift

Money. It helps us to give value to certain things, and also helps to make sure the economy of the world remains healthy and strong. It is a very efficient way of trade, and is used as currency in our society. Money comes in different shape and sizes, from the American quarter to the Singaporean hundred dollar note. Beneficial it may be, it is also the source of much evil and unhappiness to the society today. Often, there have been cases of theft, robbery, kidnap and even suicides because of monetary problems. Money is the root of all evil, and only serves to fill up the pockets and feed the appetites of greedy people. Too much money will bring harm, and too little money will not allow us to survive. This brings us to the ultimate question - is money really helpful or detrimental to our society?

It can be argued that money is indeed beneficial to the human society. Money serves as a median for exchange and allows humans to efficiently trade various goods, and also helps to give the value of various items. It can be used as a very effective form of currency, and is used for payment for almost everything. This keeps the human economy strong and healthy, and gives room for countries to develop and ensures that the lives of the citizens can improve.

However, it can also be the source of much frustrations and unhappiness in the society. The lack of money or sometimes rather the greed for money will cause people to carry out unscrupulous actions just to satisfy themselves, like robbery, kidnap and theft. It is very uncivilized for one to carry out such acts, especially for minor things like money. Sometimes, people even get killed in the process. Thus money is actually indirectly harming countless people, and robbing them of their rightful gains, while only serving to bring more harm to the innocents.

If one has too little money, the individual would also have to suffer as he or she would not be able to afford various items, and even necessities needed to survive. People also encounter much frustrations when they have monetary problems and the results can be very dire: it can actually ruin relationships, affects the mental and physical well-being of the individual, and can even lead to suicides. For example, a total of 477 people committed suicide in Dubai due to financial problems in 2008. If money can indirectly bring so much harm to the society, why should it even be created in the first place.

However, we have the face the facts at the end. The world cannot operate without money: take away money, and people would just replace it with another form of currency no different from money. If we look at things from a long-term perspective, money will be here to stay, and it is much needed for us to run the society, and build up the economy. For now, money is here to stay.

Friday, August 19, 2011

Conserving our environment

Earth-it is our only home, and the only known planet in the world to contain any presence of life, and yet we humans still do not cherish it. The words "global warming", "pollution" and "conserving our environment" constantly cycle through the minds of those in our current society, and yet they still do not bother about this. There are always excuses as to why one does not do his or her part for the environment: "The economical cost is too high, why care for the environment when we can make money?""The Earth is going to die on its own sooner or later anyway, what we are doing is no big deal.""What can we even do?"

What can we even do? Every individual in the world can start taking measures to protect our environment - taking public transport, do not waste water, save electricity, Reduce Reuse Recycle. If this keeps up, water consumption will drop, waste production will decrease, there will be less pollution to the environment. multiply this by 6.5 billion people, this is what we can do! Recycle papers and save more trees, switch off the lights so less carbon needs to be burned to produce electricity, take more cars so that release of carbon dioxide in the air will be minimised, make an effort to do all these everyday, and this is what we really can do!

It is really a headache, an heartbreaking to see people so lazy, so indifferent to the implication of their actions, not giving a care about the environment and only strive to make more gains. Factories, industries created everyday, while feeding the pockets of the workers, will also pollute the environment one way or another. Whether it is the smoke from manufacturing products, the waste materials conveniently dumped at unsuitable locations, the release of toxic chemicals into the environment, our environment would be the one that suffers the most. However, we would eventually still be the biggest losers, as we depend on nature for survival, we depend on Earth for survival. If we fail to protect Earth, we are failing to protect our chances of survival. We are indirectly killing ourselves.

So why be so foolish? Why not make the effort today? Convenience or money does not make the world go round, it merely fuels our never-ending greed for the best things in life. However, we are neglecting the most important thing possible - life itself. Pollute the environment, and you kill thousands of wildlife. Constantly strip the land of resources, and you will eventually find that there is nothing left for us to survive. Constantly tear apart the planet we all call home, and we will only bring ourselves closer to impending doom.

It is never too late? Yes, it is not for now. However, if pollution and the rate of global warming continues to rise by the same amount over the next few years, scientists have found that we would enter a state of "no return" where-by there will no longer be any methods to preserve life on Earth, and humans will die-out very quickly. So we should wise up and start to protect the environment and protect ourselves now, before it is too late. Conserve the environment, and you are saving yourselves. Continue to neglect it, and you will soon regret it.

Sunday, August 14, 2011

Book report: Street of the small night market

What lesson did you learn from the story?
Nothing is impossible in life. As long as one has determination and try his or her best in life, the person will eventually succeed. This can be seen in the story, where a poor boy's motivation to work hard allowed him to eventually find his own business and strike it rich. Despite the various setbacks and challenges he faced, he had the courage and willpower to continue fighting for a better future for his family. So, as long as one is able to work hard in life, he will eventually be rewarded, no matter how long later that would be.

If your story occurred long ago, compare that time with today in a good paragraph. If it was a modern story, compare it with a long time ago and tell what would be different.
The story occurred in Singapore somewhere during the mid 20th Century. Back then, Singapore only had a small police force and the area was still left in ruins after World War 2. During that time, many suffered from poverty, being barely able to even afford a place to live. Those days were filled with hardship as everyone struggled to make a living, and the high crime rates and poor living conditions did not make things any better. However, the situation is now much better in the current Singapore, where the country is able to prosper and its citizens are now richer and have much higher standards of living. The defense force of Singapore is also clearly built up, and crime rates are much lower thanks to strict laws and a strong police force. The Singapore of today seems like paradise compared to the Singapore in the past.

Choose an interesting character from your book. Think of what his/her dislikes are; then think of a gift you would like to give him/her. Design a greeting card to go along with the gift in which you explain why you gave that gift.
The most interesting character of the book is actually the main character himself, Ah Ong, who manages to survive from the perils and disasters in his life and was finally able to overcome them despite all odds. He is not only able to support his own family, but was able to set up his own business and escape from poverty at the end of the story. Because he lived in poverty previously, he became somewhat money-minded, always thinking of how to strike it rich, so a good gift that he may like is actually some extra cash. The cash will not only be able to serve as some extra savings for him, it can also be used to help support his business and eventually let him prosper even more.

Is the title a good one or a poor one and why?
The title is definitely a good one. The street of the small night market is where everything in the book takes place, whether it is the friendship between the neighbours and hawkers, the rise against the drug lords in the area, or the story of how Ah Ong eventually founded his business through an unexpected twist of fate. It gives the background of the story, while giving us an early hint of the atmosphere in the settings. It also sets the introduction of the story, and the end of the story is also returned to the joyful mood of the small night market, the harmony, peace, and merry-making of those living in the area.

Sunday, July 31, 2011

North Korea

I have read the article of the countless ordeals suffered by those in North Korea, and the tale of three who managed to escape from the horrors in the North, to the seemingly paradise of South Korea. However interesting and supported this story is, there are still many unanswered questions and many assumptions made.

Why does China choose to side North Korea?
The article has somewhat cast China in a bad light, in siding with North Korea and aiding their neighboring country to arrest and send back any fugitives. However, we must also understand that China has to keep a close relation with North Korea for various reasons. One reason is actually because of the trade-relations between the 2 countries, and also because North Korea is one of the few countries to share the same ideology as China - Communism. It is not very easy for China to win a dependable ally and "business partner". So, it is very irresponsible to think that China can afford to strain its relationship with North Korea just for the sake of helping fugitives.

In fact, the fugitives are also wrong to be escaping like rats from North Korea. Looking at the statistics, if this carries on, North Korea will take a hard hit and continue to suffer from a state of poverty, as there will be hardly anyone else left to support and develop the country. Although the citizens have a right to leave the country, they cannot do it as and when they please, otherwise North Korea will suffer even more. Yes, North Korea should not be so authoritative as to make it illegal to even leave the country - which is to the extreme, but should still be allowed to control the number of people leaving the country.

Rather than using brute force, other measures can be used to discourage people from leaving the country, like setting up a high price for people to leave the country. North Korea, while possessing the power to convict and punish these people, should not torture or treat them ruthlessly, but maybe give them penalties like having to work for the country for a certain period of time. So, instead of necessarily slaughtering the fugitives, North Korea can efficiently put them to work to help develop the economy of the country.

In fact, life is not necessarily better for the North Koreans when they leave. They might not be able to find a job, and the fact that they were North Koreans will leave a mark on their lives and potentially ruin their lives. So, is it really right to encourage North Koreans to leave their country and escape to other neighboring countries? Are the missionaries right in aiding the refugees? The missionaries can help to aid any lost North Korean who fled from the country, in order to make life better for them, but should not encourage others to join in. This may sometimes lead to disastrous results. Not only will the surge of North Koreans pose as a burden to other countries, North Korea will also take a hit in losing its citizens who supports the country. So, is it really a win-win situation, or a lose-lose situation. The good intentions may actually harm everyone instead.


Saturday, July 23, 2011

There is no perfection

In this world, as one grows up and experiences life around him, he will eventually learn that there is no such thing as "perfect" in this world. This hard truth came slowly to me, and only today have I really reflected on this fact and giving some thought about it.

In fact, from young there were already hints of such a lesson in life. When I was young, I loved it when the house looked neat and tidy, and always liked to arrange things nicely in the house, be it the table, chairs, books or my bed. Eventually, I start to realise: no matter how hard I try to make the place look clean and spotless, it will return back to its messy state sooner or later. There is no such thing as making a place look perfect forever, it will only last for a brief period, followed by a sense of disappointment when everything goes back to square one. Since then, I lost any motivation to clean up everything perfectly - to me, acceptable looking is already good enough.

Even now, I am reminded of this painful lesson in school. Recently, I have spent most of my time studying for my tests, giving up much of my "gaming" time and rest. However, one by one my results dropped despite all my efforts - Integrated Humanities, Language Arts, Chinese - all plunged like a lightning bolt right out of the sky. The several hours of hard work and sheer studying, was repaid with unsatisfactory results. I always believed in aiming to be a great academic achiever - aiming for perfect scores, but this never came to be. What's more, those who did not even bother to study even did better than me. Now to me, As mean nothing anymore, because now they seem so impossible to achieve. My motivation have dropped, academic aims left hopeless, and if matters were not bad enough - my position in my CCA also took a hard hit, because I spent most of my time studying and attempting to juggle all my activities at once.

Today, I have given up on trying to be a perfect person. I did not excel in everything - my studies, CCA, everything...but ended up performing badly instead. Now, everything seems so hopeless to me - my world is ruined in my efforts to strive to be perfect. I have failed utterly in my quest. I cannot please everyone. I cannot be perfect, and will no longer believe in perfection.

Shylock- the ultimate victim

After reading the Merchant of Venice, Shylock is portrayed as two different characters - one being prejudiced and the victim of the story, and another being the ruthless villain. However, Shylock is ultimately more of the victim of abuse rather than a heartless individual in the society. In fact, he is very much like "Frankenstein", having gone through a tragedy rather than starting out as the villain. He was needless prejudiced by the Christians in the city and ill-treated as a result. In act 3 scene 1 of the play, Shylock expressed his feelings as a human being and shows that he (too) is human.

Shylock had gone through the wrath of society, such as in act 1 scene 3 where the story shows a presence of ill-treatment towards Shylock by the Christians. As a result of growing up in a cruel and merciless environment, Shylock was but influenced and grew up only to be as ruthless and as heartless as others have treated him. It is not entirely his fault that he became a villain in the end, as society as a part to play in bringing out the evil side of him.

Additionally, he is also rejected and abandoned by his own family - firstly by Launcelot Gobbo, and then by his precious daughter Jessica. Having lost everything dear to him, it is only natural for him to become very emotional and get into a rage (which is why he cursed his daughter). Even worse, the only back-up net to fall on for himself, was also taken away by his daughter and spent wastefully on useless items - which was his money.

Shylock also losses all those whom he love and is left "alone" in the world by the end of the play. When Antonio and the rest of the Christians forced Shylock to convert from a Jew to a Christian, he indirectly also losses his friends and all those he can trust. The Christians would shun him as he used to be a Jew, while the Jews would discriminate him as he is now a Christian. What was worse is that his blood kin - his daughter - also chose to abandon him and chose to betray him the hard way by turning to Christianity, and defying his religious beliefs and traditions. In this case, Shylock was left shunned by everyone, and was left standing alone in the cruel world.

Furthermore, at the end of the story, his plan of having someone (an enemy) to vent his anger on had backfired. He did not only lose everything that was precious and was dear to him, his situation was also made worse when he lost even more of his fortune. After that, another great blow was deal to him - taking away his religion. At the end, he lost his freedom, his human rights and his way of life, he would have lost the meaning of life and lived the rest of it in depression.

One might argue that Shylock deserved what he got, as he also ignored Antonio's plea for mercy and to give up his bond. However, at that time he was already rejected from society and had also lost everything precious to him. Thus, he was completely emotional and enraged, and the fact that Antonio was his long-time enemy only served to complicate matters. Anyone - in the shoes of Shylock- would have a mental breakdown by then and only wants something to vent their anguish and serve as a "stress ball" to get rid of his sadness. He was not really bloodthirsty and happy to receive Antonio's pound of flesh. In addition, his lack of mercy towards Antonio is just a result of Antonio's lack of respect and acceptance towards Shylock in his everyday life, so no one is to really blame Shylock if he chooses to "unto to others what others unto to him".

Therefore, Shylock is really the ultimate victim of the story, and "The Merchant of Venice" is actually more of a tragedy in disguise rather than a comedy.

Friday, July 22, 2011

Arranged marriages

Many argue that arranged marriages are wrong, and should be banned in certain parts of the world. For centuries, it has been quite traditional for families to create arranged marriages for their children, until recently. There have been many heated debates to whether arranged marriages are morally correct and whether they should be accepted in our current society. So one might question, what is really so bad about arranged marriages.

In arranged marriages, one would be denied of his or her rights, and would not be able to have the freedom to choose who the individual wants to spend the rest of his or her life with. The individual would be married off to some stranger whom they might not even have seen in their entire life. They would not know whether their spouse is really right for them, as one would not even know the character and nature of the other party. It makes one very uncomfortable to live and spend his or her life with someone they are not very familiar with. It also upsets the individual as they may not necessarily grow to love the other person, and if they already love someone else in their life, they will feel very depressed and emotional.

Additionally, if the other individual is a nice and understanding person, then it is fine. However, this is not the case in most arranged marriages. As the individual does not know the nature of the opposite party, he or she would be very much vulnerable to any ugly side of the other person. There have also been cases of abuse, as the other party may not necessary understand the individual and treat the other as if he or she were property. Some of these couples may not also be on friendly terms with each other, leading to frequent arguments and even have extreme fights between them.

There has been a recent article on Reader's Digest April 2011 which shows how one 10-year old girl was married off to another family in Yemen. She was only 10 but was married off to some 30 year-old adult whom she neither liked or was familiar with. In exchange, her father was given some money, as the opposite family was quite rich compared to them. However, the parents were so engrossed in money and "family status" that they neglected the feelings of the daughter and is totally ignorant of the ordeal she went through. She was not only denied of her rights in doing so, but was also needlessly put through abuse by her older husband. Being a child, she was easily subjected to torture in the house without anyone else really coming to her help. This is just another example in everyday life that shows how ugly certain arranged marriages can turn out, especially if it is child marriage.

At the end of the day, the family members may think that organizing the arranged marriage was for the good of their children, as they have married off properly and need not need to worry about having no one to support them in the later parts of their lives. However, another factor to this is also due to their greed, greed for upholding "honour" in the family and maintain the family status. For this, their children have to go through needless pain and to suffer. To them, their family have done more harm than good.

Monday, July 18, 2011

Is matrimony a matter of money?

We have covered the issue in class on whether money should be a deciding factor if one is to get married. However, wealth should only be but a factor in a marriage, and go together with other factors to determine whether one should marry. Marriage is for life, and it is crucial to ensure that both parties love and care each other in order to maintain life-long happiness, instead of just looking at money alone.

We can acknowledge that money is indeed a deciding factor in a marriage as it could be the root of future conflicts in the family, and is needed to ensure their basic needs are met. Yes, money can buy a lot of things to ensure that one leads a comfortable and peaceful life, but it cannot buy happiness. Having happiness does not necessarily means that one is rich, nor does being rich always brings one happiness. If the couples love each other and care for each other, money should not be a boundary between them. One example is the recent wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton. Kate is not exactly rich, in contrast to Prince Williams, but they still managed to fall in love with each other and did not money stand in their way.

One example to show that money does not really lead to happiness in a marriage is the divorce of Cecilia Cheung and Nicholas Tse on 14 July. In fact, using money as a deciding factor in a marriage will only lead to a lose-win situation. The one who marries into the family and inherits the money gets the benefits, while his or her spouse is left in peril. In the case given above, Cecilia demands that her ex-husband fork out enormous sums of money as part of negotiations, while turning a blind eye to their relationship and their precious sons, caring only about the mere sum of money. It is very pathetic and also quite heart-breaking to see people turning their life and marriage upside down for money.

So in a nutshell, matrimony is not necessary a matter of money but it could be in certain parts of the world. However, doing so will only lead to dire consequences and unfavorable outcomes for everyone, except the selfish whose only aim is the money.

The Murdoch phone hacking scandal

Recently, the news have been abuzz with the Murdoch phone hacking scandal, and the "News of the World" is accused of hacking into countless hand phones. This has caused much outrage and has aroused the disgust of millions around the globe, as the newspaper was already reported to have hacked into the phones of families of a deceased girl. Many have questioned the allegations, and millions are already demanding that action be taken against those responsible for the hacking. However, why have this caused an uproar?

Firstly, they have committed the act of intruding on one's privacy. Th e "News of the World" has shamelessly hacked into countless of phones over the years, and intruding onto other's private space. This is made worse when they did not spare the family of a deceased girl, showing how heartless and without compassion they are, not rubbing salt onto the wounds of the girl's family, worsening an already tragic experience. This act has definitely aroused the disgust of millions around the globe. Thus, people would generally be unhappy with the actions of the company and are outraged.

Additionally, being the "News of the World", they have to accept responsibility for doing these things even when they know it is against their morals. Many have found it an irony - after years of reporting the wrong doings of others, those responsible for the scandal are own-self as guilty for their actions. It is their right to report wrong-doings and uphold justice in the world, instead of doing it the opposite way round. As such, they should accept the serious consequences coming their way.

Furthermore, it is normal for one to err and make mistakes, but the "News of the World" had turned to bribing and tried various means to escape from punishment. If they had come out clean and had promised to work more carefully and avoid making the same mistakes again, the world would most likely be more lenient against them. However, they attempt repeatedly to escape from the punishment they face, using unscrupulous methods, further worsening the situation and cause even more damage. In fact, they have conspired with various high officials to keep the matter silent, which only served to cause even more outcry and make everyone all the more unhappy with their actions. Thus, their further attempt to avoid the punishment they rightfully received also lead to their own downfall.

Altogether, there is no question that their actions are in the wrong, and they should accept punishment for it. Hopefully there is a more severe punishment meted out, to prevent such cases from occurring again in the society.

Monday, July 4, 2011

Should US have dropped the atomic bomb on Japan?

On 6 August 1945, Hiroshima was engulfed in a thick cloud of black smoke. The Japanese city was hit by the atomic weapon code-named "Little Boy", during World War 2. The bomb indeed caused casualties and much destruction as well, and up to at least a hundred thousand lives were lost. However, it was indeed the right thing to do for the US to have dropped the bomb on Japan.
This is because dropping the atomic bomb can end the war promptly, and is the only last resort that the US has in forcing Japan to surrender.

Without the use of the atomic bomb, one wonders whether the war would have ended so abruptly. The single use of the atomic bomb forced Japan to surrender, and let the war end immediately. This enabled the Allied Forces to put an end to the conflict without having to storm into Japan. Although the atomic bomb cost close to 300 000 deaths, it was a far cry from the estimated millions of death which would incur if the Allies were to carry out a full-scale attack on Japan. The atomic bomb also showed Japan the great amount of firepower the Allies possessed, pressuring the country to surrender unconditionally. This immediately put an end to the war and enabled the rest of the countries to re-establish peace in the world. Otherwise, expert claimed that the war would have dragged on for another couple of years, leading to even more casualties and destruction. Thus, the atomic bomb helped to end the war abruptly.

Additionally, this was almost the last resort America had to force Japan to surrender. Previously, America had carried out bombing runs on Japan as a sign to pressure the Japanese to surrender. However, the Japanese were still undeterred in their objective to continue fighting the war. In fact, several Japanese commanders and high officials decided that the country should fight to the death, until the last man standing. The Japanese also has a very high spirit of never giving up, and are so desperate to win the war that they have also conducted suicidal attacks. As a result, America found that it would be very difficult to end the war, and had to drop the nuclear war on Japan in order to force them to surrender.

However, one also has to acknowledge the innocent lives lost in Hiroshima and Nagasaki during the dropping of the atomic bombs. However, the atomic bomb also prevented even more lives from being lost. During the dropping of the atomic bomb, only the Japanese side suffered casualties of up to 300 000 people. The war would have dragged on if not for the dropping of the atomic bomb, resulting in millions of death from around the world. This is not to mentioned the several Asian countries Japan had captured, and the Japanese would have carried out even more massacres in these areas. The continued conflict between the two sides will also lead to heavy losses on both sides.

At the end of the day, one have to ultimately consider whether the war would have ended so soon if not for the atomic bomb, or if Japan would even surrender at all. The bomb prevented the war from dragging on and prevented much more casualties from taking place, and also successfully pressured Japan into surrendering. Thus, America should have indeed dropped the atomic bomb on Japan.

Saturday, June 18, 2011

Book report: Rice without rain

"Rice without rain" is an excellent book and very enjoying in describing the many hardships faced by Jinda, a courageous Thai girl. The story is set in Thailand, and tells the story of how Jinda's village comes across a group of students from Bangkok. Although the student's original intention was just to merely render some aid and influence them to oppose the government's policies, the students subsequently started to grow close to the villagers. However, this story is not without tragedy, and in the midst of this small uprising, a massacre ensued during the student's rally in Bangkok. Altogether, the story talks about how Jinda deals with all these devastating setbacks, giving a compassionate and deeply sensitive study of human endeavour.

18. What would the main character be most likely to do if he/she visited your classroom?
Jinda is not the average citizen whom we are all familiar with, but a unique character from Thailand, so she would react in many different ways. Being the nervous and shy character that she is, Jinda would naturally introduce herself quickly and keep silent after that. However, as she also has a friendly character, she may get comfortable after a while and may inquire more about the place and try to make some friends. She is also most likely to share with us certain things about her village(which she is very much proud of), as she has spent almost all her life there and grew to love the place and its occupants. Thus, Jinda can do many different things upon visiting our classroom (which is a strange place to her as she has not interacted much with life in town).

26. If your story happened in a foreign land, compare that land with Singapore.
Upon comparing the setting of the story to our beloved home of Singapore, I find myself very fortunate indeed. Singapore's economical and physical environment is much better than what was described in Thailand. Jinda's village was not very well off and they had to suufer from starvation. They also encounted much difficulty growing crops as there was very little rain. Additionally, there were many rural areas with run-down houses and facilities where the occupants lived in poverty. However, people are relatively wealthier in Singapore and are able to afford many things. Singapore is also a first-world country so its facilities and buildings are well-maintained and kept in good order. The climate is also not very extreme, being warm and rainy throughout the year. Thus, Singapore's environment is much better than the area described in the story.

48. Tell what you think is the climax and why.
The climax of the story is during the massacre during the student rally in Bangkok. The tension and excitement started to build up when the police arrived on the scene and when small signs of violence started showing. The massacre happened in a flash, and every started running. It is also very exciting as the main character tries to flee for her life and we are left to wonder whether her friends also managed to survive. All around, policemen were brutally beating up the students and also fired into the crowd. The scene is made to look like something out of an action movie and is definitely a thriller in the story.

54. Do you like the way the story ended? Why or why not?
The ending was quite satisfactory although it was not a very happy ending. Jinda had lost her father, her friends, and as well as her supposed boyfriend Ned. However, she also grew closer to her sister and the rest of her village, and she was also left with the pleasant memory of her student friends. Furthermore, Jinda has ultimately found out and accepted the meaning and value of life. Although there were many setbacks and difficulties faced by Jinda throughtout the story, the ending was a different picture - there was once again rain for the villages, and her sister gave birth to a lovely baby girl, serving as a newfound form of hope in light of the recent tragedies

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

The true heros

When we talk about heroes, the first thing that comes to mind is usually some muscular "superman", or cool-looking people wielding heavy weapons and posing in some intimidating manner. However, in today's society, there are indeed heroes among us, but they are much different from our imagination. These heroes may be just an average citizen, just like you and I, but they have may great contributions to the society, whether it is a few or a lot.

In fact, even people like doctors and firemen are heroes in our world, as they have indeed contributed much to the welfare of the people. They have selflessly spent most of the time serving the community, by ensuring the safety and well-being of the people. This is indeed a heroic duty for the society in order to help us all.

However, there is a group of heroes who have caught worldwide attention, and has been on the front of the media for many days, one hundred and eighty to be exact. They are the factory workers from the nuclear plant of Fukushima. They have braved the radiation threat from the plant, and have put in their best effort in trying to repair the damaged reactors. In fact, they have so willingly risk their lives in order to solve this nuclear crisis.

By sacrificing themselves for the good of the society, isn't this heroism? They have to go through an undescribable ordeal just to ensure the world will not be affected by the nuclear threat. They put their lives on the line just to make sure others will not suffer from radiation poisoning, even though they know there is a chance they will die. They show no fear, they have great courage, they stand up for the people and help us to live in a better place free of the radiation threat. Yes, they are modern day heroes. The entire world is also praising them, calling them heroes of the society and thanking them for what they are willing to do for other.

One does not need to be strong or have super powers in order to be a super hero. As long as he has great courage and is willing to contribute to the good of the society, he will definitely be a hero. He will have to help others and do things for their sake, and not merely do it for fame or for themselves. They need to be sincere and passionate about help the society and letting the average people benefit and live better lives. These are the true heros.

Filial piety

Recently, the government had to implement the "Parents Maintenance Scheme", in order to ensure that the elderly are not neglected by their children. This helps to support the welfare of the elderly and allows the children to take care of their parents. This act wanted to let the elderly live through the rest of their lives happily and without any difficulties. It not only lets the elderly receive financial aid through their children, but also benefits them socially as they spend more time with their children. This was what it intended to do.

However, it is actually not very useful in most cases. Actually, if the individual cannot take care of his parents out of his own moral duty, through his sense of responsibility, how much difference would it make? There would be no sincerity in taking care of their parents, and they are doing it just because of the sake of the law. However, if the parents are only being provided the basic necessities, and not given any love or affection, there is no point in doing so. In fact, it is no different from rearing an animal if one does not love his parents.

So why is this happening? Youths today are getting more ambitious and want to pursue their own dreams. As they have a better quality of life and are being well taken of their parents throughout their lives, they tend to take it for granted. Some of them become so spoilt that they become extremely selfish and refuse to think for their parent, forgetting the sacrifices they have made when we were young. Thus, when we grow older, we will take our parents for granted and do not cherish them.

Look all around you. In the dog-eat-dog world today, everyone is striving to be a better person and become more competent than the rest. They would naturally want to concentrate on their work and tend to neglect their parents, ignoring the need for love that they deserved.

However, shouldn't we break out of this vicious cycle now? We should really stop and think about what our parents have done when we were young. They had taken care of us and devoted much of their time to us when we were young, so we should do the same. We should learn to cherish our precious moments with our parents and show them more love and affection. Spend more time together, pursue some hobbies, go out for some family time, do anything and everything that will make your parents happy, at least through their golden years. Merely putting food on the table for them is not good enough.

Would you like your children to do the same to you in future? Remember what your parents have done for you. We owe them a lot and it is our duty to repay them.

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Technology - Curse or gift?

With the growing development of technology, it has unlocked many significant changes in our life, and created things that people once thought were impossible. Fifty years ago, who knew that there would be such an extraordinary invention called the computer in the near future? As people continue to gain more knowledge and experience, we are beginning to take more steps in the field of science. As a result, we are able to improve the quality of our life, making it more convenient to get past our daily activities.

One such fascinating invention that changed our lives forever is the Internet. With one click of the mouse, we can conveniently find almost everything in the world that we are looking for. Whether it is just to chat with friends or to search for some information, we can easily use the Internet to do it.

However, with all those advancement in technology, there is bound to be the bad sides of it. For example, after the discovery of electricity and its practical uses, people have began to use it in their daily lives, and have become a very useful tool. This also lead to the short comings which followed suit. Today, the world is troubled by the dangers of global warming, which is partly also due the large usage of electricity, resulting in the release of harmful gases which damaged the environment. In fact, research today shows that the great consumption of electricity is one of the factors which contributed to global warming.

From this one example alone, we can show that the advancement in technology has also caused much damage and harm to the society, which is far more significant and worrying than the mere convenience that technology gave us.

Another example would be the invention of firearms, of those deadly war machines that only exist for the sole purpose of destruction. In fact, the invention and development of weapons and war machines have no benefits to the human race besides causing hurt to our fellow humans. Over the years, millions have been killed in pointless wars, ruining the lives of countless people and causing them to live in misery.

So, we need to stop and think for awhile. Although the world of technology gave us many benefits, is it worth all those other bad points that also came as a result? If it causes us much suffering and harm to the society, is it worth continuing on? Does it still fulfil its true purpose of making our lives better?

Is critisim a right way to teach?

Previously, our class had the most unpleasant experience of being forced to go through a one-hour lecture by a certain teacher from a certain school. It so happened that the particular teacher came to out class in a foul mood, and began to find faults with everyone, venting her fury anger at anyone unlucky enough. Fortunately, I had done everything to be asked without fail and thus escaped from the wrath of that teacher.

After nagging almost half the class for simple things ranging from not doing their homework well, to insignificant things like muttering as they speak to others. We all heaved a sigh of relief when that teacher finally finished "terrorising" us and briefly went out of the classroom. However, the damage had been done. The cherry mood that the class once had at the start of the day ceased to exist, replaced by feelings of anger and hatred. Some fellow classmates also could not take all those criticism in one swift blow and almost broke down.

As I tried to put away this dreadful memory, I cannot help but think - No matter what the situation is, should we use criticism as a means to tell other what to do (or in this case what not to do) ?

In fact, criticism should not be used as a way to "teach" others what to do. As I mentioned earlier, it only tells others what not to do, serving as a mere form of deterrence. It does not give other people the message on what they should do; we should tell them what they are supposed to do and at least set an example for them. Otherwise, that lecture would only leave a very small impression on other people and they will not heed it.

Additionally, people have their own sense of pride, their dignity. We should learn to respect others and tell them nicely what they should do - as if we were giving them a friendly advice. Look at the difference: If a teacher comes over to the student and starts ranting him for not paying attention in class, will it be more effective then when a teacher speaks gently to the student "Please listen. It is very important in your studies you know, so I appreciate it if you can pay more attention". In the second case, it is more effective.

When you tell other people nicely, you are giving them face, and giving them the impression you are doing it for their own good. If you repeatedly criticise them for what they are doing, it makes them lose their self-esteems and makes them lose face. It not only aggravates them and cause them much hurt and hatred for that particular person, but it is very ineffective in carrying out the message as well.

If someone came over to you and start giving you a lecture on the things you have done wrong and what you should do about them, they are not giving you respect. Which person in the world listens to someone else who does not respect them? As the saying goes "do not do to others what you do not want others to do to you". If you do not respect others, they would not respect you likewise and become a lose-lose situation.

It is foolish to do something so useless - that does not achieve its aim at the end of the day, but also gives you one new enemy! So, do not fall for the trap and avoid using criticism at all cost.

Saturday, April 30, 2011

Propaganda Posters

This poster is not very convincing and does not effectively encourage people to join a car-sharing club. The poster has the words "When you ride alone, you ride with Hitler", and there is a picture of a man in a car with Hitler by his side in the background. The poster wanted to encourage more people to join a car-sharing club through arousing their hate for Hitler.

It wanted to convey the message that riding alone in a car is similar to Hitler sitting in the car with the driver. As many people disliked Hitler and does not want to have anything to do with him, they would naturally want to avoid driving alone. However, the poster would not be very successful.

Driving alone has no connection to having Hitler sitting by your side. The two scenarios are totally unrelated so people may not take the message of the poster strongly, since it has committed the fallacy of post Hoc by trying to link the two unrelated issues together. Thus, the poster is not a very convincing or successful one.

The poster has a criticising tone towards president Barrack Obama and wanted to show that he is arrogant. The aim of this was to get people to stop supporting Obama and vote for the opposition parties.

The poster shows Obama holding his head high, and seem to look down on the people. The word "Snob" is in front of Obama and is used to imply that Obama is arrogant and proud. There is also the words "it's an elitist thing, you wouldn't understand" at the bottom of the poster. This appears to be said in Obama's voice, suggesting that Obama is being proud by calling himself an elitist, and does not respect other people.

The poster uses both visual image and words in order to convince viewers that they should stop supporting Barrack Obama as president, as he is very arrogant.

This poster encourages soldiers to stick to their food rations, and avoid taking more than their fair share. It wanted more soldiers to become satisfied with their food rations and not take more than enough, in order to ensure enough food for everyone else.

There are the words "Do with less so they'll have enough" on the top of the poster with an emphasis on the word "they'll". This wanted to convey the message that soldiers to stick to their regular food rations to avoid a shortage of food for their fellow soldiers. There is an emphasis on the word "they'll" in order to remind the soldiers of their fellow friends who are also fighting with them, so that they will become more considerate and avoid taking more food at the expense of others.

Additionally, the background shows a soldier holding a cup containing his rations. The soldier is smiling and appears to be satisfied with his food rations. It wanted to tell soldiers that they should be happy with their food rations and not ask for more, as it is enough. Thus, the poster wanted to encourage more people to stick to their food rations and not take more than that.

This poster wanted to encourage more Americans to continue the fight against the Japanese during World War 2, in revenge for the other Americans that the Japanese killed.

The poster actually show a newspaper article about the Japanese torturing and killing as many as five thousand and two hundred Americans in the war. Additionally, the background of the picture shows an American being brutally beaten by a Japanese soldier. There are also other Americans being forced to march by other Japanese soldiers. This shows some of the ill-treatment by the Japanese towards American soldiers. The aim of this was to stir up anger among the feelings of fellow Americans, and wanted them to fight the war in revenge for their fellow countrymen.

Additionally, there are the words "What are you going to do about it?", with an emphasis on the word "you". The aim is for the people to have a reaction to the poster, for them to do something about the war - to join in the fight against the Japanese. It wanted them to take some action after looking at the outrageous facts of how fellow Americans were treated. The words "Stay on the job until every mudering Jap is wiped out" also further prompted them to support the fight against the Japanese in the war. Therefore, it managed to convey the message for Americans to join in the fight against the Japnese in World War II.


This picture has a very convincing tone to encourage more Singaporeans to enrol in the army. It conveys the message that one would become more decisive, strategic, and will also gain leadership skills if that person joins the Singapore army.

The poster actually shows a scene of the Singapore armed forces in action. There is evidently a leader in front of the rest of the soldiers and he is giving them certain hand signals. The leader looks very impressive with the other soldiers following his order without question. There are also the words strategy, leadership and decisiveness in the poster, suggesting that one would gain these qualities if they join the army.

Additionall, there are the words "Some things you just can't learn in a classroom", suggesting that there are much more things to learn in the army. It encourages one to venture out of their "classrooms" and experience life in the army first hand. It convinces people that in order to gain certain qualities, one must join the army and learn from there.

With the combination of the impressive picture and the influential texts, the poster is very effective in convincing people to join the Singapore army.

Monday, April 25, 2011

Logical fallcies

http://sg.news.yahoo.com/new-wp-candidate-breaks-down-at-unveiling.html
"Worker's Party new candidate Watson Chong broke down during a press conference on Sunday, saying he was afraid joining the opposition would "bring his family down".

In this case, Watson Chong committed the fallacy of appeal to sentiments. Instead of talking about his qualifications and informing the public what he can do for the people, he tries to invoke their sympathy by breaking down. He went on to talk about how his family was afraid that joining the opposition would be a great threat to him, and how they risk for his safety. He expressed his anxiety for the welfare for his family, and talks about the frustrations he is having.

He is trying to gain support from sympathy by the public, and did not explain why he should be fit to be in the government. He is appealing to people's sentiments and has committed a great fallacy.

http://www.temasekreview.com/2011/04/11/lim-boon-heng-cried-on-tv-when-asked-question-on-pap-groupthink/
Minister Lim Boon Heng CRIED on TV when questioned

Similar to the previous case, Mr Lim Boon Heng also committed the fallacy of appealing to sentiments. Instead of answering the questions that were thrown to him by reporters during the media conference, he just broke down and cried. Firstly, he evaded the questions by crying and not answering them at the end of the day. He also tried to evoke the sympathy of the public when he expressed his emotions.

http://sg.news.yahoo.com/blogs/singaporescene/sembawang-grc-unveils-500-million-renewal-plan-172638043.html
Sembawang GRC unveils S$500 mil renewal plan

In this article, Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan also responded to comments by the the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) that he was "mixing religion with politics". He addressed the issue and stated that it was not true. His arguments were valid and made a point. However, when he mentioned "But I'm just stating I am a Buddhist. What's wrong with that? Are they shy to talk about their own religion?", he committed the fallacy of dicto simpiciter. He assumed that people were generally not shy to talk about their religion, and that it is acceptable for one to speak of his religion openly.

Religion is a very sensitive issue as different people have different traditions and beliefs. In some cases, individuals do not even want to mention their religion in public, not because they are shy, but because they are cautious. For example: If a person has Muslim friends, and he himself is a Christian, it would not be logical for him to announce in front of them "I am a Christian". This may cause an uproar among them and lead to serious consequences. As I mentioned, religion is a very sensitive issue, and people may easily get offended by it. So this should be taken into thought before assuming everyone is okay with mentioning their religion in public.

Monday, April 11, 2011

Let kids rule the school

Can students be given the autonomy to develop their curriculum?

The idea of students planning their own education, having the freedom to learn whatever they want, does not seem very viable in the modern society. If they were to plan their own education, they might not learn skills and knowledge necessary for them to survive in the world. This is a misconception that when kids plan their own education, it means that they would not learn anything beneficial and will only play games throughout their school lives. However, does having the freedom to learn something they wish - having fun - means that they will not benefit at all?

In fact, contrary to some beliefs, it may actually help the students to develop their potential and improve their skills. If kids had the freedom to learn what they want, they will have the motivation to learn even more than normal. They will be very interesed in the topics they chose and will not complain if they are asked to learn much more, as they will actually like it. This will enable them to pursue their favourite topics and improve their skills in these areas. This will not only motivate them to learn, and will also help them develop their overall skills and knowledge.

However, if they are being taught something that is not to their liking, no matter how beneficial the subject is, they will not absorb it. They may also feel very bored at the topic and lose their interest in going to school altogether. If this was to happen, they will not learn anything much in school. Thus, this will not benefit them at all. There is a huge difference between having fun and not learning anything.

If the children are allowed to learn their favourite topics through fun ways, this will encourage them to learn further. This will help them learn some skills that may be useful in the long run. So why don't we change the impression that schools are very stressful and not a very fun place to go to?

Saturday, April 2, 2011

Gunfire echoed throughout the battlegrounds. Screams and wails of fear and pain can be heard from a mile away. The smell of gunpowder and blood lingered in the stale air, rendering breathing even more difficult. A sea of blood stretched to every part of the battlefield, staining anything in its path a sickening crimson red. As I watched the nightmare unfold bit by bit, I wonder: Must we really resort to this? Hundreds of bodies litter the grounds, some beyond recognition. Occasionally, the sound of an artillery shell crashing down could be heard, followed by more screams. The sight of people wailing, crying out for their loved ones, crying pathetically in fear of death, melted our hearts. Nearby, a mother was lying in a pool of blood, her eyes fixed in death. Her orphaned child sobs beside her, embracing her body, hoping that a miracle would happen. At such a young age, it was too cruel to separate him from his only source of love and care. As he mourned the death of his parent, others could not help but also shed tears. This was too much to bear. Wrecked buildings hovered over us like giants slowly crumbling to their death. The walls were partly covered in red, as if in a middle of a renovation. This was completed with a final touched – with horrendous bodies decorating every corner of the dead buildings. That dreaded colour, red, was visible from a mile away, as it covered a great deal of the surrounding areas. People, human beings, desperately sought for cover. I could make out a few civilians cowering behind a once glorious tank, which was now nothing but a lump of scrap metal. Empty bullet shells overflowed into the battlefield. We were engulfed by thick smoke and a sense of dread in the air, damping our spirits. The lucky ones managed to hold out till this long, attempting to dodge yet another wave of murderous pieces of lead. Only a handful was still able to put up a brave front; many people were already burying their heads in their hands, praying that they will be able to pull through. Cheers echoed throughout the entire battleground as the enemies finally put up a torn and tattered white flag. Hope began to restore itself in the eyes of the people still alive, and blood returned to their veins. Everyone’s face could show that they manage to cheat death, against all odds. However, it was bitter-sweet. People whose death could have been avoided were now covering the entire battlefield, never to wake ever again. Although we were the victors of this battle, it does not seem like it. The loss of so many lives, for one insignificant conflict, was not worth it.

Monday, March 28, 2011

Why we should care

Why should we care about what happens in places far away from where we live? The recent earthquake in Japan has attracted a lot of attention. As we watch the devastation being played out live on television, it is also heart warming to note that other people from all over the world are helping them one way or another. However, one might be curious as to why so many people care about the happenings in Japan. One might argue that the earthquake in Japan did not have a significant impact on us. Yes, Singapore was not directly affected by the earthquake physically. However, the disaster in Japan can affect everyone across the world. One of the main reasons is because we are also human; We can sympathise with them. It is very heart-breaking to see the people of Japan struggling to survive in the aftermaths of the disaster. Thousands of people were killed and even more are still missing. Children were orphaned overnight and loved ones were killed. Seeing the miserable state they are in, our compassion would take over and we would want to help them. The sight of people in tears, completely devastated by the earthquake: homes in ruins, rubble littering the ground, dead bodies all around, this would definitely invoke our sympathy. Unless one has a heart of steel, we would be affected emotionally and psychologically, giving us the urge to help them. We are still humans after all. When the earthquake struck, we are reminded of the value of human life. If we had any friends or relatives in Japan, we would be utterly worried for their safety and well-being. One would definitely look out for any way to help them. These people would be able to empathise with the Japanese who are finding news of their family in desperation. When a particular species gets wiped out on Earth, it would jeopardise the entire delicate eco-system. This also applies to humans. If the rest of the countries in the world do not care about Japan and left the Japanese to their fate, the consequences would be dire. Business in Japan is falling and they are making heavy losses. This is due to less tourists travelling to Japan and the radiation scare. There are in fact many Japanese companies in partnership with Singapore. When their business is not doing well, it would also affect the economy of Singapore (call it a chain-effect). When Japanese stocks fell, Singapore was also affected and shares also fell . This caused some negative impacts on Singapore's economy. Many Japanese products are also widely used here: game consoles, food stuff, electrical appliances, etc. Imagine your Nintendo or your favourite anime movie gone suddenly. It would leave a mark your life and you would definitely be affected. Sometimes it can make your life suddenly turn upside down - your favourite Japanese show stopped broadcasting, or that soap you always use would never be marketed again. It causes a sudden break in your life. From the Japanese earthquake alone, one can realise that whatever happens far away, may not necessarily be insignificant in your life. You would be affected one way or another, it is just a matter of how much it would change you.

Monday, March 21, 2011

Letter Writing

Shawn Chan
33 Hume Avenue #06-11 Symphony Heights
22/03/11

David S. Abraham
Hitachi International Affairs Fellow
Council on Foreign Relations
14 Pellet Road #11-77, Tokyo


Dear David,

How are you holding out in Tokyo right now? Was there any major destruction caused by the Earthquake in Tokyo? I hope that all is well in your area.

I am Shawn Chan from Singapore and I have read your article about the effects of the Japanese Earthquake in Tokyo. The experience must have certainly be not a very pleasant one, and I understand that you are indeed very worried about the current situation in Japan. However, please do not worry, for you have our support and encouragement.

You have the rest of the world cheering you on, urging all of you to not give up and move forward. Do not worry so much about the current situation in Tokyo and always look on the bright side of things. Be aware that there are people in other parts of the world that experienced even worse conditions. However, they are able to tide through these extreme conditions with a strong will-power. If they could do it, you are no exception and I believe you can still carry out your daily life without any difficulties. Do not give up!

Yes, Tokyo may be slightly more chaotic nowadays due to the earthquake, and your lives may be affected slightly, but look at how little the impact is on Tokyo. It would definitely take some time for the people to recover and resume their usual activities. However, I can be sure that the streets of Tokyo would be bustling with people again after a few months.

You also do not need to waste your time worrying about whether other people think another earthquake would hit Tokyo. As long as you feel that you are safe, just carry on with your life and not let this incident scar you for life. You need to live and let live. Once you have assured yourself that the worst is over, you would feel better. Ignore the other people, let them think for themselves, just do what you deem fit. After sometime, things will go back to the way they used to be.

Just take this incident as a lesson to everyone - we must all be vigilant even during a time of peace, for there is no telling when a pandemonium would break out. Remember, always look up for the whole world will be with you in these dark days.

Yours sincerely,
Shawn

Sunday, February 27, 2011

The Casinos

Last year, the casino in `World Resort Sentosa ` has been opened to the public. There was a large number of people anticipating its grand opening and on the day it opened, the response was overwhelming. Thousands gathered at the entrance of the casino and most of them waited for many hours before getting a turn. Some of them did not even get a chance to use the jackpots after waiting for several hours. The government has impose a rule that all Singapore citizens and permanent residents must pay a fee of a hundred dollars before entering the casino.
I think that opening the casino is a very good thing as it can help to boost Singapore's economies and people can just go there to gamble for their leisure, it can also attract tourists to Singapore.
However, nothing is perfect, there is also some disadvantages. Singaporeans that are addicted to gambling will often go to the casino and gamble heavily, often ending up with a huge debt and in a miserable state, family members will most likely also suffer. This results in very bad consequences for some of our countrymen.
If many Singaporeans start to go to the casino on a regular basis, in no time at all, they will too become addicted to gambling.
This is the reason why the Singapore government imposed a rule that all Singapore citizens or permanent residents need to pay $100 in order to enter the casino, this is to protect the interest of fellow Singaporeans. This will discourage them from going to the casino too often as they will soon realise that it is a waste of money to go to the casino. There is also a rule that family members can appeal to the government to ban heavy gamblers from entering the casino.
However, the government do not impose this rule on foreigners which encourages them to gamble more often, their money will go into the casino owner's pocket and it will boost Singapore's economy. These money can be used to develop Singapore and construct new buildings, schools, etc to let Singapore become even more prosperous.
So, with all these measures taken, Singapore will become more prosperous while Singaporeans will not become heavily gamblers. So it is definitely a win-win situation.
However, the levy may not be entirely effective. Many people have commited crimes involving scams to avoid paying the levy, which shows that it may have no effect on some people heavily-addicted to gambling. There were also cases of cheating, stealing and other major crimes taking place in the casino.
This is a place for joy and sorrow for various people. It depends on how they use their time and how they manage their life. After all, it is one's will power that is very important.

Are humans inhuman?(The Lord of the flies)

There is one thing that I do not understand in reference to 'The Lord of the flies', how can the children simply kill another one of their own without hesitation and even take pleasure in doing it. It shows the true nature of humans: cold-blooded and cruel,extremely cruel.
Ask this question "Why do humans like to abuse defenceless animals and take pleasure in doing it?", why doesn`t the newspaper once read ' Tiger mauls its keeper and smiles'.
Even when animals kill other animals, they do not 'smile in glee as they devour their prey'. They do it for one reason-survival. However, humans simply kill others for no particular reason because they are just bloodthirsty. One examples are the children in the story: At such a young age, they know how to kill one another and do not feel remorse from it. Yes, there was nobody to correct their wrongs at that time, but isn't it common sense to not kill another one of our own?
It is similar to a kidnapper killing his hostage after he got the ransom. Why does he even do that? The hostage is defenceless and poses no threat, the kidnapper got what he wanted and he has no particular reason for killing him. The kidnapper might as well say "Give me a ransom of one million dollars AND I will kill him".
Furthermore, another question I would ask is why are humans so superstitious that they are willing to kill one of their own kind for silly and non-proven rituals? Another example I got was from the story I learnt last year, "The lottery"
Are humans so eager to see someone else scream or to experience pain? If they like it so much, why don`t they do it to themselves? Afterall, they will get a `first class` experience.
Humans are even willing to kill their loved ones for silly reasons such as money problems, rituals, etc. These actions are totally pointless and the worst part is ,most of the time the culprit does not feel remorseful and treated it as of no significance.
I admit, when I was young I used to get a kick out of stamping on frogs.
Why does this habit come naturally for humans and not for other, less intelligent animals? Are we really inferior to them?
What is the point of being the most intelligent animal if we are also the most cruel animals because of that?
Another thing is, whenever you bring up this topic, it will cause an uproar. That is because of humans` pride, they just would not admit they are heartless and cruel. A good example is when 'The Lottery' first appeared in The New Yorker magazine.
The scary part? These 'trends' tend to come naturally in our life. To all abusers of any kind out there, please change so that humans can clear this image of ourselves.

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Machine vs Human teacher

Recently, there has been much talk about whether computers can replace human teachers, after a machine effectively marked an essay. Do I agree with it? I would say absolutely not!

So what are teachers really for if computers can do their work more "effectively"? Teachers can let us learn more information because being human, they know how to convey these information to us. Computers do not answer your doubts and questions directly, and they would not know how to give you strategies to excel and learn better. Computers just "dump" all the information on you and let you try and figure your questions out yourselves. Teachers will know what you want to learn, and can explain it patiently to you.

Teachers do not meerly give you information to score in your exams. However, they are there to assist us in our learning journey. They give us pointers, tell us how to tackle difficult questions, and they are there to support us. There is a student-teacher bond and this will allow students to comfortably learn their lessons.Computers do not do all of that. They are also devoid of feeling, and one will have no motivation and enthusiasm when being taught by a computer.

Teachers can also look out for their students and help them in areas where they are weak. Computers do not know how to give students various skills and strategies to improve their studies, like "Oh, you can practice spelling some words from the dictionary to improve your vocabulary".

If we replace teachers with computers, we will lose our ability to pass on knowledge to the younger generations, and this will have devastating results. We might as well replace all humans with robots...

Saturday, February 19, 2011

Prejudism

Yes, I would think that anyone who is racist is totally unfair and cold-hearted. In fact, when I read "To kill a mockingbird", many thoughts swarmed in my mind. How could the people in Maycomb town be so ignorant, so short-sighted? Most of them are totally prejudiced against Afro-Americans, and I find their behaviour very repulsive. Speak of civilisation! The people in Maycomb stood blindly as despite the ridiculous accusation were being pointed out, they only had this thought - "All Negros are lowly, thick-skinned people who are sure to be the guilty ones in a crime". No argument, no protests, and Tom Robinson was found guilty.

Even when Tom, a disabled man, tried to escape from prison, the guards shot him seventeen times. A merciless, cold-hearted seventeen times. From my view, I think the guards were being ridiculous, giving no mercy to someone they think is "low-classed". I could bet that they would not have done that to a white man, absolutely not. These people are just unfair, and we can do nothing about it. Their mind is obssessed with this, and none of us can change their mindset. It depends on them. However, if they are ill-bred and wish to remain as a nuisance, so be it.

I can only pray that in our society today, none of this acts of prejudism will ever take place. Singapore is a very fair, multi-racial country, and I hope that this reputation will continue to exist for a very long time. It is not a nice feeling to be mistreated by other people, so remember virtue ethics - Do not do to others what you do not want others to do to you.

Monday, February 14, 2011

The Power of Facebook and Twitter

"Facebook" and "Twitter", very common tools nowadays that many people cannot seem to live without. What makes them so interesting? Recently, it became more people to socialise and interact with one another through these networking sites. Imagine the convenience of being able to chat with your friends with just a click of your mouse. Share information, movies, games, with one another on these sites. Best of all, it could be done in the comfort of your own home. One would be very pleased with all these applications.

However, I would like to ask, are getting over-dependent on these technological machines to do even our simplest tasks? Previously, people interact face-to-face, engaging in deep conversations and communicate with one another sincerely. Now, most of us are dependent on computers to do this work for us. Yes, it is more convenient, but we will miss out the valuable experience when talking face-to-face.

Gone is the facial expressions and body language, replaced by some emoticons and other objects that can be placed on the screen with just a click. People are now using computers to interact with one another - which is the most basic thing in our daily life. If we cannot even do this little act on our own, what else can we achieve without our I-pads, I-phones, Macbooks, etc. ?

Imagine a day without computers, can we still manage like we used to decades ago? Are we really nothing without our gadgets and devices? Admit it, Facebook and Twitter are part of our life now. This changes the very way that civilisation operates.

I cannot imagine what the future may hold - when we may become entirely on techonology to do our daily "chores".

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Nature v.s. Nurture

MM Lee suggested that graduates should marry and have children so that their children will inherit their genes and become more intelligent than other children. On the other hand, non-graduates will produce children who will not excel as well as the other children. I feel that what MM Lee suggested is wrong.
One is never born smart, but he is nurtured to be smart.

Take Albert Einstein for instance, his parents were not super smart. He had to learn everything by himself and study hard in order to become so smart. Furthermore, although he is smart, it did not mean his children were as smart as him. Otherwise, his younger generations would be hitting the headlines now!

People are always influenced by their surroundings and it will affect them in life. This determines their learning abilities in life, not when they are born.

A person from a poor family would concentrate on earning money to support the family and forsake his studies. He will not be educated and not earn much money, so the cycle continues.

However, people from rich families have no worry and do not need to bother about other things, since they are already cared for by their parents. They concentrate on their studies and thus become more successful. Being educated, they will have a good career and care for their children as well, and the cycle continues.

There are cases of rich people forsaking their studies and they become as good as an ordinary citizen, and you might have heard of some poor people who strive to do well and eventually succeed.

So, the key to one being smart, is for him to work hard and concentrate on his education so that he will succeed later in his life. "Heroes are not born, they are made".

Monday, January 31, 2011

Who cares for the caregivers?

I feel that there should be more awareness raised on this issue so that even more people can contribute to effort being put in to help mentally or physically disabled people. In fact, there should be homes for them being set up if their families are too busy to take care of them, where they can interact with others and be taken care throughout the day.


However, the bad thing about this is sometimes family members might find them a burden and just dump them into such homes. This would be the opposite of what we wanted, to care for the disabled and make them happy. The homes should also be opened to the disabled with no other family members to care for them, like in the case where the father of a disabled person wanted someone to care for his son after his death, and was extremely worried for him.

Normally, if the family members become too distraught, they might kill the disabled person and / or commit suicide, like mentioned in the article. There should be organisations set up to prevent such cases, like letting those with troubles contact them so the organisations can assist them.

I feel that the best solution will be to raise awareness on this issue, so that people can put in various efforts to aid those disabled people. Although there are already many nursing homes and services, there will always be room for improvement. Besides, not all disabled people might have been contacted and helped, some are still relying solely on their family members.

We should really find a way to ease their burden and help one another as civilised people.

Thursday, January 27, 2011

All Summers in a Day

In the story "All Summers in a Day" , I find the children actually quite cruel and heartless. They are able to deny someone else the only chance in many years to catch a glimpse of the Sun. The children can actually bully someone slightly different from them, for a long term period, and is capable of doing serious things like locking Marget in a locker. What I find the most shocking is the children are barely in their teens!

Such young children are able to do such outrageous acts. However, the main attribute to this behaviour is their jealousy. They find that Marget is more fortunate than them, and they hate her for that. They are also not aware they are doing wrong, with their childish way of thinking.
They have not learnt to accept people for who they are and are prejudice against people who have seen the Sun more often than them. They should consider other people's feelings and not be so selfish.

However, Marget is not all right as well. Although she knows that she is different, she did not make any effort to fit in. Although she does not like it on Venus, with all the rain and no Sun at all. It is shocking, but she should learn to accept it. "Live and let live". She should adapt to the new environment.

If she had even tried, I think the children would treat her in a much different way. She could also stop boasting to the children about the fact she had seen the Sun more times than they ever had. This methods might have helped her to endure her stay on Venus.

I feel that the most important but challenging values that one should attain is equality(fairness) , open-mindedness, and selflessness. The values from our J-Tigerr should also be included as they are the key to building a good character in yourself. However, I feel that the most important one is Resilience. Without it, we will not have the will to do anything and the other values will be as useless.

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Scary Settings


Pure darkness surrounded me.

My eyes were constantly scanning my surroundings, catious of whatever monstrosity lurks waiting for me. Dark figures crept all around me, and shadows loomed over me. I was dripping wet and the chilly temperatures of the deep ocean did not help one bit.

My flashlight only illuminated an area equal to a few feet in front of me. The entire ground area seemed bottomless and my view was obstructed by large creatures hovering around me.

The corals nearby seem to be swaying merrily, mocking me for my stupidity. Large, bright eyes were staring at me from all directions.

I regretted my decision to go diving at night.

Youth Happiness

I feel that I really fit the description of the youths in the survey conducted by the National Youth Council. I really am quite happy with life in Singapore. It is very convenient with all the transport networks and various facilities all around the country.


Singapore is a very democratic country where people can voice their views. The people in Singapore are also treated equally based on merit.

Most importantly, the education here is very good, with the addition of all the scholarship and other programmes being offered. This ensures that I have a bright future here. There are also many job opportunities here so I will not need to worry about getting a working career.

In addition, Singapore is almost free of disasters (excluding floods) so we will not need to worry about emergencies here.

We also have very good ties with other countries so we will not worry about having to defend our country from war. There are also alot of people in Singapore to make friends with, and we can socialise more with people of other races.

However, I would like to question the purpose of this survey. Is it really a survey to see how satisfied Singaporeans are with their life here, or a propaganda movement by the government to gain popularity?

But I do not mind it, as life here is really very good and uncomparable to other countries.

Monday, January 24, 2011

Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior

Firstly, I would like to say that what Amy Chua said is not always true. There are in fact some Chinese parents who do not pressure their kids into perfection, and some Western parents who use that tactic.

However, some kids whose parents do not pressure them still performed well. In fact, they will be more motivated to learn, as they do not learn things as often as Chinese kids, and they will not grow tired of learning. Whereas, the Chinese kids are pressured into learning things and doing assessment papers everyday, so it is not surprising that they will feel tired of learning.

If one has the will to do something, he will have the ability to do it well. If one has the potential, yet made to study until he is tired of it, he will not take it seriously any more and "study for the sake of studying", without any improvement. This is what I call a huge waste.

Ask yourself, which is better: An hour of intense and serious studying, or five hours of studying blindly just to please others?

I feel that a more effective way of learning is to reward and not to punish. Reward the child for doing extra homework and studying well, instead of punishing him for not doing enough homework.

When I was younger, my parents often rewarded me with toys whenever I did well in exams. This encouraged me to study harder and and I excelled in my studies. However, whenever they punished me, I would feel extremely stressed and upset.

That is why when some kids in China are pushed to the extent, they might commit suicide, which explains why the suicide rate of children in China is on the rise. (excluding the fact that they have a growing population).

So, what the Chinese mothers are doing is not really right, but also not really wrong. I just want to say that this method does not work on everyone, and even if it does, he / she must not be pushed to the extent.

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Comic Strip



I chose a dark and deserted background as it will start off as being sad and gloomy (with the kitten kicked off the cliff) . Furthermore, this particular background looks quite "mysterious", which will add tension to the story and readers will anticipate an incident to happen.

In the story, I had used the kitten to portray the victim as the cute, innocent little kitten will be small and defenceless. This is what allows the bully to bully it, and it cannot really fight back.
The bullies ( including the second one), are represented by Man himself, as in fact man is the biggest bully on the Earth. He is capable of doing many things, some which are bad. This story is also based on the theme animal abuse, and humans are the ones constantly bullying and disturbing the wildlife.

The last slide is changed to a sunnier scene, as it tells us the ultimate moral behind the story. (and the villain also had his just desserts).