Day 1- eoys

The English examinations for Paper 1 and 2 are officially over, that is, the compos and compres. Exceptionally okay, it went pretty well. A little more nervous about the odious topic of science though. And if you are wondering why I am actually posting during the examinations, it's just a simple way to distress after day of examinations, probably a way to ease the load before a 3 h mugging session. For letter writing, the task of writing to the director of an old folks home wasn't much of a tall task. I think I manage to encapsulate all I needed to score well. I think. Talking and elaborating about the experience gained from the elderly and such... Pretty smooth so far. Then six topics to chose from for the narrative, a large spread of topics. But the pay-off iis that 3 of them are of one category and so are the other 3. Decided between either, then went on to write a story about how me and my buddy Tom (so cliche) running away from this bully, Timothy(Spare me, says the teacher), until we have to hop into this raging river, or dangerous waters, as the introductory sentence of the topic put it. That was a little dicey, 'cause I regrettably haven't written a lot of essays like this one, so the vocab bank was slowly running dry. Hey, one hour to write a narrative? I did all I could.
A short 20 minutes break later, and it was time to take down the comprehension. Personally, I feared the summary a little more, but fortunately for me, it was manageable. Simple farmland story, questions questions, summary, then 15 minutes of blank staring. Nothing I couldn't handle. One thing though. Never really bothered to read the instructions, so instead of leaving 3 lines in between each question I went along with the usual one. Initially wanted to re-copy everything, but with 15 minutes left breathing down my neck, you know, just thought to myself heck with it. Hope nothing goes wrong there.
So, tomorrow, the 9th, time for science. Hopefully I can sneak in an A1. Toodle doo.

Mousehunt

Recently, for our principal dialogue session, we had discussed the regulation of facebook, but particularly the passive game Mousehunt. For the paltry minority who don't know, its basically a passive game where you get to "sound the hunters horn every 15 minutes", before one of the following consequences appear in your "hunter's journal" (an account of your every action, such as mice caught) : You've caught a mouse./Your cheese has gone stale./You were pillaged by the mouse.
Although I myself do not understand the allure of getting oneselves hands on a rodent, I am sad to say I have the title of Grandmaster. It's pretty funny to find yourself an exceptionally good player at something you don't quite understand yourself. Is it the user-friendly interface? The self-achievement one gets from that four-limb animal that we call in reality a pest? Or simply the peer pressure? Of course, I'm no addict. To me, it's just some trend that will blow over from time to come (I hope). Probably,in the near future, comments like "Mousehunt is damn lame leh" or Mousehunt nia!"(for my class only) would be incessantly rained down by classmates on the unsuspecting hunter who audibly, and proudly announced his newly caught mouse. Fingers crossed of course, because its fan base is growing to epic proportions.
Real gold for fake gold. In the main page of the game, there is -quite largely displayed- a oblong blue button with the words "DONATE" written in that medieval font, whatever its called. I'm pretty sure many a times the fatuous Mousehunter has, out of inquisition, clicked the button and found out about the wonders and rewards that await the respective Mousehunter if he or she so generously decides to offer that $10-$50 to the developers. Not worth it. What's the point of having a pocket full of "Superbrie" (supposedly the god of all cheese) when such money can go to better uses, such as charity? Even stuffing yourself silly to a hearty $10 meal beats 1000 pieces of worthless, prism-shaped packs of data.
Anyway, for those mugging right now, all the best for EOYs. And please, don't sound the hunters horn(Yes, it might be tempting)!

The Run

5.00 a.m, my clock read, as I reluctantly dragged myself out of bed. Well, I hadn't done much exercise in a while, so on the bright side this could freshen me up. Taking a quick bite before reaching Cashew CC, I saw mixed emotions from the crowd clad in yellow and black. Some were roaringly ready and eager to start running, while some just struggled to stay awake in the darkness of the early morning. Briefings and the all too usual temperature taking exercises took place shortly after, and then the wait for the buses began. Well, to be honest, I was pretty excited about this run, because it was a good chance to warm up my body before my CCA starts this week. So the wait for the bus was quite boring.

Alas, the bus had finally arrived. I looked up and removed my head phones, tagging along with the people in black as they boarded the bus in neat rows. I sat with my classmates in the same group as me during the bus trip as we were waiting to be dropped off. We eventually were, but however this was when the conflict occured. After 20 minutes or so, our team decided to call the student in charge, and to our surprise, we were to board the bus and head to King Albert Park! But this was where things changed for the better. Ecxited as we were, we were soon asked to run if we wished. My group hopped off, and then began a long run(5-6km?).

As I could remember, I was the last 'survivor' of the group, with the rest trailing off as time progressed. Well, the overall planning was not optimum, but I'm sure many had fun.

On overall, the event was kinda cool.

Online Assignment: My Take on Casinoes

The casino being built in Singapore is supposed to be a money-maker and job creator. However, many people have spoken against it. Talk to a parent or adult and get their view on the casino. Listen to the NPR and YouTube offerings and choose one that substantiates your viewpoint and include a quote from it as well. Your blog entry has to be at least 200 words and you must either support the casino or condemn its construction and ultimately the hardships it will cause in Singapore.
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As a young kid, and as someone with not much life experience to understand who would carelessly spend most of their time indulging in the highly-addictive gambling.
Money-maker, job creator... Yes, but out of the thousands who might come to try their luck in Singapore's casinoes, how many actually get jobs, and how many make money? Yes, probably you would've made some winnings, but can you refrain? A human being's constant and vicious yearning for more will never allow to one to step out of the casino and be happy with the money their eyes gaze upon; at least not until the term 'addiction' kicks in.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chbjc-XDKLw, many have seen this before.
"One more try. This will be my last."
How many can actually bring themselves to be a man of their word and actually mean what they say?

We've seen the various posters, advertisements, and campaigns which the National Council on Problem Gambling have put up, and that is really an alarm for Singaporeans that the number of addicts are on the rise.
Singapore's population is 4.68 million, and is estimated that 58.6% have gambled before. It is also estimated that 2 out of every 100 will get addicted to gambling, which equals to:
At least 55200 people are adicted to gambling in Singapore.
I'm not very sure that's a figure to be proud of. Therefore I don't think highly of this casino idea. Yeah, sure, tourism and publicity, wait till you see the addiction figures.
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Anyway, this is my father's take on the current casino situation.

Under the economic microscopic lens , the IR will certainly generate extensive economic returns in the form of tourist spending and job creations. One of the Singapore growth elements is targeted at the shaping and sizing up our service industry and diversifying from the manufacturing industry as region countries in the likes of China and India have and will remain competitive in the latter industry . The development of the IR will well complement this strategy which strives on tourism revenue which is a main sector of our service industry.. Casting aside the economic tsunami we are currently facing , the decision is timely as the gaming industry in Asia Pacific is still at the growth phase as gaming restrictions in countries like China and Indonesia have limited competitions to gaming on-board cruise-liners.

All gains and no pain will surely construe a too picture perfect scenario. As with any development of the gaming industry and in this case the establishment of a casino would no doubt draw its fair share of social ills. The easily accessible gaming premises would further encourage addictive gambling amongst locals who would have previously went on cruises or nearby countries to try their luck. Doesn’t take much analysis to notice that already the sprouting of country-wide Singapore Pools outlets are enticing and drawing increased local participation year on year (discounting late last year and into the first half of the year due to the impact of economic recession). The ills that a compulsive gambler brings to his family and society can be devastating. That aside, other vices in the form of illegal money lending activities and prostitution that often tagged along with casino establishments cannot be discounted.
To garner the gains and rein in the ills would require prudent implementation of policing measures which believe our government is actively developing.
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Thank You, bye.

Famous poet tht I like Part2

This is part two of the famous poet that I like. Here are some poems.
Easter Day
The silver trumpets rang across the Dome:
The people knelt upon the ground with awe:
And borne upon the necks of men I saw,
Like some great God, the Holy Lord of Rome.
Priest-like, he wore a robe more white than foam,
And, king-like, swathed himself in royal red,
Three crowns of gold rose high upon his head:
In splendour and in light the Pope passed home.
My heart stole back across wide wastes of years
To One who wandered by a lonely sea,
And sought in vain for any place of rest:
'Foxes have holes, and every bird its nest.
I, only I, must wander wearily,
And bruise my feet,
And drink wine salt with tears.'

A Vision
Two crowned Kings, and One that stood alone
With no green weight of laurels round his head,
But with sad eyes as one uncomforted,
And wearied with man's never-ceasing moan
For sins no bleating victim can atone,
And sweet long lips with tears and kisses fed.
Girt was he in a garment black and red,
And at his feet I marked a broken stone
Which sent up lilies, dove-like, to his knees.
Now at their sight, my heart being lit with flame,
I cried to Beatrice, 'Who are these?'
And she made answer, knowing well each name,'
AEschylos first, the second Sophokles,
And last (wide stream of tears!) Euripides.'

The Ballad of Reading Gaol
Ths is an extremely ong poem. Here's the link:
http://famouspoetsandpoems.com/poets/oscar_wilde/poems/11065

A Famous Poet that I Like Part1

1)Ask yourself why you chose this particular poet. Why is he/she intriguing? Begin with an interesting fact, quote from a literary critic, an interview with the poet, etc. and move on to a thesis (yes, a thesis) which is not just a statement of fact, such as Sylvia Plath is a deeply disturbed woman. Think about what you feel about the poet’s work after having done the research; create a claim or opinion about him/her and let the reader know in the thesis what exactly you will be covering in the paper.

2)Background and historical context. Biographical information is fine, but make sure that it provides insight into the writer and his/her work .

3)Three poems by the poet

All outside source material or links must be cited.
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Famous Quotes

I found many of Oscar Wilde quotes, thanks to http://famouspoetsandpoems.com/poets/oscar_wilde/quotes,
but of course I have just chosen the ones I find meaningful, brilliant or simply amusing.

"A cynic is a man who knows the price of everything but the value of nothing."

"A poet can survive everything but a misprint."

"A thing is not necessarily true because a man dies for it."

"A true friend stabs you in the front."

"All bad poetry springs from genuine feeling."

"Always forgive your enemies - nothing annoys them so much."

"Ambition is the last refuge of the failure."

"An idea that is not dangerous is unworthy of being called an idea at all."

"I have nothing to declare except my genuis."

"I have the simplest tastes. I am always satisfied with the best."

"No man is rich enough to buy back his past."

I find Oscar Wilde interesting because his life was a pretty tragic one, yet at the same time quirky and amusing. The early years of his life shown him to be very eccentric, as shown from the manner in which his unconventional parents behaved, etc. However, he was a victim of olden-day laws, a society where homosexuality was greatly condemned. His time in jail really changed his viewpoint on human beings, becoming more sadistic and pessimistic.
His quotes are also witty and some of them strike thought in me.
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Biography

Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) was born in Dublin to parents. His mother, Lady Jane Francesca Wilde (1820-1896), was a poet and journalist. Wilde's father was Sir William Wilde, an Irish antiquarian, gifted writer, and specialist in diseases of the eye and ear, who founded a hospital in Dublin a year before Oscar was born.
Already at the age of 13, Wilde's tastes in clothes were dandy's.
"The flannel shirts you sent in the hamper are both Willie's mine are one quite scarlet and the other lilac but it is too hot to wear them yet,"
He wrote in a letter to his mother. Willie, whom he mentioned, was his elder brother. It has been said that Lady Wilde insisted on dressing Oscar in girl's clothers because she had longed for a girl. In Oxford Wilde shocked many with his irreverent attitude towards religion and was jeered at his eccentric clothes. He collected blue china and peacock's feathers, and later his velvet knee-breeches drew much attention. In 1878 Wilde received his B.A. and on the same year he moved to London. His lifestyle and humorous wit made him soon spokesman for Aestheticism, the late 19th century movement in England that advocated art for art's sake. He worked as art reviewer , lectured in the United States and Canada , and lived in Paris. Between the years 1883 and 1884 he lectured in Britain. In 1884 Wilde married Constance Lloyd (died 1898) and to support his family Wilde edited in 1887-89 Woman's World magazine. In 1888 he published The Happy Prince and Other Tales, fairy-stories written for his two sons. The Picture of Dorian Gray followed in 1890 and next year he brought out more fairy tales. The marriage ended in 1893.

"The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it," Wilde once said.

Before the theatrical success Wilde produced several essays, many of these anonymously.

"Anybody can write a three-volume novel. It merely requires a complete ignorance of both life and literature," he once stated.
His two major literary-theoretical works were the dialogues 'The Decay of Lying' (1889) and 'The Critic as Artist' (1890). In the latter Wilde lets his character state, that criticism is the superior part of creation, and that the critic must not be fair, rational, and sincere, but possessed of "a temperament exquisitely susceptible to beauty". In a more traditional essay The Soul of a Man Under Socialism (1891) Wilde takes an optimistic view of the road to socialist future. He rejects the Christian ideal of self-sacrifice in favor of joy.
His years of triumph ended dramatically, when his intimate association with Alfred Douglas led to his trial on charges of homosexuality (then illegal in Britain). He was sentenced two years hard labour for the crime of sodomy. During his first trial Wilde defended himself, that "the 'Love that dare not speak its name' in this century is nothing unnatural." Mr. Justice Wills, stated when pronouncing the sentence, that "people who can do these things must be dead to all senses of shame, and one cannot hope to produce any effect upon them." During the trial and while he served his sentence, Bosie stood by Wilde, although the author felt himself betrayed. Later they met in Naples. Wilde was first in Wandsworth prison, London, and then Reading Gaol. When he was at last allowed pen and paper after more than 19 months of deprivation, Wilde had became inclined to take opposite views on the potential of humankind toward perfection. During this time he wrote De Profundis (1905), a dramatic monologue and autobiography, which was addressed to Alfred Douglas. "Everything about my tragedy has been hideous, mean, repellent, lacking in style. Our very dress makes us grotesques. We are the zanies of sorrow. We are the clowns whose hearts are broken." (De Profundis) After his release in 1897 Wilde lived under the name Sebastian Melmoth in Berneval, near Dieppe, then in Paris. He wrote The Ballad of Reading Gaol, revealing his concern for inhumane prison conditions. It is said, that on his death bed Wilde became a Roman Catholic. He died of cerebral meningitis on November 30, 1900, penniless, in a cheap Paris hotel at the age of 46. "Do you want to know the great drama of my life," asked Wilde before his death of Andre Gide.
"It's that I have put my genius into my life; all I've put into my works is my talent."
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Figurative Language: Favourite Song

1)How are the figurative language used in the poem? Give the specific word(s), explain what type of figurative language it is and why the poet chose to use this figurative language?

2)Tell us why you like this poem in no less than 100 words.

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There’s a woman crying out tonight
Her world has changed
She asks God why
Her only son has died
And now her daughter cries
She can’t sleep at night

Downtown another day for all the suits and ties
Another war to fight
There’s no regard for life
How do they sleep at night
How can we make things right
Just wanna make this right

We believe(x6)
In this love

We are all the same
Human in all our ways and all our pains
(So let it be)
There’s a love that could fall down like rain
(Let us see)
Let forgiveness wash away the pain
(What we need)
And no one really knows what they are searching for
(We believe)
This world is crying for so much more
We believe(x6)
In this love
We believe(x5)
In this love
So this world is too much for you to take
Just lay it down and follow me
I’ll be everything you need
In every way
We believe(x6)
In this love
In this love

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Similes
1)'There’s a love that could fall down like rain'
The lyricist chose this phrase to express how love could spread so easily and quickly, just like rain on a cloudy day

Personification
1)'Let forgiveness wash away the pain'
Here, the lyricist uses the term 'wash away' to compare forgiveness as perhaps some one who eases (washes away) the pain that she is going through.

2) 'This world is crying for so much more'
The world doesn't cry. So here it is implying that the world is going through much suffering, because of the many natural disasters and wars going on.

Symbolism
1)'There's a woman...'
In this case, the song does not point out to any specific woman, but utilizes the term 'woman' to symbolise victims from natural disasters and pointless wars.

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Why I like this song
I find this song beautiful as it touches me greatly. This song was set in 2005, and was dedicated to the many who suffered in the '04 tsunami crisis. Also, the lyrics gives a message to some that violence does not solve anything, and only brings about "no regard for life". It also tells us that love really makes you the ultimate victor, and a compassionate soul will go far. Also, it gives me the inspiration to carry on and keep believing when I'm down. Last but not least, it sets light to me that through helping others in need, we can also instil belief in that person and make the feel loved. This is anawesome song and one of the best y good charlotte.

Music video embedding was disabled, so watchthe video for yourself.
Thanks.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbD0gIUE3cs

Philosophy: What is Beauty?

Dictionary.com:
1.The quality present in a thing or person that gives intense pleasure or deep satisfaction to the mind, whether arising from sensory manifestations (as shape, color, sound, etc.), a meaningful design or pattern, or something else (as a personality in which high spiritual qualities are manifest).
2.A beautiful person, esp. a woman.
3.A beautiful thing, as a work of art or a building.
4.Often, beauties. something that is beautiful in nature or in some natural or artificial environment.
5.An individually pleasing or beautiful quality; grace; charm
6.Informal. a particular advantage: One of the beauties of this medicine is the freedom from aftereffects.
7.(usually used ironically) something extraordinary: My sunburn was a real beauty.
8.something excellent of its kind: My old car was a beauty.
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Beauty seems to be a very complicated thing, as you can see from the many definitions. However, I'm sure that many tend to liken beauty as a skin-deep prospect, what you can see on the outside. Also, there is inner-beauty,the sort of "deeper" beauty, it cannot be seen, but ironically is beautiful at the same time. Most of the time, many people will agree inner-beauty strikes more importance in their life, or at least, gives much more of a lasting impression.

This is what I mean:
Skin-deep beauty is what you see on the outside; but however pleasant it is to the eye, what does it tell you about the person? Character traits, personality and many other abstract qualities are hidden behind skin-deep beauty, and only the inner beauty of a person can unveil all those.

I'm sure in your life, you have hardly judged anyone solely by skin-deep beauty. Probably you have, but that might only be an initial opinion of the person or thing, but as you get to know he/she/it more you start to realise whether it was right for skin-deep beauty to have a higher standing over inner beaty when it comes to judging of one's placing in your life.

After all this, I feel it comes down all to a matter of different people's perspective. Hence the idiom "Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder." Personally, I feel that this idiom lead me to a thought. Beauty, whether superficial or deep, gives each person an individual speciality because of how they view it. It is an individual's opinion of beauty that proves how different one is from the rest. Basically, our personal take on beuaty illuminates our style and uniqueness.

As for my very own take on beauty, I think it is the representation of what we think is pleasant in life.
Thank You.

This Guy Can Really Teach Us Something

DUBLIN (May 12) - When Dublin university student Shane Fitzgerald posted a poetic but phony quote on Wikipedia, he said he was testing how our globalized, increasingly Internet-dependent media was upholding accuracy and accountability in an age of instant news.
His report card: Wikipedia passed. Journalism flunked.Skip over this content

The sociology major's made-up quote — which he added to the Wikipedia page of Maurice Jarre hours after the French composer's death March 28 — flew straight on to dozens of U.S. blogs and newspaper Web sites in Britain, Australia and India.
They used the fabricated material, Fitzgerald said, even though administrators at the free online encyclopedia quickly caught the quote's lack of attribution and removed it, but not quickly enough to keep some journalists from cutting and pasting it first.
A full month went by and nobody noticed the editorial fraud. So Fitzgerald told several media outlets in an e-mail and the corrections began.
"I was really shocked at the results from the experiment," Fitzgerald, 22, said Monday in an interview a week after one newspaper at fault, The Guardian of Britain, became the first to admit its obituarist lifted material straight from Wikipedia.
"I am 100 percent convinced that if I hadn't come forward, that quote would have gone down in history as something Maurice Jarre said, instead of something I made up," he said. "It would have become another example where, once anything is printed enough times in the media without challenge, it becomes fact."

Share your thoughts.

English,Such a Funny Language

I came across these quotes one day and I found them quite amusing.

• "It's a strange language in which skating on thin ice can get you into hot water".
• "If the English language made any sense, 'lackadaisical' would have something to do with a shotage of flowers".
• If teachers taught, why didn’t preachers praught?
• If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat?
• Its funny how ‘A Slim Chance’ and ‘A Fat Chance’ are the same.
• We are a strange lot to have noses that run and feet that smell.
• If people from Poland are called “Poles,” why aren’t people from Holland called “Holes?

After looking at all of these, it really makes me think about English. Why do have so many different terms that mean the same thing? Why do we set so many rules for the English Language, like the 'Subject-Verb Agreement' and the 'Direct/Indirect Speech' when the English language itself is so versatile, with new rules and changes being implemented frequently? It is wonderful yet queer. It is almost like brackish water in that vast sea of different languages. It is just so funny. Comment.

My Father's Most Memorable Read

As this task of 'interviewing your father or mother on their most memorable read' was assigned to all the Secondary 1s,I have decided to chalk up a few questions and have interviewed my father on his ever-so important book.

The Interview:
1.What is the most memorable book you have read?
Dad: Amongst my the decades of readings, the one by Harper Lee named “Kill a Mockingbird" has left a indelible impression on me. The themes and quotations have stayed relevant to me as I aged and I am glad I got this opportunity to share with you.

2. A summary of the story
Dad: The story setting is at the sleepy town of Maycomb located in Alabama against the backdrop of the Great Depression ( which for your understanding is liken the global economic recession we are having now with spreadwide jobless mire). The main character Scout Finch who lives with her brother Jem and their widowed father Atticus narrates the story herself in reflection of what she saw and experienced at that time and augmenting the narration with thoughts and personal experiences which blossom from the start of the book on naivety to youthful maturity. Her father being a prominent had provided a reasonably well-off life for them in comparison to the rest of society. Their out of school activities centered on trying to enact the character and chided at Boo Radley who lives in spooky house and has lived there for years without venturing out. Atticus , in observing their antics, time and again urged his children to see life from the another’s perspective before making judgements. Which true to his words, Boo Radley various acts of kindness climaxing with his act of saving Jem and Scout from Bob Ewell reversed the kids’ view of him entirely.To the anger of Maycomb’s racist community , Attitus agreed to defend a black man named Tom Robinson accused of raping a white woman ( daughter of Bob Ewell). Undeterred by racist backlash and threats to his family , Atticus determination for the search of the truth led to his battle against a white jury. Unfortunately , before he would bring the acquisition of Tom Robinson, Tom tormented by the injustice escaped from prison and was shot. Atticus was very disturded by this turn of events. In laying out the facts of the case, Atticus brought shame to Bob and his daughter with the community casting doubt about them, Bob resorted to revenge his humiliation by attacking Jem and Scout which ended in futile as he was stabbed by Boo who did it in saving the children. The story ends with a important realization by Scout as she begin to understand Boo and began to embraces her father’s advice to practice sympathy and understanding and display that her experiences with hatred and prejudices wil not erase her faith in human goodness.

3. How did you come to know of this book?
Dad: This was the one of the literature books I used in secondary one.

4.Why is it so inspirational to you/why is it worth reading?
Dad: I was and remained inspired by the following quotation which has shaped my teenage years Quote: “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view...until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.”
I found the book compassionate and deep moving and the intricate way of how the author took us the roots of human behavior – from innocence , love and kindness to the other end of the parameter of cruelty , hatred and pathos.

5.Lessons to be Learnt
Dad: The various themes of this book eg coexistence of good and evil , the belief in goodness of mankind , the presence of social inequity and most of all the resistance to pre-judge a person have not only integrated well into my moral ethics, and also embedded into the principles that I pass to my children.

So that concludes the interview on my father's most memorable read. Thank you, and I hope after this you are all encouraged to try out "To Kill a Mockingbird".

If only Happiness came as big as this...

Heh... My favourite equation:

Chocolate

=Bliss
=Happiness

=Sore Throat?

Haha, 2.5 kg of chocolate...whole lotta bliss, whole lotta happiness, one really agonising sore throat...

Who can really define Happiness? Is it that short-lived feeling when you enjoy yourself? Or is it the eternal joy you receive after death, regardless of your religion? Or as wikipedia put it : "Happiness is a state of mind or feeling such as contentment, satisfaction, pleasure, or joy. A variety of philosophical, religious, psychological and biological approaches have been taken to defining happiness and identifying its sources." Even internet encyclopaedia giants Wikipedia don't know where to nail the bullseye when it comes to happiness.

Maybe to you, happiness is what you receive from helping others, as the old Chinese saying goes?

I just pieced together some thoughts while on the bus home today. I saw this man giving up his seat to an elderly woman. It's quite funny how a gesture like that might seem so common but in reality barely anybody sums up the courage to do it. And of course, this form of courtesy brought about smiles, and naturally a smile from my face too.

It's funny how you find that you don't find happiness, happiness finds you.

Benjamin the Cynical Donkey

"Animalism. All animals are equal. Bah! All nonsense. Look at them. Just months ago they were ranting about 'Four legs good,two legs bad'. Now? 'Four legs good, two legs better!' So much for the rebellion, and equality! Pigs were not meant to stand on their hind legs. They were not meant to write. What more, not meant to communicate to human beings! This was all a bad idea in the first place. Old Major and his 'spectacular' vision. Blind, all of them! They couldn't see it; Old Major over-simplified and narrow-minded dream would have lead to their eventual demise! Look at those sickening pigs. Drinking heartily, gambling gleefully away, and yet they once spoke of 'No animal shall drink alcohol'. Sigh..their twisted lust for power has lead this farm into an bottomless pit of trouble. Expulsion took place. Animals were killed by other animals. Boxer's gone. What's next? Will these men and these vicious dogs slaughter us slowly, one by one? Would they rip out our throats, just like what the dogs had done to the naive and gullible 'traitors'? I dread the day that becomes reality, however it is imminent. After these power-struggles, these lies and deceits, these displays of corruption, anything is possible, how ever wrongful it is to the principals of the ridiculous maxim of 'All animals are equal'."

IT'S MY BIRTHDAY TODAY! Wheeee. Thankyou Everybody for:

• 'Attack Now' Nike Tennis Shirt (Should have been the 'Kiss my (tenn)is' one, super funny!).
• Two nearly identical Adidas wallets!
• A new pair of Nike's.
• The weird machanical thingy that..ugh,the gift.
• $20 Borders Card
• Le Coq Sportif Sling Bag
• Adidas Sling Bag
• The Match, NH vs Cousins,Friends,etc.
• Nike Shoe Bag
• The Fact Book
• All the Bday wishes
• Gerrard and Torres thingy
• And finally for the love, encouragement and all the other stuff!

Thanks For Today, Lord!! Thanks for giving me the chance to be your ardent follower, your good friend!

CIP: Beach Cleaning

So today, my class went to Sembawang beach to do some CIP, beach-cleaning. Of course, most people dreaded the prospect of having to go out and get dirty, but having a chance to escape the stuffiness and the nonchalant atmosphere of the classroom was good enough for me. For a gruelling 3hrs, my good friend and I pick up heaps and loads of thrash, ranging from plastic bottles to even a huge porcelian flower pot(red): Luckily for us, Singapore's weather did not act up, and it was the ideal time to do an outdoor activity; the sky was slightly overcast and although it threatened to pour, things eventually went our way and our jobs were carried out successfully. There was some minor setbacks though, as some students simply couldn't resist their temptations: they started skipping stones. Well, it was quite an interesting skill, although the marvelous performance of stones hopping about the waves was halted by a angry teacher. Also, the thrash bag we used had a little bit of a problem: it couldn't really withstand the flower pots, the coconuts, the bottles, etc.....



Despite those challenges, we still had a great time and managed to snatch a couple of drinks! This was the scene of HC Sec 1s happy to be done cleaning the beach:

Well, goodbye!

Easter

Matt 28:6 "He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay."

Today's Easter, the ressurection of Jesus! Christians around the would praise for joy as once again the Lord has risen. Today. The most important day of the year for me, and many others. Today, many people think that it's a day to get sore throats, with all the egg-hunting and the bunnies. But that's just not it.
Easter should be more than just another holiday to a Christian. It's the Sunday set aside to recognize the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. GOD sent his WORD in the form of a child, being born to Mary the Virgin as God's only Begotten Son. He lived a very short time on earth, having been a carpenter and then God's messenger the last three years or so of his life. He was crucified, nailing all our sins to the cross, covering them with His precious blood. If we believe on Him, accept His free gift of salvation, then we too will see Him in all his Glory one day! Let us all rejoice that He has done so much for us, and rejoice that some day we will join Him in His kingdom and bask in His Glory!!

SAFFC vs Suwon Bluewings

On the 18th of March, my friend Jim and I went to the Jalan Besar stadium to catch a Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League match between our very own Singapore Armed Forces FC and K-league champions Suwon Bluewings(Korea).
A controversial handball in the 65th minute by Daniel Bennett (SAFFC, #16) gave Suwon Bluewings a penalty with Brazilian striker Eduardo Goncalves (Suwon, #9 & eventual Man of the Match) converting from the spot with ease. He struck home again six minutes later when he successfully bamboozled past SAFFC’s Kenjia Arai (SAFFC, #3) and Ahmad Latiff (#7) to fire off a shot into the roof of the net.

Here are some pictures for you to enjoy:

SAFFC's 'keeper walking off the pitch after pre-match warm-ups.

Good weather on the 18th, unfortunately that didn't help SAFFC much...

The pitch looks tempting...

The teams get ready before the 9000+ strong crowd

And here we have our spirited SAFFC team for a little team-talk to calm the nerves.

Below are some pictures of the match. There aren't many because I was focusing on the match.

Well. thanks for viewing and good night. Perhaps I'll do more on the match some other day.

A Great Leader: Nelson Mandela, Part Two: Pluses & Minuses

In the post below, I have given you information on Nelson Mandela. Now, I will be giving a post on Mandela's 'plus' points and his 'minus' points as well.

To begin, I will start with his positive points. As all of you should know, racist issues have been strewned and scattered out amongst world history, and countless innocent lives have been taken away due to those who can only see violence and death as an end to all problems. Thankfully, we have righteous people like Nelson Mandela. Mandela could see that peace could solve everything, not sole violence. By standing up for racial equality, Mandela went to prison. Therefore, it could be said that Mandela sacrificed his freedom for the better good of people's lives, and to make an attempt to end racism. Of course, racism is not totally extinguished, but Mandela's justful efforts have definitely made some-sort of a significant contribution to the battle against racial discrimination.

Being only human, Mandela also has his negative points. A major fault in his campaign for racial equaltiy and the end of aparthied activity was contradiction: He resorted to violence in an attempt to turn things around. When fighting for peace, why use violence? Maybe it was because he was desperate? Or did he feel obliged? Whatever the reason, the Nelson Mandela then unfortunately forgot the fact that he should be standing up for his own beliefs throughout, like the Nelson Mandela he is now. In this case, his belief was peace and his mistake was violence.

Despite Mandela's fault as mentioned above, his peace-loving vision outweights the mistake by a few thousand times. I look up to Mandela because he is one leader that strives to do what is right. And despite facing major obstacles in his life like prison, which took away 18 years of freedom, he never did give up and because of his sheer determination and perseverence, became the succesful leader that he is today. He is one great leader in my opinion and I hope to learn from his example.

I'm sure as Mr. Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela looks back on his life, he'll think the 40+ years of struggle and hardship was really worth it in the end.

A Great Leader: Nelson Mandela, Part One Introduction and Contributions

As a school assignment, I have been asked to do a blog post on a great leader that I admire, and I have chosen Nelson Mandela, the the first black President of South Africa . In this post, I will give you information on Mandela.

Background/ Info
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was born in Mvezo, a small village located in the district of Umtata, the Transkei capital(links to info on Transkei below). He belongs to the Thembu dynasty. His father, Mphakanyiswa, was once the ruler of his tribe. After his reign, he served an instrumental role in Jongintaba Dalindyebo's ascension to the throne of the tribe. Jongintaba would later return the favour by informally adopting Mandela upon Mphakanyiswa's death. His given name Rolihlahla means "to pull a branch of a tree", or more colloquially and ironically, "troublemaker". In South Africa he is often known as Madiba, an honorary title adopted by elders of Mandela's clan. Mandela became the first member of his family to attend a school, where his teacher Miss Mdingane gave him the English name "Nelson". He was elected as the first black president of South Africa on 10 May 1994. He has also won over a hundred awards for his efforts throughout 4 decades, including the Nobel Peace Prize.

Education/ Academic Achievements
*At the age of sixteen he attended Clarkebury Boarding Institute.

*Mandela completed his Junior Certificate in two years.

*In 1937 Mandela moved to Healdtown, the Wesleyan college in Fort Beaufort which most Thembu royalty attended. At nineteen, he took an interest in boxing and running at the school.

*After enrolling, Mandela began to study for a Bachelor of Arts at the Fort Hare University.

* At the end of Nelson's first year, he became involved in a Students' Representative Council (SRC) boycott against university policies, and was told to leave Fort Hare and not return unless he accepted election to the SRC. Later, while imprisoned, Mandela studied for a Bachelor of Laws from the University of London External Programme.

Anti-Apartheid Actions(Info on Apartheid given below)
In 1961, Mandela became leader of the African National Congress's (ANC) armed wing, Umkhonto we Sizwe (translated Spear of the Nation, and also abbreviated MK), which he co-founded. He coordinated sabotage campaigns against military and government targets, making plans for a possible guerrilla war if the sabotage failed to end apartheid. Mandela also raised funds for MK abroad and arranged for military training of the group.

In a conversation with fellow ANC member Wolfie Kadesh, Mandela said that he and the ANC "were to do it in such a way that nobody would be hurt, nobody would get killed."
Mandela described the move to use violence as a last resort; years of increasing repression and violence from the state convinced him that many years of non-violent protest against apartheid had not and could not achieve any progress.
Before his arrest, he made this statement: "During my lifetime I have dedicated myself to the struggle of the African people. I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die."

His Arrest
Nelson Mandela was imprisoned on Robben Island where he remained for the next eighteen of his twenty-seven years in prison. On the island, he and others performed hard labour in a lime quarry. Prison conditions were very basic. Prisoners were segregated by race, with black prisoners receiving the fewest rations. Political prisoners were kept separate from ordinary criminals and received fewer privileges. Mandela describes how, as a D-group prisoner (the lowest classification) he was allowed one visitor and one letter every six months. Letters, when they came, were often delayed for long periods and made unreadable by the prison censors.

His Contributions
*Since the age of 20, he has fought against racial discrimination and for peace between the blacks and the whites.
*As President from May 1994 until June 1999, Mandela presided over the transition from minority rule and apartheid, winning international respect for his advocacy of national and international reconciliation.
* Mandela encouraged black South Africans to get behind the previously hated Springboks (the South African national rugby team) as South Africa hosted the 1995 Rugby World Cup. After the Springboks won an epic final over New Zealand, Mandela, wearing a Springbok shirt, presented the trophy to captain Francois Pienaar, an Afrikaner. This was widely seen as a major step in the reconciliation of white and black South Africans.
*In South Africa's first post-apartheid military operation, Mandela ordered troops into Lesotho in September 1998 to protect the government of Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili. This came after a disputed election prompted fierce opposition threatening the unstable government.
*Commentators and critics including AIDS activists such as Edwin Cameron have criticised Mandela for his government's ineffectiveness in stemming the AIDS crisis. Therefore, after his retirement, he started the '46664' campaign to raise AIDS awareness.
*Started the 'Nelson Mandela Foundation'. The Mandela Foundation has helped build over 140 schools. These Mandela Schools have been the focus of a development program, and one of its objectives is to create centers of excellence in learning and teaching within communities.
Links
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transkei
http://www.africanaencyclopedia.com/apartheid/apartheid.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apartheid

The Lottery: Relevance to Today's Society

Recently, my class completed the short story titled, 'The Lottery'. It is a chilling story of how a 'lottery' is conducted in a 300-strong village. Here's the catch: this 'lottery' is actually a ritual whereby the 'winner' gets stoned to death, even by his/her own family, as a sacrifice for good harvest. Naturally, you might think that these villagers are inhumane and cruel; and you will never be caught dead committing such acts. However, many of us do. It all boils down to the works of the society, and the idiom, 'The blind lead the blind'.
As a ritual, everybody feels it is sort of a duty to go along with this 80-over year old custom, resulting in the heartless act of killing to take place. However, the real cruelty is the fact that none of the villagers actually stopped to think, " Is this right?" or, "Why am I doing this?" They just assumed it was right since everyone was doing it, adopting a 'let's go with the flow' mentality.
That brings me to my point that the society can sometimes blind us and blur the line that separates right from wrong. Everyone is sure to have committed a fault just like that. Of course, it probably wouldn't be to the extent of causing a death, but we still have to be aware that a small sin doesn't mean no sin. I think we should be aware of the appeal that the author Shirley Jackson is trying to make, and put in effort to elucidate this line that separates right from wrong.

False Alarm!

Kudos to Jeremy for helping me fix the comment thingy...so, the post below is worth ignoring. Thank you for your 'understandance'.

VERY IMPORTANT!!!!

I appeal to all those who are itching to add a "comment" to my blog post! I have started a new blog called www.jongnicalscommentspage.blogspot.com. Feel free to comment there! Thanks and sorry for the inconvenience!

My Feelings for The Story of Benjamin Button: The Harshness of the Society

As I mentioned in the previous post, I have read the story of Benjamin Button and I find it quite a saddening story as Benjamin's 'special' condition makes him unable to fit into the society of the 1860s to the 1930s. I can liken this situation to two stories our class have worked on, Flowers for Algernon and Scarlet Ibis. In both stories, the main character is not able to fit in to the harsh society that rules them as 'special people'. In Flowers for Algernon, the character Charlie Gordon is a mentally-challenged person with an IQ of 68 and because of his mental limitations he cannot fit in. In Scarlet Ibis, the character named Doodle/William Armstrong is physically and slightly mentally challenged. He finds that he cannot just be at least a 'somebody' in others lives but a 'nobody' instead. Similarly, in Baltimore, where Benjamin was born(as an old man), everybody expected to be normal. After Benjamin's birth, his father Roger Button receives a lot of flak and under pressure, treats him the way any normal baby should. Of course, it isn't normal for a 70-year old man with a 70-year old mind to be treated like an newly-born. That was one example on how the 'special' condition of Benjamin Button makes him a 'outsider'. On another occasion, when Benjamin was 55-years old (note that he will have a 15 year old body), Benjamin's son, Roscoe, actually was so ashamed of his 'out-of-the-ordinary' father that he shouted and reprimanded Benjamin. He also demanded Benjamin to call him 'Uncle" as he said he felt weird having a physically-younger person address him as son. At that time, Benjamin was at the verge of tears. For final evidence, Benjamin's father had such low expectations of Benjamin that he actually decided to name him 'Mathusela'.
This is how cruel and mean the society can get. And sometimes it's about pride. I have to admit, even I have succumbed to the act of putting pride ahead of most of what I do. And I think we should all make an effort to make this society open to any kind of person, be it people with mental discapabilities like Charlie Gordon, physically challenged people like Doodle, or simply unusual people like Benjamin. If we can be conscious on our actions and mannerisms, maybe we can become better people with each passing day. So, maybe instead of seeing 'special' people in a negative way, we can get to know them better and realise their inner beauty. That way, the world will be a really nice place. Who doesn't want that?

Book Review: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

I just read the story, 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button' by F.Scott Fitzgerald. After reading the entire 'case' in about 10 minutes, I was sure that I was reading an abridged version of some best-selling novel. However, after Google-ing to find out more about the story, I realised that the meagre 35-pages that I had just set my eyes upon were all there was to be in this supposed inspiration to a current major motion picture. Also, I've found a few interesting facts about this curious narrative of the life of Benjamin Button and it's author.

• This short story was written in 1921
• The author, Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald (September 24, 1896 – December 21, 1940) was an American writer of novels and short stories, and he was widely regarded as one of the twentieth century's greatest writers.
• Fitzgerald is considered a member of the "Lost Generation" of the twenties. He finished four novels, including The Great Gatsby, with another titled The Last Tycoon which wasn't finished due to his sudden death at age 44.
• He wrote dozens of short stories that treat themes of youth and promise along with despair and age.
• Fitzgerald's leading influence in his awe-inspiring writing mainly comes from his traumatic marriage and his wife, Zelda Sayre, tendency to breakdown.
• He created an era called the 'Jazz Age' (He's not a musician by the way). More info on the Jazz Age at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jazz_Age

Anyway, the movie version is much more different as compared to the story. For example, the original version of Benjamin lived from 1860 to 1930, living up to 70 years. In the movie, Benjamin lives from the year 1918 to 2003, living up to 85 years, a huge difference of age. Besides the difference of facts, there is also the difference of focus in the plots of the movie and story. In the story, it focuses on how Benjamin Button lives a very discriminated life as he cannot fit in to the society well with his 'aging-backwards' symptom, something which I will cover in the next post. However, in the movie, just like the usual Hollywood manner, focuses mainly on the love life of Benjamin Button and a character named Daisy(who didn't appear in the story).

Well, personally, I like the story better as it really sympathises with 'special' people in today's society. It's kind of late now, so I will do a post on my feelings tommorow.

Good Night.

Superb A Level Results!

Today, Hwa Chong let us (students of HC) off early because the '08 'A' level students did suberbly well for their 'A' levels, and the principal decided to let the teachers have the rest of the day off, resulting in a day off to us students. Here are some astounding statistics regarding the 'A' level results.

OVERALL PERFORMANCE:

• 7 out of 10 students scored at least 3 H2 Distinctions and above.
• An impressive number of 174 students who attained 7 Distinctions and more, with 42 students scoring 8 Distinctions and 132 students scoring 7 Distinctions.
• 149 students scored at least one H3 distinction and better.

INDIVIDUAL SUBJECT PERFORMANCE :

• For H2 Biology, 8 out of 10 students scored distinctions.
• H2 Mathematics, 8 out of 10 students scored distinctions.
• 8 out of 10 students scored distinctions for H2 Geography, more than double the national average.
• Again, double the national average for two years running, 1 in 3 students scored a Distinction for General Paper, with 97.8% passes.
• This batch has also set a national record for Project Work, with 98.2% scoring distinctions.
• More than 3 times the national average, 71.4% scored distinctions for H2 Computing.
• 7 out of 10 students scored distinctions for H2 Chemistry.

This is superb news for the entire HC family and even better news for those who achieved amazing results. Of course, to achieve such feats are no easy task, but I'm sure if the next batches of JC students put in lots of hard work and effort, they will definitely score as well, if not better, as this years students. I would like to encourage my entire cohort to strive higher every day and maintain this good record and do Hwa Chong proud.

Good Night.

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Philatrophists: A Lesson To Learn

As I was scanning through the papers today, an interesting article caught my eye: 'Madam Tan's Mighty Heart', in page 4 of the mypaper. The article is about a 62 year-old senior teacher , Madam Tan Lee Siang,of Anderson Primary School. Of course, as age comes, so do unfortunate things like illnesses and ailments. No prizes for guessing, indeed Madam Tan was diagnosed with cancer. About the cancer, she quoted :"The cancer actually gave me strength, because everyday is a bonus to me," And, maintaining a positive attitude throughout, she still is battling bone cancer; and an arduous six years have passed and yet, this cancer has yet to be overcome. However, instead of getting daunted by this cancer, she still perseveres and strives to inculcate traditional Chinese values in today's society. How? Through the means of setting a good example. Madam Tan has contributed selflessly, such as her donation of $40,000 towards the contruction of Hope Primary School in China 2 years ago. Other commendable acts include: donating a month's salary to the victims of last year's Sichuan earthquake disaster, giving about $20,000 to charities nationwide, donating $56,000 to both local and overseas charities, publishing 1000 copies of CD's and books that educate people on Chinese moral values -a point that she stresses very painstakingly on- and giving these educational materials to schools of China. Inevitably, her children have learned from her example, as when they were young, they would follow their mother to donate their pocket money. Such generousity and kindness deserves a hearty round of applause. After reading this article, I hope you readers and me myself can learn to be kind-hearted and practice the value of generousity and selflessness.

Calling Out To All in The Service Industry

Once again, I have come across an interesting experience in McDonalds, and this time, it is also focused on the cashier. The whole thing went like this: The cashier was awaiting a customer; wide grin on her face. Then, a middle-aged man approached the counter and asked, " Do you have four $1 coins?" He pulled out two $2 dollar notes while waiting for the familiar sound of clinking coins to ring in his ears. But, to my surprise, the cashier asked, " Take away or having here?" The man cast a curious glance at the cashier, before replying, "Umm..having here?" With out further hesitation, the cashier placed the coins on a tray, before realising her empty-minded mistake. She laughed to herself, and then took back the tray, apologising.
Well after this incident, it comes to my attention that customer service today isn't improving for the better despite the global economical crunch. As I have had first-hand experience in countries like Korea(who were hit very badly), I have found out that Korea is deploying a tactic that I'm sure many countries are soon to follow: Excellent service. Of course, as times are hard, many have tried all sorts of tactics, and some stoop as low as to cheat others. So I would like to prove my point that 'Good Service Is Important' from an article I have found. Here are some of the quotes in the article.
"Lately, tourists have been rushing to Korea to experience high-quality but low-priced medical services."
" Many of the visitors said the service they had was excellent and that they would come back here to receive other kinds of services."
Well, good service will not guarantee a 'get out of jail card' from the prison that is the economical crisis, but if people working under the service industry can all play a part and provide good service, I'm sure it'll help our current situation in one way or another.

The article obtained from : http://www.dynamic-korea.com/opinion/view_opinion.php?uid=200900044015&main=FTC&sub=&keyword=ko
Thank You

Entertainment,heh.

So,I've posted twice today,this being the second. The 'insightful' blogpost is below this one...so I guess this post will be a little nonsensical. But on to the good news.. I can finally do the neck-catch and the ATW!! For those who like freestyling, you would know. For the clueless ones, I mean freestyling as freestyle football. The neck-catch is a move where you 'stall' the ball on your back area(will show a vid). ATW stands for Around the World. A complicated trick to explain but watch the first vid at the football vids section and you'll know. It's a tutorial on how to do it. Try it. Anyway, here are some random pics. Who plays Ukulele/Trumpet hero?

The coin trick is like, lotsa patience+fun, try it.

That's friendly...

Now this is nice...

This happened earlier today,try to spot the faint and beautiful rainbow. Cheers you up.

'Nites my faithful audience.

Impromptu; Unexpected Killer

So today in school, we had this speaking competition called 'Angles'. There were many eloquent participants who 'recited' their prepared speeches with great voice-projection and good points-of-view, with each and every one of them brimming with self-confidence, with some imagining what ridiculous pose they might strike when receiving the grand prize. Like all of us know, the basics of what makes a good speaker is of course one who makes eye-contact with his/her audience, doesn't show his/her nerves, so on and so forth. However, nearly everybody can train themselves to voice out their speech perfectly if they had adequate time to prepare it; but what if this was not the case? Indeed, in the 'impromptu speech' section of the competition, where participants have to make a speech with only a meagre 1 minute. That proved the down fall of this year's 'Angles' competition as many nervous-but-once-confident- faces stepped up to the stage. So, I've decided to do up a little research and compile some information on "How To Prepare For An Impromptu Speech".
But first, to infrm you, there are different types of unprepared speeches; sometimes it can be a kind of ‘prepared for’ version of an unprepared/impromptu speech, wherein the speaker learns before hand that they will be required to do one. This type is often done in school competitions(like Angles). They are prepared for because the speaker knows in advance that they are going to do it, but the topic will usually be a surprise.
But sometimes you are just put on the spot – your name is called out at a function and you are requested to say a few words. So..

The best way to prepare for an impromptu speech is to analyze the nature of the function you are attending and examine any possibilities of someone asking you to do something or say something. Always be prepared. If it is a close friend, relative’s or a work function, be prepared for any “Mr./Ms. X, would you please say a few words”.
1. Ask yourself: “If this situation does occur, how would I like to handle it?” That way you are exchanging worry for advanced planning, thinking and courage.
2. The best way to be ready for impromptu speeches or any public speech for that matter- is to invest in a good public speaking book or audio. They are a very good investment since most of us will be called out to speak unprepared at some stage in our lives.
3. Have a few opening lines, quotes or humor, up your sleeves, just in case. Better still, have a funny phrase about being put on the spot.

Thanks for your attention, continue speaking well.

The Photo Montage

So today for our Arts and Acts of Reasoning Class(what a mouth-ful), we learnt about the different kind of camera shots and angles. We also shot some of our own, which was both fun and engaging.

These are some photos I decided to show. Not all are school-taken.

Oh yea, a montage means a combination of several photographs joined together for artistic effect or to show more of the subject than can be shown in a single photograph. And we've(Jim and I) need to do one. Not sure where the following pics will lead us to though. Along the way I'l explain the shots.

So,the above is a Medium Shot. The medium shot is from just below the waist to above the head. There is more headroom than in the bust shot. This show is used if the person is animated with their hand movements, etc.

The Extra Long Shot. Also known as the Establish shot, this gives the viewer some perspective as to where the subject is. This is very important if the subject is moving to new locations or times. It lets the viewer know where the video/pic is taking place.

This is a Medium Long Shot. Remember in this shot to not cut ther person off at the knees. With this shot, you can still see expression on the persons face, while getting more information from what is going on around the person.

This is a Long Shot. This shot is useful for someone that is walking or moving.

Well, I might do more on this with better photos and more cam shots. More info at http://www.saskschools.ca/curr_content/cpt/projects/welcomeassignment/typesshots/typesshots.html

Night'.

So,today is Valentines'. But unfortunately got lotsa work to do so can't go out.

So, here are some interesting facts about Valentine you probably never heard of.

• 1.Teachers receive the most Valentine's Day cards, followed by children, mothers, wives, and then, sweethearts. Children between ages 6 to 10 exchange more than 650 million Valentine's cards with teachers, classmates, and family members.

2.In the Middle Ages young men and women drew the names from a bowl to see who would be their Valentine. They would wear this name pinned on their sleeves for one week. This was done so that it becomes easy for other people to know your true feelings. This was known as "to wear your heart on your sleeve".

3.On February 14th wooden love spoons were carved and given as gifts on Valentine’s Day in Wales. Hearts, keys and keyholes were favorite Valentine decorations on the wooden spoons. This Valentine decoration meant, "You unlock my heart!"

4.Some people used to believe that if a woman saw a robin flying overhead on Valentine's Day, it meant that she would marry a sailor. If she saw a sparrow, she would marry a poor man and be very happy. If she saw a goldfinch, she would marry a millionaire. (Ideal day to go to the bird park.)

5.The Chocolate Manufacturer's Association of America says that 36 million boxes of chocolate are sold for Valentine's Day. (Hungry..)

6.Around 3% of pet owners prefer to give Valentine gifts to their pets, as they are more grateful than humans! (???)

Have a great Valentines Day,Byes

Oh yeah, Praise The Lord!!

Yes, got my blog a totally new look,which i've been trying to do for so long, Thank The Lord for helping me. No less thanks to Hui Ting too who gave short but useful advice. And well, emphasis on Liverpool has lightened....but Liverpool still rocks!! And my apologies to the Pac-man luvers. Also, my cbox is refreshed...cos I forgot my cbox password. Pathetic reasons for pathetic causes.
Happy (early) Valentine Guys,Rock On.

Check this out!

What a totally screwed ichat vid..



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Try to Comprehend

I saw something interesting when reading throughmy new book, 'What's Wrong With Eating People?'. But firstly, I'm guessing you'll all probably be thinking; is this some kinda joke?! Nope, it's actually a very 'thinking book' book. Simply put, philosophical. This book is about author Peter Cave's very own world of puzzling paradoxes, logical loopholes and classic conundrums. Complicated, but once you understand his mind-boggling concepts, it actually all makes sense. so, this isthe thing I was talking about; chew on this: "When Does 'Yes' mean 'No'?": Human that we are,we often seek the unobtainable. Jack has a great passion for Jill, but only so long as she remains aloof and unobtainable. Were she to say 'yes' to his marriage proposal, his desire for her would evaporate. We may sum this up by saying that Jack wants Jill if & only if she does not want Jack, that is, if & only she does not say 'yes' to his proposal. No contradiction arises, just the misfortune of our perverse human nature. Let us now add that Jill is a sensible lady. She will only say 'yes' if Jack wants her. Now, if she says 'no', then Jack wants her ; so. then should she say 'yes', but that ensures that jack does not want her- As a result, she then does not want Jack' which brings Jack back to wanting her.

That was the easiest passage I could find, so may be I'l give more next time. Thanks for Reading.

Okay..Here Come the 'Insightful Blog Prompts'

Okay, so we(class) are supposed to write more insightful blog posts now..Arghh..mental block, don't know the meaning of insightful.

Insightful: /ˈɪnˌsaɪtfəl/ [in-sahyt-fuhl]
–adjective
characterized by or displaying insight; perceptive

Good..now i think I know. Okay, going to do a review of the parang attack news. So, just a short summary (in orange) first:

A Singapore bus driver was attacked by parang—wielding men in a bold robbery attempt in the southern Malaysian city of Johor Bahru on Tuesday evening.
The incident occurred on SBS Transit bus service number 160 which had just left the Kotaraya shopping centre. The bus was heading for the Woodlands Checkpoint at the border with Singapore.
A caller to MediaCorp’s News hotline said the driver was slashed with a parang when he tried to close the door on the men who were trying to board. The assailants fled immediately after the incident.

Well, I think this incident reflects badly on our neighbour's, Malaysia, border-line security. Although I do not want to sound harsh to our neighbours, I think more effort should be put in from Malaysia. Since many Singaporeans are crossing the border to Malaysia daily and vice versa, the Malaysian security board (if it actually exists) should step up and protect both the locals and the foreigners.

As both Singapore and Malaysia have gone through a lot together in the past, I feel that something should be done to help both citizens of these countries feel a sense of security when exceeding their respective territories. This would ensure that the strong bonds with the country that we have shared thick and thin with for many years does not deteriorate and wither away over time.

Part || of Total Defence Day Post

In the earlier post, I posted info on Total Defence Day. I am going to touch on Civil Defence and Economic Defence today.

Firstly, I'll touch on Civil Defence. Civil Defence provides for the safety and basic needs of the population on the home-front so that life may go on as normally as possible during emergencies. It involves training, with the help of the Singapore Civil Defence Force, the civilian population in rescue work, evacuation, first-aid and damage control.It aims to produce a civilian population familiar with procedures for survival and protection, and with arrangements for relief services and emergency supply of critical items like blood, water and food. The knowledge and assurance that loved ones are cared for will fortify the morale of our citizen-soldiers in military training or fighting at the front-line.

So, let's find a way to contribute to the citizen population and grasp the basic knowledge of the necessary ways to protect ourselves in an emergency.

Next, Economic Defence. This aspect mainly concerns the government, business and industry organising themselves in such a way that our economy will not break down in war or under the threat of war. It means putting in place contingency plans (meaning: like a back-up plan) to ensure that our offices and factories will be able to continue their operations during emergencies, even after National Servicemen (NSmen) and equipment have been mobilised to deal with the emergencies. Economic Defence involves the economic sector sharing material and manpower resources to meet the needs of Civil and Military Defence. At the level of the individual, Economic Defence requires the cultivation of a good working attitude and constant upgrading of one's skills. This is necessary to help Singapore stay ahead of the competition.

Although people of my generation might be to young to contribute to this aspect, lets all strive to be calm and wise when we progress to the working industry and to contribute to the economy.

Finally, I would like to give my opinion and my feelings towards Total Defence. I feel that although these 5 aspects have different lengths in terms of description, all of them are equally important. Singapore is a small country. It has a small population base and no natural resources. It is a multi-racial and multi-religious society, a young country whose roots are still being planted. All these make Singapore vulnerable not only to military attacks, but also to exploitation of our economic, social, political or psychological weaknesses by those who may wish to do us harm. Thinking back, when Singapore were attacked by the Japanese during the Japanese Occupation, Total Defence was not yet implemented. However, right now, Singapore have experienced no wars since Total Defence Day was implemented 25 years ago. This emphasises on the importance of Total Defence.

Thank You.

Total Defence Day is 'Round the Corner.

Today is the 8th of February, and Total Defence Day is just a week away. Yes, Total Defence Day falls on the 15th of February. I would like to dedicate this post to those who have been helping and protecting our country, be it through the means of the five main aspects of Total Defence. To freshen up my audience, here are the 5 aspects of total defence:

1. Physical Defence
2. Social Defence
3. Military Defence
4. Civil Defence
5. Economic Defence

So, today I'l be covering my first three points, Physical, Social and Military Defence today.

To begin, I'l start with Psychological Defence. This aspect refers to the individual citizen's commitment to the nation and confidence in the future of our country. It is about having pride, passion and patriotism for our country. United in Psychological Defence, we develop the collective will to stand up for our rights; to protect what is ours; to seek to be left in peace; to progress and prosper in our own way as a nation. A strong Psychological Defence allows us to safeguard our independence and hence chart our own destiny.

So, let's set our mindset to one that is proud of Singapore at all times.

Next,Social Defence. This aspect is about Singaporeans of all races and religions living and working together in harmony. To build a strong Social Defence, there must be racial and religious tolerance and respect, as well as equal opportunities for all regardless of race, language or religion. Social Defence also refers to every citizen, especially those with the ability, education and training, having the social conscience to contribute to the larger community and country. This includes showing care and concern for the less fortunate and underprivileged, as well as active participation in volunteer work.

So, let's make an effort to extend a helping hand, thus tightening our bonds as a nation.

Finally, the Military Defence. The Military Defence is having the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) able to deter aggression. A first-class SAF - one that has the capability to act effectively and decisively should deterrence and diplomacy fail - is essential to building a strong Military Defence. While Military Defence is the responsibility of NS men, full-time National Servicemen and regulars in the SAF, it also involves our own military industries having the capacity to meet the SAF's weapons and ammunition requirements. With these heightened security measures, Singapore can be a safer place.

So, for all those Singaporean boys who are yet to go for NS just like me, let's put in effort when that day comes.

Thank You.