“I never read reviews because if you believe the good ones you have to believe the bad ones too. I was always prepared for success but that means that I have to be prepared for failure too.” This is a quote from an interview with Shel silverstein, the well-known poet in the world.
Shel silverstein was born in Chicago in 1930, 25th September. He became a cartoonist for the U.S. Army publication Stars and Stripes during his army service and attracted notice since then. After his service, he began to draw cartoons for magazines such as Look, Sports Illustrated, and This Week. However, it was only when he joined Playboy magazine that his fame shot up and he was known world wide. From then on, he embarked on his journey to become a composer, singer, cartoonist, illustrator and an author.
I think I like him because of many reasons. One of them is that he is humble. He does not brag and does not “think about his image”. In fact, he wanted people to be inspired by him. The most important thing is to be humble. Being overly proud will blind you from reality and lead you to failure eventually. Being humble is the key to success as you are continuously learning from others.
Secondly, I like the way Shel silverstein writes his poem. He has a unique style in writing and his poems are brimmed with feelings. For example, in the poem “Where the sidewalk ends”, he strongly convey to us to get away from the “place where the smoke blows black and the dark street winds and bends.” This poem tells us to free ourselves from the world full of pollution and go to the beautiful place where the sidewalk ends. He feels that we should not be corrupted and instead has the innocence of a child.
The poems he wrote are filled by emotions and feelings and by reading the words, I can even picture the scenario in the poem. Shel Silverstein is indeed a talented and inspirational writer and I hope to come across more of his poems.
Three poems by Shel silverstein
Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein
There is a place where the sidewalk ends
And before the street begins,
And there the grass grows soft and white,
And there the sun burns crimson bright,
And there the moon-bird rests from his flight
To cool in the peppermint wind.
Let us leave this place where the smoke blows black
And the dark street winds and bends.
Past the pits where the asphalt flowers grow
We shall walk with a walk that is measured and slow,
And watch where the chalk-white arrows go
To the place where the sidewalk ends.
Yes we'll walk with a walk that is measured and slow,
And we'll go where the chalk-white arrows go,
For the children, they mark, and the children, they know
The place where the sidewalk ends.
The explanation of this poem is above. Nevertheless, here is a short recap. This poem tells us that we are corrupted and to step out of this polluted world into a beautiful world where the sidewalk ends.
Messy Room by Shel Silverstein
Whosever room this is should be ashamed!
His underwear is hanging on the lamp.
His raincoat is there in the overstuffed chair,
And the chair is becoming quite mucky and damp.
His workbook is wedged in the window,
His sweater's been thrown on the floor.
His scarf and one ski are beneath the TV,
And his pants have been carelessly hung on the door.
His books are all jammed in the closet,
His vest has been left in the hall.
A lizard named Ed is asleep in his bed,
And his smelly old sock has been stuck to the wall.
Whosever room this is should be ashamed!
Donald or Robert or Willie or--
Huh? You say it's mine? Oh, dear,
I knew it looked familiar!
This poem is humorous and relatively easy to understand. However, it can also be viewed as a critique of modern society, saying that people often blame people for what we have done or hate about ourselves.
Hug O'War
I will not play at tug o' war.
I'd rather play at hug o' war,
Where everyone hugs
Instead of tugs,
Where everyone giggles
And rolls on the rug,
Where everyone kisses,
And everyone grins,
And everyone cuddles,
And everyone wins.
This poem shows Shel silverstein optimistic and gentle character. He makes people think of a world where everybody co-operates and live together happily, where there are no fighting and quarrelling.
Reference:
1)http://www.answers.com/topic/shel-silverstein
2)http://kyleysenglishblog.blogspot.com/2007/12/where-sidewalk-ends.html
3)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shel_Silverstein
4)http://faculty.weber.edu/chansen/humanweb/projects/MeghanUng/poems.htm
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Monday, June 29, 2009
IT lesson 1
Life Is Fine by Langston Hughes
I went down to the river,
I set down on the bank.
I tried to think but couldn't,
So I jumped in and sank.
I came up once and hollered!
I came up twice and cried!
If that water hadn't a-been so cold
I might've sunk and died.
But it was Cold in that water! It was cold!
I took the elevator
Sixteen floors above the ground.
I thought about my baby
And thought I would jump down.
I stood there and I hollered!
I stood there and I cried!
If it hadn't a-been so high
I might've jumped and died.
But it was High up there! It was high!
So since I'm still here livin',
I guess I will live on.
I could've died for love--
But for livin' I was born
Though you may hear me holler,
And you may see me cry--
I'll be dogged, sweet baby,
If you gonna see me die.
Life is fine! Fine as wine! Life is fine!
There are uses of figurative language in the poem.
Example of hyperboles in this poem would be ‘But it was Cold in that water! It was cold!’ and ‘But it was High up there! It was high!’ The writer repeated the feelings to exaggerate the feeling of coldness and how high it was respectively.
As for similes, there is ‘fine as wine’. This is linking life to wine, which is normally nice to people who like it. By saying ‘Life is fine! Fine as wine!’, the writer is trying to say that in the end he felt that life is good.
Last but not least, there is symbolism. The cold water symbolizes that life is harsh and there will be times that we feel that we are unable to go on living. This symbolizes that the person’s who wants to commit suicide grief in life.
2. I like this poem because it is very meaningful. It teaches us not to give up and to push forward even if life seems to be weighing down on you. The person in the poem who wants to commit suicide cannot bring himself to do so because a part of him still holds on to life no matter what happens. When he wanted to drown himself, he couldn’t do it because he felt the cold and decided not to. When he wanted to end his life by jumping off a building, once again he couldn’t bring himself to do it because of the height. If he really wanted to stop living, he would have just let go of his feelings and just do it, which he didn’t. Although he was very unhappy about the things going on around him, he still had a strong will to life on for the sake of her child. This shows that everyone will struggle throughout life, but that we will always have hope within us.
Thank you
I went down to the river,
I set down on the bank.
I tried to think but couldn't,
So I jumped in and sank.
I came up once and hollered!
I came up twice and cried!
If that water hadn't a-been so cold
I might've sunk and died.
But it was Cold in that water! It was cold!
I took the elevator
Sixteen floors above the ground.
I thought about my baby
And thought I would jump down.
I stood there and I hollered!
I stood there and I cried!
If it hadn't a-been so high
I might've jumped and died.
But it was High up there! It was high!
So since I'm still here livin',
I guess I will live on.
I could've died for love--
But for livin' I was born
Though you may hear me holler,
And you may see me cry--
I'll be dogged, sweet baby,
If you gonna see me die.
Life is fine! Fine as wine! Life is fine!
There are uses of figurative language in the poem.
Example of hyperboles in this poem would be ‘But it was Cold in that water! It was cold!’ and ‘But it was High up there! It was high!’ The writer repeated the feelings to exaggerate the feeling of coldness and how high it was respectively.
As for similes, there is ‘fine as wine’. This is linking life to wine, which is normally nice to people who like it. By saying ‘Life is fine! Fine as wine!’, the writer is trying to say that in the end he felt that life is good.
Last but not least, there is symbolism. The cold water symbolizes that life is harsh and there will be times that we feel that we are unable to go on living. This symbolizes that the person’s who wants to commit suicide grief in life.
2. I like this poem because it is very meaningful. It teaches us not to give up and to push forward even if life seems to be weighing down on you. The person in the poem who wants to commit suicide cannot bring himself to do so because a part of him still holds on to life no matter what happens. When he wanted to drown himself, he couldn’t do it because he felt the cold and decided not to. When he wanted to end his life by jumping off a building, once again he couldn’t bring himself to do it because of the height. If he really wanted to stop living, he would have just let go of his feelings and just do it, which he didn’t. Although he was very unhappy about the things going on around him, he still had a strong will to life on for the sake of her child. This shows that everyone will struggle throughout life, but that we will always have hope within us.
Thank you
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Book review 2 -- Brisingr by Christopher Paolini
Book read: Brisingr by Christopher Paolini
A different childhood
When I compare my childhood with that of Eragon’s, I feel that I lead a dull and boring life. In this novel, Eragon faces many adventures and even found a dragon’s egg in the first book. Although he faces many life threatening situations, he was still able to overcome them, either by his own determination or from other people’s help. Eragon leads an interesting life as he can meet up with elves, dwarfs and all the magical creatures. However, unlike Eragon, I lead a very uninteresting life as nothing fun and exciting has really happened to me before. Although the adventures I seek are not as dangerous as Eragon’s, the only interesting thing that happened was when I got lost in a shopping centre. Hence, I feel that Eragon is very lucky to be able to embark on such an adventure where so many exciting things await him, though some may be life threatening.
Comparison of Eragon and Galbatorix
Eragon and Galbatorix have many similarities and differences.
Needless to say, both of them are one of the few reminding dragon riders and are also very powerful and talented magicians.
However, they have a lot of differences.
Eragon is a humble person who started off as a farm boy before he found the dragon egg. However, he was not power-hungry and was very compassionate and kind. For instance, he was repulsed by killing the enemy although he had no choice. Another example is also when he did not kill Katrina’s father although he betrayed them. Eragon, being kind-hearted, only strives to help the people by eliminating Galbatorix.
On the other hand, Galbatorix is an evil and cruel king. He does not care about his soldiers’ life or death and only wants his job done no matter what. This can be shown when he made 300 of his soldiers lose the feeling of pain just to kill more of the Varden’s soldiers. He does not even find killing repulsive. Moreover, he is so power-hungry to the extent that he would go and steal the dragon’s hearts of hearts to become more powerful.
As shown above, we can see how different Eragon and Galbatorix are, although both of them are dragon riders.
Excerpt from Roran’s point of view
“Choose something- be it an emotion, image or sound and let it swell within your mind until it blocks out anything other thing”.
“That’s all?” I was taken aback by the simplicity of the task.
“It’s not as easy as you think. Go on and take a step at it. When you are ready let me know and I will see how well you have done”.
I was determined to impress my cousin, to show him that I could do this. I focused all my thoughts on my memories of Katrina and thought of nothing else. When I was ready, I flicked my fingers.
A powerful mental ray rammed into the thick wall that I had built in my mind but I stayed firm. I knew that Eragon could not break into my mind if I concentrated hard. Indeed, Eragon could not find any entrance in.
However, I accidentally shifted my left foot and the wood beneath released a harsh squeal. Momentarily distracted by the sudden noise, my concentration fell apart and the wall was immediately shattered into pieces.
Is this a good title or a bad one?
Generally, I feel that Christopher Paolini is very creative, being able to come up with such an idea. After reading this book, I feel that the title of this book is very unique and special. I say this because no one would have guessed that the title of the book would be “fire” in the ancient language. Some people even thought that the book would be named “Empire”. This is also a good title, as it has something to do with the book. Brisingr is the name of Eragon’s newly made sword which he had dreamt of getting. This sword is important as it is a dragon’s rider sword. Furthermore, Brisingr could also be the true name of that sword. Hence, Christopher Paolini decided to use this title to highlight the significance of the sword.
A different childhood
When I compare my childhood with that of Eragon’s, I feel that I lead a dull and boring life. In this novel, Eragon faces many adventures and even found a dragon’s egg in the first book. Although he faces many life threatening situations, he was still able to overcome them, either by his own determination or from other people’s help. Eragon leads an interesting life as he can meet up with elves, dwarfs and all the magical creatures. However, unlike Eragon, I lead a very uninteresting life as nothing fun and exciting has really happened to me before. Although the adventures I seek are not as dangerous as Eragon’s, the only interesting thing that happened was when I got lost in a shopping centre. Hence, I feel that Eragon is very lucky to be able to embark on such an adventure where so many exciting things await him, though some may be life threatening.
Comparison of Eragon and Galbatorix
Eragon and Galbatorix have many similarities and differences.
Needless to say, both of them are one of the few reminding dragon riders and are also very powerful and talented magicians.
However, they have a lot of differences.
Eragon is a humble person who started off as a farm boy before he found the dragon egg. However, he was not power-hungry and was very compassionate and kind. For instance, he was repulsed by killing the enemy although he had no choice. Another example is also when he did not kill Katrina’s father although he betrayed them. Eragon, being kind-hearted, only strives to help the people by eliminating Galbatorix.
On the other hand, Galbatorix is an evil and cruel king. He does not care about his soldiers’ life or death and only wants his job done no matter what. This can be shown when he made 300 of his soldiers lose the feeling of pain just to kill more of the Varden’s soldiers. He does not even find killing repulsive. Moreover, he is so power-hungry to the extent that he would go and steal the dragon’s hearts of hearts to become more powerful.
As shown above, we can see how different Eragon and Galbatorix are, although both of them are dragon riders.
Excerpt from Roran’s point of view
“Choose something- be it an emotion, image or sound and let it swell within your mind until it blocks out anything other thing”.
“That’s all?” I was taken aback by the simplicity of the task.
“It’s not as easy as you think. Go on and take a step at it. When you are ready let me know and I will see how well you have done”.
I was determined to impress my cousin, to show him that I could do this. I focused all my thoughts on my memories of Katrina and thought of nothing else. When I was ready, I flicked my fingers.
A powerful mental ray rammed into the thick wall that I had built in my mind but I stayed firm. I knew that Eragon could not break into my mind if I concentrated hard. Indeed, Eragon could not find any entrance in.
However, I accidentally shifted my left foot and the wood beneath released a harsh squeal. Momentarily distracted by the sudden noise, my concentration fell apart and the wall was immediately shattered into pieces.
Is this a good title or a bad one?
Generally, I feel that Christopher Paolini is very creative, being able to come up with such an idea. After reading this book, I feel that the title of this book is very unique and special. I say this because no one would have guessed that the title of the book would be “fire” in the ancient language. Some people even thought that the book would be named “Empire”. This is also a good title, as it has something to do with the book. Brisingr is the name of Eragon’s newly made sword which he had dreamt of getting. This sword is important as it is a dragon’s rider sword. Furthermore, Brisingr could also be the true name of that sword. Hence, Christopher Paolini decided to use this title to highlight the significance of the sword.
Book review 1 -- Star Wars Rule of Two
Book read: Star Wars Rule of Two by Drew Karpyshyn
A different childhood
When I compare my childhood with that of Darovit’s, I feel that I am very lucky and fortunate to be in such a safe country. In this novel, Darovit was one of the few survivors of the thought bomb and he had no family. Even after this unfortunate series of events, he lost his arm to his childhood cousin who was trying to save him. Darovit was very unfortunate and was not talented. Near the end of the novel, he was even driven to his death by his own cousin who took his arm. Unlike Darovit, I feel that I am very lucky to be here in Singapore, where very few riots, strikes and wars take place. I am also very fortunate to have a family who loves me unlike Darovit, who was “betrayed” by his cousin. Hence, I feel that I should treasure what I have now, lest something unfortunate happens.
Describing a character
In this novel, I would say that Zannah is very scheming and cunning. There are many instances in the novel where Zannah uses her intelligence to outwit people when she knows she cannot use her strength to beat her opponent.
For example, one of the instances is at the beginning of the novel when Darth Bane was forcing her to keep up with him. Darth Bane had expected a “more broader and basic assault” but Zannah focused on his heel, trying to trip him. This shows her cunning as a normal person would just blindly strike him without thinking.
Furthermore, Zannah knows how to exploit people’s weaknesses and using them to her own advantage. She could think of solutions for every problem she faced.
Near the end of the novel, when the Jedi were coming for them, everything seemed to be going bad for the Jedi. However, Zannah was able to turn the tables and make the Jedi go away instead. Zannah killed Caleb, hacking him into many pieces over and over. She then hid, with her master underground from Caleb's shack, and used her sorcery to drive Darovit insane. When the Jedi arrived, Darovit attacked the Jedi, making them believe that he was the Sith Lord.
From these examples, it is obvious that Zannah is very scheming and intelligent.
Excerpt from Seth’s point of view
I watched Irtanna fall in wide-eyed horror, momentarily paralyzed by all that had happened. As the girl turned to face me, fear overwhelmed me as I looked at her cold and emotionless eyes.
In an attempt to save myself, I shouted out “Don’t kill me! Don’t kill me! Please!”
However, those words did not seem to have any effect on the girl as she turned to face me. Her eyes terrified me as she pointed the blaster at me.
In a last desperate attempt to save myself, I cried out “Please don’t shoot! I’m just a kid! Like you!” I knew I had said the wrong thing as anger flashed across her face and she said in a menacing tone, “I’m not a kid! I’m a Sith”.
Then, she fired and the next moment, I was dropping into an abyss of darkness, screaming out loud as my senses were all lost.
Saving a person
If I could only save one person from the book in the event of a disaster, I would choose to save Caleb the healer. The reason why I would save Caleb is because he is a man of his words and he does his work faithfully once he has promised he will do it. Even though Darth Bane was a monster to him, when Zannah agreed to tell the Jedi they were here, he healed him and did not even tried to kill him.
Keeping to your words is very important in today’s society. If you stand by your word, you will gain other people’s trust. However, if you cheat or go back on your words, people will not trust you and have anything to do with you in the future.
A different childhood
When I compare my childhood with that of Darovit’s, I feel that I am very lucky and fortunate to be in such a safe country. In this novel, Darovit was one of the few survivors of the thought bomb and he had no family. Even after this unfortunate series of events, he lost his arm to his childhood cousin who was trying to save him. Darovit was very unfortunate and was not talented. Near the end of the novel, he was even driven to his death by his own cousin who took his arm. Unlike Darovit, I feel that I am very lucky to be here in Singapore, where very few riots, strikes and wars take place. I am also very fortunate to have a family who loves me unlike Darovit, who was “betrayed” by his cousin. Hence, I feel that I should treasure what I have now, lest something unfortunate happens.
Describing a character
In this novel, I would say that Zannah is very scheming and cunning. There are many instances in the novel where Zannah uses her intelligence to outwit people when she knows she cannot use her strength to beat her opponent.
For example, one of the instances is at the beginning of the novel when Darth Bane was forcing her to keep up with him. Darth Bane had expected a “more broader and basic assault” but Zannah focused on his heel, trying to trip him. This shows her cunning as a normal person would just blindly strike him without thinking.
Furthermore, Zannah knows how to exploit people’s weaknesses and using them to her own advantage. She could think of solutions for every problem she faced.
Near the end of the novel, when the Jedi were coming for them, everything seemed to be going bad for the Jedi. However, Zannah was able to turn the tables and make the Jedi go away instead. Zannah killed Caleb, hacking him into many pieces over and over. She then hid, with her master underground from Caleb's shack, and used her sorcery to drive Darovit insane. When the Jedi arrived, Darovit attacked the Jedi, making them believe that he was the Sith Lord.
From these examples, it is obvious that Zannah is very scheming and intelligent.
Excerpt from Seth’s point of view
I watched Irtanna fall in wide-eyed horror, momentarily paralyzed by all that had happened. As the girl turned to face me, fear overwhelmed me as I looked at her cold and emotionless eyes.
In an attempt to save myself, I shouted out “Don’t kill me! Don’t kill me! Please!”
However, those words did not seem to have any effect on the girl as she turned to face me. Her eyes terrified me as she pointed the blaster at me.
In a last desperate attempt to save myself, I cried out “Please don’t shoot! I’m just a kid! Like you!” I knew I had said the wrong thing as anger flashed across her face and she said in a menacing tone, “I’m not a kid! I’m a Sith”.
Then, she fired and the next moment, I was dropping into an abyss of darkness, screaming out loud as my senses were all lost.
Saving a person
If I could only save one person from the book in the event of a disaster, I would choose to save Caleb the healer. The reason why I would save Caleb is because he is a man of his words and he does his work faithfully once he has promised he will do it. Even though Darth Bane was a monster to him, when Zannah agreed to tell the Jedi they were here, he healed him and did not even tried to kill him.
Keeping to your words is very important in today’s society. If you stand by your word, you will gain other people’s trust. However, if you cheat or go back on your words, people will not trust you and have anything to do with you in the future.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
So we control technology or does technology control us?
Who controls who? Do we control technology, or does technology slow gain control of their creators? Of course, most people would think that humans are the one controlling technology because they created them and knew how to use them. However, is this really true? Maybe to a certain extent, but I feel that as technology advances, the possibility of technology controlling us one day is getting higher and higher...
Now, technology is so advanced. We wake to an alarm clock, use a toaster to toast our bread while listening to the news on the radio, or watching TV. You either take a bus or a train or your parents drive you to school. In this age, we couldn't live without technology. We've all grown up with it and we've become so dependent, we wouldn't know what to do without it. It is a two headed monster as it makes our lives easier but is also making us very reliant on it quickly. Technology is advancing very swiftly indeed. More inventions are made to make our lives more comfortable, vaccines are created to help fight against diseases.
So, how can technology control us? I feel that technology can control us through many ways. One of them is through our mindset -- computer games.
Nowadays, computer game is an essential necessity that every teenager needs. Almost everyone plays computer, but most of us do not know how to control ourselves. And even if we know how to control ourselves, we may still be affected by the computer games. Although playing computer games can release stress and is relaxing, we may get affected in the long run. Let me give you a few examples.
Firstly, we may get addicted to the game and only feel like going home to play instead of going out with your friends to socialize. This would rob us of your real life experiences. Instead of hanging out with our friends or taking a trip with our family which can bear long lasting friendships and memories, we will choose to stay at home and fix our gaze at the computer screen. As computer games are becoming more addictive, they are becoming more expensive too. Many avid gamers spend all their money on games. For example, it's not uncommon for a gamer to have 50-100 games that cost $40-$50 each. Hence, we can see that technology is slowly gaining control of our lives. It is ironical because we are the ones who created it, yet we are slowly getting controlled by it.
Moreover, if technology becomes so advanced, what would happen to our future generation? Would they only know how to rely on technology and nothing else? What if they relied so much on technology that they do not even know how to write even a Chinese character? They would become lazy with technology and eventually, technology would control them as they do not train their minds to think, only relying on technology.
With so advanced technology, we also would not be able to socialize. For example, we can chat on MSN, send emails and share our thoughts through face book. However, these are all in the internet and we are not meeting up face to face to really socialize. When we use the internet to communicate, we do not meet with them, thus there is no emotional feelings like when friends meet up. The relationship between friends also become more distant and we will slowly become unfeeling.
As said earlier, we are all dependent on the internet. When we need to get information, we search the internet. When we need to do research, we do the same. Internet is so efficient that we become reliant on it. If this becomes worse, what would happen to us? We would only use the internet; we would not read any books because everything can be found on the internet.
What happens if one day, technology becomes so advanced that robots are created. First, if something does not go wrong, we will become lazy and uncritical as we only rely on the robot to do what we want. Secondly, what if the robots turn against us? (This is only a possibility).
In conclusion, I would say that technology is slowly gaining control over us, knowingly or not. We, the creator of technology, are slowly becoming too dependent on technology, which may lead to it controlling us in the future.
Now, technology is so advanced. We wake to an alarm clock, use a toaster to toast our bread while listening to the news on the radio, or watching TV. You either take a bus or a train or your parents drive you to school. In this age, we couldn't live without technology. We've all grown up with it and we've become so dependent, we wouldn't know what to do without it. It is a two headed monster as it makes our lives easier but is also making us very reliant on it quickly. Technology is advancing very swiftly indeed. More inventions are made to make our lives more comfortable, vaccines are created to help fight against diseases.
So, how can technology control us? I feel that technology can control us through many ways. One of them is through our mindset -- computer games.
Nowadays, computer game is an essential necessity that every teenager needs. Almost everyone plays computer, but most of us do not know how to control ourselves. And even if we know how to control ourselves, we may still be affected by the computer games. Although playing computer games can release stress and is relaxing, we may get affected in the long run. Let me give you a few examples.
Firstly, we may get addicted to the game and only feel like going home to play instead of going out with your friends to socialize. This would rob us of your real life experiences. Instead of hanging out with our friends or taking a trip with our family which can bear long lasting friendships and memories, we will choose to stay at home and fix our gaze at the computer screen. As computer games are becoming more addictive, they are becoming more expensive too. Many avid gamers spend all their money on games. For example, it's not uncommon for a gamer to have 50-100 games that cost $40-$50 each. Hence, we can see that technology is slowly gaining control of our lives. It is ironical because we are the ones who created it, yet we are slowly getting controlled by it.
Moreover, if technology becomes so advanced, what would happen to our future generation? Would they only know how to rely on technology and nothing else? What if they relied so much on technology that they do not even know how to write even a Chinese character? They would become lazy with technology and eventually, technology would control them as they do not train their minds to think, only relying on technology.
With so advanced technology, we also would not be able to socialize. For example, we can chat on MSN, send emails and share our thoughts through face book. However, these are all in the internet and we are not meeting up face to face to really socialize. When we use the internet to communicate, we do not meet with them, thus there is no emotional feelings like when friends meet up. The relationship between friends also become more distant and we will slowly become unfeeling.
As said earlier, we are all dependent on the internet. When we need to get information, we search the internet. When we need to do research, we do the same. Internet is so efficient that we become reliant on it. If this becomes worse, what would happen to us? We would only use the internet; we would not read any books because everything can be found on the internet.
What happens if one day, technology becomes so advanced that robots are created. First, if something does not go wrong, we will become lazy and uncritical as we only rely on the robot to do what we want. Secondly, what if the robots turn against us? (This is only a possibility).
In conclusion, I would say that technology is slowly gaining control over us, knowingly or not. We, the creator of technology, are slowly becoming too dependent on technology, which may lead to it controlling us in the future.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
My first semester of being a secondary one student
My first semester in my school was well... generally not bad. I mean, although I have just stepped into a new school, I was still able to adapt and cope well. This was because I have 2 brothers who were students of the school I was in now. They were able to share their experience with me. I will be talking on the pros and cons and the interesting things in my first semester school life.
The gap between primary school and secondary school is very big. In primary school, we study only like 4 subjects; however, secondary school life is a totally different thing. New subjects are introduced to me, like Geog, His, Lit, and Computer Studies. At first, these were totally foreign subjects to me and I was a bit scared of them. However, I was still able to cope by putting in effort. I think the biggest change that I face is the change in exams. Back then, there were only 4 exams annually, but now there are quizs and tests almost every other week. Hence, I have to know how to manage my time well in order to cope. The pros in secondary school life are that I can make new friends, expose myself to new things and learn different skills.
There are not many minus parts yet... but one of them is that I have to work longer hours. For example, I have projects and assignments that need to be completed and I can’t play as much computer games :(.
Now to the interesting part. Well, just to let you know, my classmates are all addicted to soccer. Everyday, without fail, we will go either to the corridor, field or street soccer court to play. No matter what (: Soccer is a very fun sport indeed! Moreover, they also like to play hand phone games...
There is also the matter of third language. I must admit, its tough. I'm taking Jap now and it is difficult and tires me out easily. I mean, it is a totally new language and there are tests like once every two weeks. Sometimes I am really tempted to drop it. Especially during the time of my competition, I was so busy and had to struggle with my work that I could not do my Jap homework. Each lesson of Jap is 3h 30 min. It will be very hard to catch up if you even miss one lesson. However, I feel that Jap is a really intriguing language. Although it is not easy, I will not drop it. (hopefully). One question I always ask myself is "Why did I take up Jap if I am going to drop out now?"
In conclusion, my first semester of my secondary school life is generally not bad. However, I have still much to adapt to. The journey would not be tough but I will persevere.
The gap between primary school and secondary school is very big. In primary school, we study only like 4 subjects; however, secondary school life is a totally different thing. New subjects are introduced to me, like Geog, His, Lit, and Computer Studies. At first, these were totally foreign subjects to me and I was a bit scared of them. However, I was still able to cope by putting in effort. I think the biggest change that I face is the change in exams. Back then, there were only 4 exams annually, but now there are quizs and tests almost every other week. Hence, I have to know how to manage my time well in order to cope. The pros in secondary school life are that I can make new friends, expose myself to new things and learn different skills.
There are not many minus parts yet... but one of them is that I have to work longer hours. For example, I have projects and assignments that need to be completed and I can’t play as much computer games :(.
Now to the interesting part. Well, just to let you know, my classmates are all addicted to soccer. Everyday, without fail, we will go either to the corridor, field or street soccer court to play. No matter what (: Soccer is a very fun sport indeed! Moreover, they also like to play hand phone games...
There is also the matter of third language. I must admit, its tough. I'm taking Jap now and it is difficult and tires me out easily. I mean, it is a totally new language and there are tests like once every two weeks. Sometimes I am really tempted to drop it. Especially during the time of my competition, I was so busy and had to struggle with my work that I could not do my Jap homework. Each lesson of Jap is 3h 30 min. It will be very hard to catch up if you even miss one lesson. However, I feel that Jap is a really intriguing language. Although it is not easy, I will not drop it. (hopefully). One question I always ask myself is "Why did I take up Jap if I am going to drop out now?"
In conclusion, my first semester of my secondary school life is generally not bad. However, I have still much to adapt to. The journey would not be tough but I will persevere.
Friday, May 22, 2009
Should we criticse, or should we not?
Should we criticise people or the opinion they have?
"To avoid criticism do nothing, say nothing, be nothing. " This is a quote from Elbert Hubbard.
Generally, I feel that we should not criticise people or their opinions. Different individuals have different perspective of things and see things in a different way, thus having different opinions. This is similar to the quote " Beauty is in the eye of the beholder " What one finds beautiful, the other may not. Hence, we should respect people's opinion and not criticise them because their opinion differ from yours.
Firstly, as friends, we should not criticise each other. As true friendship involves a shared sense of caring and concern and a desire to see one another grow and develop, we should not criticise but help our friends. Criticising our friends would only make them more demoralized. As friends, we should respect their views and opinions.
Secondly, when we step into society, we should watch our mouths and not criticise people because of differing opinions. To be successful in society, one must have people supporting you. If you always criticise people, people will not respect you and support you. In this society, being tolerant is also very crucial. All the people come from different backgrounds, for example, some people come from rich families while others come from poor families. People have different cultures and behaviour. Hence, everyone will have differing opinions because of the differnce in wealth, education and culture.
Thirdly, as humans, we should give each race and religion equal respect. For example, the whites should not criticse the blacks and vise versa. Religion and race is a very sensitive topic, thus, if we criticse people without thinking twice, disaster would be sure to ensue. For example, if the whites keep criticising the blacks, a riot or strike may occur. Everyone have their own weaknesses and strength and we should help each other.
However, even though criticisng people is unwise, sometimes we have to step in when it concerns fundamental truths. For example, if a person says " Murdering is the key to success " We should not just stay back and listen to him. We should criticise him and point out his mistake or he would go on with the wrong concept that murdering is the key to success.
In conclusion, I feel that criticisng people is not good. However, if the need arises, we should step in and voice out.
"To avoid criticism do nothing, say nothing, be nothing. " This is a quote from Elbert Hubbard.
Generally, I feel that we should not criticise people or their opinions. Different individuals have different perspective of things and see things in a different way, thus having different opinions. This is similar to the quote " Beauty is in the eye of the beholder " What one finds beautiful, the other may not. Hence, we should respect people's opinion and not criticise them because their opinion differ from yours.
Firstly, as friends, we should not criticise each other. As true friendship involves a shared sense of caring and concern and a desire to see one another grow and develop, we should not criticise but help our friends. Criticising our friends would only make them more demoralized. As friends, we should respect their views and opinions.
Secondly, when we step into society, we should watch our mouths and not criticise people because of differing opinions. To be successful in society, one must have people supporting you. If you always criticise people, people will not respect you and support you. In this society, being tolerant is also very crucial. All the people come from different backgrounds, for example, some people come from rich families while others come from poor families. People have different cultures and behaviour. Hence, everyone will have differing opinions because of the differnce in wealth, education and culture.
Thirdly, as humans, we should give each race and religion equal respect. For example, the whites should not criticse the blacks and vise versa. Religion and race is a very sensitive topic, thus, if we criticse people without thinking twice, disaster would be sure to ensue. For example, if the whites keep criticising the blacks, a riot or strike may occur. Everyone have their own weaknesses and strength and we should help each other.
However, even though criticisng people is unwise, sometimes we have to step in when it concerns fundamental truths. For example, if a person says " Murdering is the key to success " We should not just stay back and listen to him. We should criticise him and point out his mistake or he would go on with the wrong concept that murdering is the key to success.
In conclusion, I feel that criticisng people is not good. However, if the need arises, we should step in and voice out.
Which emotion would I eliminate...
If you could eliminate one emotion from the world, would you? Which one? Why?
In this world, there are so many emotions that can lead to disasters. For example, anger, jealously and even contentment.
Let me share with you the many disasters that would occur before telling you which one of the emotion I would choose to eliminate from the world.
Anger is a very common emotion and people all over the world get angry everyday. Many things can make you angry. For example, you get angry when things doesn’t go your way, you get angry when you dun get what you want and you get angry when someone teases you etc. When angry and the person loses control, he may storm out of the room, scream at you or even start to hit you. Or much worse, do other bad things to you.
However, although anger can lead to bad things, it is relatively controllable. There are many ways to control anger.
Even though contentment is good, too much of it is bad. Contentment makes you satisfied with life and it removes ambition. When you are content with your results, you stop studying, when you are content with your physical conditioning, you stop working out. Hence, I feel that although contentment is good, too much of it would result in the end of improvement.
Out of these three emotions, anger, contentment and jealously, I would eliminate jealously if I could.
Jealously is horrible! It comes in so many different forms and will eat at you. I feel that many of the horrible crimes had been caused by jealously. Jealously is a really terrible thing in this world that has caused much unhappiness. It can lead to murders, divorces, stealing and so many other bad things.
For example, this person is very successful business man. He is extremely wealthy and live in a bungalow. He also has a very beautiful wife. Then, his brother, seeing him prosper, becomes jealous and envies his brother...
In order to beat his brother due to jealously, he took up an affair with his sister in law and found it wasn't enough to outshine him. He began to hate and loath his brother and his jealousy was so overwhelming that he killed him.
In this example, the man stole his brother's wife and killed his brother just because he was jealous of his wealth. So many things can happen because of jealously.
In conclusion, I feel that jealously is the root of many problems and disasters. It has caused much unhappiness and led to many crimes. Hence, given a chance, I would eliminate the emotion jealously from this world.
In this world, there are so many emotions that can lead to disasters. For example, anger, jealously and even contentment.
Let me share with you the many disasters that would occur before telling you which one of the emotion I would choose to eliminate from the world.
Anger is a very common emotion and people all over the world get angry everyday. Many things can make you angry. For example, you get angry when things doesn’t go your way, you get angry when you dun get what you want and you get angry when someone teases you etc. When angry and the person loses control, he may storm out of the room, scream at you or even start to hit you. Or much worse, do other bad things to you.
However, although anger can lead to bad things, it is relatively controllable. There are many ways to control anger.
Even though contentment is good, too much of it is bad. Contentment makes you satisfied with life and it removes ambition. When you are content with your results, you stop studying, when you are content with your physical conditioning, you stop working out. Hence, I feel that although contentment is good, too much of it would result in the end of improvement.
Out of these three emotions, anger, contentment and jealously, I would eliminate jealously if I could.
Jealously is horrible! It comes in so many different forms and will eat at you. I feel that many of the horrible crimes had been caused by jealously. Jealously is a really terrible thing in this world that has caused much unhappiness. It can lead to murders, divorces, stealing and so many other bad things.
For example, this person is very successful business man. He is extremely wealthy and live in a bungalow. He also has a very beautiful wife. Then, his brother, seeing him prosper, becomes jealous and envies his brother...
In order to beat his brother due to jealously, he took up an affair with his sister in law and found it wasn't enough to outshine him. He began to hate and loath his brother and his jealousy was so overwhelming that he killed him.
In this example, the man stole his brother's wife and killed his brother just because he was jealous of his wealth. So many things can happen because of jealously.
In conclusion, I feel that jealously is the root of many problems and disasters. It has caused much unhappiness and led to many crimes. Hence, given a chance, I would eliminate the emotion jealously from this world.
How do you know who your friends are
How do you know who your friends are?
First, we must understand what is friendship before we can discover who our true friends are.
Friends often share similar interests, likes and dislikes and passion. Thus, friends are able to interact with you more freely as they understand you better.
True friendship involves a shared sense of caring and concern and a desire to see one another grow and develop and a hope that one another would succeed in all aspects of life. Let me break this into three parts.
Firstly, about a shared sense of caring and concern. True friends care for each other and cares for them. Let me compare a true friend to a fake friend. For example, if you had fallen down and injured yourself, a true friend will always stand by your side and help you. However, the other person may not help you and may walk away pretending not to see you to avoid having to waste his own time.
Secondly, about a desires to see one another grow and develop. True friends will always have a desire to see one another grow and develop, that is to say, they will work together and grow together as friends. For example, if you have troubles with your homework and do not understand a mathematics concept, a true friend will sit down patiently to teach you while the other person would not even bother to teach you! He would just say " Learn yourselves and don't waste my time."
Thirdly, about succeeding in all aspects of life. Genuine friends will always cheer you on and hope that you succeed in all the things you do. For instance, if you got high marks for your exam, a true friend will not be jealous, instead, he would congratulate you unlike the other person who would look at you with a sour look on his face and walk away without saying anything.
Real friends encourage one another and forgive one another where there has been an offense. Genuine friendship supports during times of struggle. Friends are dependable. In true friendship, unconditional love develops. We love our friends no matter what and we always want the best for our friends.
All these time we have been talking about what true friendship is. So, you may ask, how do we get true friends and why is it important to have true friends.
Firstly, I would say that to get true friends, we must first trust them and never doubt them. If you trust your friend, your friend will also not doubt you. However, if you continually doubt your friends, your friends would not want to hang out with you because you are so overly suspicious and not trustworthy. For example, if your friend tells you a secret and asks you not to tell anybody, you should not. Otherwise, if you gossip about it and tell other people or even worse, posting it on the internet, your friendship will soon be destroyed. Faithfulness and loyalty are also key to true friendship.
About the importance of getting true friends. All of us in this world needs someone with whom we can share our lives, thoughts, feelings, and frustrations. We need to be able to share our deepest secrets with someone, without worrying that those secrets will be leaked out.
Friendship takes time: time to get to know each other, time to build shared memories, time to invest in each other's growth. Thus, spend more time with your friends and start to get to know more about each other!
First, we must understand what is friendship before we can discover who our true friends are.
Friends often share similar interests, likes and dislikes and passion. Thus, friends are able to interact with you more freely as they understand you better.
True friendship involves a shared sense of caring and concern and a desire to see one another grow and develop and a hope that one another would succeed in all aspects of life. Let me break this into three parts.
Firstly, about a shared sense of caring and concern. True friends care for each other and cares for them. Let me compare a true friend to a fake friend. For example, if you had fallen down and injured yourself, a true friend will always stand by your side and help you. However, the other person may not help you and may walk away pretending not to see you to avoid having to waste his own time.
Secondly, about a desires to see one another grow and develop. True friends will always have a desire to see one another grow and develop, that is to say, they will work together and grow together as friends. For example, if you have troubles with your homework and do not understand a mathematics concept, a true friend will sit down patiently to teach you while the other person would not even bother to teach you! He would just say " Learn yourselves and don't waste my time."
Thirdly, about succeeding in all aspects of life. Genuine friends will always cheer you on and hope that you succeed in all the things you do. For instance, if you got high marks for your exam, a true friend will not be jealous, instead, he would congratulate you unlike the other person who would look at you with a sour look on his face and walk away without saying anything.
Real friends encourage one another and forgive one another where there has been an offense. Genuine friendship supports during times of struggle. Friends are dependable. In true friendship, unconditional love develops. We love our friends no matter what and we always want the best for our friends.
All these time we have been talking about what true friendship is. So, you may ask, how do we get true friends and why is it important to have true friends.
Firstly, I would say that to get true friends, we must first trust them and never doubt them. If you trust your friend, your friend will also not doubt you. However, if you continually doubt your friends, your friends would not want to hang out with you because you are so overly suspicious and not trustworthy. For example, if your friend tells you a secret and asks you not to tell anybody, you should not. Otherwise, if you gossip about it and tell other people or even worse, posting it on the internet, your friendship will soon be destroyed. Faithfulness and loyalty are also key to true friendship.
About the importance of getting true friends. All of us in this world needs someone with whom we can share our lives, thoughts, feelings, and frustrations. We need to be able to share our deepest secrets with someone, without worrying that those secrets will be leaked out.
Friendship takes time: time to get to know each other, time to build shared memories, time to invest in each other's growth. Thus, spend more time with your friends and start to get to know more about each other!
What is beauty?
What is beauty? Beauty can be found in so many things around us. The beauty of a child's innocence, mother's love, caring eyes, graceful rivers and the flaky snow.
Beauty is a matter of perspective, it is subjective. Beauty is completely personal. What one thinks is beautiful someone else can think completely opposite.
For example, if you think that this vase is beautiful, someone may disagree with you, pointing out all the disadvantages of it.
What if someone likes green, while others don’t? What if he love red; but you hate it? What if I hate red beans, while others like their taste? Different people have different perception of things around us. For example, the perception of things of a particle physicist would be entirely different than the person who is unfamiliar with the atomic structure of materials.
Furthermore, I feel that beauty depends upon the mental state. For example, when you are about to take an important exam, nothing would seem beautiful to you. However, if you had a lucky day -- gotten full marks for exams, won a lottery etc, even the smallest things would seem beautiful to you.
"Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder". This is a very famous quote and is often heard.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder in the sense that everyone finds beauty in different things around us. As said earlier, there is beauty in almost everyone and everything. It doesn't have to be physical beauty. Beauty can be inner beauty -- what's on the inside of a person, and how they treat others.
The media is hung up on the physical aspect of beauty, making people think they need to look a certain way in order to be considered beautiful but that's not at all true. Different people define beauty in many different ways. Anything can be beautiful if you think it is.
Personally, I feel that true beauty is not about physical appearance and materialistic things. I feel that true beauty lies in the heart and in the spirit, and no amount of money, makeup, surgery or false fronts can compete with it. For example, someone may have attractive features, but if he or she does not help people who are in need and look down on them, I do not think he or she is beautiful. Inner beauty is much more important than physical appearance. Our actions reflect on our personality.
In conclusion, I think that beauty is whatever you feel it to be. One person's impression of what is beautiful may be different than another's. Hence, no one is right or wrong with regards to beauty.
Beauty is a matter of perspective, it is subjective. Beauty is completely personal. What one thinks is beautiful someone else can think completely opposite.
For example, if you think that this vase is beautiful, someone may disagree with you, pointing out all the disadvantages of it.
What if someone likes green, while others don’t? What if he love red; but you hate it? What if I hate red beans, while others like their taste? Different people have different perception of things around us. For example, the perception of things of a particle physicist would be entirely different than the person who is unfamiliar with the atomic structure of materials.
Furthermore, I feel that beauty depends upon the mental state. For example, when you are about to take an important exam, nothing would seem beautiful to you. However, if you had a lucky day -- gotten full marks for exams, won a lottery etc, even the smallest things would seem beautiful to you.
"Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder". This is a very famous quote and is often heard.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder in the sense that everyone finds beauty in different things around us. As said earlier, there is beauty in almost everyone and everything. It doesn't have to be physical beauty. Beauty can be inner beauty -- what's on the inside of a person, and how they treat others.
The media is hung up on the physical aspect of beauty, making people think they need to look a certain way in order to be considered beautiful but that's not at all true. Different people define beauty in many different ways. Anything can be beautiful if you think it is.
Personally, I feel that true beauty is not about physical appearance and materialistic things. I feel that true beauty lies in the heart and in the spirit, and no amount of money, makeup, surgery or false fronts can compete with it. For example, someone may have attractive features, but if he or she does not help people who are in need and look down on them, I do not think he or she is beautiful. Inner beauty is much more important than physical appearance. Our actions reflect on our personality.
In conclusion, I think that beauty is whatever you feel it to be. One person's impression of what is beautiful may be different than another's. Hence, no one is right or wrong with regards to beauty.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Cult of Personality
A cult of personality or personality cult arises when a country's leader uses mass media to create a larger-than-life public image through unquestioning flattery and praise.
Personality cults are mostly common in regimes with totalitarian systems of government. (Animal Farm is one of them). The main reason why leaders create a cult of personality is to obtain undying devotion and blind loyalty of the people.
Stalin, Hitler, Lenin, Franco, Marcos, Kim ll-Sung and Kim Jong-ll were leaders who were presented as infallible and god like. For example, portraits of them were hung in public buildings and poems were made to praise them. This is similar to what happened in Animal Farm when Napoleon had portraits of himself pasted on the wall and a poem made for him.
For instance, Stalin created a cult of personality in the Soviet Union around both himself and Lenin. Numerous towns and villages were renamed after him.
There are 4 main ways Stalin’s cult of personality was created:
1) He censored anything that might reflect badly on himself
2) He made use of propaganda - he hung up pictures of himself, built statues, places named after him
3) Word of mouth: Once the people were influenced by him, parents would teach their children that Stalin was ‘the wisest man of the age’ and make them think that Stalin was a great leader, which is also something like brainwashing.
4) History books and photographs were changed to make him the hero of the Revolution, and he did not include Trotsky's name.
His cult of personality reached new levels during the Great Patriotic War, with Stalin's name included in the new Soviet national anthem. Stalin became the focus of literature, poetry, music, paintings and film, exhibiting fawning devotion, crediting Stalin with almost god-like qualities, and suggesting he single-handedly won the Second World War.
This is similar to Animal Farm where Napoleon also had a cult of personality. He "approved of the poem and caused it to be inscribed on the wall of the big farm, at the opposite end from the Seven Commandments." Moreover, the poem was surrounded by a "portrait of Napoleon". Like Stalin, whom the people credited with god-like qualities, "it had become common for the animals to give Napoleon credit for every successful achievement and every stroke of good fortune ". This shows that Napoleon has a cult of personality and uses the mass media to brainwash the common animals.
The mass media can have a very great effect on the common people as it can sort of control the people, hence, leaders often use it.
Personality cults are mostly common in regimes with totalitarian systems of government. (Animal Farm is one of them). The main reason why leaders create a cult of personality is to obtain undying devotion and blind loyalty of the people.
Stalin, Hitler, Lenin, Franco, Marcos, Kim ll-Sung and Kim Jong-ll were leaders who were presented as infallible and god like. For example, portraits of them were hung in public buildings and poems were made to praise them. This is similar to what happened in Animal Farm when Napoleon had portraits of himself pasted on the wall and a poem made for him.
For instance, Stalin created a cult of personality in the Soviet Union around both himself and Lenin. Numerous towns and villages were renamed after him.
There are 4 main ways Stalin’s cult of personality was created:
1) He censored anything that might reflect badly on himself
2) He made use of propaganda - he hung up pictures of himself, built statues, places named after him
3) Word of mouth: Once the people were influenced by him, parents would teach their children that Stalin was ‘the wisest man of the age’ and make them think that Stalin was a great leader, which is also something like brainwashing.
4) History books and photographs were changed to make him the hero of the Revolution, and he did not include Trotsky's name.
His cult of personality reached new levels during the Great Patriotic War, with Stalin's name included in the new Soviet national anthem. Stalin became the focus of literature, poetry, music, paintings and film, exhibiting fawning devotion, crediting Stalin with almost god-like qualities, and suggesting he single-handedly won the Second World War.
This is similar to Animal Farm where Napoleon also had a cult of personality. He "approved of the poem and caused it to be inscribed on the wall of the big farm, at the opposite end from the Seven Commandments." Moreover, the poem was surrounded by a "portrait of Napoleon". Like Stalin, whom the people credited with god-like qualities, "it had become common for the animals to give Napoleon credit for every successful achievement and every stroke of good fortune ". This shows that Napoleon has a cult of personality and uses the mass media to brainwash the common animals.
The mass media can have a very great effect on the common people as it can sort of control the people, hence, leaders often use it.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Barack Obama election victory speech, 2008
Barack Obama -- a beacon of hope to us, the new president of America, the one who would change the world...
Some background information on Barack Obama...
President Obama was born in Hawaii on August 4, 1961. He was raised with help from his grandfather, who served in Patton's army, and his grandmother, who worked her way up from the secretarial pool to middle management at a bank.
After working his way through college, President Obama moved to Chicago,where he worked with a group of churches to help rebuild communities devastated by the closure of local steel plants.
He went on to attend law school, where he became the first African—American president of the Harvard Law Review.
Upon graduation, he returned to Chicago to help lead a voter registration drive, teach constitutional law at the University of Chicago, and remain active in his community. He has an unwavering belief in the ability to unite people around a politics of purpose.
Barack Obama election victory speech, 2008
In his speech, Obama spoke of the core issues facing the United States today, among them the economy, the Iraq War and the onset of global warming. He also reflected on the hard times of the campaign and the "challenges that America would face ahead.
Obama also made reference to his popular campaign chant, Yes We Can. " Yes we can" A very encouraging phrase that can inspire the hearts of the people.
Personally, I feel that the purpose in his speech was to give people hope and paint a vivid picture of a better America, especially in this economic crisis. Obama is a very charismatic person, he is able to influence people and convince people to follow and trust in him that he will be able to change America. Indeed, people look to him as a beacon of hope and a better future and they adore him.
A very touching sentence made in the speech :
To those -- to those who would tear the world down: We will defeat you. To those who seek peace and security: We support you. And to all those who have wondered if America's beacon still burns as bright: Tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity and unyielding hope.
So, let us see how this new leader of America, Barack Obama is going to change the world into a better place!
Video : http://elections.nytimes.com/2008/results/president/speeches/obama-victory-speech.html
Some background information on Barack Obama...
President Obama was born in Hawaii on August 4, 1961. He was raised with help from his grandfather, who served in Patton's army, and his grandmother, who worked her way up from the secretarial pool to middle management at a bank.
After working his way through college, President Obama moved to Chicago,where he worked with a group of churches to help rebuild communities devastated by the closure of local steel plants.
He went on to attend law school, where he became the first African—American president of the Harvard Law Review.
Upon graduation, he returned to Chicago to help lead a voter registration drive, teach constitutional law at the University of Chicago, and remain active in his community. He has an unwavering belief in the ability to unite people around a politics of purpose.
Barack Obama election victory speech, 2008
In his speech, Obama spoke of the core issues facing the United States today, among them the economy, the Iraq War and the onset of global warming. He also reflected on the hard times of the campaign and the "challenges that America would face ahead.
Obama also made reference to his popular campaign chant, Yes We Can. " Yes we can" A very encouraging phrase that can inspire the hearts of the people.
Personally, I feel that the purpose in his speech was to give people hope and paint a vivid picture of a better America, especially in this economic crisis. Obama is a very charismatic person, he is able to influence people and convince people to follow and trust in him that he will be able to change America. Indeed, people look to him as a beacon of hope and a better future and they adore him.
A very touching sentence made in the speech :
To those -- to those who would tear the world down: We will defeat you. To those who seek peace and security: We support you. And to all those who have wondered if America's beacon still burns as bright: Tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity and unyielding hope.
So, let us see how this new leader of America, Barack Obama is going to change the world into a better place!
Video : http://elections.nytimes.com/2008/results/president/speeches/obama-victory-speech.html
Friday, March 27, 2009
Great leader VS Good leader
Is a good leader a great leader? Of course!
But is a great leader a good leader? Not necessarily so...
Why do i say this?
A good leader have determination, guts, knowledge and most importantly, charisma to inspire and influence people to follow him. Charisma, a very useful and powerful trait indeed. Most of the past leaders always have charisma and is able to persuade and convince people to believe them. For example, Hitler is so successful because of his ability to lead. He can persuade and convince people with ease and people adores him. This is one of his reasons to success. However, Hitler may be a great leader, but not a good leader.
A great leader has done many great deeds and won many battles. He may be intelligent and have a great vision and passion, But he is not necessarily a good leader. Like Hitler, he is a great leader, done many great things, but he is not a good leader because he does not have moral values. Hitler was terrifying, not mad, but so embedded within his own neuroses that he came to be what is called evil. He was violent too, a result of his family background.
Now, if you had a choice, which leader would you vote for? A leader with moral values? Or a leader with charisma but no moral values?
Personally, I feel that I would vote for the leader with moral values. Yes, the leader with charisma has good traits, but he does not have moral values. What if he uses his charisma to persuade people to do bad. We would all be blinded by his charisma to notice the hateful mask that covers his face? However, the leader with moral values will do good for the people and not harm them. Hence, I feel that a leader with moral values is better than a leader with charisma.
In conclusion, I think that we should all choose our leaders carefully. Choose to follow the right one, the one that can make this world a better place.
But is a great leader a good leader? Not necessarily so...
Why do i say this?
A good leader have determination, guts, knowledge and most importantly, charisma to inspire and influence people to follow him. Charisma, a very useful and powerful trait indeed. Most of the past leaders always have charisma and is able to persuade and convince people to believe them. For example, Hitler is so successful because of his ability to lead. He can persuade and convince people with ease and people adores him. This is one of his reasons to success. However, Hitler may be a great leader, but not a good leader.
A great leader has done many great deeds and won many battles. He may be intelligent and have a great vision and passion, But he is not necessarily a good leader. Like Hitler, he is a great leader, done many great things, but he is not a good leader because he does not have moral values. Hitler was terrifying, not mad, but so embedded within his own neuroses that he came to be what is called evil. He was violent too, a result of his family background.
Now, if you had a choice, which leader would you vote for? A leader with moral values? Or a leader with charisma but no moral values?
Personally, I feel that I would vote for the leader with moral values. Yes, the leader with charisma has good traits, but he does not have moral values. What if he uses his charisma to persuade people to do bad. We would all be blinded by his charisma to notice the hateful mask that covers his face? However, the leader with moral values will do good for the people and not harm them. Hence, I feel that a leader with moral values is better than a leader with charisma.
In conclusion, I think that we should all choose our leaders carefully. Choose to follow the right one, the one that can make this world a better place.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Adolf Hitler
Everyone should have heard about Adolf Hitler. A great leader in history, born on 20 April 1889 and died on 30 April 1945. Although defeated, although dead, this man is frightening.
This man terrorizes his adversaries. He knows how to impress, please and charm the very interlocutors from whom he wanted support from. He have determination, he have charisma, he can inspire people. Yes, i admire these character traits, but has he put these traits to good use? I think not. However, the people adores him, unable to see the hateful mask that covered his face.
As we all know, Hitler had an unhappy childhood, his frustrated adolescence; his artistic disappointments; his wound received on the front during World War I; his taste for spectacle, his constant disdain for social and military aristocracies; the cult of the very death he feared; his lack of scruples with regard to his former comrades of the SA, whom he had assassinated in 1934.
Hitler was also a cunning man -- too cunning, in fact. For example, he counted on Stalin's naivete to get what he wanted. Stalin had total confidence in Hitler. To humor Hitler's extreme anti-Semitic sensibilities, the Soviet hierarchy withdrew certain Jews, such as Maxim Litvinov, the Soviet Foreign Minister, from the international scene. However, this non-aggression pact Hitler had concluded with Stalin two years earlier was broken when the German troops attacked the Soviet Union. That invasion seized huge amounts of territory, including the Baltic states, Belarus, and Ukraine. It also encircled and destroyed many Soviet forces, which Stalin had ordered not to retreat.
Furthermore, I would say that Hitler is too ambitious. He is intelligent, he had the foresight and he had everything that was needed to be a great leader. But he was over ambitious, which led to his downfall.
By late 1944,the Red Army had driven the Germans back into Central Europe and the Western Allies were advancing into Germany. Hitler had realised his defeat, but allowed no retreats.
Hitler's stubbornness and defiance of military realities also allowed the Holocaust to continue. He also ordered the complete destruction of all German industrial infrastructure before it could fall into Allied hands, saying that Germany's failure to win the war forfeited its right to survive.
And finally, Hitler committed suicide.
Personally, I feel that Hitler, although possessing the traits of a great leader, was too violent, suspicious, and ambitious. His history is indeed interesting to understand and learn.
In conclusion, I feel that Hitler was indeed a great leader, but not a good leader.
This man terrorizes his adversaries. He knows how to impress, please and charm the very interlocutors from whom he wanted support from. He have determination, he have charisma, he can inspire people. Yes, i admire these character traits, but has he put these traits to good use? I think not. However, the people adores him, unable to see the hateful mask that covered his face.
As we all know, Hitler had an unhappy childhood, his frustrated adolescence; his artistic disappointments; his wound received on the front during World War I; his taste for spectacle, his constant disdain for social and military aristocracies; the cult of the very death he feared; his lack of scruples with regard to his former comrades of the SA, whom he had assassinated in 1934.
Hitler was also a cunning man -- too cunning, in fact. For example, he counted on Stalin's naivete to get what he wanted. Stalin had total confidence in Hitler. To humor Hitler's extreme anti-Semitic sensibilities, the Soviet hierarchy withdrew certain Jews, such as Maxim Litvinov, the Soviet Foreign Minister, from the international scene. However, this non-aggression pact Hitler had concluded with Stalin two years earlier was broken when the German troops attacked the Soviet Union. That invasion seized huge amounts of territory, including the Baltic states, Belarus, and Ukraine. It also encircled and destroyed many Soviet forces, which Stalin had ordered not to retreat.
Furthermore, I would say that Hitler is too ambitious. He is intelligent, he had the foresight and he had everything that was needed to be a great leader. But he was over ambitious, which led to his downfall.
By late 1944,the Red Army had driven the Germans back into Central Europe and the Western Allies were advancing into Germany. Hitler had realised his defeat, but allowed no retreats.
Hitler's stubbornness and defiance of military realities also allowed the Holocaust to continue. He also ordered the complete destruction of all German industrial infrastructure before it could fall into Allied hands, saying that Germany's failure to win the war forfeited its right to survive.
And finally, Hitler committed suicide.
Personally, I feel that Hitler, although possessing the traits of a great leader, was too violent, suspicious, and ambitious. His history is indeed interesting to understand and learn.
In conclusion, I feel that Hitler was indeed a great leader, but not a good leader.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Modern Days
Have you ever asked yourselves why children nowadays so spoiled? Why have they become rebellious and turn out to be hoodlums? There are many causes to these problems ; lack of love, etc.
In a place like Singapore, where both father and mother have to work day to night to maintain an acceptable lifestyle, it is extremely difficult to bring up their kids themselves or the proper way.
When kids become teenagers, they get easy access to the TV and internet. Without parental guidance and control, things would naturally become bad. Parents are relying a great deal on teachers to look after their children and often, this arrangement is inadequate because of the high enrollment in each school class. Teachers cannot only focus mainly on one student but must also focus on the rest too.
Hence, in order to make children happy and satisfied, parents tend to give children extra pocket money, thinking that they are showing them love by this action and would feel less guilty for not spending time with them.
Without parental guidance and control, these teenagers would most probably go astray due to the influence of the outside world. Without love from their parents, they would seek it from other places. Hence, they would mix with the wrong group of people, using the extra money to do bad things.
So, is giving extra pocket money to the children effective in showing care and concern to them? I think not. Most children take it for granted and do not appreciate it. I feel that parents should set aside some time for their children, no matter how busy they are. This is for the children' sake as he or she would grow in a better environment under parental guidance.
Nowadays, parents being unable to spend time with their children is already a very major problem in the world. Thus, do you think that they would have the time to look after their own aged parents?
Some employ maids to take care of their aged parents and only visit them once a week. Don't these elderly people deserve more respect and concern after taking care and grooming them for what they have became? Is is really enough to drop in once a week for a few hours on the way just to say hi? Even if we really really don't have the time, we should also really mean it when we visit them.
Nowadays, when some children visit their grandparents, in their hearts, they do not want to visit them but were forced to. To others, it had become a routine to visit their grandparents every week and they don't even mean it.
Worst still, some people who are not as well off and cannot afford to hire maids, would dump their elderly parents in a Day Care Center or Old Folks' Home. These heartless people do not even think of the feelings of them.
In conclusion, I really feel that we should always place some things above others. Which is more important? 1 day of work , or your parents? No matter how busy we are, we should always take the time to take care for those who had loved and cared for us when we were young.
In a place like Singapore, where both father and mother have to work day to night to maintain an acceptable lifestyle, it is extremely difficult to bring up their kids themselves or the proper way.
When kids become teenagers, they get easy access to the TV and internet. Without parental guidance and control, things would naturally become bad. Parents are relying a great deal on teachers to look after their children and often, this arrangement is inadequate because of the high enrollment in each school class. Teachers cannot only focus mainly on one student but must also focus on the rest too.
Hence, in order to make children happy and satisfied, parents tend to give children extra pocket money, thinking that they are showing them love by this action and would feel less guilty for not spending time with them.
Without parental guidance and control, these teenagers would most probably go astray due to the influence of the outside world. Without love from their parents, they would seek it from other places. Hence, they would mix with the wrong group of people, using the extra money to do bad things.
So, is giving extra pocket money to the children effective in showing care and concern to them? I think not. Most children take it for granted and do not appreciate it. I feel that parents should set aside some time for their children, no matter how busy they are. This is for the children' sake as he or she would grow in a better environment under parental guidance.
Nowadays, parents being unable to spend time with their children is already a very major problem in the world. Thus, do you think that they would have the time to look after their own aged parents?
Some employ maids to take care of their aged parents and only visit them once a week. Don't these elderly people deserve more respect and concern after taking care and grooming them for what they have became? Is is really enough to drop in once a week for a few hours on the way just to say hi? Even if we really really don't have the time, we should also really mean it when we visit them.
Nowadays, when some children visit their grandparents, in their hearts, they do not want to visit them but were forced to. To others, it had become a routine to visit their grandparents every week and they don't even mean it.
Worst still, some people who are not as well off and cannot afford to hire maids, would dump their elderly parents in a Day Care Center or Old Folks' Home. These heartless people do not even think of the feelings of them.
In conclusion, I really feel that we should always place some things above others. Which is more important? 1 day of work , or your parents? No matter how busy we are, we should always take the time to take care for those who had loved and cared for us when we were young.
The pain of losing our beloved
Death. A very big word. It can take away one's life like wind blowing away a piece of paper and can also affect the dead person's beloved ones greatly.
The pain and agony of losing our beloved is indeed tremendous, but when is it the greatest? Is it the moment when you received the news, at the funeral, or after everything has happened?
Personally, I feel that the real blow of losing our beloved ones comes greatest after the incident has happened. Imagine waking up one day, knocking on your brother's door as usual, waiting for him to go jogging with you, only to realise that he is gone forever? Imagine getting poor results and crying in your room, waiting for your mother to comfort you, only to realise that she is not in this world anymore?
The emptiness and bitterness in our heart can never be cured. It stays like a scar, like a hole in our heart, haunting us whenever we think of them. That, truly, is the most painful part.
Indeed, we should treasure our loved ones lest it is too late. Imagine quarrelling with your friend today and realise that he is gone the next day before you could reconcile with him?
We should not take our loved ones for granted, for you would definitely regret when something bad happens. So as i said, treasure them by spending more quality time with them, or anything else that can make you feel happy.
Treasure them before it is too late...
The pain and agony of losing our beloved is indeed tremendous, but when is it the greatest? Is it the moment when you received the news, at the funeral, or after everything has happened?
Personally, I feel that the real blow of losing our beloved ones comes greatest after the incident has happened. Imagine waking up one day, knocking on your brother's door as usual, waiting for him to go jogging with you, only to realise that he is gone forever? Imagine getting poor results and crying in your room, waiting for your mother to comfort you, only to realise that she is not in this world anymore?
The emptiness and bitterness in our heart can never be cured. It stays like a scar, like a hole in our heart, haunting us whenever we think of them. That, truly, is the most painful part.
Indeed, we should treasure our loved ones lest it is too late. Imagine quarrelling with your friend today and realise that he is gone the next day before you could reconcile with him?
We should not take our loved ones for granted, for you would definitely regret when something bad happens. So as i said, treasure them by spending more quality time with them, or anything else that can make you feel happy.
Treasure them before it is too late...
Friday, March 20, 2009
World of Music
Yes, we are living in the world of music. Everyday, we listen to different kind and types of music and we think that it is very nice and soothing. True, music can be soothing and take our stress away, but is music as innocent as we think it is?
People think music as a form of entertainment, enjoyment or relaxation. I, too agree with this, but I think that music is not as innocent as it seems. Why do I say this?
In this modern world, we are often influenced by people around us. For example, if everyone is doing bad things, you would eventually join them. It is indeed very hard to resist being influenced by things around us, whether we know it or not.
Sometimes, not consciously, even when we don't realise it, we are influenced by the media and others. So this brings us back to the current topic. What has music to do with this then?
Music is both good and bad. The good side being able to let the person relax, whereas the bad side being to influence people. We may not know it, but if we keep listening to music that promotes evil, bad and cruel things, we will slowly, slowly be influenced to be the same.
The same thing applies to computer games. If we play brutal games which stab each other to death, cutting and ripping off organs etc, we will, in the long run, be affected by this. " Trash in " " Trash Out" Once we see people doing something, we will follow.
Hence, in conclusion, I feel that music is not totally bad, but not totally good too. I'm not asking you not to listen to music anymore, but warning you to the dangers that the media and others hold. We must be careful, lest we get influenced and affected too !
People think music as a form of entertainment, enjoyment or relaxation. I, too agree with this, but I think that music is not as innocent as it seems. Why do I say this?
In this modern world, we are often influenced by people around us. For example, if everyone is doing bad things, you would eventually join them. It is indeed very hard to resist being influenced by things around us, whether we know it or not.
Sometimes, not consciously, even when we don't realise it, we are influenced by the media and others. So this brings us back to the current topic. What has music to do with this then?
Music is both good and bad. The good side being able to let the person relax, whereas the bad side being to influence people. We may not know it, but if we keep listening to music that promotes evil, bad and cruel things, we will slowly, slowly be influenced to be the same.
The same thing applies to computer games. If we play brutal games which stab each other to death, cutting and ripping off organs etc, we will, in the long run, be affected by this. " Trash in " " Trash Out" Once we see people doing something, we will follow.
Hence, in conclusion, I feel that music is not totally bad, but not totally good too. I'm not asking you not to listen to music anymore, but warning you to the dangers that the media and others hold. We must be careful, lest we get influenced and affected too !
Church Camp and School Camp
March Holidays? What holidays...?
I have school camp, church camp and was sick for 3 days!
Well, some reflection for school camp...
Honestly, it sucked. It was sooooo boring and not well planned at all... And the games are super duper boring and lame. GREAT! But hey, how much better can you expect for a school camp...
Now for the church camp...! It was really very very very fun !!!!! Games were meaningful and fun, ice breakers were creative and even though i got a small group with little enthu people, but it was 10000x better than school camp.
Well, school camp is supposed to suck anyway... To build up endurance, independence and all that crap, but church camp was fun and I'm looking forward to it! In that 3 days, I really experienced God. It was a wonderful experience, really. REAL camp stands for Really Experiencing Almighty Lord. I feel that I'm getting closer to God after this camp, and I learned a lot from it!
So much for my holidays... finally recovered from 3 days of sickness...
Lets look forward to a new and hopefully better term...
I have school camp, church camp and was sick for 3 days!
Well, some reflection for school camp...
Honestly, it sucked. It was sooooo boring and not well planned at all... And the games are super duper boring and lame. GREAT! But hey, how much better can you expect for a school camp...
Now for the church camp...! It was really very very very fun !!!!! Games were meaningful and fun, ice breakers were creative and even though i got a small group with little enthu people, but it was 10000x better than school camp.
Well, school camp is supposed to suck anyway... To build up endurance, independence and all that crap, but church camp was fun and I'm looking forward to it! In that 3 days, I really experienced God. It was a wonderful experience, really. REAL camp stands for Really Experiencing Almighty Lord. I feel that I'm getting closer to God after this camp, and I learned a lot from it!
So much for my holidays... finally recovered from 3 days of sickness...
Lets look forward to a new and hopefully better term...
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Time
Time -- a very essential thing in our life. Sometimes, when facing problems or boring situations, we wish it to pass quickly. However, when we are enjoying ourselves, we would wish that time would come to a standstill.
For example, in the middle of the exams and we have not finished our paper yet, we would definitely wish it to stop. However, when in the midst of a boring lesson, listening to the teacher's monotonous voice droning on and on, we will feel agitated and wish for time to speed up.
In my opinion, it is our mentality that causes this. In reality, time does not speed up or slow down for anyone. Everyone is given 24 hours a day, no more or no less. It is the way we make use of time that is important and crucial.
For example, in our free time, we should not waste it by doing things which bring no benefit to us. We could spend the time revising or studying or even playing computer games. However, we should have self-control and not play too much.
Many people say that computer games is bad for our eyesight and we may be addicted to them. Yes, I agree with them on this point. However, they are only looking on the bad side of computer games. Spending too much time on the computer will indeed worsen our eyesight and we may be addicted and fail our exams. However, all work no play makes Jack a dull boy. If we have the ability to control ourselves, then it is fine to play computer games.
On the other hand, computer games also can prove useful. For example, it can teach us how to do business or other useful things.
We can also read books in our free time. Books is really almost unlimited and the knowledge it provides is astonishing. Therefore, we must really learn how to appreciate them and not take it as a chore but as a pleasant and enjoyable thing to do.
In conclusion, I feel that time is always fair. It is only a matter of whether we control and limit ourselves and make full use of the time we have. What really differentiates the successful people and the not as successful people is that the successful ones can manage their times better than the rest. Thus, lets make use of our precious time and not put it to waste!
For example, in the middle of the exams and we have not finished our paper yet, we would definitely wish it to stop. However, when in the midst of a boring lesson, listening to the teacher's monotonous voice droning on and on, we will feel agitated and wish for time to speed up.
In my opinion, it is our mentality that causes this. In reality, time does not speed up or slow down for anyone. Everyone is given 24 hours a day, no more or no less. It is the way we make use of time that is important and crucial.
For example, in our free time, we should not waste it by doing things which bring no benefit to us. We could spend the time revising or studying or even playing computer games. However, we should have self-control and not play too much.
Many people say that computer games is bad for our eyesight and we may be addicted to them. Yes, I agree with them on this point. However, they are only looking on the bad side of computer games. Spending too much time on the computer will indeed worsen our eyesight and we may be addicted and fail our exams. However, all work no play makes Jack a dull boy. If we have the ability to control ourselves, then it is fine to play computer games.
On the other hand, computer games also can prove useful. For example, it can teach us how to do business or other useful things.
We can also read books in our free time. Books is really almost unlimited and the knowledge it provides is astonishing. Therefore, we must really learn how to appreciate them and not take it as a chore but as a pleasant and enjoyable thing to do.
In conclusion, I feel that time is always fair. It is only a matter of whether we control and limit ourselves and make full use of the time we have. What really differentiates the successful people and the not as successful people is that the successful ones can manage their times better than the rest. Thus, lets make use of our precious time and not put it to waste!
Saturday, March 7, 2009
The Lottery By Shirley Jackson
Yes. Today's society is filled with sabotaging and hypocrisy. This is especially evident when Tessie tries to drag her own daughter into the mess. She only wants to survive and does not care if her daughter get killed in her place.
These are very common nowadays. People are used to sabotage others. For example, when someone does something wrong and is questioned by the teacher, he would push the blame to another person instead.
Sometimes, we are fine with something until it happens to us. Like Tessie in the story, she has no problem with the Lottery until she was chosen to be stoned. Do not do something which you would not like people to do upon you. We should be responsible for our actions. For example, sabotaging people may seem fun, but when it is done to you, you would feel frustrated and betrayed just like your friend did when you sabotaged him.
We should not act like those in the story. Some of them are cold and heartless and merciless. However, others are just afraid of being killed if they did not follow the tradition, thus becoming conformists. If we find that something is not right, we should stand up to it and voice our views instead of cowardly hiding in a corner, hoping that things will change by itself.
In today's society, we have our own form of lottery, which is the opposite of the one in the story. In the story, the person who wins the lottery will get stoned to death , whereas in today's society, whoever wins the lottery is considered lucky and gets price.
Personally, I feel that we should shoulder the responsibility and face trouble in its face. Accept reality and we will become a better person. Dwell on the painful past and we will not be successful.
I think that the people are following a cruel tradition. They are killing innocent people each year just because of tradition. Each year, 1 person dies and people stones him to death, even if they are their close relatives or friend. Imagine talking to someone 5 minutes before and stoning the same person 10 minutes later.
Children who are watching this cruel tradition will also grow up and follow in the footsteps of their parents. We should set a good example to our children. By doing this, we are promoting cruelty and these children will become violent and will wander into the wrong path. Thus, i feel that someone in the story should stand up and go against this evil and cruel tradition.
These are very common nowadays. People are used to sabotage others. For example, when someone does something wrong and is questioned by the teacher, he would push the blame to another person instead.
Sometimes, we are fine with something until it happens to us. Like Tessie in the story, she has no problem with the Lottery until she was chosen to be stoned. Do not do something which you would not like people to do upon you. We should be responsible for our actions. For example, sabotaging people may seem fun, but when it is done to you, you would feel frustrated and betrayed just like your friend did when you sabotaged him.
We should not act like those in the story. Some of them are cold and heartless and merciless. However, others are just afraid of being killed if they did not follow the tradition, thus becoming conformists. If we find that something is not right, we should stand up to it and voice our views instead of cowardly hiding in a corner, hoping that things will change by itself.
In today's society, we have our own form of lottery, which is the opposite of the one in the story. In the story, the person who wins the lottery will get stoned to death , whereas in today's society, whoever wins the lottery is considered lucky and gets price.
Personally, I feel that we should shoulder the responsibility and face trouble in its face. Accept reality and we will become a better person. Dwell on the painful past and we will not be successful.
I think that the people are following a cruel tradition. They are killing innocent people each year just because of tradition. Each year, 1 person dies and people stones him to death, even if they are their close relatives or friend. Imagine talking to someone 5 minutes before and stoning the same person 10 minutes later.
Children who are watching this cruel tradition will also grow up and follow in the footsteps of their parents. We should set a good example to our children. By doing this, we are promoting cruelty and these children will become violent and will wander into the wrong path. Thus, i feel that someone in the story should stand up and go against this evil and cruel tradition.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Recent NTU student case
Two weeks ago, the NTU student, David Hartanto Widjaja's scholarship was terminated. On Monday, Widjaja, and Indonesian, stabbed Associate Professor Chan Kap Luk, 45, in the back in his office during a discussion on the student's final year project , then slit his own wrists before running on story down and climbing on the roof of a bridge that connected the building he was in to another opposite. He then fell off the glass roof and plunged 4 storeys to his unfortunate death.
One may ask : Why did the student do this? The answer to this simple question is that this student had been given 3 warnings that he had to buck up or lose his scholarship due to his inability to achieve acceptable results. However, despite the warnings he had received, he still failed in achieving border line results and thus his scholarship was revoked. Hence, out of anger or frustration, he may have done this.
I feel that no matter how angry we are or frustrated, we should never attempt to stab and kill someone. We must really understand the dire consequences of doing this and think twice before acting. We should approach the matter calmly and try to come out with a possible solution to the problem.
We should also have the courage to face the consequences once we have done something wrong. Never should we commit suicide just to avoid conviction or being arrested.
Apart from thinking what are the consequences you would receive if you do something wrong, we should also think of how people who loved and care us would feel if we commit suicide after doing something wrong and unable to face up to it? For example, if we commit suicide, this would surely result in a heavy blow to our parents. Imagine the grieve and suffering they would have to go through... That is even more painful than death. Thus we should also spare a thought for other people's feelings.
I personally feel that if we are ready to shoot, we should be ready to be shot. We should not do something that you would not like other people to do upon you. Let this unfortunate case serve as a constant reminder to think carefully before we act.
One may ask : Why did the student do this? The answer to this simple question is that this student had been given 3 warnings that he had to buck up or lose his scholarship due to his inability to achieve acceptable results. However, despite the warnings he had received, he still failed in achieving border line results and thus his scholarship was revoked. Hence, out of anger or frustration, he may have done this.
I feel that no matter how angry we are or frustrated, we should never attempt to stab and kill someone. We must really understand the dire consequences of doing this and think twice before acting. We should approach the matter calmly and try to come out with a possible solution to the problem.
We should also have the courage to face the consequences once we have done something wrong. Never should we commit suicide just to avoid conviction or being arrested.
Apart from thinking what are the consequences you would receive if you do something wrong, we should also think of how people who loved and care us would feel if we commit suicide after doing something wrong and unable to face up to it? For example, if we commit suicide, this would surely result in a heavy blow to our parents. Imagine the grieve and suffering they would have to go through... That is even more painful than death. Thus we should also spare a thought for other people's feelings.
I personally feel that if we are ready to shoot, we should be ready to be shot. We should not do something that you would not like other people to do upon you. Let this unfortunate case serve as a constant reminder to think carefully before we act.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Tests Are Over!!!!-- For the time being....=.=
Tests are finally OVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!YAY but not for long.......................... soon term 2 starting ..... sobs.. Nevermind, i shall cherish this time.....
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Paint... Cant Stand It!!!!!
Arhggggg i feel sick! Training today when their was painting going on... Disgustingly Disgusting smell. Couldn't even breath... Oh no, i really hate paint man, the smell is so... well how to describe it... Ended up training 30min less =.= HaHa
Inhaling too much paint can make you feel dizzy, nauseous, cause brain damage or even kill you in large quantities. I am so scared.... it can also lead to an aneurysm or a heart attack and the risk increases with each exposure.
Moreover, we should also spare a though for those workers painting the floor... I don't know how they stand the smell... I personally feel that these workers should wear masks to cover their faces to avoid inhaling too much of these harmful substance.
Inhaling too much paint can make you feel dizzy, nauseous, cause brain damage or even kill you in large quantities. I am so scared.... it can also lead to an aneurysm or a heart attack and the risk increases with each exposure.
Moreover, we should also spare a though for those workers painting the floor... I don't know how they stand the smell... I personally feel that these workers should wear masks to cover their faces to avoid inhaling too much of these harmful substance.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Third Language
Third language........ a total new language ..... so hard to learn ... ( by the way, its jap ) and so much work.. Its nice but really must put in effort. Got so many tests somemore.... Haha i was betting with my friend who would quit first... I WiLl NoT LosE mY MoNeY..... oh no overload... no time to blog ...
However, it can be quite useful too. Can communicate when go to Japan :D But nothing comes without a price, so I'm going to persevere... and see how long i can last. haha
However, it can be quite useful too. Can communicate when go to Japan :D But nothing comes without a price, so I'm going to persevere... and see how long i can last. haha
Monday, February 23, 2009
NOOOOOOOOO
Today is the WORST day of my life!!!!!!! Just had to be soooooooo lucky and dropped my collar pin on the day that i had spot check......... sobs...
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Age and experience
Indeed, both age and experience are highly essential to the workforce in any country. First, experience is important as in times of emergency or when somethings happens, the person will be able to handle the circumstances carefully and calmly, whereas a inexperience person would freak out due to his inability to control himself under these circumstances.
On the other hand, age is also very crucial. For example, a young man is stronger, more quick witted, and his hands are more steady, thus being able to act quickly and save a lot of precious time. However, a person in his 40s-60s would find it extremely difficult to act even with their experience over the past decades. These people's hands are not as steady and would also find it harder to remain their composure.
So, my suggestion is that experienced workers pair with the younger ones so that both experience and age would combine and make potential success.
Thus, both age and experience are important but when combined, they are even more powerful as one.
On the other hand, age is also very crucial. For example, a young man is stronger, more quick witted, and his hands are more steady, thus being able to act quickly and save a lot of precious time. However, a person in his 40s-60s would find it extremely difficult to act even with their experience over the past decades. These people's hands are not as steady and would also find it harder to remain their composure.
So, my suggestion is that experienced workers pair with the younger ones so that both experience and age would combine and make potential success.
Thus, both age and experience are important but when combined, they are even more powerful as one.
Happiness
What is happiness? Is it prospering with gold and power? Is it having the ability to handle whatever life throws at you? Or is it having great jobs and being physically attractive? Happiness can mean different things to different people.
However, this does not mean that if you have a lot of money you won't be happy. Having money is not bad either, but this just means that apart from these factors, there are still some much more important factors in determining happiness.
Happy people have a different attitude - a different way of thinking about things and doing things. These people interpret the world in a different way, and go about their lives in a different way.
In my opinion, i feel that being truly happy is the way we choose to think about ourselves, our place in the world, and the world around us, and how we act in that world, that differentiates the happy people from the less happy people. It is up to us to choose to be happy, sad or angry. For example, if a person irritate you, you can just ignore him and choose not to listen to it. Hence, we will not be angry. Furthermore, we can choose to be optimistic and not brood over past mistakes.
People may define happiness in many ways, but it is definitely our choice to choose to be happy.
However, this does not mean that if you have a lot of money you won't be happy. Having money is not bad either, but this just means that apart from these factors, there are still some much more important factors in determining happiness.
Happy people have a different attitude - a different way of thinking about things and doing things. These people interpret the world in a different way, and go about their lives in a different way.
In my opinion, i feel that being truly happy is the way we choose to think about ourselves, our place in the world, and the world around us, and how we act in that world, that differentiates the happy people from the less happy people. It is up to us to choose to be happy, sad or angry. For example, if a person irritate you, you can just ignore him and choose not to listen to it. Hence, we will not be angry. Furthermore, we can choose to be optimistic and not brood over past mistakes.
People may define happiness in many ways, but it is definitely our choice to choose to be happy.
Oh Noes
Been a long time since a posted something. Very busy with school work !!!!!!!! Ok going to post something...
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
What makes the ideal human or the ideal life?
In the novel Flowers of Algernon, Charlie has the mindset that being as smart as his friends would bring happiness as they would not ostracize him anymore. However, he was proved wrong. Both ties he was bullied and made fun of. At first, he was made fun of because of his abnormally low IQ. After the operation, just when Charlie thought all would be well, he was once again ostracized because of his knowledge and also because of his inability to communicate with people as he was overly intelligent.
This question is subjective as people may have different points of view of this. Some people may think that an ideal life is to have lots of money, power and authority while others may think that an ideal life is to live in happiness no matter the circumstances -- rich or poor, strong or weak. Others may feel that to them, having a carefree life without work and stress is ideal to them.
However, personally, i stand on the side of people who prefer to live in happiness instead of power and wealth. My views is that happiness cannot be bought or gained with wealth or power. For example, even if you are very rich, many problems will still occur and you will not be happy as your world revolves around the word ' money '. However, if you focus and choose to be happy, you can always find joy in everything you do, even if it is a bad or traumatic experience.
Thus, this question is of personal opinion and there is no right or wrong to it.
This question is subjective as people may have different points of view of this. Some people may think that an ideal life is to have lots of money, power and authority while others may think that an ideal life is to live in happiness no matter the circumstances -- rich or poor, strong or weak. Others may feel that to them, having a carefree life without work and stress is ideal to them.
However, personally, i stand on the side of people who prefer to live in happiness instead of power and wealth. My views is that happiness cannot be bought or gained with wealth or power. For example, even if you are very rich, many problems will still occur and you will not be happy as your world revolves around the word ' money '. However, if you focus and choose to be happy, you can always find joy in everything you do, even if it is a bad or traumatic experience.
Thus, this question is of personal opinion and there is no right or wrong to it.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Little Ironies-- The Taximan's Story
Q1. What is the irony in the story?
At first, the taximan encouraged and did oppose social escorts because of the profit he earned sending them to their destinations. He could cheat them by running the meter and driving round and round while they were "busy" as they would not pay any attention. However, after his daughter became a social escort herself, the taximan opposed strongly of it and almost beat her to death. This is irony as he supported social escorts but did not want his daughter to become one.
Q2. What are the themes raised in the story?
The themes raised in the story are trust and betrayal and human nature. The themes trust and betrayal are raised when Lay Choo betrayed her father's trust in her and became a social escort. The theme human nature is raised when the taximan encouraged social escorts because of money. It is human nature to support something that provides us with money. However, I think that we should not do that.
Q3. How realistic is the story?
This story is quite realistic as even now, there are still many cases of such things happening all ovet the world and most of the cases can be linked to this story.
Q4. What do you think of the taximan? Do you feel sympathy for him?
I think that the taximan should not support social escorts because of the profits he earned. However, I feel a bit sympathy for him as he must really be very heartbroken to see his daughter doing this.
Q5. Do you agree with his lamenting?
I agree with him when he lamented that nowadays there are many social escorts that do not study and cause trouble, play truant, take drugs, and all sorts of bad things. There is a big differnece from the teenagers of the past and the present. The present teenagers are becoming more violent and abusive while the teenagers from the past are meek and always obeyed their parents in fear of being caned or punished.
Q6. What about the other characters in the story? Do you feel sympathy for them?
The other characters in the story includes the teacher that the taximan was fetching, Lay Choo and the rest of the teenagers who have gone astray. Compared to the past, the teachers may be finding it more difficult to understand and control the students from going astray. I feel sympathy for them as they must really be very distressed to see their students turning bad. I sympathise with Lay Choo only if she did this to earn money for her University education but still feel that she should not use this method to earn money. Most of the teenagers that have gone astray have social or emotional problems. Also, their family background may not be very good, thus resulting in a lousy learning environment which would lead to such things happening. I sympathise with them as some of them may not have the money to study like us.
At first, the taximan encouraged and did oppose social escorts because of the profit he earned sending them to their destinations. He could cheat them by running the meter and driving round and round while they were "busy" as they would not pay any attention. However, after his daughter became a social escort herself, the taximan opposed strongly of it and almost beat her to death. This is irony as he supported social escorts but did not want his daughter to become one.
Q2. What are the themes raised in the story?
The themes raised in the story are trust and betrayal and human nature. The themes trust and betrayal are raised when Lay Choo betrayed her father's trust in her and became a social escort. The theme human nature is raised when the taximan encouraged social escorts because of money. It is human nature to support something that provides us with money. However, I think that we should not do that.
Q3. How realistic is the story?
This story is quite realistic as even now, there are still many cases of such things happening all ovet the world and most of the cases can be linked to this story.
Q4. What do you think of the taximan? Do you feel sympathy for him?
I think that the taximan should not support social escorts because of the profits he earned. However, I feel a bit sympathy for him as he must really be very heartbroken to see his daughter doing this.
Q5. Do you agree with his lamenting?
I agree with him when he lamented that nowadays there are many social escorts that do not study and cause trouble, play truant, take drugs, and all sorts of bad things. There is a big differnece from the teenagers of the past and the present. The present teenagers are becoming more violent and abusive while the teenagers from the past are meek and always obeyed their parents in fear of being caned or punished.
Q6. What about the other characters in the story? Do you feel sympathy for them?
The other characters in the story includes the teacher that the taximan was fetching, Lay Choo and the rest of the teenagers who have gone astray. Compared to the past, the teachers may be finding it more difficult to understand and control the students from going astray. I feel sympathy for them as they must really be very distressed to see their students turning bad. I sympathise with Lay Choo only if she did this to earn money for her University education but still feel that she should not use this method to earn money. Most of the teenagers that have gone astray have social or emotional problems. Also, their family background may not be very good, thus resulting in a lousy learning environment which would lead to such things happening. I sympathise with them as some of them may not have the money to study like us.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Flowers for Algernon
6. Linguistic: Imagine you were Charlie Gordon and had the choice of running risk of becoming super smart for two years but ultimately going back to square one versus living your present life as it is, write a letter to one of the scientists explaining your decision. It should be no less than 400 words.
Don't mind my spelling and grammar mistakes as i am writing this in the point of view of Charlie Gordon, the mentally challenged.
Dear Dr Strauss,
My name is Charlie Gordon and I am 34.If you reemeember, I am one of the peple who have voluunterred to take some tests to see if I can go through a experemeental operiation to become smarter. I want to be smart and not dumb and I really hope you use me. I don't like tests and I'm very scaird of them. I faled many tests when young even with my rabits foot. Someone said I hav an IQ of 68. I don't know if this is good or bad. I think this must be good, becouse 68 is my favuorite nunber. I really want to be smart so that I will have many many freinds and everboody will like me.
I don't care if this operiation that will make me super smart only lasts for 2 years. I want to know the feeling of being smart. I wants to tell people that I was once as smart as them.
I want to know many many things,like why people alweys use my name in jokes and why they alweys laugh when my name is said. I don't care if it hurts, I just want to show Ms Kinnian that her studant hav become smart. I want her to be proud of me.
Now nobody really likes me except for my best frends Joe Carp and Frank Reilly.They are the only ones who help me and laugh with me evarytime. I think people don't like me becouse I 'm not as smart as they. If i go through this operetion, maybe they won't stay away from me anymore. Maybe they will acept me as a normel person and really like me.
Even if this is only tempirery and herts, I still want to go through this operetion to become smart. I want to take the chance of being smart permaently. I will take any kind of test you give me as long as I can be smarter. I don't care what happens, I just want to be smart for at laest 1 day to feel how is it like.
Please.Please. I raelly want to be smart.I will do whatever it takes to become smart so please let me take the operation. I promise you will not regrat giving me this chance and i will do my best to be smart and no more dumb.
Yours sincerely,
Charlie Gordon
Don't mind my spelling and grammar mistakes as i am writing this in the point of view of Charlie Gordon, the mentally challenged.
Dear Dr Strauss,
My name is Charlie Gordon and I am 34.If you reemeember, I am one of the peple who have voluunterred to take some tests to see if I can go through a experemeental operiation to become smarter. I want to be smart and not dumb and I really hope you use me. I don't like tests and I'm very scaird of them. I faled many tests when young even with my rabits foot. Someone said I hav an IQ of 68. I don't know if this is good or bad. I think this must be good, becouse 68 is my favuorite nunber. I really want to be smart so that I will have many many freinds and everboody will like me.
I don't care if this operiation that will make me super smart only lasts for 2 years. I want to know the feeling of being smart. I wants to tell people that I was once as smart as them.
I want to know many many things,like why people alweys use my name in jokes and why they alweys laugh when my name is said. I don't care if it hurts, I just want to show Ms Kinnian that her studant hav become smart. I want her to be proud of me.
Now nobody really likes me except for my best frends Joe Carp and Frank Reilly.They are the only ones who help me and laugh with me evarytime. I think people don't like me becouse I 'm not as smart as they. If i go through this operetion, maybe they won't stay away from me anymore. Maybe they will acept me as a normel person and really like me.
Even if this is only tempirery and herts, I still want to go through this operetion to become smart. I want to take the chance of being smart permaently. I will take any kind of test you give me as long as I can be smarter. I don't care what happens, I just want to be smart for at laest 1 day to feel how is it like.
Please.Please. I raelly want to be smart.I will do whatever it takes to become smart so please let me take the operation. I promise you will not regrat giving me this chance and i will do my best to be smart and no more dumb.
Yours sincerely,
Charlie Gordon
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Speech on the cruetly of the fishing industry to whales.
Dear ladies and gentlemen,
I am here to address you on the topic of cruelty of whaling in Japan. Personally, I feel that whaling is awful and cruel. Thousands of whales are unnecessarily slaughtered each year. They are killed barbarically and some species are hunted almost to the point of extinction. Even though there is a ban, some countries like Norway, Iceland and Japan continue firing harpoons into these gentle creatures for products. More than 30,000 whales have been killed for commercial purposes since the ban on whaling in 1986. And now the magnificent humpback whale is being targeted for whaling by the government of Japan.
Therefore, i would like to alert you of the gravity of the situation now.I really think that hunting a species to extinction so that a few people can enjoy its meat is unreasonable. Whaling is also getting more and more out of hand. There are many other types of meat that are far more available and also preferred. Furthermore, lots of whale meat are usually left uneaten or unsold. I really feel that we should not sit still and wait for the poor creatures to eventually face extinction. We should do our part and do our best to protect these gentle and loving creatures.
I do hope that everyone will take this matter very seriously, and do your part to prevent the excessive hunting of whales that may lead to their extinction. Thank you.
Yours faithfully,
Leong Xue Hao
I am here to address you on the topic of cruelty of whaling in Japan. Personally, I feel that whaling is awful and cruel. Thousands of whales are unnecessarily slaughtered each year. They are killed barbarically and some species are hunted almost to the point of extinction. Even though there is a ban, some countries like Norway, Iceland and Japan continue firing harpoons into these gentle creatures for products. More than 30,000 whales have been killed for commercial purposes since the ban on whaling in 1986. And now the magnificent humpback whale is being targeted for whaling by the government of Japan.
Therefore, i would like to alert you of the gravity of the situation now.I really think that hunting a species to extinction so that a few people can enjoy its meat is unreasonable. Whaling is also getting more and more out of hand. There are many other types of meat that are far more available and also preferred. Furthermore, lots of whale meat are usually left uneaten or unsold. I really feel that we should not sit still and wait for the poor creatures to eventually face extinction. We should do our part and do our best to protect these gentle and loving creatures.
I do hope that everyone will take this matter very seriously, and do your part to prevent the excessive hunting of whales that may lead to their extinction. Thank you.
Yours faithfully,
Leong Xue Hao
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Wonderful dinner ( Maid's birthday) !
My maid's birthday today! Went to Turf City to eat a buffet at a japanese restaurant that was like ... SuPeR... SuPeR...SuPeR... EXPENSIVE! The price was like... $30 per person but the food was nice though and i came back with a bloated stomach.. Wonder what would happen if a group of sumo wrestlers suddenly decides to come and eat there -.- bankcrupt the next day :D. It would be nice to eat there once in a while though- soft shell crap! my favourite!!! And, my maid was enjoying herself eating only a few things here and there for a $30 buffet...! Well, i must say japanese food really tastes good but is a bit too expensive. Would definitely be nicer if it was cheaper. However, the thing about buffet is that they give you a very very small portion for everything, so you will have to keep ordering that makes me really fed-up... We ordered about 10 soft shell craps in a go and the waitress was like staring at us... -.- But thats not really bad, some people order like 20 in a go... buffet restaurants just have to avoid these peoples :P
Well anyways, like to say happy birthday to my maid for working so hard -.-
A birhtday song dedicated to her :
Well anyways, like to say happy birthday to my maid for working so hard -.-
A birhtday song dedicated to her :
Once a year we celebrate with stupid hats and plastic plates,
the fact that you were able to make another trip around the sun.
And the whole clan gathers round' gifts and laughter too will bound,
we let out a joyful sound and sing that stupid song.
Happy Birthday, now your one year older.
Happy Birthday, your life still isn't over.
Happy Birthday, you did not accomplish much.
But you didn't die this year I guess that's good enough.
So lets drink to your fading health, and hope you don't remind yourself
your chance of finding fame and wealth decrease with every year.
Does it feel like your doing laps, and eating food and taking naps,
and hoping that some day, perhaps, your life will hold some cheer.
Happy Birthday, what have you done that matters?
Happy Birthday, your starting to get fatter.
Happy Birthday, it's downhill from now on.
Try not to remind yourself your best years are all gone.
If cryogenics were all free then you could live like Walt Disney and live
for all eternity inside a block of ice.
But instead your time is set this is the only life you get,
and though it hasen't ended yet some times you wish it MIGHT!
Happy Birthday, you wish you had more money.
Happy Birthday, your lifes so sad it's funny.
Happy Birthday, how much more can you take?
But your friends are hungry so just cut the stupid cake.
Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday, Dear.....
Oh dear, we forgot your name!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)