Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Part Activity after NDP
After newspaper collection, i was quite bored. So, here's what I did. First, me and Yew Pheng camped at poolside for 1hr+ from 1215 - 1315 waiting for others to come back from newspaper collection. Then, we saw Gerald and Jian Song walking towards us and were like why are there only 2 people? Until Gerald told us that Khe Han was coming along.
So we went to King Albert Park for lunch. After that, we started ringing up NCOs and Seniors to join us for soccer or basketball or pt. That's when we found out Zheng Xiang was ill. And our current training team was going home, so no hope there either (no offence). When we reached HCI, we saw Yu Jie and Joash also going home. Then we saw Marcus sitting outside the admin office talking to other seniors which I didn't recognise. Lol. Then we saw Jordy and another senior at HCIS SC.
Since both soccer courts were occupied, We ended up playing soccer at the basketball courts. I have no idea how we got to that. Then Khe Han had to go home, and he had the ball, so we stopped. After which I started emptying my bottle on Yew Pheng and vice-versa. So we got wet. Well, only me and Yew Pheng. We went to SOC and tried to hentakaki on the wobbly board thing. It took me a few tries, because JS was happily stamping on the thing with no sign of losing his balance. How'd he manage that? so then we did more stuff, whihc I shall not descibe in detail. Then it was 4, and I went home. Yup, that's it.
So we went to King Albert Park for lunch. After that, we started ringing up NCOs and Seniors to join us for soccer or basketball or pt. That's when we found out Zheng Xiang was ill. And our current training team was going home, so no hope there either (no offence). When we reached HCI, we saw Yu Jie and Joash also going home. Then we saw Marcus sitting outside the admin office talking to other seniors which I didn't recognise. Lol. Then we saw Jordy and another senior at HCIS SC.
Since both soccer courts were occupied, We ended up playing soccer at the basketball courts. I have no idea how we got to that. Then Khe Han had to go home, and he had the ball, so we stopped. After which I started emptying my bottle on Yew Pheng and vice-versa. So we got wet. Well, only me and Yew Pheng. We went to SOC and tried to hentakaki on the wobbly board thing. It took me a few tries, because JS was happily stamping on the thing with no sign of losing his balance. How'd he manage that? so then we did more stuff, whihc I shall not descibe in detail. Then it was 4, and I went home. Yup, that's it.
Saturday, August 1, 2009
August
Oo. Today's the second day of August. Time really flies very fast. Seriously. It was only yesterday that I just came into Hwa Chong. Sort of. If you take other people into perspective that is. Also, it was only one week ago the a recieved my 1 week MC which expired last Friday. Darn. Forgot to blog about that too. Gah.
Oh yeah, forgot to mention. I am moving house. I wa going to say "have moved", but I realised that I have a lot more to do. Like unpacking and getting the leftover "debris" to my new house. It's quite near Hwa Chong, and i can take almost any bus there :) Yay. I can wake up like 15-30mins later in the mornings now.
One last topic is about HCINCC. For those not familiar with HCINCC, which is probably most of you, you wouldn't know that we just had ORD. 2 weks ago. Again, I was meaning to speak of this earlier, but it just slipped out of my mind. Hey, I had a lot on my mind. Anyway, back to ORD. I'll skim over the start, going straight to the performances. Oh yeah, for the first time in my whole NCC career, I reported sick. Luckily I did, too, because I went to see the doctor the next day and was given LOA. Wth? Anyway, performances was like crap. We were too soft, and nobody except us could hear anything! So that was fail.
Part B performance was quite funny, Zheng Xiang got beaned by Chang Zhe in the face with whipped cream. Lol. Zheng Xiang was like "I take you for 6 months and this is what I get from you?" Part C performance was even more hilarious. They tried to get Ex-NCOs to sit on water bombs but failed. They got killed instead. And we died with them. Grrr. Got Zheng Xiang in the head with a bomb though. Heehee.
Then it was gift time. We gave Part A '09 Training Team loads of stuff which we had no reason for. Lol. Then it was Part B's and C's turn. O yeah, there were the montages by B, C and D.
Oh yeah, forgot to mention. I am moving house. I wa going to say "have moved", but I realised that I have a lot more to do. Like unpacking and getting the leftover "debris" to my new house. It's quite near Hwa Chong, and i can take almost any bus there :) Yay. I can wake up like 15-30mins later in the mornings now.
One last topic is about HCINCC. For those not familiar with HCINCC, which is probably most of you, you wouldn't know that we just had ORD. 2 weks ago. Again, I was meaning to speak of this earlier, but it just slipped out of my mind. Hey, I had a lot on my mind. Anyway, back to ORD. I'll skim over the start, going straight to the performances. Oh yeah, for the first time in my whole NCC career, I reported sick. Luckily I did, too, because I went to see the doctor the next day and was given LOA. Wth? Anyway, performances was like crap. We were too soft, and nobody except us could hear anything! So that was fail.
Part B performance was quite funny, Zheng Xiang got beaned by Chang Zhe in the face with whipped cream. Lol. Zheng Xiang was like "I take you for 6 months and this is what I get from you?" Part C performance was even more hilarious. They tried to get Ex-NCOs to sit on water bombs but failed. They got killed instead. And we died with them. Grrr. Got Zheng Xiang in the head with a bomb though. Heehee.
Then it was gift time. We gave Part A '09 Training Team loads of stuff which we had no reason for. Lol. Then it was Part B's and C's turn. O yeah, there were the montages by B, C and D.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Lotteries - Boon or Bane?
Lotteries - Boon or Bane? This question has plagued many people in the past few years. Some claim that lotteries are just a tax for the poor. Others say that lotteries are a chance for the people to strike it out. Who is right? Or are they both wrong?
I personally feel that lotteries are bad. This is because people who are addicted to lotteries will usually go deep into debt. Of course, these people might get lucky, but how often is lucky? They might go into depression due to their gambling addiction. Or in a rare case, they might even die.
Those were my insights on gambling. Now for what my parents feel about it: "Gambling is bad if you gamble excessively, but if you gamble only like once every month or so, it is still reasonably okay. If you win the lottery, you would definitely recoup all of your losses. For the poor, it might even give them a chance to strike it out in the world!"
On a YouTube video, a few women shared how they were compulsive gamblers. One woman said that she once won USD10,000 playing Bingo. "...and that just took you right in." She said. Overall, when she finally stopped, she had already lost $300,000, her retirement money. She even spent a year in prison once because she was stealing money to gamble. "Even now," she says, "I still feel the urge to gamble. Even after 10 years. Even after a year in prison." That is the power of gambling addiction.
Another thing to point out is that lotteries are not the only form of gambling. Slot machines, poker, bingo and BlackJack are just some of the other examples of gambling.
In conclusion, gambling is bad because it could lead you to other vices, like stealing and lying. Therefore, if you really need to gamble, gamble smart, and don't take too much risk. Best of all, don't gamble.
I personally feel that lotteries are bad. This is because people who are addicted to lotteries will usually go deep into debt. Of course, these people might get lucky, but how often is lucky? They might go into depression due to their gambling addiction. Or in a rare case, they might even die.
Those were my insights on gambling. Now for what my parents feel about it: "Gambling is bad if you gamble excessively, but if you gamble only like once every month or so, it is still reasonably okay. If you win the lottery, you would definitely recoup all of your losses. For the poor, it might even give them a chance to strike it out in the world!"
On a YouTube video, a few women shared how they were compulsive gamblers. One woman said that she once won USD10,000 playing Bingo. "...and that just took you right in." She said. Overall, when she finally stopped, she had already lost $300,000, her retirement money. She even spent a year in prison once because she was stealing money to gamble. "Even now," she says, "I still feel the urge to gamble. Even after 10 years. Even after a year in prison." That is the power of gambling addiction.
Another thing to point out is that lotteries are not the only form of gambling. Slot machines, poker, bingo and BlackJack are just some of the other examples of gambling.
In conclusion, gambling is bad because it could lead you to other vices, like stealing and lying. Therefore, if you really need to gamble, gamble smart, and don't take too much risk. Best of all, don't gamble.
Monday, June 29, 2009
My Favourite Poet
My favourite poet shared her first name with her mother. However, she was very distant with her. Later on in her life, she disowned her mother, saying that she never had one at all. The girl in this tragic tale is none other than Emily Dickinson.
Emily Dickinson first began composing poems in 1850. Her first poem ran like this:
Awake ye muses nine,
Sing me a strain divine,
Unwind the solemn twine,
And tie my Valentine!
Frankly, I have no idea what the means. I think she was trying to court someone. Anyway, "The style of her first efforts was fairly conventional...". That's conventional in the 1800s for you.
Emily Dickinson first began composing poems in 1850. Her first poem ran like this:
Awake ye muses nine,
Sing me a strain divine,
Unwind the solemn twine,
And tie my Valentine!
Frankly, I have no idea what the means. I think she was trying to court someone. Anyway, "The style of her first efforts was fairly conventional...". That's conventional in the 1800s for you.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
"There Is Another Sky" by Emily Dickinson
There is another sky,
Ever serene and fair,
And there is another sunshine,
Though it be darkness there;
Never mind faded forests, Austin,
Never mind silent fields -
Here is a little forest,
Whose leaf is ever green;
Here is a brighter garden,
Where not a frost has been;
In its unfading flowers
I hear the bright bee hum:
Prithee, my brother,
Into my garden come!
How did you like the poem? Quite interesting right? You will notice a lot of figurative language being used in this poem. I shall attempt to analyse this poem with as much depth as I can mange without drowning.
Stanza 1
"There is another sky,
Ever serene and fair,
And there is another sunshine,
Though it be darkness there;"
To me, this stanza tells of another life, beyond our own. You can see that because firstly, life is the fairest thing on this earth, and any other. Second, when someone dies, they are referred to as having "passed into the void", or, "passed into the darkness beyond". This stanza is trying to tell us that there is indeed such a thing called rebirth, and that life will always exist somewhere in the universe, even if there is no more on Earth.
Stanza 2
"Never mind faded forests, Austin,
Never mind silent fields -
Here is a little forest,
Whose leaf is ever green;"
Stanza 2 is basically trying to tell us the same thing as Stanza 1, but in a different way. It also tells us to always hope, because even if you throw water onto a fire and extinguish it, a spark will always remain until it burns itself to extinction. Therefore, as long as you hope, nothing is impossible. In addition, this stanza also advises us to look forward to the bright furture, and not look at the unpleasant past.
Stanza 3
"Here is a brighter garden,
Where not a frost has been;"
Stanza 3 depicts a better world out there somewhere. As God first made a garden (of Eden) for the first humans Adam and later Eve, it seems that this stanza is trying to say that there is a new world out there, yet untouched by the vices of man.
Stanza 4
"In its unfading flowers
I hear the bright bee hum:
Prithee, my brother,
Into my garden come!"
Stanza 4 shows the scene inside the aforementioned garden. The garden seems like a paradise; it has flowers, bright bees humming. The writer is trying to save her brother from the evils of the world by drawing him into the protected paradise, safe from the world, and its corruption, beyond.
Why I like this Poem
I like this poem because Emily [the writer] uses figurative speech to write it, and also uses "smooth" words often. "Smooth" words are words that we have been taught to associate with certain things (bright sunshine, serene sky, etc.). This draws a picture in our minds and makes us feel relaxed as we picture the peaceful scene. At the same time, this poem gives us hope that there is indeed a safe little bubble where we can be away from our troubles, and that we can always start anew.
Ever serene and fair,
And there is another sunshine,
Though it be darkness there;
Never mind faded forests, Austin,
Never mind silent fields -
Here is a little forest,
Whose leaf is ever green;
Here is a brighter garden,
Where not a frost has been;
In its unfading flowers
I hear the bright bee hum:
Prithee, my brother,
Into my garden come!
How did you like the poem? Quite interesting right? You will notice a lot of figurative language being used in this poem. I shall attempt to analyse this poem with as much depth as I can mange without drowning.
Stanza 1
"There is another sky,
Ever serene and fair,
And there is another sunshine,
Though it be darkness there;"
To me, this stanza tells of another life, beyond our own. You can see that because firstly, life is the fairest thing on this earth, and any other. Second, when someone dies, they are referred to as having "passed into the void", or, "passed into the darkness beyond". This stanza is trying to tell us that there is indeed such a thing called rebirth, and that life will always exist somewhere in the universe, even if there is no more on Earth.
Stanza 2
"Never mind faded forests, Austin,
Never mind silent fields -
Here is a little forest,
Whose leaf is ever green;"
Stanza 2 is basically trying to tell us the same thing as Stanza 1, but in a different way. It also tells us to always hope, because even if you throw water onto a fire and extinguish it, a spark will always remain until it burns itself to extinction. Therefore, as long as you hope, nothing is impossible. In addition, this stanza also advises us to look forward to the bright furture, and not look at the unpleasant past.
Stanza 3
"Here is a brighter garden,
Where not a frost has been;"
Stanza 3 depicts a better world out there somewhere. As God first made a garden (of Eden) for the first humans Adam and later Eve, it seems that this stanza is trying to say that there is a new world out there, yet untouched by the vices of man.
Stanza 4
"In its unfading flowers
I hear the bright bee hum:
Prithee, my brother,
Into my garden come!"
Stanza 4 shows the scene inside the aforementioned garden. The garden seems like a paradise; it has flowers, bright bees humming. The writer is trying to save her brother from the evils of the world by drawing him into the protected paradise, safe from the world, and its corruption, beyond.
Why I like this Poem
I like this poem because Emily [the writer] uses figurative speech to write it, and also uses "smooth" words often. "Smooth" words are words that we have been taught to associate with certain things (bright sunshine, serene sky, etc.). This draws a picture in our minds and makes us feel relaxed as we picture the peaceful scene. At the same time, this poem gives us hope that there is indeed a safe little bubble where we can be away from our troubles, and that we can always start anew.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
55 Fiction
After much deliberation and editing, I am finally ready to present my first 55 Fiction Story! But first, what it 55 Fiction? As a general guideline, 55 Fiction has 7 rules that you must follow:
- It must be fiction - not poem, not jokes, not errant thoughts
- It must have a proper story structure - setting, character(s), conflict and resolution
- 55 words or less (Duh...)
- Hyphenated words count as individual words
- Title can't be more than 7 words, and is not included in the word count
- Contractions count as a word
- Numbers are words, too
Source: My LA teacher
[Title] Home Sweet Home [Title]
[Story Start] It was a year since I last saw them.
I hesitated before knocking on the door, worried that they would not recognise me. A shadow crossed my face as I reflected on the blood I has spilled.
My wife opened the door, smiling as she saw me. All my troubles melted away.
I was home. [Story End]
Please give your comments on it so that I may improve on my work. Thanks!
Sunday, June 21, 2009
"I am lying" True or False?
"I am lying" True or False? This much debated topic has sparked off an interest in many of us. Some people say that this statement is a paradox, others say no, it is true, or it is false. Yet others say that it is one of life's unanswerable mysteries.
I am of the opinion that the statement depends on the situation that it is used in. On its own, it is indeed a paradox, which I shall attempt to prove to you later on. However, When used in conjunction with other statements, it can either be contradictory or true.
Why is the statement a paradox? It is because if the person is telling the truth, he is lying. But if the person is lying, then he is telling the truth ...
However, it can be a contradiction when, say, I say that "I am a boy" followed by "I am lying". But if I say "I am a girl" follwed by "I am lying", then I am telling the truth, because I am obviously NOT a girl... right?
I am of the opinion that the statement depends on the situation that it is used in. On its own, it is indeed a paradox, which I shall attempt to prove to you later on. However, When used in conjunction with other statements, it can either be contradictory or true.
Why is the statement a paradox? It is because if the person is telling the truth, he is lying. But if the person is lying, then he is telling the truth ...
However, it can be a contradiction when, say, I say that "I am a boy" followed by "I am lying". But if I say "I am a girl" follwed by "I am lying", then I am telling the truth, because I am obviously NOT a girl... right?
Thursday, June 18, 2009
World View
Today I attended the inaugural Asian Water Symposium, held in conjunction with the Singapore International Water Week. One of the five speakers mentioned something very interesting. I shall only talk about one of them now because it's 10:30pm and I have to wake up early for NCC training tomorrow.
He told us to pick a integer (whole number) from 1-9. Then, he proceeded to tell us to multiply the integer by two. Following, we were to add up the digits in the product. He told us to subtract 5 from the result, and then convert the number into a letter. For example, A=1, B=2... We were to think of a country starting with that letter. Then, we were to take the second letter of that country and name an animal whose name started with that letter. Why not you try it? Was the country you named "Denmark"? Was the animal you named "Elephant"?
Now WHY did everybody in the auditorium at that time have the same answers? We are different ages, from different schools and are even brought up and slightly different environments. So WHY did we all have the same answers? Of course, to my knowledge, there is only one other country that starts with "D" and that is Domino Republic. However, why did you think "Elephant" instead of "Eagle" or "Emu"? My lecturer called it "conditioning of the mind". According to this well-respected man from Halogen, a charitable organisation, we are all being "conditioned" from young. We watch mostly the same shows, see the same advertisements and play the same games. Now what does all this have to do with water?
This particular lecturer says that from young, we are not really educated about water. That is, until we reach Primary School. But by that time, chances are that it is already too late for us to really care about water anymore. We take it for granted and we usually don't think about where it comes from. In the case of NEWater, it's best not to... but anyway, I digress. How many of us actually bothered to do research on how Singapore gets its water before we were told about it in school? Chances are, none of us. This is because we do not know how difficult it is for Singapore to get water.
On a side note, did you also know that water is more expensive than oil? Yeah, the world has been focusing on rising oil prices, blah blah blah, oil prices hit US$1.8++ per litre... so on and so forth. But have you ever compared that prices of a 300ml bottle of Evian water to that oil barrel? One 300ml bottle of water cost us $2++ and we don't talk about it. It's all about oil. Strange, is it not? This shows how the world really takes water for granted.
TBC... When I come back from training tomorrow...
He told us to pick a integer (whole number) from 1-9. Then, he proceeded to tell us to multiply the integer by two. Following, we were to add up the digits in the product. He told us to subtract 5 from the result, and then convert the number into a letter. For example, A=1, B=2... We were to think of a country starting with that letter. Then, we were to take the second letter of that country and name an animal whose name started with that letter. Why not you try it? Was the country you named "Denmark"? Was the animal you named "Elephant"?
Now WHY did everybody in the auditorium at that time have the same answers? We are different ages, from different schools and are even brought up and slightly different environments. So WHY did we all have the same answers? Of course, to my knowledge, there is only one other country that starts with "D" and that is Domino Republic. However, why did you think "Elephant" instead of "Eagle" or "Emu"? My lecturer called it "conditioning of the mind". According to this well-respected man from Halogen, a charitable organisation, we are all being "conditioned" from young. We watch mostly the same shows, see the same advertisements and play the same games. Now what does all this have to do with water?
This particular lecturer says that from young, we are not really educated about water. That is, until we reach Primary School. But by that time, chances are that it is already too late for us to really care about water anymore. We take it for granted and we usually don't think about where it comes from. In the case of NEWater, it's best not to... but anyway, I digress. How many of us actually bothered to do research on how Singapore gets its water before we were told about it in school? Chances are, none of us. This is because we do not know how difficult it is for Singapore to get water.
On a side note, did you also know that water is more expensive than oil? Yeah, the world has been focusing on rising oil prices, blah blah blah, oil prices hit US$1.8++ per litre... so on and so forth. But have you ever compared that prices of a 300ml bottle of Evian water to that oil barrel? One 300ml bottle of water cost us $2++ and we don't talk about it. It's all about oil. Strange, is it not? This shows how the world really takes water for granted.
TBC... When I come back from training tomorrow...
Monday, June 8, 2009
What is Happiness?
What is Happiness? Doesn't that question plague your mind each and every day?
In my opinion, happiness is finding joy in what you do. It may not be the right thing, but it still makes you happy.
Of course, different people have different views on the matter. It is widely accepted that helping people brings you great joy, and in turn happiness. However, some people do not feel that helping people brings you joy. Indeed, these people prefer seeing others in trouble than actually helping them.
This is, in my view, a warped happiness. You should not take pleasure in other's misfortune. However, many people do that. That is the sad truth of the world: "Laugh, and the world laughs with you; Cry, and you cry alone"
Let us reflect on our actions and strive to improve ourselves.
In my opinion, happiness is finding joy in what you do. It may not be the right thing, but it still makes you happy.
Of course, different people have different views on the matter. It is widely accepted that helping people brings you great joy, and in turn happiness. However, some people do not feel that helping people brings you joy. Indeed, these people prefer seeing others in trouble than actually helping them.
This is, in my view, a warped happiness. You should not take pleasure in other's misfortune. However, many people do that. That is the sad truth of the world: "Laugh, and the world laughs with you; Cry, and you cry alone"
Let us reflect on our actions and strive to improve ourselves.
Sunday, June 7, 2009
NCC Camp
Camp just ended today. For most of the others that is. For me, camp ended almost as soon as it had begun. This is because I reported sick, and when I went to see a doctor, I was diagnosed with dehydration and a mild fever. This officially meant that camp was over for me. My first camp, and THIS happened. I can't believe it.
Although camp was kinda tough, I still can't believe that I failed to ENDURE. I mean, first thing, after we fell in (assembled), we were knocked (made to do push-ups). Okay, fair enough. We were in the wrong. Then, almost every Part A (Sec 1) screwed up Muster Parade. NCOs were really pissed off. Oh yeah, forgot one thing. During a 5 minute water break, I was caught walking. I was knocked. Can you believe it? according to my NCOs, this showed that I had "no sense of urgency". What?!
After that, I called an NCO by a wrong rank. I had to knock 30. That was still fine. Reasonable. The walking one was a heck of a lot more unreasonable. So the section I belonged to named ourselves Alpha. Hey, we weren't going to waste precious time thinking about this. After that, we fell in in Muster Parade formation again and the COS (my part-mate) screwed up by falling in in the wrong place. After he got scolded(understatement), we were briefed on Activity 1.
First thing, we had to stone there while we were being briefed. Not even our eyeballs could move. The very first line we heard was this:" You will start with -3000 points." Not good. The second line:" At the end of the activity, any remaining points (-) that you have left will have to be made up for in push-ups." What?! Are they crazy?!
The activity was sub-divided into 5 parts. Alpha only managed to complete 3. We were given a clue as to where the venue of the activity might be. The first clue: a _____ of players. Hey, that was easy. Obviously the field, right? BINGO! Then we had to leopard crawl from one rugby post to the other. Darn. I grazed my elbows on this one.
After that, our second clue: a picture of a man running. The Part Cs (sec 3s) figured that it might be the driveway, and voila! it was. So now we were about to run. Nothing complicated, right? Wrong. As we ran, the first person was supposed to run to the back and once he reached, the new first person would have to do the same thing. Cycle. One last thing. We were supposed to cheer ALL THE WAY. Just another challenge, aye?
A water break after that, Thank God. Then the thrid clue: a picture of a corn, and a golf course. after 5 - 10 minutes, we finally managed to decipher the clue. Corn - Course (Concourse). Yay! I would like to describe the activities that we did, but my memory is a bit foggy here. Too bad.
Before lunch, I called my Sergeant Major "Master Sergeant" by mistake. Knock 50. Then it was lunch. Phew. A 45 minute recess from the hectic schedule of camp. We had to cook our our lunch using solid fuel, cooking stoves and mess tins. I ate everything from then can, as well as the instant noodles. Hey, they're supposed to be instant, right?
It was directly after lunch that I felt ill, had a headache and was dizzy. Gulp. I reported sick. I was asked by Mr Balam to change into my PT kit (PE Attire) and to take a cold shower for 10 minutes. I felt slightly better after that, but my temperature was still 37.5oC. In all, I took like 6 - 8 cold showers before I was sent home. That was really sad. I had missed out on Road March, Solonight, War Games, Dinner, Breakfast, Fire Drill...
Ah well, best not to dwell on the past. I hope that next camp, the same thing won't happen to me again. I hope.
Although camp was kinda tough, I still can't believe that I failed to ENDURE. I mean, first thing, after we fell in (assembled), we were knocked (made to do push-ups). Okay, fair enough. We were in the wrong. Then, almost every Part A (Sec 1) screwed up Muster Parade. NCOs were really pissed off. Oh yeah, forgot one thing. During a 5 minute water break, I was caught walking. I was knocked. Can you believe it? according to my NCOs, this showed that I had "no sense of urgency". What?!
After that, I called an NCO by a wrong rank. I had to knock 30. That was still fine. Reasonable. The walking one was a heck of a lot more unreasonable. So the section I belonged to named ourselves Alpha. Hey, we weren't going to waste precious time thinking about this. After that, we fell in in Muster Parade formation again and the COS (my part-mate) screwed up by falling in in the wrong place. After he got scolded(understatement), we were briefed on Activity 1.
First thing, we had to stone there while we were being briefed. Not even our eyeballs could move. The very first line we heard was this:" You will start with -3000 points." Not good. The second line:" At the end of the activity, any remaining points (-) that you have left will have to be made up for in push-ups." What?! Are they crazy?!
The activity was sub-divided into 5 parts. Alpha only managed to complete 3. We were given a clue as to where the venue of the activity might be. The first clue: a _____ of players. Hey, that was easy. Obviously the field, right? BINGO! Then we had to leopard crawl from one rugby post to the other. Darn. I grazed my elbows on this one.
After that, our second clue: a picture of a man running. The Part Cs (sec 3s) figured that it might be the driveway, and voila! it was. So now we were about to run. Nothing complicated, right? Wrong. As we ran, the first person was supposed to run to the back and once he reached, the new first person would have to do the same thing. Cycle. One last thing. We were supposed to cheer ALL THE WAY. Just another challenge, aye?
A water break after that, Thank God. Then the thrid clue: a picture of a corn, and a golf course. after 5 - 10 minutes, we finally managed to decipher the clue. Corn - Course (Concourse). Yay! I would like to describe the activities that we did, but my memory is a bit foggy here. Too bad.
Before lunch, I called my Sergeant Major "Master Sergeant" by mistake. Knock 50. Then it was lunch. Phew. A 45 minute recess from the hectic schedule of camp. We had to cook our our lunch using solid fuel, cooking stoves and mess tins. I ate everything from then can, as well as the instant noodles. Hey, they're supposed to be instant, right?
It was directly after lunch that I felt ill, had a headache and was dizzy. Gulp. I reported sick. I was asked by Mr Balam to change into my PT kit (PE Attire) and to take a cold shower for 10 minutes. I felt slightly better after that, but my temperature was still 37.5oC. In all, I took like 6 - 8 cold showers before I was sent home. That was really sad. I had missed out on Road March, Solonight, War Games, Dinner, Breakfast, Fire Drill...
Ah well, best not to dwell on the past. I hope that next camp, the same thing won't happen to me again. I hope.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
iCouncil Meeting!
Today was all the iCITs first official iCouncil meeting! It was supposed to be a no-teachers affair, but our Council Mentor gatecrashed :)
Anyways, during the meeting, our council chairman kindly updated us on the updates for council. There was
- iPlay --> which consisted of iLeague and iPing-Pong, which hasn't started yet
- iSite --> which had been proposed for 3/2 years and was finally approved
- iLounge --> which opens every Tuesday and will be revamping next term!
- Buddy System --> which is completely NOT new to me but is supposedly very new! :)
On a side note, our council mentor asked our council chairman to re-explain why the invested councillors did not have their badges. Due to some language manupilation, the council chairman was made the scapegoat! Reminds me of Snowball and Squealer from Animal Farm, but nevermind.
Actually, that's about all :)
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
iLeague
We (1I1) drew with 1I3 yesterday in an iLeague match :(
Now WHAT is iLeague? Well, iLeague is like an inter-class soccer league within iSpark Sec 1 and 2 only :) Unfortunately, due to some weird planning, every class will have to play against every other class, so the Sec 1s end up getting thrashed by the Sec 2s.
Anyway, 1I1 has played against 4 classes so far. Our record is: 1 win(against 1I4), 1 draw(against 1I3) and 2 losses (against 2I1 and 2I4). Our goal difference is, according to calculations, -16. I know. It looks bad. But hey, we have four points!
Back to 1I3. They totally did not deserve to draw. We should have won! We totally hsd the advantage from the moment I switched places with Benny and replaced him as goalkeeper while he replaced me in defense. That was AFTER the first goal of the game, which, of course, came from 1I3.
I kept a clean sheet after that :) which means that I did not concede, and Wei Zhi missed 2 beautiful chances that would have seen us own 1I3 completely. Yeah. Luckily, Zheng Jie managed to score :) he is our team's only scorer, with 3 goals! Three Cheers for Zheng Jie!!!
Now WHAT is iLeague? Well, iLeague is like an inter-class soccer league within iSpark Sec 1 and 2 only :) Unfortunately, due to some weird planning, every class will have to play against every other class, so the Sec 1s end up getting thrashed by the Sec 2s.
Anyway, 1I1 has played against 4 classes so far. Our record is: 1 win(against 1I4), 1 draw(against 1I3) and 2 losses (against 2I1 and 2I4). Our goal difference is, according to calculations, -16. I know. It looks bad. But hey, we have four points!
Back to 1I3. They totally did not deserve to draw. We should have won! We totally hsd the advantage from the moment I switched places with Benny and replaced him as goalkeeper while he replaced me in defense. That was AFTER the first goal of the game, which, of course, came from 1I3.
I kept a clean sheet after that :) which means that I did not concede, and Wei Zhi missed 2 beautiful chances that would have seen us own 1I3 completely. Yeah. Luckily, Zheng Jie managed to score :) he is our team's only scorer, with 3 goals! Three Cheers for Zheng Jie!!!
Monday, May 25, 2009
My First Semester as a Secondary as a Secondary School Student
Well, after a LOONG 5 months, I'm forced to admit that time just flew by. I know that its a contradiction, but hey. It's long if you look back but if you take each day as it comes, time just goes by, like sand through your fingers.
So, let's begin with the positive points. Can I do this informally? Please.
So, let's begin with the positive points. Can I do this informally? Please.
- Classmates rock
- Teachers rock
- iCouncil rocks
- NCC rocks
- Food rocks
Okay, a bit more elaboration. As a side note, notice I didn't put "Classmates rock", instead putting "Friends rock". This is because so far, everyone who has been my friend has been really nice or they wouldn't be my friend anyway.
My teachers rock too. I haven't been scolded at all this term, and my LA teacher, who's my Projects Day mentor and who conscripted me into LA fest preparations (which is on 3rd June @ ACS(I) for P4s. See you there!), is really nice too. My History teacher has a new policy: "Get even, not angry". I think that's a good policy! :)
iCouncil rocks because it does. Especially the councillors. When they took us for Sports Meet (not CSM) weeks ago, they tried to get us to cheer loudly but all of us were really unsupportive and it was... stupid. I'm also running to be a councillor, as mentioned in March, I think.
NCC rocks because all our seniors are really nice. Our NCOs (Non-Commissioned Officers) bring us for Games every 3 weeks or so, which is way better than our Part B and C seniors, who never go for Games during training. June camp is coming up, and it's supposed to be really tough and all that, but I'll blog about it once I return from it ^.^
Food rocks. Trust me, it does. During recess, the queues at every store are unbelievably long, because the food at our canteen is so nice that even JC and HCIS students come to our canteen to eat. Try it some day if you can.
Now to the not-so-pleasant side.
- Some classmates have a little... problem...--> teachers scolding us like there's no tomorrow
As you might have noticed, there is only one little thing to blight the Secondary School experience. Granted, some of the blame lies on me too. Sometimes. Because, as Einstein says, " The world is not a dangerous place because of those who do evil, but those who stand by and do nothing". I shall not dwell on this unpleasant matter anymore.
As usual, every year there will be some interesting highlights. Let's do this in chronological order.
- Orientation
- Meeting of Teachers for the first time
- "Discovery" of Projects Day
- 1st Ever Consortium Assembly
- Person X seeing iSpark's DC
- Person Y seeing iSpark's DC
- 1I1 v2.0
- Facades
TBC...
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Lack of Posts in April
Ookay. I haven't been posting for the whole of April. And a bit of March. But I have a reason! Well, not much. But hey, I had a lot of exams. Not-so-major class tests. The point is, I had to revise like there's no tommorow AND I'm really happy that they are all over! :)
Monday, March 16, 2009
The Lottery A.K.A my NEW Literature Text
The Lottery is a book about a Lottery. Duh. It is also my new Literature text. What is so interesting about the Lottery then? Well, actually, the ending is. For you to fully understand what I really mean, a brief summary is needed.
Summary
Every year, on June 27th, a Lottery is held. The village people would gather at the square at the appointed time, in this case 10a.m, and wait in anticipation for the Lottery to begin. The Lottery was conducted by a certain Mr Summers, who had time and energy to devote to civic activities.
At 10a.m. sharp, Mr Summers entered the square carrying the black wooden box. Mr Graves, the village postmaster, followed him carrying a small wooden stool. The box was placed on the stool which was placed in the middle of the square. The original paraphernalia (equipment) was lost long ago and the black box used in its place. Mr Summers stirred though the slips of papers in the box as he went through a edited ritual required by tradition.
Just as the ritual was completed, Mrs Hutchinson hurriedly came along and slid into place beside her husband and children. After a brief attendance taking, it was discovered that Clyde Dunbar was missing as he had broken his leg. His wife filled in for him.
Mr Summers began reading out the names of the heads of houses, which were to each take a piece of paper from the box. They were to keep the paper hidden until everybody had one slip. The village people hardly listened to Mr Summers as they knew the words so well already. There even used to be a saying, "Lottery in June, corn be heavy soon".
When the pieces of paper were unfolded, It was discovered that Bill Hutchinson had got the slip of paper with a pencil marking on it. The Hutchison family, along with the 3 children, drew another slip of paper each. When these pieces of paper were unfolded, it was discovered that Mrs Hutchinson had the piece of paper with the mark on it.
The villagers cleared a space around Mrs Hutchinson and stoned her to death.
Full story can be found at: http://www.classicshorts.com/stories/lotry.html
Foreshadowing
There is evidence of foreshadowing in The Lottery.
”… that the lottery took two days and had to be started on June 26th. But in this village, where there were only about three hundred people, the whole lottery took less than two hours, … and still be through in time to allow the villagers to get home for noon dinner.” This quote implies that the lottery is an annual tradition that takes place every year. Just by reading this quote, you can tell that this paticular lottery has some significance rather than just an ordinary lottery. The quote also makes readers skeptical as the desciption “taking less than two hours” is not usually used to describe a happy occasion, which should be in a lottery. Also, “still be through in time to allow the villagers to get home for noon dinner” tells readers that something is not quite right because if it were a rewarding experience, the sentence would not have been worded as so.”The villagers kept their distance, leaving a space between themselves and the stool. And when Mr. Summers said, "Some of you fellows want to give me a hand?" there was a hesitation before two men. Mr. Martin and his oldest son, Baxter, came forward…” This shows that the villagers are questioning their actions at this annual event. It appears as if sudden skepticism is felt as the crowd hesitates once the black box is brought to the gathering; almost as if the box were the proclaimation of their deaths.
”There were the lists to make up--of heads of families, heads of households in each family, members of each household in each family.” This double-checking of names seems suspicious – who would want to dampen their chances of winning the lottery?
“”Watson” The tall boy came awkwardly through the crowd. Someone said, ‘Don’t be nervous, Jack,’” This quote again indicates danger. By comparing this quote with the previous quote about the villager’s hesitation, it reinforces this suggestion. Also, If someone is at a lottery, he or she should not be nervous, he or shee should be excited instead.
“’It isn't fair, it isn't right’”. The unquestionable quote. This final foreshadow show that the lottery is indeed related to some sort of tragedy, confirming earlier suspicions.
Symbolism
The Lottery makes use of many symbols
Black - Yes, the colour black. Black is a dark and evil colour, usually accosiated with death or disaster.
Pieces of Paper - Stange but true. The pieces of paper replacing the wooden chips are like the people's beliefs changing. People who once stood firm on the lottery are now like pieces of paper in the wind, unable to find their ground.
Names - The names, more specifically, of Mr Summers, Mr Graves and Mrs Hutchinson. People usually feel that Summer is cheerful and joyous time where the sun shines; everyone is happy. The most obvious name is Mr Graves. Graves are places where you bury people, so obviously people are going to die. Mrs Hutchinson is the most tricky one. I had to Google her name before I found out the significance behind it. In the early New England, Anne Hutchinson was known as someone who could stand up for herself, like Mrs Hutchinson.
Themes
Adhering to Tradition - When Mr Summers wanted to change the black box, "but no one liked to upset even as much tradition as was represented by the black box ... the subject was allowed to fade off without anything's being done". This is like somebody like the government saying that tradition had to change, but the people of the country rejecting the very thought of it.
Use of Language
Irony - Shirley Jackson uses irony in The Lottery to show evil, hypocrisy and human weakness. "...and both beamed and laughed. turning around to the crowd and holding their slips of paper above their heads. " The children are only concerned about themselves. It might not register immediately in their heads that one of their parents are going to die, but that is the end result. The children should be more concerned about their parents, instead of being so self-centered. Another play on irony is that most of us today are dying to win the lottery. Get it? Dying. I don't know how to explain further.
Relevance to Today
Shirley Jackson is trying to express through The Lottery that today's society has a need to scapegoat people. It also tells us that even today, we are still chained to tradition and often do not have a reason as to why we do things traditionally. When asked why we do it, we just say that we have been doing it for many years, so let's just follow tradition. Futhermore, if you follow tradition without roots, we could just be accepting what the older generation tells us without question, even if it is morally or ethically incorrect.
In addition to that, if you take a literal view on the matter, The Lottery could be telling us that if we do not quit lotteries soon, they might eventually kill us. We could eventually also see lotteries as an integrated part of our lives; it may even become our tradition. When this happens, people will suffer.
Summary
Every year, on June 27th, a Lottery is held. The village people would gather at the square at the appointed time, in this case 10a.m, and wait in anticipation for the Lottery to begin. The Lottery was conducted by a certain Mr Summers, who had time and energy to devote to civic activities.
At 10a.m. sharp, Mr Summers entered the square carrying the black wooden box. Mr Graves, the village postmaster, followed him carrying a small wooden stool. The box was placed on the stool which was placed in the middle of the square. The original paraphernalia (equipment) was lost long ago and the black box used in its place. Mr Summers stirred though the slips of papers in the box as he went through a edited ritual required by tradition.
Just as the ritual was completed, Mrs Hutchinson hurriedly came along and slid into place beside her husband and children. After a brief attendance taking, it was discovered that Clyde Dunbar was missing as he had broken his leg. His wife filled in for him.
Mr Summers began reading out the names of the heads of houses, which were to each take a piece of paper from the box. They were to keep the paper hidden until everybody had one slip. The village people hardly listened to Mr Summers as they knew the words so well already. There even used to be a saying, "Lottery in June, corn be heavy soon".
When the pieces of paper were unfolded, It was discovered that Bill Hutchinson had got the slip of paper with a pencil marking on it. The Hutchison family, along with the 3 children, drew another slip of paper each. When these pieces of paper were unfolded, it was discovered that Mrs Hutchinson had the piece of paper with the mark on it.
The villagers cleared a space around Mrs Hutchinson and stoned her to death.
Full story can be found at: http://www.classicshorts.com/stories/lotry.html
Foreshadowing
There is evidence of foreshadowing in The Lottery.
”… that the lottery took two days and had to be started on June 26th. But in this village, where there were only about three hundred people, the whole lottery took less than two hours, … and still be through in time to allow the villagers to get home for noon dinner.” This quote implies that the lottery is an annual tradition that takes place every year. Just by reading this quote, you can tell that this paticular lottery has some significance rather than just an ordinary lottery. The quote also makes readers skeptical as the desciption “taking less than two hours” is not usually used to describe a happy occasion, which should be in a lottery. Also, “still be through in time to allow the villagers to get home for noon dinner” tells readers that something is not quite right because if it were a rewarding experience, the sentence would not have been worded as so.”The villagers kept their distance, leaving a space between themselves and the stool. And when Mr. Summers said, "Some of you fellows want to give me a hand?" there was a hesitation before two men. Mr. Martin and his oldest son, Baxter, came forward…” This shows that the villagers are questioning their actions at this annual event. It appears as if sudden skepticism is felt as the crowd hesitates once the black box is brought to the gathering; almost as if the box were the proclaimation of their deaths.
”There were the lists to make up--of heads of families, heads of households in each family, members of each household in each family.” This double-checking of names seems suspicious – who would want to dampen their chances of winning the lottery?
“”Watson” The tall boy came awkwardly through the crowd. Someone said, ‘Don’t be nervous, Jack,’” This quote again indicates danger. By comparing this quote with the previous quote about the villager’s hesitation, it reinforces this suggestion. Also, If someone is at a lottery, he or she should not be nervous, he or shee should be excited instead.
“’It isn't fair, it isn't right’”. The unquestionable quote. This final foreshadow show that the lottery is indeed related to some sort of tragedy, confirming earlier suspicions.
Symbolism
The Lottery makes use of many symbols
Black - Yes, the colour black. Black is a dark and evil colour, usually accosiated with death or disaster.
Pieces of Paper - Stange but true. The pieces of paper replacing the wooden chips are like the people's beliefs changing. People who once stood firm on the lottery are now like pieces of paper in the wind, unable to find their ground.
Names - The names, more specifically, of Mr Summers, Mr Graves and Mrs Hutchinson. People usually feel that Summer is cheerful and joyous time where the sun shines; everyone is happy. The most obvious name is Mr Graves. Graves are places where you bury people, so obviously people are going to die. Mrs Hutchinson is the most tricky one. I had to Google her name before I found out the significance behind it. In the early New England, Anne Hutchinson was known as someone who could stand up for herself, like Mrs Hutchinson.
Themes
Adhering to Tradition - When Mr Summers wanted to change the black box, "but no one liked to upset even as much tradition as was represented by the black box ... the subject was allowed to fade off without anything's being done". This is like somebody like the government saying that tradition had to change, but the people of the country rejecting the very thought of it.
Use of Language
Irony - Shirley Jackson uses irony in The Lottery to show evil, hypocrisy and human weakness. "...and both beamed and laughed. turning around to the crowd and holding their slips of paper above their heads. " The children are only concerned about themselves. It might not register immediately in their heads that one of their parents are going to die, but that is the end result. The children should be more concerned about their parents, instead of being so self-centered. Another play on irony is that most of us today are dying to win the lottery. Get it? Dying. I don't know how to explain further.
Relevance to Today
Shirley Jackson is trying to express through The Lottery that today's society has a need to scapegoat people. It also tells us that even today, we are still chained to tradition and often do not have a reason as to why we do things traditionally. When asked why we do it, we just say that we have been doing it for many years, so let's just follow tradition. Futhermore, if you follow tradition without roots, we could just be accepting what the older generation tells us without question, even if it is morally or ethically incorrect.
In addition to that, if you take a literal view on the matter, The Lottery could be telling us that if we do not quit lotteries soon, they might eventually kill us. We could eventually also see lotteries as an integrated part of our lives; it may even become our tradition. When this happens, people will suffer.
Friday, March 6, 2009
GCE 'A' Level Results
Hwa Chong Institution
OVERALL PERFORMANCE
• As with last year’s record-breaking performance, 7 out of 10 students scored at least 3 H2 Distinctions and above.
• An impressive number of 174 students who attained 7 Distinctions and more, with 42 students scoring 8 Distinctions and 132 students scoring 7 Distinctions.
• 149 students scored at least one H3 distinction and better.
INDIVIDUAL SUBJECT PERFORMANCE
• For H2 Biology, 8 out of 10 students scored distinctions.
• H2 Mathematics, 8 out of 10 students scored distinctions.
• 8 out of 10 students scored distinctions for H2 Geography, more than double the national average.
• Again, double the national average for two years running, 1 in 3 students scored a Distinction for General Paper, with 97.8% passes.
• This batch has also set a national record for Project Work, with 98.2% scoring distinctions.
• More than 3 times the national average, 71.4% scored distinctions for H2 Computing.
• 7 out of 10 students scored distinctions for H2 Chemistry.
I feel happy for Hwa Chong as we have done very well in the 2008 GCE 'A' Level results. I congratulate all the past JC-2s for their good performance. Due to the outstanding results, we were released early and I was able to catch up on my homework:). All in all, I feel that good results now not only affect you, but possibly the whole student population as well. If your cohort does well, there would be a lot of pressure on the next cohort to do well. If your cohort is not so good, the next cohort might feel more at ease.
OVERALL PERFORMANCE
• As with last year’s record-breaking performance, 7 out of 10 students scored at least 3 H2 Distinctions and above.
• An impressive number of 174 students who attained 7 Distinctions and more, with 42 students scoring 8 Distinctions and 132 students scoring 7 Distinctions.
• 149 students scored at least one H3 distinction and better.
INDIVIDUAL SUBJECT PERFORMANCE
• For H2 Biology, 8 out of 10 students scored distinctions.
• H2 Mathematics, 8 out of 10 students scored distinctions.
• 8 out of 10 students scored distinctions for H2 Geography, more than double the national average.
• Again, double the national average for two years running, 1 in 3 students scored a Distinction for General Paper, with 97.8% passes.
• This batch has also set a national record for Project Work, with 98.2% scoring distinctions.
• More than 3 times the national average, 71.4% scored distinctions for H2 Computing.
• 7 out of 10 students scored distinctions for H2 Chemistry.
I feel happy for Hwa Chong as we have done very well in the 2008 GCE 'A' Level results. I congratulate all the past JC-2s for their good performance. Due to the outstanding results, we were released early and I was able to catch up on my homework:). All in all, I feel that good results now not only affect you, but possibly the whole student population as well. If your cohort does well, there would be a lot of pressure on the next cohort to do well. If your cohort is not so good, the next cohort might feel more at ease.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
iCouncil and Class Stuff
I was passed the first stage to be a CIT(Councillor-In-Training). Yay! Now I just need to "pass" the upcoming camp... I'm getting nervous. How are you even supposed to "pass" a camp anyway?
Anyway, back to what happened today. No offence, but there's this person in my class who really gets on everybody' nerves. He also slows us down in lessons by his sudden outbursts. For his privacy, I shall not mention his name. Well, he got thrown out of class by our Language Arts(LA) teacher today. I really shouldn't feel happy, but... Back to the main issue. Do you think that what my LA teacher did was right? Do you feel sorry for that aforementioned person?
Taking another point of view, however, I feel that the class is at fault, too. Whenever he catches any of us on a bad day with a "rofl", we tend to lose control of our voices. Ouch. My ears hurt. However, one of the individuals, that perpetually irritates that aforementioned person also got sent out of class by the same LA eacher the day before. In fact, that's why the aforementioned person got kicked out in the first place. He laughed and taunted the person that perpetually irritated him.
I'm going to stop here, because by maintaining the privacy of all aforementioned people, I'm confusing myself and I must be confusing you too. With my head in a spin, I end this post. :)
Anyway, back to what happened today. No offence, but there's this person in my class who really gets on everybody' nerves. He also slows us down in lessons by his sudden outbursts. For his privacy, I shall not mention his name. Well, he got thrown out of class by our Language Arts(LA) teacher today. I really shouldn't feel happy, but... Back to the main issue. Do you think that what my LA teacher did was right? Do you feel sorry for that aforementioned person?
Taking another point of view, however, I feel that the class is at fault, too. Whenever he catches any of us on a bad day with a "rofl", we tend to lose control of our voices. Ouch. My ears hurt. However, one of the individuals, that perpetually irritates that aforementioned person also got sent out of class by the same LA eacher the day before. In fact, that's why the aforementioned person got kicked out in the first place. He laughed and taunted the person that perpetually irritated him.
I'm going to stop here, because by maintaining the privacy of all aforementioned people, I'm confusing myself and I must be confusing you too. With my head in a spin, I end this post. :)
Thursday, February 26, 2009
White
White. Is it just a colour? Or is there a deeper meaning to the colour White? What do you think about when White is mentioned? Do you think of:
- A clean sheet of paper?
- A white flag of surrender?
- Pureness?
- Holiness?
- Peace?
- Luxurious?
- Just a colour?
Many people think of one of the above when they hear the colour white. Of course, there may be others, but my imagination is limited =D. So what really is the colour white? In my opinion, it is actually all of the above and more. It is a colour signifying cleaniness, peace, pureness, holiness, luxury and is of course, a colour. White represents a lot of things, and it is nigh on impossible to list them all. Most people, like me, associate white with cleaness. To me, white is exquisite, mysterious, and an object of facination. What do you think?
Money Makes The World Go Round
Money: Does it really make the world go round?
I'm sure everybody has heard the phrase "Money makes the world go round" before. How many people have actually questioned it? Most people don't bother, they just assume that it's an idiom and take it at surface level.
But does money really make the world go round? Could we do without money?
Actually, I don't have an answer to my first question. But with regards to my second question, I think that we couldn't do without money. Some argue that money is just a convenient way of exchange between us humans. Others think that money really is needed. Personally, though, I feel that money is needed in our daily lives. When money was first introduced in the place of the bartering system, maybe we could have shaken off the reliance on money. But now? No way. The world has been "addicted" to money. We just can't stop using it even if we tried. That's why we have a global reccession. When the US banks ran out of money and their stocks when into a free fall, the world was affected. People all around the world were worried, but could do nothing. The cold grip of fear clutched at their hearts when it was reported that Lehman Brothers closed down and many people lost their jobs.
Here's a Brain Teaser to which I don't know the answer: If the world is losing money, where is the money going to? This question has bugged me ever since I read about the financial crisis but I just remembered it. Good luck in trying to find out the answer for the Brain Teaser. Please try to answer me on this.
I'm sure everybody has heard the phrase "Money makes the world go round" before. How many people have actually questioned it? Most people don't bother, they just assume that it's an idiom and take it at surface level.
But does money really make the world go round? Could we do without money?
Actually, I don't have an answer to my first question. But with regards to my second question, I think that we couldn't do without money. Some argue that money is just a convenient way of exchange between us humans. Others think that money really is needed. Personally, though, I feel that money is needed in our daily lives. When money was first introduced in the place of the bartering system, maybe we could have shaken off the reliance on money. But now? No way. The world has been "addicted" to money. We just can't stop using it even if we tried. That's why we have a global reccession. When the US banks ran out of money and their stocks when into a free fall, the world was affected. People all around the world were worried, but could do nothing. The cold grip of fear clutched at their hearts when it was reported that Lehman Brothers closed down and many people lost their jobs.
Here's a Brain Teaser to which I don't know the answer: If the world is losing money, where is the money going to? This question has bugged me ever since I read about the financial crisis but I just remembered it. Good luck in trying to find out the answer for the Brain Teaser. Please try to answer me on this.
Life
Everyone has his/her own definition of life.
For me, life is like a puzzle, the past is already determined by the pieces you already put. Each piece is blank, only when you piece the pieces will they make any sense.The present is like grabbing random pieces from the puzzle box and piecing them together, all pieces will fit, each piece is like an action.Yet, different pieces will affect how your eventual picture will look like.The future is the eventual picture, the effects of how each individual piece affect it.The pieces you grab, mostly depend on luck, or rather, destiny, some depend on skill and past knowledge.
My jigsaw has been turning out to be a wonderful picture so far. [s]Except for the occasional scolding[/s] How about yours?
For me, life is like a puzzle, the past is already determined by the pieces you already put. Each piece is blank, only when you piece the pieces will they make any sense.The present is like grabbing random pieces from the puzzle box and piecing them together, all pieces will fit, each piece is like an action.Yet, different pieces will affect how your eventual picture will look like.The future is the eventual picture, the effects of how each individual piece affect it.The pieces you grab, mostly depend on luck, or rather, destiny, some depend on skill and past knowledge.
My jigsaw has been turning out to be a wonderful picture so far. [s]Except for the occasional scolding[/s] How about yours?
Friday, February 20, 2009
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Overview
At Malfoy Manor, Snape tells Voldemort the date that Harry's friends are planning to move him from the house on Privet Drive to a new safe location, so that Voldemort can capture Harry en route.
As Harry packs to leave Privet Drive, he reads two obituaries for Dumbledore, both of which make him think that he didn't know Dumbledore as well as he should have. Downstairs, he bids good-bye to the Dursleys for the final time, as the threat of Voldemort forces them to go into hiding themselves.
The Order of the Phoenix, led by Alastor “Mad-Eye” Moody, arrives to take Harry to his new home at the Weasleys' house, the Burrow. Six of Harry's friends take Polyjuice Potion to disguise themselves as Harry and act as decoys, and they all fly off in different directions. The Death Eaters, alerted to their departure by Snape, attack Harry and his friends. Voldemort chases Harry down, but Harry's wand fends Voldemort off, seemingly without Harry's help.
Harry arrives at the Burrow, and when his friends get there, he learns that Moody has been killed and George Weasley maimed in the chase. Harry begins to have visions in which he sees what Voldemort is doing through Voldemort's eyes, and witnesses Voldemort interrogating a wand maker, trying to find out how to defeat Harry.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione assemble the books and tools necessary to embark on the quest that Dumbledore left them: to find and destroy the Horcruxes into which Voldemort placed fragments of his soul, making himself immortal as long as the objects survive. Rufus Scrimgeour, the Minister of Magic, delivers to them the items Dumbledore left them in his will. Harry is left the Snitch he caught in his first Quidditch match, as well as the Sword of Gryffindor, which Scrimgeour does not give him, claiming it did not belong to Dumbledore. Ron is left a device called a Deluminator that turns lights off, and Hermione is left a book of wizard fairy tales. None of them have any idea what the items mean.
The Weasleys host the wedding of their son Bill to Fleur Delacour. At the reception, Harry hears Ron's Aunt Muriel telling terrible rumors about Dumbledore: that his sister was a Squib (a non-magical person born to wizard parents) kept prisoner by her family, and that Dumbledore had dabbled in the Dark Arts as a young man. The wedding is interrupted by Death Eaters, as Voldemort has taken over the Ministry of Magic and is now in charge of the wizarding world.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione Disapparate (i.e., teleport) to a busy street in London, where they are soon attacked by Death Eaters. They find safe haven in the enchanted house left to Harry by Sirius Black, Number Twelve Grimmauld Place. There, they discover the significance of the letters R.A.B. In the previous book, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Harry and Dumbledore had undergone trials to find a locket that Voldemort had made into a Horcrux, but at the end they found that the locket had been stolen, with a fake locket and note left behind, signed R.A.B. Now, they see that the initials belong to Sirius's dead younger brother, Regulus Arcturus Black, who had been one of Voldemort's followers. They remember that they have seen a locket in the house that is now gone.
Harry and his friends summon Kreacher, the house-elf who came with the house. Kreacher explains that Voldemort had used him to test the magical defenses guarding the locket, having borrowed him from Regulus. Afterward, Regulus had a change of heart about serving Voldemort, and Kreacher had helped him to steal the locket and leave the fake one in its place. The real locket had been in Kreacher's possession for many years, but was recently stolen by Mundungus Fletcher. Harry orders Kreacher to find Mundungus and bring him back.
Kreacher returns later with Mundungus, who reveals that the locket was confiscated from him by Dolores Umbridge, a senior official at the Ministry of Magic. Ron, Harry, and Hermione disguise themselves as Ministry employees and sneak into the Ministry, stealing the locket from Umbridge, while witnessing the Ministry's efforts to persecute wizards who don't come from pureblood wizard families.
As they Disapparate back to the house on Grimmauld Place, Hermione accidentally leads one of the Death Eaters inside the protective enchantments, so they are forced to abandon the house and go on the run, moving from place to place and camping in the woods. They don't know where to look for the next Horcrux, and they don't know how to destroy the locket, which is protected by powerful magic. Harry has a vision of Voldemort tracking down another famous wand maker and looking for a young man who stole a wand.
One night, in the forest, Harry and friends overhear a goblin saying that the Sword of Gryffindor that had been in the headmaster's office at Hogwarts is a fake. Harry realizes that the real Sword of Gryffindor has the power to destroy Horcruxes, and that they need to find it. Ron, frustrated at their lack of progress, gets fed up and abandons Harry and Hermione.
Harry and Hermione go to Godric's Hollow, where they visit the graves of Harry's parents and see the house where he lived before Voldemort killed them. An old woman named Bathilda Bagshot leads them into her house, and they follow, hoping that she knew Dumbledore and can give them the sword, but she turns out to be dead, her body inhabited by Voldemort's snake, Nagini. They barely escape, and Harry's wand is destroyed in the fight.
Harry reads the new (and malicious) biography of Dumbledore, which claims that Dumbledore helped the Dark wizard Grindelwald as a young man and may have been responsible for his own sister's death. Harry recognizes in a photograph in the book the young man whom Voldemort is seeking, and it is Grindelwald.
One night, while Harry is keeping watch, a silver doe Patronus appears and leads him to the Sword of Gryffindor, buried beneath the ice in a pond. Harry dives in, and the locket Horcrux around his neck tries to strangle him. Ron, who has returned, saves Harry, recovers the sword, and destroys the locket.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione go to visit Xenophilius Lovegood, because Hermione has discovered a strange symbol in the book Dumbledore left her, and they had seen Xenophilius wearing it. Xenophilius explains that the symbol represents the Deathly Hallows, three objects—the Elder Wand, Resurrection Stone, and Invisibility Cloak—that were made by Death and that give the owner of the three objects mastery over death.
Xenophilius betrays them to the Death Eaters, hoping to free his daughter Luna, whom the Ministry has imprisoned, and they narrowly escape from his house. Harry is tempted to pursue the Hallows and abandon his quest for the Horcruxes. Harry accidentally says Voldemort's name, which triggers a tracking spell, and they are caught by Voldemort's followers and taken to Malfoy Manor.
At Malfoy Manor, Bellatrix Lestrange tortures Hermione for information about where they got the sword they are carrying, since she thought it was in her vault at Gringotts bank. She is very concerned about anything else they might have taken. Dobby, the Malfoys' former house-elf, helps Harry and his friends to escape, along with Ollivander the wand maker, Luna Lovegood, and Griphook the goblin. Harry takes them all to Ron's brother Bill's cottage.
Harry guesses that Voldemort has a Horcrux stored in Bellatrix's vault, since she seemed so worried about it, and he persuades Griphook the goblin to help him break into the vault. With Griphook's help, Harry, Ron, and Hermione break in and steal the Hufflepuff Cup from the vault, then escape on the back of a dragon.
Harry learns from a vision of Voldemort's that the final Horcrux is at Hogwarts, so they travel to the nearby village of Hogsmeade. There they meet Aberforth, Dumbledore's brother, who helps them get into Hogwarts through a painting by summoning Neville Longbottom, who has been organizing meetings of Dumbledore's Army in the hidden Room of Requirement. Harry asks the members of the D.A., who are all his supporters, if they can think of an important item associated with the school, hoping such an item might be the final Horcrux. The Ravenclaw students tell him about the lost diadem of Ravenclaw.
While Harry looks for the diadem, the professors and students of Hogwarts rally to his defense, having been warned that Voldemort is on his way. Voldemort and his followers attack the school in a great battle, and Harry finds and destroys the diadem Horcrux.
Harry witnesses Voldemort murdering Snape in order to take possession of Dumbledore's powerful wand (since Snape killed Dumbledore, Snape is presumably the wand's true master until someone kills him). Before he dies, Snape gives Harry his memories, extracted for viewing in the Pensieve.
Harry goes to the Pensieve in the headmaster's office and views the most important moments of Snape's life. He learns that he has been completely mistaken about Snape, who loved Harry's mother, Lily Potter, his whole life. Snape had spent his entire adult life spying on Voldemort for Dumbledore and working to protect Harry.
From one of Snape's conversations with Dumbledore, Harry learns that there's a piece of Voldemort's soul inside him (Harry is in fact the final Horcrux), and that he will have to let Voldemort kill him before Voldemort can die. He goes into the forest and lets Voldemort kill him, then wakes up in a dreamlike version of King's Cross train station, where Dumbledore meets him and tells him that he hasn't died, and that the protective charm Lily Potter placed on Harry is kept alive inside of Voldemort, because Voldemort used Harry's blood to reconstitute himself. Thus, Voldemort could not kill Harry, and Harry can now go back and finish him off.
Voldemort takes Harry, whom he believes to be dead, back to Hogwarts to demand its surrender. The students and teachers defy Voldemort, and Neville uses the Sword of Gryffindor to kill the giant snake, Nagini, which was the last Horcrux keeping Voldemort invulnerable. A final battle erupts, and Harry reveals that he's still alive, going on to kill Voldemort in a duel.
In an Epilogue set nineteen years later, Harry is married to Ginny and is sending their children to Hogwarts. Ron and Hermione are married, and their families are both thriving.
As Harry packs to leave Privet Drive, he reads two obituaries for Dumbledore, both of which make him think that he didn't know Dumbledore as well as he should have. Downstairs, he bids good-bye to the Dursleys for the final time, as the threat of Voldemort forces them to go into hiding themselves.
The Order of the Phoenix, led by Alastor “Mad-Eye” Moody, arrives to take Harry to his new home at the Weasleys' house, the Burrow. Six of Harry's friends take Polyjuice Potion to disguise themselves as Harry and act as decoys, and they all fly off in different directions. The Death Eaters, alerted to their departure by Snape, attack Harry and his friends. Voldemort chases Harry down, but Harry's wand fends Voldemort off, seemingly without Harry's help.
Harry arrives at the Burrow, and when his friends get there, he learns that Moody has been killed and George Weasley maimed in the chase. Harry begins to have visions in which he sees what Voldemort is doing through Voldemort's eyes, and witnesses Voldemort interrogating a wand maker, trying to find out how to defeat Harry.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione assemble the books and tools necessary to embark on the quest that Dumbledore left them: to find and destroy the Horcruxes into which Voldemort placed fragments of his soul, making himself immortal as long as the objects survive. Rufus Scrimgeour, the Minister of Magic, delivers to them the items Dumbledore left them in his will. Harry is left the Snitch he caught in his first Quidditch match, as well as the Sword of Gryffindor, which Scrimgeour does not give him, claiming it did not belong to Dumbledore. Ron is left a device called a Deluminator that turns lights off, and Hermione is left a book of wizard fairy tales. None of them have any idea what the items mean.
The Weasleys host the wedding of their son Bill to Fleur Delacour. At the reception, Harry hears Ron's Aunt Muriel telling terrible rumors about Dumbledore: that his sister was a Squib (a non-magical person born to wizard parents) kept prisoner by her family, and that Dumbledore had dabbled in the Dark Arts as a young man. The wedding is interrupted by Death Eaters, as Voldemort has taken over the Ministry of Magic and is now in charge of the wizarding world.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione Disapparate (i.e., teleport) to a busy street in London, where they are soon attacked by Death Eaters. They find safe haven in the enchanted house left to Harry by Sirius Black, Number Twelve Grimmauld Place. There, they discover the significance of the letters R.A.B. In the previous book, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Harry and Dumbledore had undergone trials to find a locket that Voldemort had made into a Horcrux, but at the end they found that the locket had been stolen, with a fake locket and note left behind, signed R.A.B. Now, they see that the initials belong to Sirius's dead younger brother, Regulus Arcturus Black, who had been one of Voldemort's followers. They remember that they have seen a locket in the house that is now gone.
Harry and his friends summon Kreacher, the house-elf who came with the house. Kreacher explains that Voldemort had used him to test the magical defenses guarding the locket, having borrowed him from Regulus. Afterward, Regulus had a change of heart about serving Voldemort, and Kreacher had helped him to steal the locket and leave the fake one in its place. The real locket had been in Kreacher's possession for many years, but was recently stolen by Mundungus Fletcher. Harry orders Kreacher to find Mundungus and bring him back.
Kreacher returns later with Mundungus, who reveals that the locket was confiscated from him by Dolores Umbridge, a senior official at the Ministry of Magic. Ron, Harry, and Hermione disguise themselves as Ministry employees and sneak into the Ministry, stealing the locket from Umbridge, while witnessing the Ministry's efforts to persecute wizards who don't come from pureblood wizard families.
As they Disapparate back to the house on Grimmauld Place, Hermione accidentally leads one of the Death Eaters inside the protective enchantments, so they are forced to abandon the house and go on the run, moving from place to place and camping in the woods. They don't know where to look for the next Horcrux, and they don't know how to destroy the locket, which is protected by powerful magic. Harry has a vision of Voldemort tracking down another famous wand maker and looking for a young man who stole a wand.
One night, in the forest, Harry and friends overhear a goblin saying that the Sword of Gryffindor that had been in the headmaster's office at Hogwarts is a fake. Harry realizes that the real Sword of Gryffindor has the power to destroy Horcruxes, and that they need to find it. Ron, frustrated at their lack of progress, gets fed up and abandons Harry and Hermione.
Harry and Hermione go to Godric's Hollow, where they visit the graves of Harry's parents and see the house where he lived before Voldemort killed them. An old woman named Bathilda Bagshot leads them into her house, and they follow, hoping that she knew Dumbledore and can give them the sword, but she turns out to be dead, her body inhabited by Voldemort's snake, Nagini. They barely escape, and Harry's wand is destroyed in the fight.
Harry reads the new (and malicious) biography of Dumbledore, which claims that Dumbledore helped the Dark wizard Grindelwald as a young man and may have been responsible for his own sister's death. Harry recognizes in a photograph in the book the young man whom Voldemort is seeking, and it is Grindelwald.
One night, while Harry is keeping watch, a silver doe Patronus appears and leads him to the Sword of Gryffindor, buried beneath the ice in a pond. Harry dives in, and the locket Horcrux around his neck tries to strangle him. Ron, who has returned, saves Harry, recovers the sword, and destroys the locket.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione go to visit Xenophilius Lovegood, because Hermione has discovered a strange symbol in the book Dumbledore left her, and they had seen Xenophilius wearing it. Xenophilius explains that the symbol represents the Deathly Hallows, three objects—the Elder Wand, Resurrection Stone, and Invisibility Cloak—that were made by Death and that give the owner of the three objects mastery over death.
Xenophilius betrays them to the Death Eaters, hoping to free his daughter Luna, whom the Ministry has imprisoned, and they narrowly escape from his house. Harry is tempted to pursue the Hallows and abandon his quest for the Horcruxes. Harry accidentally says Voldemort's name, which triggers a tracking spell, and they are caught by Voldemort's followers and taken to Malfoy Manor.
At Malfoy Manor, Bellatrix Lestrange tortures Hermione for information about where they got the sword they are carrying, since she thought it was in her vault at Gringotts bank. She is very concerned about anything else they might have taken. Dobby, the Malfoys' former house-elf, helps Harry and his friends to escape, along with Ollivander the wand maker, Luna Lovegood, and Griphook the goblin. Harry takes them all to Ron's brother Bill's cottage.
Harry guesses that Voldemort has a Horcrux stored in Bellatrix's vault, since she seemed so worried about it, and he persuades Griphook the goblin to help him break into the vault. With Griphook's help, Harry, Ron, and Hermione break in and steal the Hufflepuff Cup from the vault, then escape on the back of a dragon.
Harry learns from a vision of Voldemort's that the final Horcrux is at Hogwarts, so they travel to the nearby village of Hogsmeade. There they meet Aberforth, Dumbledore's brother, who helps them get into Hogwarts through a painting by summoning Neville Longbottom, who has been organizing meetings of Dumbledore's Army in the hidden Room of Requirement. Harry asks the members of the D.A., who are all his supporters, if they can think of an important item associated with the school, hoping such an item might be the final Horcrux. The Ravenclaw students tell him about the lost diadem of Ravenclaw.
While Harry looks for the diadem, the professors and students of Hogwarts rally to his defense, having been warned that Voldemort is on his way. Voldemort and his followers attack the school in a great battle, and Harry finds and destroys the diadem Horcrux.
Harry witnesses Voldemort murdering Snape in order to take possession of Dumbledore's powerful wand (since Snape killed Dumbledore, Snape is presumably the wand's true master until someone kills him). Before he dies, Snape gives Harry his memories, extracted for viewing in the Pensieve.
Harry goes to the Pensieve in the headmaster's office and views the most important moments of Snape's life. He learns that he has been completely mistaken about Snape, who loved Harry's mother, Lily Potter, his whole life. Snape had spent his entire adult life spying on Voldemort for Dumbledore and working to protect Harry.
From one of Snape's conversations with Dumbledore, Harry learns that there's a piece of Voldemort's soul inside him (Harry is in fact the final Horcrux), and that he will have to let Voldemort kill him before Voldemort can die. He goes into the forest and lets Voldemort kill him, then wakes up in a dreamlike version of King's Cross train station, where Dumbledore meets him and tells him that he hasn't died, and that the protective charm Lily Potter placed on Harry is kept alive inside of Voldemort, because Voldemort used Harry's blood to reconstitute himself. Thus, Voldemort could not kill Harry, and Harry can now go back and finish him off.
Voldemort takes Harry, whom he believes to be dead, back to Hogwarts to demand its surrender. The students and teachers defy Voldemort, and Neville uses the Sword of Gryffindor to kill the giant snake, Nagini, which was the last Horcrux keeping Voldemort invulnerable. A final battle erupts, and Harry reveals that he's still alive, going on to kill Voldemort in a duel.
In an Epilogue set nineteen years later, Harry is married to Ginny and is sending their children to Hogwarts. Ron and Hermione are married, and their families are both thriving.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Taximan's Story
This is a short story in a book of short stories, Little Ironies by Catherine Lim. Go read it when you have time.
Anyway, I was reading this story when I asked myself these questions:
Anyway, I was reading this story when I asked myself these questions:
- What is the irony in the story?
- What are the themes raised in the story?
- How realistic is this story?
- What do you think of the Taximan? Do you feel any sympathy for him?
- Do you agree with his lamenting?
- What about the other characters in the story? Do you feel any sympathy for them?
1) What is the irony in the story?
- The taximan likes to scout for customers like pretty girls who have rich european girlfriends to provide for them, as these customers pay big.
- After driving these customers around for a while, he learns the habits of these people and regularly pick them up to make more money, seeing as they do not care whether he drives around in circles, give large tips and do not really care about change they receive.
- The taximan talks about how his daughter starts to sell herself out to foreigners, bringing up the irony of the story. The taximan likes to ferry 'Sarong Party Girls', young teenagers who like to have foreign boy friends, but when he finds out that his own daughter is one of those types of people, he is enraged and beats his daughter so badly, she can't go to school for 3 days.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Socratic Circle and its Origin
The Socratic Circle was originally created by Socrates. So, what is a Socratic Circle? Well, a Socratic Circle is comprised of two main portions: The Inner Circle and the Outer Circle.
Outer Circle:
The Outer Circle does not talk but takes notes on what the people in the inner circle say. A person in the Outer Circle also takes note of a specific person. The Outer Circle takes notes on the main ideas and points and comment on the discussion at the same time.
Inner Circle:
The Inner Circle does the main discussion. This may sound simple but it is not. The Inner Circle will have to cite texts and documents to support what they are saying. In addition, they have to listen to what the other speakers have to say as well as structure their arguments around what others have to say. They also question and respond to others' theories. They do this by asking Socratic Questions.
Socratic Questions:
There are 6 common types of Socratic Questions:
Outer Circle:
The Outer Circle does not talk but takes notes on what the people in the inner circle say. A person in the Outer Circle also takes note of a specific person. The Outer Circle takes notes on the main ideas and points and comment on the discussion at the same time.
Inner Circle:
The Inner Circle does the main discussion. This may sound simple but it is not. The Inner Circle will have to cite texts and documents to support what they are saying. In addition, they have to listen to what the other speakers have to say as well as structure their arguments around what others have to say. They also question and respond to others' theories. They do this by asking Socratic Questions.
Socratic Questions:
There are 6 common types of Socratic Questions:
- Questions of Clarification
- Questions that Probe Assumptions
- Questions that Probe Accuracy in Thinking
- Questions that Probe Relavance in Thinking
- Questions that Probe Depth of Thinking
- Questions about the Questions
Using these types of questions, a person can effectively ask and answer questions with questions.
Thursday, January 8, 2009
1I1 Blog Policy
Okay, this first is all about the blog policy my class has:
- First and foremost, no spamming other blogs. This is very important as it gets very irritating when other people spam your blog with negative comments. You could block comments, but isn't it better to listen to other people's opinions?
- Secondly, no flaming. this is almost as important as the first point as flaming is a serious thing. You could be fined or jailed for flaming! So remember, NO FLAMING!!!
- Thirdly, no undesirable content. This is the part where most people don't get it. Most people post stuff which they think is appropriate. However, the content is usually not appropriate.
- Fourth, no hacking. This is the most important point. Don't hack other people's accounts. How would you like it if someone hacked into your account and posted... stuff on your blog that you didn't want to be posted?
- Fifth, no cyber bullying. This is pretty obvious so I won't go into details.
- Last but not least, no indecent language. Please do not insult others by using offensive language and vulgarities.
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