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.
Monday, June 29, 2009
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.
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