Hi,
Today I will talk about how writing blog posts about really helps me in my life and that it is not all about ACE. I would like to explain why I have such a love for writing blog posts and how they can help me in daily life. (By the way, I hope you get the title. Hint: Inception is about a world within a world. So, Blog-ception is about writing about blogs in a blog post)
Ever since primary school, I did not know much about blogs and had the impression that blogs were for grown-ups only. I also thought that blogs were a waste of time and a bit stupid because it was public so many people could see what was happening in your life, which means intruding in your privacy. Therefore, I did not have the habit of writing blogs, diaries or journals. However, after joining Hwa Chong Institution, I was introduced to the idea of blogs and started to write many posts about my feelings on current events. At first, I struggled to come up with my own topics and had to rely on my LA teacher for ideas. From there, I expressed my views on the topic but was not able to do so very well. However, as I wrote more and more blog posts, my confidence in writing grew as well and now, I am able to write blog posts very freely about almost everything under the sun. Blogs have also changed from a compulsory section of my studies to an enjoyable activity that I look forward to do. My writing skills have also improved by a lot, as I can spurn out chunks of words without much thinking. I enjoy blog posts because they help me to know more about current affairs and be used as a platform to pour out my feelings about something. It also helps me to improve my writing skills, in preparation for the examinations. I can comment on others' blog posts and learn many different points of view too, hence helping me to think critically and consider all points-of-view. Therefore, I find that blog posts have definitely helped me in my life both academically and emotionally.
In conclusion, I think that blog posts have really helped me in my life and I recommend that everyone start a blog right now! Thanks to blogs, my writing skills have improved by a lot and I have been exposed to a totally different world online!
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Poor Results
Hi,
During the recent LA Reading & Reasoning test, I did very poorly, scoring a D7. I was the second lowest in class and I did much worse than my expectations. I failed! This definitely dealt a major blow to my studies because I was aiming for a good MSG this term. I also wanted to get into Humanities Programme next year but it requires me to get an End-Of-Year LA grade of A1. Of course, an appeal can work. However, i definitely do not want to take such chances. Therefore, I want to share my feelings on this test, why I did so badly and how I will respond to this matter.
When I first got the R & R paper back, I was quite alright with the results, because I expected that I did not do well in the test and I also thought that others were doing as badly as me. However, I realised that everyone around me was doing much better than I was and I even came it second lowest in class! This was a major shock to me because I was quite good in Language Arts. Thus, I felt very devastated and I knew that my MSG this term was going to be very poor. What's more, I was aiming to go the Humanities Programme next year, but I may have to put aside my hopes, thanks to this very poor result. I mean, this is one of my only failures in secondary school and it dealt a huge blow to me. I was feeling very emotional, but I managed to confide in a few of my friends who were nice and comforted me. Although I still feel that it was a pity that I did not get four or five marks higher, I think that I have gotten over it now.
I believe that there must be reasons for not doing well. It cannot be just about pure misfortune. I think that it is important to analyse where I have gone wrong so that I can take future steps to improve during my next test. I would love to say that the main reason why I failed was because the passages were so hard, but this is all but an excuse because I know that my other classmates were able to get A1s, doing the same paper as me. Therefore, I think that the fact that I did not study enough was the main reason. I did not annotate the whole book of The Merchant of Venice and faced the consequences when I was unable to accurately answer the questions tested. Had I read every chapter more detailed-ly and ask my teacher when I had problems understanding, I think that I would have scored much better. I also feel that I did not read widely enough. One key to scoring well in Language Arts is by reading widely; reading newspapers, reading all kinds of genres of books and reading informative texts. As a result, I was not able to understand the Rupert Murdoch case very well and missed out on a lot of marks.
Since I know where I have gone wrong, I feel that my marks are just water under the bridge and that there is no point crying over spilt milk. Therefore, what I can do now is to start practicing for the End-of-Year examinations. Anyway, this test is just a mere 6% in my EOY grade and I believe that I can still manage to score at least an A if I do well in the final examination. Thus, I think that I need to start to read The Merchant of Venice and To Kill a Mockingbird all over again and annotate every passage. I also need to start a journal where I can jot down notes on certain articles that catch my attention, so that I can have a ready supply of articles at hand to use as evidence to support my point in the argumentative questions.
In conclusion, I believe that all is not lost despite this failure and I feel quite happy that I managed to get through this setback quite easily. As long as I work hard from now on, I believe that my Language Arts can get back on track and I will be able to score well.
During the recent LA Reading & Reasoning test, I did very poorly, scoring a D7. I was the second lowest in class and I did much worse than my expectations. I failed! This definitely dealt a major blow to my studies because I was aiming for a good MSG this term. I also wanted to get into Humanities Programme next year but it requires me to get an End-Of-Year LA grade of A1. Of course, an appeal can work. However, i definitely do not want to take such chances. Therefore, I want to share my feelings on this test, why I did so badly and how I will respond to this matter.
When I first got the R & R paper back, I was quite alright with the results, because I expected that I did not do well in the test and I also thought that others were doing as badly as me. However, I realised that everyone around me was doing much better than I was and I even came it second lowest in class! This was a major shock to me because I was quite good in Language Arts. Thus, I felt very devastated and I knew that my MSG this term was going to be very poor. What's more, I was aiming to go the Humanities Programme next year, but I may have to put aside my hopes, thanks to this very poor result. I mean, this is one of my only failures in secondary school and it dealt a huge blow to me. I was feeling very emotional, but I managed to confide in a few of my friends who were nice and comforted me. Although I still feel that it was a pity that I did not get four or five marks higher, I think that I have gotten over it now.
I believe that there must be reasons for not doing well. It cannot be just about pure misfortune. I think that it is important to analyse where I have gone wrong so that I can take future steps to improve during my next test. I would love to say that the main reason why I failed was because the passages were so hard, but this is all but an excuse because I know that my other classmates were able to get A1s, doing the same paper as me. Therefore, I think that the fact that I did not study enough was the main reason. I did not annotate the whole book of The Merchant of Venice and faced the consequences when I was unable to accurately answer the questions tested. Had I read every chapter more detailed-ly and ask my teacher when I had problems understanding, I think that I would have scored much better. I also feel that I did not read widely enough. One key to scoring well in Language Arts is by reading widely; reading newspapers, reading all kinds of genres of books and reading informative texts. As a result, I was not able to understand the Rupert Murdoch case very well and missed out on a lot of marks.
Since I know where I have gone wrong, I feel that my marks are just water under the bridge and that there is no point crying over spilt milk. Therefore, what I can do now is to start practicing for the End-of-Year examinations. Anyway, this test is just a mere 6% in my EOY grade and I believe that I can still manage to score at least an A if I do well in the final examination. Thus, I think that I need to start to read The Merchant of Venice and To Kill a Mockingbird all over again and annotate every passage. I also need to start a journal where I can jot down notes on certain articles that catch my attention, so that I can have a ready supply of articles at hand to use as evidence to support my point in the argumentative questions.
In conclusion, I believe that all is not lost despite this failure and I feel quite happy that I managed to get through this setback quite easily. As long as I work hard from now on, I believe that my Language Arts can get back on track and I will be able to score well.
Pollution
Hi,
In Term 3, I learned about Geography for IH and I enjoyed learning it. The topic of pollution hit me hard and I have decided to write a post all about it: What are my takes on pollution and my suggestions to how we as people of the world can improve.
There are many different types of pollution, namely air pollution, land pollution, water pollution, noise pollution and light pollution. The most serious pollutions that can result in the death of humans are the first three types of pollution. Most of the causes of pollution are man-made. For example, air pollution can be caused by construction works, emission from cars and Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)from household appliances like fridges. Land pollution can be caused by littering and deforestation, while water pollution can also be caused by littering, pesticide overuse and industrial emissions. The effects of pollution can be very harmful, ranging from the mild ones like inconvenience or causing irritance to those that can cause health illnesses like lung cancer and even death. Therefore, it is important that the world try to reduce the amount of pollution it is experiencing.
One thing that I do not understand is why humans are so selfish, including myself. We all know that the world is facing severe pollution, yet we ignore it and do not want to do anything to minimise the harmful effects that can occur. This is a huge irony: Men are complaining about the pollution the world is experiencing but is not only doing nothing about it, but also continuing to cause more and more pollution in the world. Therefore, I hope that every human wakes up and realises that each of us has a role to play in preserving our Earth. For example, we can start just by not littering and using household appliances that are proven to release less harmful gases. As we grow up, we can also choose to buy eco-friendly cars and hold campaigns to spread awareness about the severity of pollution. The government and various environmental organisations should also take some initiatives like banning excess emissions of harmful gases or toxic wastes and providing incentives to companies who help to reduce pollution.
In conclusion, I believe that as long as we all do our part in trying to prevent the world from getting sick of pollution, we need to WAKE UP and stop being so selfish. If we do not want to bear the harmful consequences of pollution, we need to start to do something about it.
In Term 3, I learned about Geography for IH and I enjoyed learning it. The topic of pollution hit me hard and I have decided to write a post all about it: What are my takes on pollution and my suggestions to how we as people of the world can improve.
There are many different types of pollution, namely air pollution, land pollution, water pollution, noise pollution and light pollution. The most serious pollutions that can result in the death of humans are the first three types of pollution. Most of the causes of pollution are man-made. For example, air pollution can be caused by construction works, emission from cars and Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)from household appliances like fridges. Land pollution can be caused by littering and deforestation, while water pollution can also be caused by littering, pesticide overuse and industrial emissions. The effects of pollution can be very harmful, ranging from the mild ones like inconvenience or causing irritance to those that can cause health illnesses like lung cancer and even death. Therefore, it is important that the world try to reduce the amount of pollution it is experiencing.
One thing that I do not understand is why humans are so selfish, including myself. We all know that the world is facing severe pollution, yet we ignore it and do not want to do anything to minimise the harmful effects that can occur. This is a huge irony: Men are complaining about the pollution the world is experiencing but is not only doing nothing about it, but also continuing to cause more and more pollution in the world. Therefore, I hope that every human wakes up and realises that each of us has a role to play in preserving our Earth. For example, we can start just by not littering and using household appliances that are proven to release less harmful gases. As we grow up, we can also choose to buy eco-friendly cars and hold campaigns to spread awareness about the severity of pollution. The government and various environmental organisations should also take some initiatives like banning excess emissions of harmful gases or toxic wastes and providing incentives to companies who help to reduce pollution.
In conclusion, I believe that as long as we all do our part in trying to prevent the world from getting sick of pollution, we need to WAKE UP and stop being so selfish. If we do not want to bear the harmful consequences of pollution, we need to start to do something about it.
Monday, August 15, 2011
Soccer Crazy
Hi,
It is now the transfer window for the Barclays Premier League 2011/12 season, where teams get to buy and sell players in preparation for the new season. This transfer season has been open for very long already and I have followed it everyday, being a hard-core soccer fan. Many players have already left their old clubs in search for better football clubs, but the gastronomical prices that the players cost really make me wonder why football players are worth so much. Many players also earn a lot, with top players like Wayne Rooney earning around $250,000 a week, which means that he can be a multi-millionaire in just a matter of months.
There are many reasons why players cost so much. Soccer is the most popular sport in the world, with millions of people subscribing to sports channels and thousands of fans going down to the stadium to watch the match live, regardless of the fact that TV rights and ticket prices both cost a lot. Fans just want to get the pleasure of watching their team win and even go to the extent of wanting to experience the atmosphere in the stadium. Furthermore, many clubs are owned by rich business men, who are willing to pump in a lot of money to contribute to the cash flow of the club. Therefore, professional clubs earn a lot of money every year and can afford the transfer fees of new players and the high players' wages.
Although I agree that the transfer season is one of the aspects that make soccer very interesting because it enhances the quality of the teams and hence the competitiveness of the league, I think that spending such huge prices is quite unfair because it only allows clubs with rich owners to buy better players, which will ultimately allow them to perform better in the league, thus earning more prize money and the cycle goes on and on. Therefore, I hope that a cap is introduced to limit clubs to have an equal budget during the transfer season so that every team has an equal opportunity to improve the team's quality. Furthermore, I also feel that soccer players should not be paid such high wages because all they do is just to play soccer competitively and help their team to glory. This means a large amount of money has to be dedicated to football leagues. I think that a football player should be paid less, because they do not deserve to get so much money. Therefore, I feel that the wages should be cut down and the extra money be given to charity, so that a larger amount of people can benefit.
In conclusion, although I am an avid soccer fan, I feel critical towards all the clubs that spend so much money because this money can be dedicated for better uses like donating to the charity so that the society can benefit from football as well.
It is now the transfer window for the Barclays Premier League 2011/12 season, where teams get to buy and sell players in preparation for the new season. This transfer season has been open for very long already and I have followed it everyday, being a hard-core soccer fan. Many players have already left their old clubs in search for better football clubs, but the gastronomical prices that the players cost really make me wonder why football players are worth so much. Many players also earn a lot, with top players like Wayne Rooney earning around $250,000 a week, which means that he can be a multi-millionaire in just a matter of months.
There are many reasons why players cost so much. Soccer is the most popular sport in the world, with millions of people subscribing to sports channels and thousands of fans going down to the stadium to watch the match live, regardless of the fact that TV rights and ticket prices both cost a lot. Fans just want to get the pleasure of watching their team win and even go to the extent of wanting to experience the atmosphere in the stadium. Furthermore, many clubs are owned by rich business men, who are willing to pump in a lot of money to contribute to the cash flow of the club. Therefore, professional clubs earn a lot of money every year and can afford the transfer fees of new players and the high players' wages.
Although I agree that the transfer season is one of the aspects that make soccer very interesting because it enhances the quality of the teams and hence the competitiveness of the league, I think that spending such huge prices is quite unfair because it only allows clubs with rich owners to buy better players, which will ultimately allow them to perform better in the league, thus earning more prize money and the cycle goes on and on. Therefore, I hope that a cap is introduced to limit clubs to have an equal budget during the transfer season so that every team has an equal opportunity to improve the team's quality. Furthermore, I also feel that soccer players should not be paid such high wages because all they do is just to play soccer competitively and help their team to glory. This means a large amount of money has to be dedicated to football leagues. I think that a football player should be paid less, because they do not deserve to get so much money. Therefore, I feel that the wages should be cut down and the extra money be given to charity, so that a larger amount of people can benefit.
In conclusion, although I am an avid soccer fan, I feel critical towards all the clubs that spend so much money because this money can be dedicated for better uses like donating to the charity so that the society can benefit from football as well.
Sunday, August 14, 2011
MP Penny Low
Hi,
During the National Day Parade, cameras caught MP Penny Low looking down at her mobile phone while everyone else was singing the National Anthem. Further controversies were made when MediaCorp censored this part when they screened the replay of the parade one day later. Therefore, many people questioned the PAP's credibility and are losing faith in the party.
In my opinion, I think that it is definitely impossible that MP Penny Low is not to blame for the incident. She looked at her mobile phone during the singing of the National Anthem, which is obviously a sign of utter disrespect to the nation. The National Anthem is supposed to be sung solemnly and with full focus on the flag. However, her actions were contrary to these customs and made herself a bad role model for younger generations. Now, younger generations can use her as an excuse to look at their mobile phones while attending lectures or when someone is talking to them. As an MP, MP Penny Low should have known that all eyes were on her. Her job was to be a leader and I am sure that many people will lose their trust in her leadership abilities after this incident. Therefore, I feel quite disappointed with her actions.
However, MP Penny Low apologized to the media one day later and gave the reason that she was too excited over the parade and decided to post her feelings on Facebook. I feel that her act of apology was good because it should be the right way to go and showed that she was willing to confess her mistake in public. I also think that MediaCorp did the right thing by censoring that part because there is absolutely no reason to show it once again on television, since she has already apologized. However, her reasons make me doubt whether her apology was really sincere. I mean, of all times, posting a Facebook post during the singing of the National Anthem? Why can't she post that afterwards? I looked at her Facebook profile and discovered that she posted a picture of the fireworks at 8.00pm. I am not so sure when the National Anthem was sung so I cannot make a final conclusion.
In my opinion, I think that this incident just another porthole that distances the relationship between PAP and the citizens of Singapore. I hope that the MPs will learn from this incident and act according to how they should behave. I also hope that the citizens of Singapore will be forgiving so that we can enjoy peace in Singapore. Anyway, National Day is supposed to be a day of celebration, so why let this small matter sour the festive mood? However, if only MP Penny Low had exercised a bit of self-control and thought before she acted, this incident would not even happen in the first place.
During the National Day Parade, cameras caught MP Penny Low looking down at her mobile phone while everyone else was singing the National Anthem. Further controversies were made when MediaCorp censored this part when they screened the replay of the parade one day later. Therefore, many people questioned the PAP's credibility and are losing faith in the party.
In my opinion, I think that it is definitely impossible that MP Penny Low is not to blame for the incident. She looked at her mobile phone during the singing of the National Anthem, which is obviously a sign of utter disrespect to the nation. The National Anthem is supposed to be sung solemnly and with full focus on the flag. However, her actions were contrary to these customs and made herself a bad role model for younger generations. Now, younger generations can use her as an excuse to look at their mobile phones while attending lectures or when someone is talking to them. As an MP, MP Penny Low should have known that all eyes were on her. Her job was to be a leader and I am sure that many people will lose their trust in her leadership abilities after this incident. Therefore, I feel quite disappointed with her actions.
However, MP Penny Low apologized to the media one day later and gave the reason that she was too excited over the parade and decided to post her feelings on Facebook. I feel that her act of apology was good because it should be the right way to go and showed that she was willing to confess her mistake in public. I also think that MediaCorp did the right thing by censoring that part because there is absolutely no reason to show it once again on television, since she has already apologized. However, her reasons make me doubt whether her apology was really sincere. I mean, of all times, posting a Facebook post during the singing of the National Anthem? Why can't she post that afterwards? I looked at her Facebook profile and discovered that she posted a picture of the fireworks at 8.00pm. I am not so sure when the National Anthem was sung so I cannot make a final conclusion.
In my opinion, I think that this incident just another porthole that distances the relationship between PAP and the citizens of Singapore. I hope that the MPs will learn from this incident and act according to how they should behave. I also hope that the citizens of Singapore will be forgiving so that we can enjoy peace in Singapore. Anyway, National Day is supposed to be a day of celebration, so why let this small matter sour the festive mood? However, if only MP Penny Low had exercised a bit of self-control and thought before she acted, this incident would not even happen in the first place.
Foreigners
Hi,
Recently, there has been a lot of unrest among Singaporeans saying that there are too many foreigners who have immigrated to Singapore, because they take away privileges that should belong to "true Singaporeans". I would like to express my views on this issue and suggest some initiatives that Singapore can take.
There are two types of foreigners in Singapore: foreign talent and foreign workers. Foreign talents are those that are highly-skilled and have the capability to work in white-collar jobs. On the other hand, foreign workers are foreigners who take up jobs that are unwanted, like construction workers and domestic helpers. Nowadays, more and more foreign workers are entering Singapore to find jobs to provide for their families back home. The same goes for foreign talent. This has resulted in the problem of a rapid population growth and puts a lot of strain on Singapore's already limited resources. For example, the public transports are now very packed during peak hours and almost every cabin has at least one foreigner getting ready to go to work. Some Singaporeans also accuse foreigners of bringing their poor hygiene standards into Singapore ad taking up jobs that Singaporeans are capable of doing, which worsens the unemployment rate. As time goes by, some foreigners also decide to stay here for good and buy housing units, which further drives up property prices. The most important problem that Singaporeans point out is that Singapore will lose its national identity and they do not feel proud to be Singaporeans with this huge influx of foreginers. As such, foreigners are targeted, but foreign talents tend to be victimised more than foreign workers.
In my opinion, I feel that this huge influx of immigrants is definitely a problem for Singapore because I agree that many of them take up our jobs, houses and identity. I just have to step out of my front door to see the huge extent of this influx. Out of four units on the floor that I am living in, half of them are owned by families who immigrated from China. However, I have to say that it is a stereotype to say that foreigners have lousier hygiene standards compared to us. We need to also look on the bright side of the matter and see how foreigners contribute to our economic sector. For example, look at Aleksander Duric, Shi Jiayi, Qiu Li, Mustafic Fahrudin and Daniel Bennett. They were all foreigners once but they toiled their hearts out to allow Singapore to enter the 3rd round of the World Cup qualifiers. Furthermore, since the foreigners are already here, it would be very cruel to send them back and Singaporeans will aggravate the situation by creating tension between "true" and "foreign" Singaporeans. Therefore, I think everyone has a role to play to minimise the negative effects of the influx of foreigners and instead use this to our advantage.
Firstly, I think that the government should enforce stricter laws on immigration to Singapore because we need to curb the number of people coming in. The government should also encourage companies to hire locals first, before considering foreigners to join the company. On a community level, I think that organisations should organise some activities for locals and foreigners to interact so that Singaporeans can understand the foreigners' situations, which will aid in promoting social cohesion. Finally, I hope that individuals can become more tolerant and understanding towards these foreigners and recognise their contributions, just like how I respect the construction workers for their silent enduring of the hard work that they do.
In conclusion, I think that the influx of foreign workers is a serious problem that needs to be resolved as soon as possible. However, things can be done to bring out the potential of these foreigners.
Recently, there has been a lot of unrest among Singaporeans saying that there are too many foreigners who have immigrated to Singapore, because they take away privileges that should belong to "true Singaporeans". I would like to express my views on this issue and suggest some initiatives that Singapore can take.
There are two types of foreigners in Singapore: foreign talent and foreign workers. Foreign talents are those that are highly-skilled and have the capability to work in white-collar jobs. On the other hand, foreign workers are foreigners who take up jobs that are unwanted, like construction workers and domestic helpers. Nowadays, more and more foreign workers are entering Singapore to find jobs to provide for their families back home. The same goes for foreign talent. This has resulted in the problem of a rapid population growth and puts a lot of strain on Singapore's already limited resources. For example, the public transports are now very packed during peak hours and almost every cabin has at least one foreigner getting ready to go to work. Some Singaporeans also accuse foreigners of bringing their poor hygiene standards into Singapore ad taking up jobs that Singaporeans are capable of doing, which worsens the unemployment rate. As time goes by, some foreigners also decide to stay here for good and buy housing units, which further drives up property prices. The most important problem that Singaporeans point out is that Singapore will lose its national identity and they do not feel proud to be Singaporeans with this huge influx of foreginers. As such, foreigners are targeted, but foreign talents tend to be victimised more than foreign workers.
In my opinion, I feel that this huge influx of immigrants is definitely a problem for Singapore because I agree that many of them take up our jobs, houses and identity. I just have to step out of my front door to see the huge extent of this influx. Out of four units on the floor that I am living in, half of them are owned by families who immigrated from China. However, I have to say that it is a stereotype to say that foreigners have lousier hygiene standards compared to us. We need to also look on the bright side of the matter and see how foreigners contribute to our economic sector. For example, look at Aleksander Duric, Shi Jiayi, Qiu Li, Mustafic Fahrudin and Daniel Bennett. They were all foreigners once but they toiled their hearts out to allow Singapore to enter the 3rd round of the World Cup qualifiers. Furthermore, since the foreigners are already here, it would be very cruel to send them back and Singaporeans will aggravate the situation by creating tension between "true" and "foreign" Singaporeans. Therefore, I think everyone has a role to play to minimise the negative effects of the influx of foreigners and instead use this to our advantage.
Firstly, I think that the government should enforce stricter laws on immigration to Singapore because we need to curb the number of people coming in. The government should also encourage companies to hire locals first, before considering foreigners to join the company. On a community level, I think that organisations should organise some activities for locals and foreigners to interact so that Singaporeans can understand the foreigners' situations, which will aid in promoting social cohesion. Finally, I hope that individuals can become more tolerant and understanding towards these foreigners and recognise their contributions, just like how I respect the construction workers for their silent enduring of the hard work that they do.
In conclusion, I think that the influx of foreign workers is a serious problem that needs to be resolved as soon as possible. However, things can be done to bring out the potential of these foreigners.
Kinship
Hi,
Recently, after watching many TV dramas, reading news articles and books, I realised that there are many families with relationship problems. Therefore, I would like to explain the importance of kinship and how relationships affect our lives directly.
There are many cases of kinship problems in the world. For example, in the book "The Merchant of Venice", there were arguments between Jessica and her father, Shylock, because they had differing principles in life and could not see eye to eye over life matters. Therefore, possibly out of frustration with her father, Jessica decided to leave her father for good and become a Christian, contrary to her father's ways, probably in a bid to spite him. I also watched a Hong Kong drama entitled "Moonlight Resonance", which centered its plot around kinship. There were many quarrels among family members, mainly because of monetary issues. Finally, in real life, there was a recent case a few years ago in 2008, where a multi-millionaire died in 2001. His three children had expected the inheritance to be split equally among the three children, however, they were taken aback when the inheritance was all given to the only son, leaving the two daughters with nothing. Therefore, the siblings decided to go to court to fight over $14 million. Thus, from all these three examples, we can see that kinship problems can be derived from differing viewpoints and more importantly, money!
It is very sad to see that many relatives fight over such trivial issues. It definitely shows that man is fallible to temptations of the world, such as money. Is money really more important than kinship? Kinship is for life, but money can be lost and won in just over a matter of days! Thus, I do not know why relatives can make up a big fuss and are willing to sacrifice their many years of kinship just to get benefits for themselves! Family members are very important to us, because they can support, help, encourage and care for us. They play a big role in determining our happiness in life and ensure that we are not lonely. In my opinion, we should always appreciate and treasure our family members and not wait until a bad thing happens that we start to regret. Therefore, we need to treat each other properly and show love to our relatives.
In conclusion, I hope that all kinship problems will be eradicated in this world and that everyone will be aware of the importance of relationships.
Recently, after watching many TV dramas, reading news articles and books, I realised that there are many families with relationship problems. Therefore, I would like to explain the importance of kinship and how relationships affect our lives directly.
There are many cases of kinship problems in the world. For example, in the book "The Merchant of Venice", there were arguments between Jessica and her father, Shylock, because they had differing principles in life and could not see eye to eye over life matters. Therefore, possibly out of frustration with her father, Jessica decided to leave her father for good and become a Christian, contrary to her father's ways, probably in a bid to spite him. I also watched a Hong Kong drama entitled "Moonlight Resonance", which centered its plot around kinship. There were many quarrels among family members, mainly because of monetary issues. Finally, in real life, there was a recent case a few years ago in 2008, where a multi-millionaire died in 2001. His three children had expected the inheritance to be split equally among the three children, however, they were taken aback when the inheritance was all given to the only son, leaving the two daughters with nothing. Therefore, the siblings decided to go to court to fight over $14 million. Thus, from all these three examples, we can see that kinship problems can be derived from differing viewpoints and more importantly, money!
It is very sad to see that many relatives fight over such trivial issues. It definitely shows that man is fallible to temptations of the world, such as money. Is money really more important than kinship? Kinship is for life, but money can be lost and won in just over a matter of days! Thus, I do not know why relatives can make up a big fuss and are willing to sacrifice their many years of kinship just to get benefits for themselves! Family members are very important to us, because they can support, help, encourage and care for us. They play a big role in determining our happiness in life and ensure that we are not lonely. In my opinion, we should always appreciate and treasure our family members and not wait until a bad thing happens that we start to regret. Therefore, we need to treat each other properly and show love to our relatives.
In conclusion, I hope that all kinship problems will be eradicated in this world and that everyone will be aware of the importance of relationships.
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Wrongdoings
Hi,
I recently did something wrong that I am ashamed of and would not like to share it on such a public platform. However, through the incident, I learned many things, especially the important lesson of always thinking before I act.
Every time I do something wrong, I always feel an extreme sense of guilt and regret that I had acted that way. I always think, "If only I hadn't....". However, as the incident passes and gets removed from the "memory space" in my brain, I repeat the same actions and go through the same thought process. No doubt it is the human nature to do wrong. However, I should not take advantage of this fact as an excuse to do wrong all the time.
I see this situation in many Singaporeans in today's society as well, especially younger generations, and I know that I have no right to judge them because I fall under the same category too. For example, many students start from not handing up their homework in time, to talking back to teachers and finally to breaking school rules. Furthermore, I find that more and more people are beginning to undermine the seriousness of doing wrong. One possible cause is that many parents do not bring up their child well by not scolding them when they do wrong because they do not want to punish their children. This results in many people not having respect for others and do not realise how their wrongdoings can affect other people very severely. After repeated scoldings, many people also begin to get immune to these punishments and do not care about the consequences of their sins. This is a very bad situation in Singapore now because we, the young, are leaders of the next generation and we need to set a good example so that we can educate our descendants properly.
Therefore, I think that a solution has to be found very quickly in order to salvage this situation. I think as individuals, we need to practice self-discipline and to think before we act. When we think our actions through, we will be able to decide whether or not they will cause harm to anyone so that we can prevent the case of hurting someone unintentionally. More importantly, when we do wrong, we need to be humble and apologise to the opposite party, and not be stubborn and unwilling to be corrected. Parents also have to play a role in the proper bringing-up of their children and inculcate values such as respect in them from young. The community and the government should also organise programmes and campaigns to allow students to build their character in various ways.
In conclusion, I believe that humans are definitely not infallible, but there are many occasions where we can choose to do right or wrong. When we want to repent from our sins, we need to be sincere in our words and try our very best not to repeat the same mistake again.
I recently did something wrong that I am ashamed of and would not like to share it on such a public platform. However, through the incident, I learned many things, especially the important lesson of always thinking before I act.
Every time I do something wrong, I always feel an extreme sense of guilt and regret that I had acted that way. I always think, "If only I hadn't....". However, as the incident passes and gets removed from the "memory space" in my brain, I repeat the same actions and go through the same thought process. No doubt it is the human nature to do wrong. However, I should not take advantage of this fact as an excuse to do wrong all the time.
I see this situation in many Singaporeans in today's society as well, especially younger generations, and I know that I have no right to judge them because I fall under the same category too. For example, many students start from not handing up their homework in time, to talking back to teachers and finally to breaking school rules. Furthermore, I find that more and more people are beginning to undermine the seriousness of doing wrong. One possible cause is that many parents do not bring up their child well by not scolding them when they do wrong because they do not want to punish their children. This results in many people not having respect for others and do not realise how their wrongdoings can affect other people very severely. After repeated scoldings, many people also begin to get immune to these punishments and do not care about the consequences of their sins. This is a very bad situation in Singapore now because we, the young, are leaders of the next generation and we need to set a good example so that we can educate our descendants properly.
Therefore, I think that a solution has to be found very quickly in order to salvage this situation. I think as individuals, we need to practice self-discipline and to think before we act. When we think our actions through, we will be able to decide whether or not they will cause harm to anyone so that we can prevent the case of hurting someone unintentionally. More importantly, when we do wrong, we need to be humble and apologise to the opposite party, and not be stubborn and unwilling to be corrected. Parents also have to play a role in the proper bringing-up of their children and inculcate values such as respect in them from young. The community and the government should also organise programmes and campaigns to allow students to build their character in various ways.
In conclusion, I believe that humans are definitely not infallible, but there are many occasions where we can choose to do right or wrong. When we want to repent from our sins, we need to be sincere in our words and try our very best not to repeat the same mistake again.
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Captain America
Hi,
I recently watched the movie "Captain America: The First Avenger" and I loved it very much. It was created by Marvel and is a prequel to the new movie coming out next summer, "The Avengers". It has really peaked my interest on the Marvel superheroes and I cannot wait to go to the library to borrow some of the comic books to see how the storyline of the comic and the movie differ.
In the movie, Captain America was first known as Steve Rogers, who was a very skinny but brave little man. He was often picked on by others for being weak and short, but always persevered when ever he was beaten up and never ran away, standing up tall against his assailant. He tried to enlist for the US Army to fight against the Nazis, but his applications were denied 5 times because of his long list of medical problems and his small stature. However, his perseverance paid off and he caught the eye of a scientist called Professor Erskine, who allowed Rogers to train to become a soldier. Convinced by Rogers' brave and compassionate nature, Professor Erskine decided to test his experiment on Rogers in an attempt to make his strong. The experiment worked but a Nazi operative came and assassinated Erskine, but was eventually killed by Rogers. With his new-found fame, Rogers became known as Captain America and began fighting his way to destroy the Hydra, a cult group that was led by Johann Shmidt (aka Red Skull), with the help of a few of his soldier friends.
I liked this movie because it was action-filled and hence, very intriguing. The plot was very deep, leaving no detail unexamined, but made use of the full two hours it was screened without going off track at any point of time. Every scene was important in the movie and many sensory details were also included to appeal to the audience's emotions. For example, the colours of red, blue and white were on Captain America's uniform, representing America's flag, hence showing that he had a strong sense of loyalty. On the other hand, Red Skull has a very bright red skin, symbolising hatred and anger, making the audience fear and hate him. I particularly like war movies, because they really bring a strong sense of justice and seeing good triumph over evil makes me smile.
One theme that stood out in the movie was the theme of sacrifice. Steve Rogers was willing to sacrifice his life for the country out there in the war even though he knew that very few people returned alive. Furthermore, during a training session, a fake grenade was thrown by one of the commanders and while the other soldiers fled immediately, Rogers was the only one to react and covered the "grenade" with his entire body. The most touching scene in the movie was when Captain America decided to sacrifice his life by piloting a plane down into the icy plains because it was heading towards New York with atomic bombs. Another theme that was prevalent was the theme of character vs appearance. Steve Rogers was chosen to be Captain America not because of his figure, but because of his nature and character. A motif that appeared in the show was the shield that Captain America always held when he was fighting. To me, the shield represented a form of freedom and bravery.
I would recommend this movie to everyone, especially those who like action-filled movies. I also learned a lot through this show, like not to pick on someone smaller than me, to put my talents to good use and to be willing to sacrifice for my friends. I will definitely be one of the first at the cinemas next year when "The Avenger" comes out!
Nathanael
I recently watched the movie "Captain America: The First Avenger" and I loved it very much. It was created by Marvel and is a prequel to the new movie coming out next summer, "The Avengers". It has really peaked my interest on the Marvel superheroes and I cannot wait to go to the library to borrow some of the comic books to see how the storyline of the comic and the movie differ.
In the movie, Captain America was first known as Steve Rogers, who was a very skinny but brave little man. He was often picked on by others for being weak and short, but always persevered when ever he was beaten up and never ran away, standing up tall against his assailant. He tried to enlist for the US Army to fight against the Nazis, but his applications were denied 5 times because of his long list of medical problems and his small stature. However, his perseverance paid off and he caught the eye of a scientist called Professor Erskine, who allowed Rogers to train to become a soldier. Convinced by Rogers' brave and compassionate nature, Professor Erskine decided to test his experiment on Rogers in an attempt to make his strong. The experiment worked but a Nazi operative came and assassinated Erskine, but was eventually killed by Rogers. With his new-found fame, Rogers became known as Captain America and began fighting his way to destroy the Hydra, a cult group that was led by Johann Shmidt (aka Red Skull), with the help of a few of his soldier friends.
I liked this movie because it was action-filled and hence, very intriguing. The plot was very deep, leaving no detail unexamined, but made use of the full two hours it was screened without going off track at any point of time. Every scene was important in the movie and many sensory details were also included to appeal to the audience's emotions. For example, the colours of red, blue and white were on Captain America's uniform, representing America's flag, hence showing that he had a strong sense of loyalty. On the other hand, Red Skull has a very bright red skin, symbolising hatred and anger, making the audience fear and hate him. I particularly like war movies, because they really bring a strong sense of justice and seeing good triumph over evil makes me smile.
One theme that stood out in the movie was the theme of sacrifice. Steve Rogers was willing to sacrifice his life for the country out there in the war even though he knew that very few people returned alive. Furthermore, during a training session, a fake grenade was thrown by one of the commanders and while the other soldiers fled immediately, Rogers was the only one to react and covered the "grenade" with his entire body. The most touching scene in the movie was when Captain America decided to sacrifice his life by piloting a plane down into the icy plains because it was heading towards New York with atomic bombs. Another theme that was prevalent was the theme of character vs appearance. Steve Rogers was chosen to be Captain America not because of his figure, but because of his nature and character. A motif that appeared in the show was the shield that Captain America always held when he was fighting. To me, the shield represented a form of freedom and bravery.
I would recommend this movie to everyone, especially those who like action-filled movies. I also learned a lot through this show, like not to pick on someone smaller than me, to put my talents to good use and to be willing to sacrifice for my friends. I will definitely be one of the first at the cinemas next year when "The Avenger" comes out!
Nathanael
Friday, June 24, 2011
Who is the real Shakespeare?
Hi,
I would like to share my views on the ongoing debate whether William Shakespeare of Stratford-upon-Avon holds the real authorship of Shakespearean works and if not, the most possible candidate who used William Shakespeare's name as a cover-up.
Many scholars do not believe that the William Shakespeare who lived in Stratford-upon Avon was not the real author of Shakespeare's plays. They base their claims on the fact that Stratford was not a very educated place, so someone from that town would not be able to write so beautifully. They also claimed that a playwright would never use his real name to produce his works, because he would receive a social stigma from his peers. Therefore, someone must have used William Shakespeare, a commoner from Stratford, to cover up as the author of all the plays. Some scholars have also went on to analyse "Hamlet", and took certain letters in the sentence "The funerall baked meats did coldly furnish forth the marriage tables." and formed an anagram of "FR. BACONI NATI", which was Latin for "Fr. Bacon made me". This showed that the real Shakespeare was probably from Baconian School, which was famous for its cryptography and anagrams. Therefore, many scholars suggest that Sir Francis Bacon was the actual writer of all the Shakespearean works. Others have also suggested Queen Elizabeth and Edward de Vere, because they are also educated and have written fair bits of poetry themselves.
However, in my opinion, I think that we should not dig so deep into the matter and that William Shakespeare really holds the real authorship for all his works. Anyway, some of the arguments that the scholars present are not very valid. For example, the phrase "FR. BACONI NATI" is not very correct in terms of phrasing and should be "FR. BACONUS ME FECIT". Furthermore, scholars have no evidence to prove that writers really receive a social stigma from their peers if they use their real name to write their plays. Queen Elizabeth also writes poetry under her own name. Therefore, it is still highly possible that William Shakespeare is the most likely candidate to holds the real authorship for Shakespearean works.
In conclusion, I think that this matter will never be resolved until concrete archaeological evidence can be presented. I really do not think that this issue is such a big deal because we already have the Shakespearean works, so why spend time arguing about the real author when we can just appreciate the craftsmanship of the author. No matter who the real author is, I would like to thank him, or her, for bringing such beautiful pieces of works into our world of literature right now.
Nathanael
I would like to share my views on the ongoing debate whether William Shakespeare of Stratford-upon-Avon holds the real authorship of Shakespearean works and if not, the most possible candidate who used William Shakespeare's name as a cover-up.
Many scholars do not believe that the William Shakespeare who lived in Stratford-upon Avon was not the real author of Shakespeare's plays. They base their claims on the fact that Stratford was not a very educated place, so someone from that town would not be able to write so beautifully. They also claimed that a playwright would never use his real name to produce his works, because he would receive a social stigma from his peers. Therefore, someone must have used William Shakespeare, a commoner from Stratford, to cover up as the author of all the plays. Some scholars have also went on to analyse "Hamlet", and took certain letters in the sentence "The funerall baked meats did coldly furnish forth the marriage tables." and formed an anagram of "FR. BACONI NATI", which was Latin for "Fr. Bacon made me". This showed that the real Shakespeare was probably from Baconian School, which was famous for its cryptography and anagrams. Therefore, many scholars suggest that Sir Francis Bacon was the actual writer of all the Shakespearean works. Others have also suggested Queen Elizabeth and Edward de Vere, because they are also educated and have written fair bits of poetry themselves.
However, in my opinion, I think that we should not dig so deep into the matter and that William Shakespeare really holds the real authorship for all his works. Anyway, some of the arguments that the scholars present are not very valid. For example, the phrase "FR. BACONI NATI" is not very correct in terms of phrasing and should be "FR. BACONUS ME FECIT". Furthermore, scholars have no evidence to prove that writers really receive a social stigma from their peers if they use their real name to write their plays. Queen Elizabeth also writes poetry under her own name. Therefore, it is still highly possible that William Shakespeare is the most likely candidate to holds the real authorship for Shakespearean works.
In conclusion, I think that this matter will never be resolved until concrete archaeological evidence can be presented. I really do not think that this issue is such a big deal because we already have the Shakespearean works, so why spend time arguing about the real author when we can just appreciate the craftsmanship of the author. No matter who the real author is, I would like to thank him, or her, for bringing such beautiful pieces of works into our world of literature right now.
Nathanael
Background on "The Merchant of Venice"
Hi,
I would like to share on some of the background information of "The Merchant of Venice", which will be my literature text for Term 3. It is written by William Shakespeare, a very famous playwright in the early 17th century. I will address some issues about William Shakespeare and other interesting facts about life in the 17th century.
Shakespeare lived in the Elizabethan era, which was from the mid-1500s to the early 1600s. Elizabeth I ruled England from 1558 to 1603 as Queen, but her position was very different from that of the present Queen. She had the power to disagree with the Parliament and to order the imprisonment or death of anyone, even an important minister or landowner. She was very rich and was also a great patroness of poetry, drama, music and all the crafts. Like any other rich lady, she loved bautiful clothes and had many highly decorated dresses in her enormous palace. At that time, London was tradng heavily with different cities like Venice. Queen Elizabeth was also portrayed in "The Merchant of Venice" in the form of Portia, a beautiful, elegant lady who was very smart.
There was a very big divide between classes during the Elizabethan era. The 'upper-class' people had lots of land and money, and could therefore afford to eat better food. They also wore very delicate clothings. They lived in big houses and went to watch plays for recreation. However, those of the 'lower-class' did not have enough money to live life in luxury. They had to work in jobs like farmers, and hence did not have much time for recreation. Their personal hygiene was also not as good as the rich people, and they wore less elaborate clothing.
Venice and Belmont were chosen as the settings of the story. Venice's dominant religion then was Catholic, while England were Protestant Christians until the middle of the sixteenth century, were increasingly oppressed. This was because Henry VIII quarelled with the Pope and broke away from the church of Rome, influencing Elizabeth I to enforce Protestant Christianity by law. Thus, for the first time, the Bible was widely available in English and large numbers of people could understand it. Ever since then, the Jews in Venice were discriminated by the Christians, who had anti-semitism feelings (or anti-Jewish) due to economic problems. The Christians were not allowed to work as usurers, hence leaving only the Jews to take up this money-lending businesses. As this resulted in Christians owing money to the Jews, many people viewed the Jews as loan sharks and they grew increasingly unhappy with them. There was also a conflict in religious views, where many Christians claimed that the Jews did not believe that Jesus Christ was the Son of God, hence leading to the widespread persecution of the Jews. The Christians also further laid claims on the Jews, saying that they were responsible for Christ's death, killing Christian children and even for causing the Bubonic Plague (or the Black Death) to happen. Finally, this animosity also came about because many Christians at that time suffered from xenophobia, the fear of foreigners. The Christians discriminated them by persecuting them, first starting from torture, before expelling them from the country and finally, even killing them in big numbers. Therefore, the animosity between Christians and Jews was quite a big matter.
All in all, I think that it is very important to read up on the context of a novel before reading it so that we can better understand the plot and how the characters are feeling in the story. It also helps us to imagine the setting and the context on which the whole story is based on. Therefore, I feel that reading up on "The Merchant of Venice" will help me a lot when I analyse it further in Term 3.
I would like to share on some of the background information of "The Merchant of Venice", which will be my literature text for Term 3. It is written by William Shakespeare, a very famous playwright in the early 17th century. I will address some issues about William Shakespeare and other interesting facts about life in the 17th century.
Shakespeare lived in the Elizabethan era, which was from the mid-1500s to the early 1600s. Elizabeth I ruled England from 1558 to 1603 as Queen, but her position was very different from that of the present Queen. She had the power to disagree with the Parliament and to order the imprisonment or death of anyone, even an important minister or landowner. She was very rich and was also a great patroness of poetry, drama, music and all the crafts. Like any other rich lady, she loved bautiful clothes and had many highly decorated dresses in her enormous palace. At that time, London was tradng heavily with different cities like Venice. Queen Elizabeth was also portrayed in "The Merchant of Venice" in the form of Portia, a beautiful, elegant lady who was very smart.
There was a very big divide between classes during the Elizabethan era. The 'upper-class' people had lots of land and money, and could therefore afford to eat better food. They also wore very delicate clothings. They lived in big houses and went to watch plays for recreation. However, those of the 'lower-class' did not have enough money to live life in luxury. They had to work in jobs like farmers, and hence did not have much time for recreation. Their personal hygiene was also not as good as the rich people, and they wore less elaborate clothing.
Venice and Belmont were chosen as the settings of the story. Venice's dominant religion then was Catholic, while England were Protestant Christians until the middle of the sixteenth century, were increasingly oppressed. This was because Henry VIII quarelled with the Pope and broke away from the church of Rome, influencing Elizabeth I to enforce Protestant Christianity by law. Thus, for the first time, the Bible was widely available in English and large numbers of people could understand it. Ever since then, the Jews in Venice were discriminated by the Christians, who had anti-semitism feelings (or anti-Jewish) due to economic problems. The Christians were not allowed to work as usurers, hence leaving only the Jews to take up this money-lending businesses. As this resulted in Christians owing money to the Jews, many people viewed the Jews as loan sharks and they grew increasingly unhappy with them. There was also a conflict in religious views, where many Christians claimed that the Jews did not believe that Jesus Christ was the Son of God, hence leading to the widespread persecution of the Jews. The Christians also further laid claims on the Jews, saying that they were responsible for Christ's death, killing Christian children and even for causing the Bubonic Plague (or the Black Death) to happen. Finally, this animosity also came about because many Christians at that time suffered from xenophobia, the fear of foreigners. The Christians discriminated them by persecuting them, first starting from torture, before expelling them from the country and finally, even killing them in big numbers. Therefore, the animosity between Christians and Jews was quite a big matter.
All in all, I think that it is very important to read up on the context of a novel before reading it so that we can better understand the plot and how the characters are feeling in the story. It also helps us to imagine the setting and the context on which the whole story is based on. Therefore, I feel that reading up on "The Merchant of Venice" will help me a lot when I analyse it further in Term 3.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Technology
Hi,
As many people of the world now know, technology is getting more and more advanced each day and has brought about a huge impact on the way humans live their lives. However, the big issue is that although technology has brought about numerous benefits to our lives, it has also caused many bad things to happen that might not occur if technology was absent in this modern era.
Firstly, let me acknowledge some of the advantages technology has given us over the people of the past. Telephones and social media has allowed us to improve communication greatly so that we can meet up with our loved ones everyday. Cars, buses and planes have also sped up the rate of travelling so as to allow us to save time when going overseas. The Internet has helped us in the entertainment, business and education sectors of our lives. Finally, but definitely not the last, machines have helped to contribute to the success of healthcare services. There are really many benefits that advanced technology can bring to human life, but again, whether these advantages are brought to the fullest is another issue altogether.
However, technology can bring about devastating effects as well. For example, not everyone in this world is perfect. There will always be someone trying to implant evil into our society. Many cyber-bullies just enjoy to insult people on social platforms to put others down for their own pleasure. Technology also means better and more cruel weapons being made to torture people of our own kind. Many teenagers nowadays are also addicted to playing online games, chatting or even watching pornographic videos. Furthermore, as Henry David Thomas once said, “As you simplify your life, the laws of the universe will be simpler; solitude will not be solitude, poverty will not be poverty, nor weakness weakness.” I think that this statement is very true because without technology, there will definitely be less problems in the world and people will be happier without having so much of a workload. All these disadvantages would certainly not be present if technology was not existent!
The most important question still lingers in everyone's mind, do the benefits outweigh the disadvantages, or is it the other way around? Whatever it is, we have to accept the fact that technology is in our lives now and will be even more advanced in the future. What we need to do is to accept it and make sure that we minimise the harmful effects these non-living things are imposing on us.
Nathanael
As many people of the world now know, technology is getting more and more advanced each day and has brought about a huge impact on the way humans live their lives. However, the big issue is that although technology has brought about numerous benefits to our lives, it has also caused many bad things to happen that might not occur if technology was absent in this modern era.
Firstly, let me acknowledge some of the advantages technology has given us over the people of the past. Telephones and social media has allowed us to improve communication greatly so that we can meet up with our loved ones everyday. Cars, buses and planes have also sped up the rate of travelling so as to allow us to save time when going overseas. The Internet has helped us in the entertainment, business and education sectors of our lives. Finally, but definitely not the last, machines have helped to contribute to the success of healthcare services. There are really many benefits that advanced technology can bring to human life, but again, whether these advantages are brought to the fullest is another issue altogether.
However, technology can bring about devastating effects as well. For example, not everyone in this world is perfect. There will always be someone trying to implant evil into our society. Many cyber-bullies just enjoy to insult people on social platforms to put others down for their own pleasure. Technology also means better and more cruel weapons being made to torture people of our own kind. Many teenagers nowadays are also addicted to playing online games, chatting or even watching pornographic videos. Furthermore, as Henry David Thomas once said, “As you simplify your life, the laws of the universe will be simpler; solitude will not be solitude, poverty will not be poverty, nor weakness weakness.” I think that this statement is very true because without technology, there will definitely be less problems in the world and people will be happier without having so much of a workload. All these disadvantages would certainly not be present if technology was not existent!
The most important question still lingers in everyone's mind, do the benefits outweigh the disadvantages, or is it the other way around? Whatever it is, we have to accept the fact that technology is in our lives now and will be even more advanced in the future. What we need to do is to accept it and make sure that we minimise the harmful effects these non-living things are imposing on us.
Nathanael
Essays
Hi,
I have written many essays in Term 2 and have also learned about the different types of essays and their differences. Therefore, I would like to recap about what I have learned and how they have benefited me in my life.
We learned about several types of essays and how people use it in everyday lives. For example, definition essays can be used in textbooks when explaining a term that is not commonly known. Causal analysis essays are used in history textbooks to tell us about the cause of historic events. Recipes are types of process analysis essays. Techniques of comparative analysis essays are found in advertisements when companies compare and contrast the efficiency of their products or services. Classification essays are found in science and business reports. Example essays are found in debaters' scripts, when they want to back up their point with evidence. As you can see, most of the essays are applicable in real lives and help us to achieve our goals better. This will definitely improve the quality of our lives because it aids in making communication more efficient and fluent.
I really enjoyed writing essays in Term 2 because there were many different styles of writing so I could experiment between them and discover my forte. I think I enjoyed the argumentative essay the most because it is the least dependent on facts and requires the writer to use more of his thinking skills instead. This will aid the writer in practicing critical thinking and putting one's point across. This has definitely helped me in my speeches when I am presenting because I am able to express my opinions on something convincingly, hence achieving my purpose. However, essays are not easy to write and require hard work and a talent for writing. No matter how well I write, I cannot seem to match those high-profile writers who write for newspapers and renowned magazines. I think that they are willing to spend time to perfect their essays because of their passion for writing. I believe that they have their own unique styles of writing that are appealing to the general public and I hope to learn from them someday so as to pick up some interesting techniques on writing essays.
All in all, I really benefited from writing essays in Term 2 and hope to continue to improve on this aspect of my Language Arts so that I can be able to become a critical thinker and a good writer.
Nathanael
I have written many essays in Term 2 and have also learned about the different types of essays and their differences. Therefore, I would like to recap about what I have learned and how they have benefited me in my life.
We learned about several types of essays and how people use it in everyday lives. For example, definition essays can be used in textbooks when explaining a term that is not commonly known. Causal analysis essays are used in history textbooks to tell us about the cause of historic events. Recipes are types of process analysis essays. Techniques of comparative analysis essays are found in advertisements when companies compare and contrast the efficiency of their products or services. Classification essays are found in science and business reports. Example essays are found in debaters' scripts, when they want to back up their point with evidence. As you can see, most of the essays are applicable in real lives and help us to achieve our goals better. This will definitely improve the quality of our lives because it aids in making communication more efficient and fluent.
I really enjoyed writing essays in Term 2 because there were many different styles of writing so I could experiment between them and discover my forte. I think I enjoyed the argumentative essay the most because it is the least dependent on facts and requires the writer to use more of his thinking skills instead. This will aid the writer in practicing critical thinking and putting one's point across. This has definitely helped me in my speeches when I am presenting because I am able to express my opinions on something convincingly, hence achieving my purpose. However, essays are not easy to write and require hard work and a talent for writing. No matter how well I write, I cannot seem to match those high-profile writers who write for newspapers and renowned magazines. I think that they are willing to spend time to perfect their essays because of their passion for writing. I believe that they have their own unique styles of writing that are appealing to the general public and I hope to learn from them someday so as to pick up some interesting techniques on writing essays.
All in all, I really benefited from writing essays in Term 2 and hope to continue to improve on this aspect of my Language Arts so that I can be able to become a critical thinker and a good writer.
Nathanael
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Newsworthiness
Hi,
Having already talked about the different kinds of newspapers in my first blog post, I will now proceed to talk about the different types of articles and how I think they are judged. I will also provide some of my personal opinions on which criteria I think is the important when judging the newsworthiness of an article.
Newsworthiness is an important factor in deciding the success of newspapers. If the articles provided are chosen well and engage its audience, then the newspaper will certainly sell well too. I think that there are many factors that determine an article's newsworthiness. For example, the proximity and the number of people involved in the article will affect the impact of the issue and will hence determine the relevance of the article to the readers. The fame of the person involved and the uniqueness of the article will also help to engage the interest of the audience. Some other factors to consider are the timeliness of the article, the shock or titillation factor instilled in the readers and most importantly, there must be a conflict between two parties in order to attract readers.
However, in my opinion, I think that I am naturally drawn to the articles which talk about the issues that I am interested in. For example, being an athletic person, the first section of the newspaper that I read everyday is the Sports section, so as to keep updated on what is happening in the sports field. I also enjoy reading unique news that peak my interest. Most importantly, I find that the most simple yet most important factor is still the timeliness of the article. I feel that the timeliness really affects the other factors, because if the article is outdated, no one will read it even though it may be shocking or unique. Therefore, I learned that in order for a newspaper company to stay competitive, it needs to hire skilled news editors to pick interesting articles that are newsworthy.
Nathanael
Having already talked about the different kinds of newspapers in my first blog post, I will now proceed to talk about the different types of articles and how I think they are judged. I will also provide some of my personal opinions on which criteria I think is the important when judging the newsworthiness of an article.
Newsworthiness is an important factor in deciding the success of newspapers. If the articles provided are chosen well and engage its audience, then the newspaper will certainly sell well too. I think that there are many factors that determine an article's newsworthiness. For example, the proximity and the number of people involved in the article will affect the impact of the issue and will hence determine the relevance of the article to the readers. The fame of the person involved and the uniqueness of the article will also help to engage the interest of the audience. Some other factors to consider are the timeliness of the article, the shock or titillation factor instilled in the readers and most importantly, there must be a conflict between two parties in order to attract readers.
However, in my opinion, I think that I am naturally drawn to the articles which talk about the issues that I am interested in. For example, being an athletic person, the first section of the newspaper that I read everyday is the Sports section, so as to keep updated on what is happening in the sports field. I also enjoy reading unique news that peak my interest. Most importantly, I find that the most simple yet most important factor is still the timeliness of the article. I feel that the timeliness really affects the other factors, because if the article is outdated, no one will read it even though it may be shocking or unique. Therefore, I learned that in order for a newspaper company to stay competitive, it needs to hire skilled news editors to pick interesting articles that are newsworthy.
Nathanael
Prejudice
Hi,
I would like to share about what I learnt about prejudice in Term 2. We started analysing "To Kill A Mockingbird" from Term 1 and one of the most obvious themes the story is based on is prejudice. Prejudice is an unfavorable opinion or feeling formed beforehand or without knowledge, thought, or reason. Contrary to common knowledge, there are many forms of prejudice; class prejudice, racial prejudice, gender prejudice, etc.
In my opinion, I believe that prejudice is bad. Although I have to admit that I occasionally judge people based on their appearances, I think that prejudice is just an unfair way of treating somebody because it is inaccurate and does not give the opposite party a chance to show his/her true self. Once someone has prejudice against another group of people, it will be hard to change this thinking because the prejudice will stay in a person's mind like a brick wall and needs something big to break it down. For example, if a person is prejudiced towards females, but when that person is saved by a woman when drowning, he will definitely change his mindset about females. Furthermore, prejudice can also lead to discrimination, where the opposite party will know about this prejudice and will be hurt. This is unfair to the victims because they did nothing wrong, hence not deserving to get treated so badly by another person. We should also not assume that everybody has a strong character, because a depressed person can take the action very seriously and will be hit with a very huge blow. Therefore, prejudice only leads to bad consequences where a party's feelings will be hurt.
Therefore, since prejudice is bad, we need to learn how to carry a positive attitude towards all people to do something to curb this problem. However, this is virtually impossible because everyone has the freedom of thought so we cannot control what they want to think. Thus, we need to start from ourselves and hope that we can be able to influence others to follow our actions. Firstly, we should try not to judge a person straight away and put ourselves in the other person's shoes to understand him/her better. If we know that person, we should take a step further and talk to the person so that we can find the person's character, because I believe that a person will take time to unfold and show one's character. Next, we should also try to think before we act so that we can prevent prejudice from becoming discrimination. Perhaps we could spend a few seconds thinking whether our intended actions are rational so that we can avoid hurting other people. Lastly, we should take a stand against prejudice. For example, we should not join other people when they are having fun making racist remarks. If we have the courage to do so, we will then be able to free ourselves from prejudice.
In conclusion, I think that prejudice is still prevalent in the world, which is bad because it only places barriers between people of one Earth. We need to learn how to accept one another's differences, so that we can live harmoniously and peacefully.
Nathanael
I would like to share about what I learnt about prejudice in Term 2. We started analysing "To Kill A Mockingbird" from Term 1 and one of the most obvious themes the story is based on is prejudice. Prejudice is an unfavorable opinion or feeling formed beforehand or without knowledge, thought, or reason. Contrary to common knowledge, there are many forms of prejudice; class prejudice, racial prejudice, gender prejudice, etc.
In my opinion, I believe that prejudice is bad. Although I have to admit that I occasionally judge people based on their appearances, I think that prejudice is just an unfair way of treating somebody because it is inaccurate and does not give the opposite party a chance to show his/her true self. Once someone has prejudice against another group of people, it will be hard to change this thinking because the prejudice will stay in a person's mind like a brick wall and needs something big to break it down. For example, if a person is prejudiced towards females, but when that person is saved by a woman when drowning, he will definitely change his mindset about females. Furthermore, prejudice can also lead to discrimination, where the opposite party will know about this prejudice and will be hurt. This is unfair to the victims because they did nothing wrong, hence not deserving to get treated so badly by another person. We should also not assume that everybody has a strong character, because a depressed person can take the action very seriously and will be hit with a very huge blow. Therefore, prejudice only leads to bad consequences where a party's feelings will be hurt.
Therefore, since prejudice is bad, we need to learn how to carry a positive attitude towards all people to do something to curb this problem. However, this is virtually impossible because everyone has the freedom of thought so we cannot control what they want to think. Thus, we need to start from ourselves and hope that we can be able to influence others to follow our actions. Firstly, we should try not to judge a person straight away and put ourselves in the other person's shoes to understand him/her better. If we know that person, we should take a step further and talk to the person so that we can find the person's character, because I believe that a person will take time to unfold and show one's character. Next, we should also try to think before we act so that we can prevent prejudice from becoming discrimination. Perhaps we could spend a few seconds thinking whether our intended actions are rational so that we can avoid hurting other people. Lastly, we should take a stand against prejudice. For example, we should not join other people when they are having fun making racist remarks. If we have the courage to do so, we will then be able to free ourselves from prejudice.
In conclusion, I think that prejudice is still prevalent in the world, which is bad because it only places barriers between people of one Earth. We need to learn how to accept one another's differences, so that we can live harmoniously and peacefully.
Nathanael
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
War Poetry
Hi,
I would like to voice my opinions on the topic that we are soon going to embark on for our LA lessons- War Poetry. I have already read some war poems last year, for example, Alfred Lord Tennyson's "The Charge of the Light Brigade". I feel very excited because I am particularly interested in war and I hope to be able to learn some new lessons about war. I also hope that I will be able to pick up some techniques to describe the battle scene, something that will definitely benefit my essay writing.
Having watched many war shows and read war poetry before, I think that this topic would be of no unfamiliarity to me. I think that war is a very touching event where many young men risk their lives for their countries and fight valiantly to win the war. It is about character; a sheer test of perseverance and resilience to stay focused on the war despite the deaths of many other fellow soldiers. Therefore, every time a watch a war film, I will be moved and will hence be forced to choke down my tears.
War is definitely also a cruel thing. It separates men from their families, and when these men die, who will take care of the women and children? It is a loss that is hard to take but has to be accepted. War is caused by unresolved differences or conflicting egos between two parties and violence is hence one of the methods to resolve this issue. But can violence really solve these issues? On the surface level, it certainly can prove that one party has more authority over another. However, revenge and bitterness will definitely stay in the citizens' minds and this will only help to sour the relationship more between the two parties. Furthermore, so many people's lives are lost just because of a conflict, it is really very inhumane. Pain, death, bleeding may all seem common to us, but the people experiencing it definitely have no fun at all. Why, oh why, can't conflicts be settled with a treaty. This, I have to admit, is hard to materialise because it is very hard to ask the parties to give in to each other. Fortunately, times are different now. In the past, there were many wars being waged, probably also because of the lack of clear boundaries of each countries, causing the fights for land area. Now, we have the judicial system so that parties can argue in court and war is definitely the last thing on any minister's mind, as it can prove hugely detrimental to the country's economy. However, should a war be waged soon, I have a feeling that it will be much, much bigger compared to wars of the past because of the advanced technology we now enjoy. This means more weapons made, more deadly weapons and hence more painful deaths. Therefore, I sincerely pray that no such thing will happen again, but I know this is only a dream.
Nathanael
I would like to voice my opinions on the topic that we are soon going to embark on for our LA lessons- War Poetry. I have already read some war poems last year, for example, Alfred Lord Tennyson's "The Charge of the Light Brigade". I feel very excited because I am particularly interested in war and I hope to be able to learn some new lessons about war. I also hope that I will be able to pick up some techniques to describe the battle scene, something that will definitely benefit my essay writing.
Having watched many war shows and read war poetry before, I think that this topic would be of no unfamiliarity to me. I think that war is a very touching event where many young men risk their lives for their countries and fight valiantly to win the war. It is about character; a sheer test of perseverance and resilience to stay focused on the war despite the deaths of many other fellow soldiers. Therefore, every time a watch a war film, I will be moved and will hence be forced to choke down my tears.
War is definitely also a cruel thing. It separates men from their families, and when these men die, who will take care of the women and children? It is a loss that is hard to take but has to be accepted. War is caused by unresolved differences or conflicting egos between two parties and violence is hence one of the methods to resolve this issue. But can violence really solve these issues? On the surface level, it certainly can prove that one party has more authority over another. However, revenge and bitterness will definitely stay in the citizens' minds and this will only help to sour the relationship more between the two parties. Furthermore, so many people's lives are lost just because of a conflict, it is really very inhumane. Pain, death, bleeding may all seem common to us, but the people experiencing it definitely have no fun at all. Why, oh why, can't conflicts be settled with a treaty. This, I have to admit, is hard to materialise because it is very hard to ask the parties to give in to each other. Fortunately, times are different now. In the past, there were many wars being waged, probably also because of the lack of clear boundaries of each countries, causing the fights for land area. Now, we have the judicial system so that parties can argue in court and war is definitely the last thing on any minister's mind, as it can prove hugely detrimental to the country's economy. However, should a war be waged soon, I have a feeling that it will be much, much bigger compared to wars of the past because of the advanced technology we now enjoy. This means more weapons made, more deadly weapons and hence more painful deaths. Therefore, I sincerely pray that no such thing will happen again, but I know this is only a dream.
Nathanael
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
GE 2011
Hi,
I would like to share my opinions on this year's General Elections that sparked a huge interest in many Singaporeans. This was the most contested elections ever in history, where 82 out of 87 seats were contested by opposition parties. Prior to the elections, only 2 seats were not held by the People's Action Party (PAP), namely the two Single Member Constituencies in Hougang and Potong Pasir. This year, 7 parties fought for the seats, but PAP eventually captured 81 seats, with the remaining 6 going to the Workers' Party (WP).
I think that it is good for opposition parties to challenge the PAP's power in Singapore because there must be some kind of opposition in order to keep the government going and to make sure that the government continues to put in effort to benefit the citizens. This also helps to make sure that there is more than one party ruling in the government to prevent discussions from being too one-sided. However, I feel that too many opposition parties in the government is detrimental to Singapore's growth as a nation because there will constantly be arguments and nothing will be done. Talking about this, I feel that the opposition parties should put aside their differences and come together to form a united opposition party so that the citizens will not be so confused over the various mottos of the parties.
Recently, there have been many issues brought up by the opposition parties to try to point out the PAP's weaknesses. Some speakers give statistics on these problems, while others simply put down other candidates through harsh means. I personally feel that this is not commendable, as this only sparks off tension between parties and does not help to prove a point that their own party is capable of doing something better. Therefore, I was quite disappointed with the speeches some of the candidates gave because it made this election sound more like a debate, but the speeches should focus more on new initiatives to benefit the citizens instead.
Another big problem in this year's General Elections was that many Singaporeans failed to consider their options wisely before voting. While visiting my relatives on Polling Day itself, many of them were talking to each other about how they were voting for the opposition, no matter how lousy they were. I think this is caused by extremist views planted into their minds by events happening around the world. Due to the rebellions now happening in the Middle East, many people, especially the young, are influenced to vote for the opposition because they think that it is "cool". Some people even bet on who they think will win the constituencies and the thought of this really makes my blood boil! In my opinion, I find it extremely important to consider the strengths of both parties before giving out extremist views, which most of the time are inaccurate. Voting is also an important process because it affects our lives for the next 5 years. Therefore, elections should be considered as a solemn event that cannot be taken light-heartedly.
Lastly, I think that many people were unhappy over the fact that they were placed in constituencies that were not near them at all. I have a relative who lives in West Coast but is placed under Holland- Bukit Timah instead! I think that these trivial matters need to be resolved because I am sure that citizens want to be living in constituencies that are near them so that they can be involved in that area.
On the brighter side, this election has sparked a lot of interest in younger generations, a phenomenon that has never been experienced before. This can be attributed to the fact that politics is becoming more of a larger issue in Singapore and the fact that every vote counts, making teenagers feel like they can play a part to decide Singapore's future. Thus, this election has been beneficial to Singapore in this aspect.
In conclusion, I really enjoyed this GE even though I was not able to vote. I really look forward to the election where I can finally vote! For now, I will just have to keep myself updated on current events so that I can make an informed decision when the time comes.
Nathanael
I would like to share my opinions on this year's General Elections that sparked a huge interest in many Singaporeans. This was the most contested elections ever in history, where 82 out of 87 seats were contested by opposition parties. Prior to the elections, only 2 seats were not held by the People's Action Party (PAP), namely the two Single Member Constituencies in Hougang and Potong Pasir. This year, 7 parties fought for the seats, but PAP eventually captured 81 seats, with the remaining 6 going to the Workers' Party (WP).
I think that it is good for opposition parties to challenge the PAP's power in Singapore because there must be some kind of opposition in order to keep the government going and to make sure that the government continues to put in effort to benefit the citizens. This also helps to make sure that there is more than one party ruling in the government to prevent discussions from being too one-sided. However, I feel that too many opposition parties in the government is detrimental to Singapore's growth as a nation because there will constantly be arguments and nothing will be done. Talking about this, I feel that the opposition parties should put aside their differences and come together to form a united opposition party so that the citizens will not be so confused over the various mottos of the parties.
Recently, there have been many issues brought up by the opposition parties to try to point out the PAP's weaknesses. Some speakers give statistics on these problems, while others simply put down other candidates through harsh means. I personally feel that this is not commendable, as this only sparks off tension between parties and does not help to prove a point that their own party is capable of doing something better. Therefore, I was quite disappointed with the speeches some of the candidates gave because it made this election sound more like a debate, but the speeches should focus more on new initiatives to benefit the citizens instead.
Another big problem in this year's General Elections was that many Singaporeans failed to consider their options wisely before voting. While visiting my relatives on Polling Day itself, many of them were talking to each other about how they were voting for the opposition, no matter how lousy they were. I think this is caused by extremist views planted into their minds by events happening around the world. Due to the rebellions now happening in the Middle East, many people, especially the young, are influenced to vote for the opposition because they think that it is "cool". Some people even bet on who they think will win the constituencies and the thought of this really makes my blood boil! In my opinion, I find it extremely important to consider the strengths of both parties before giving out extremist views, which most of the time are inaccurate. Voting is also an important process because it affects our lives for the next 5 years. Therefore, elections should be considered as a solemn event that cannot be taken light-heartedly.
Lastly, I think that many people were unhappy over the fact that they were placed in constituencies that were not near them at all. I have a relative who lives in West Coast but is placed under Holland- Bukit Timah instead! I think that these trivial matters need to be resolved because I am sure that citizens want to be living in constituencies that are near them so that they can be involved in that area.
On the brighter side, this election has sparked a lot of interest in younger generations, a phenomenon that has never been experienced before. This can be attributed to the fact that politics is becoming more of a larger issue in Singapore and the fact that every vote counts, making teenagers feel like they can play a part to decide Singapore's future. Thus, this election has been beneficial to Singapore in this aspect.
In conclusion, I really enjoyed this GE even though I was not able to vote. I really look forward to the election where I can finally vote! For now, I will just have to keep myself updated on current events so that I can make an informed decision when the time comes.
Nathanael
Monday, May 9, 2011
Xenophobia in Singapore
Hi,
I would like to talk about xenophobia and whether it is existing in Singapore today. First and foremost, it is of utmost importance to clarify the meaning of the word xenophobia. There are many different meanings of xenophobia; 1)some say it is the hatred of foreigners, 2)another group says that it is an unreasonable fear of foreigners, while still 3)others say that is is discrimination of foreigners. I will hence try to approach this issue using all these different meanings and decide whether Singaporeans encouter this problem.
1) I think it would be a bit exaggerating to say that Singaporeans hate foreigners; disgust would be a more appropriate term. This attitude applies to both "foreign talent" and "foreign workers". Many Singaporeans feel that foreign talents have come in to Singapore only to deprive them of jobs, hence affecting their income. Singaporeans have also complained that foreigners do not conform to the lifestyles of Singaporeans but instead treat Singapore like their own homeland and do whatever they like. On the other hand, "foreign workers" are disliked because they are deemed by Singaporeans as "dirty", probably owing to their lack of hygienic practices. Therefore, according to this meaning, Singapore is suffering from early stages of xenophobia.
2) I think that fear is definitely out of the question in Singapore's context. It is true that Singaporeans fear the prospect of losing jobs and becoming bankrupt, but fearing foreigners, no. Therefore, if one uses this meaning to define xenophobia, Singapore will definitely not be victims of this "illness".
3) I have to admit, sadly, that Singaporeans do discriminate foreigners, especially "foreign workers". Even acts like not allowing these workers to sit right beside you on public transportation is considered discrimination. Big-scale discrimination acts are also prevalent in Singapore's society. Many teenagers take advantage of the advanced technology we enjoy by flaming these "foreign workers" on their blogs, Facebook, etc., by calling them "dirty" and other rude names. Many domestic helpers have also been abused by their employers. Thus, Singapore is a severe victim of xenophobia.
On a personal level, I think that I have a bit of xenophobia too. For example, I distant myself from my grandmother's domestic helper when sitting in the car. I also witnessed a foreign worker sitting in front of me in the bus and saw the disgusting sight of ants crawling all over his hair. However, I have a sense of respect for these foreigners; I respect the hard work foreign talent put in to help Singapore's economy to develop and I respect the amount of effort put in by the foreign workers in constructing the Singapore we have today.
I think that the influx of foreigners should be curbed so that Singaporeans can remain happy in this country. However, it is inevitable that there will always be a number of foreigners in Singapore. All we need to do is to look at things from their perspective. They must have a reason to come to Singapore. They are humans, like us. They, too, need a living.
Nathanael
I would like to talk about xenophobia and whether it is existing in Singapore today. First and foremost, it is of utmost importance to clarify the meaning of the word xenophobia. There are many different meanings of xenophobia; 1)some say it is the hatred of foreigners, 2)another group says that it is an unreasonable fear of foreigners, while still 3)others say that is is discrimination of foreigners. I will hence try to approach this issue using all these different meanings and decide whether Singaporeans encouter this problem.
1) I think it would be a bit exaggerating to say that Singaporeans hate foreigners; disgust would be a more appropriate term. This attitude applies to both "foreign talent" and "foreign workers". Many Singaporeans feel that foreign talents have come in to Singapore only to deprive them of jobs, hence affecting their income. Singaporeans have also complained that foreigners do not conform to the lifestyles of Singaporeans but instead treat Singapore like their own homeland and do whatever they like. On the other hand, "foreign workers" are disliked because they are deemed by Singaporeans as "dirty", probably owing to their lack of hygienic practices. Therefore, according to this meaning, Singapore is suffering from early stages of xenophobia.
2) I think that fear is definitely out of the question in Singapore's context. It is true that Singaporeans fear the prospect of losing jobs and becoming bankrupt, but fearing foreigners, no. Therefore, if one uses this meaning to define xenophobia, Singapore will definitely not be victims of this "illness".
3) I have to admit, sadly, that Singaporeans do discriminate foreigners, especially "foreign workers". Even acts like not allowing these workers to sit right beside you on public transportation is considered discrimination. Big-scale discrimination acts are also prevalent in Singapore's society. Many teenagers take advantage of the advanced technology we enjoy by flaming these "foreign workers" on their blogs, Facebook, etc., by calling them "dirty" and other rude names. Many domestic helpers have also been abused by their employers. Thus, Singapore is a severe victim of xenophobia.
On a personal level, I think that I have a bit of xenophobia too. For example, I distant myself from my grandmother's domestic helper when sitting in the car. I also witnessed a foreign worker sitting in front of me in the bus and saw the disgusting sight of ants crawling all over his hair. However, I have a sense of respect for these foreigners; I respect the hard work foreign talent put in to help Singapore's economy to develop and I respect the amount of effort put in by the foreign workers in constructing the Singapore we have today.
I think that the influx of foreigners should be curbed so that Singaporeans can remain happy in this country. However, it is inevitable that there will always be a number of foreigners in Singapore. All we need to do is to look at things from their perspective. They must have a reason to come to Singapore. They are humans, like us. They, too, need a living.
Nathanael
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Monday, April 18, 2011
Diary Entry- Omaha Beachhead Assault
June 6, 1944
Dear Diary,
Today was a gruesome day. I have already begun going a little crazy from seeing all the blood spewing out of my fellow soldiers like little fountains at the park. I have already been immune to seeing all my friends die in pain, one by one. I have already begun to hate this war, even though this is just the beginning!
When we were about to reach Omaha beach, many people vomited while the rest looked to God for protection. As the soldiers departed from the boat, they were immediately shot by a barrage of bullets. I was fortunate to escape this wrath and swam to shore. I hid behind several barricades and led some of my soldiers up the beach. However, the death tolls increased very quickly, as we were on lower ground. I lost many friends; some lost their limbs while some died in horrible pain. I could not bear to look at their badly-wounded bodies because it was just too revolting. Finally, the day drew to a close and the remnant of our troops returned to base, all relieved but shocked.
As soon as I returned to my bunk, I asked myself, "Why do countries wage war against each other?" Looking at all the dead bodies around me, I really wonder why wars take place. Wars just take away lives like that, destroying people's dreams, breaking up people's families and ultimately increasing the death tolls. Where is humanity? I am lost with a few other soldiers in an enemy's land, although I know that my opposition feels the same way. I live in worry everyday and as soon as I wake up, I live it like it is my last. War is such a tragedy, I cannot emphasise this enough. I hate the war, but not the soldiers; the action, but not the people. I respect all those who risks their lives to fight valiantly and pray that no one dies brutally.
Captain John H. Miller
Dear Diary,
Today was a gruesome day. I have already begun going a little crazy from seeing all the blood spewing out of my fellow soldiers like little fountains at the park. I have already been immune to seeing all my friends die in pain, one by one. I have already begun to hate this war, even though this is just the beginning!
When we were about to reach Omaha beach, many people vomited while the rest looked to God for protection. As the soldiers departed from the boat, they were immediately shot by a barrage of bullets. I was fortunate to escape this wrath and swam to shore. I hid behind several barricades and led some of my soldiers up the beach. However, the death tolls increased very quickly, as we were on lower ground. I lost many friends; some lost their limbs while some died in horrible pain. I could not bear to look at their badly-wounded bodies because it was just too revolting. Finally, the day drew to a close and the remnant of our troops returned to base, all relieved but shocked.
As soon as I returned to my bunk, I asked myself, "Why do countries wage war against each other?" Looking at all the dead bodies around me, I really wonder why wars take place. Wars just take away lives like that, destroying people's dreams, breaking up people's families and ultimately increasing the death tolls. Where is humanity? I am lost with a few other soldiers in an enemy's land, although I know that my opposition feels the same way. I live in worry everyday and as soon as I wake up, I live it like it is my last. War is such a tragedy, I cannot emphasise this enough. I hate the war, but not the soldiers; the action, but not the people. I respect all those who risks their lives to fight valiantly and pray that no one dies brutally.
Captain John H. Miller
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)