Term 3 is coming to an end and I learnt quite a lot of things throughout term 3. The blog writing had became more difficult as we were required to write about 200 words in each blog prompt. But it trained our expository skills and it made us more efficient in starting the thesis and finding the points. This term, we were introduced to something new, called the Reading and Reasoning. R&R is very different from what we had in primary school (comprehension) as it required a whole new level of skills. R&R requires deeper thinking and paper analysis instead of just copying from the passage. Thus, I find R&R difficult and challenging as I failed most of the assignments. I learnt that examples are very important in essays. Also, we read a book called the Merchant of Venice and it included prejudice against the Jews and Mercy and Justice. The book is about a Jew, who lended money to a Christian in which they made a bond in which if the Christian was unable to return by a deadline, he would need to have a pound of flesh cut of. The story is interesting and showed us how prejudiced people were against Jews at that time (early 60s). The book also showed Mercy and Justice, in which mercy seasons justice and people would rather have revenge than show mercy, as they would want justice for themselves. The example in the book was Shylock, the Jew, who refused to show mercy to Antonio, the Christian, and wanted justice, who was finally dealt with law and justice. I enjoyed T3 very much.
Sunday, August 14, 2011
T2 Reflections
During term 2, I read about the book titled: To Kill A MockingBird and I feel that it is really a good book as it contained during aspects of life, which includes racism and how unfair life was. The book shows how life is like before racism was stopped and as the title suggests, to kill a mockingbird is like killing a totally innocent and good person, in which mockingbird is referred to as a person. The book showed how a lawyer named Atticus, was looked down upon and almost killed because of his actions to defend a black person, named Robinson. This showed how serious racism was at that time. The movie, "Burning Mississippi" also displayed racism, as the white people formed a party called the K.K.K and burnt down the property belonging to the blacks and killed innocent people. The black people were already living outside the vicinity of the city but the whites continuously disturbed them, thus causing in a revolution, in which people starting to pity and support the blacks. I learnt that racial harmony in Singapore is important because of riots that happened in the early independence and post world war 2 days and that Singaporeans now showed cherish racial harmony and that racism should be stopped.
Narrative: descriptive prose
The entrance is old, but grand. A giant wooden door made of rare wood and stainless steel metal. The stench was overpowering once the door was opened, with books overturned everywhere, and broken glass bottles, surrounded by chemical spills. The unsightliness of left over food from a week ago, which flies hovering around it. "Subjects" kept in metal traps, from worms to tigers. The sound of sparks made by exposed wires, the pictures of success on the wall all old and worn out. The sign over hanging from the top of the entrance to each and every single room, in which the rooms seemed to be infinite. The family picture of him and his parents. His father, in scientist suit. The sofa, unused but extremely dirty. The table, filled with maggots and cuts and holes. His walls, filled with cobwebs and cracks. The source of light, a light bulb, strong and bright, the light rays reaches out to every corner of the room. The floor, creaky and dusty, with footsteps all over it. But surprisingly, a part of the room seems to be extremely clean. The experiment corner, depicted by a sign, with blood and gore in the drain, and strange creatures that no one has every seen, in small cages made of a rough and special material.
Narcissism
In your view, what are the possible problems associated with a similar rise in self-obsession and narcissism in Singapore?
I feel that some of the problems are that teenagers would be too rebellious, people would make wrong decisions and that economy would drop due to some issues associated with the citizens with narcissism.
I feel that teenagers would be too rebellious because of the thought that they are free to do anything they like, which includes dropping out of schools, getting into fights and more. One example is in the Bt Panjang gang fight which happened in November 2010. Police have arrested six people, aged between 15 and 23 years, in connection with a gang fight at Bukit Panjang on Monday night and subsequently 19 young men between 17 and 22 years old were arrested at the Subordinate Courts on Wednesday, in which they are believed to be gang members. This case showed how narcissism can affect Singapore as although Law stated that illegal gathering and fights are against the law, teenagers still broke the law and carried out with gang fights, feeling that they can do whatever they want and that they would be able to escape anything, which is a sign of narcissism.
Also, narcissism can affected Singapore because of Singaporeans choosing the wrong decision. One example is in the recent Singapore elections, in which 2 GRCs were lost and PAP have had lesser votes as compared to the previous election in which PAP lost 6.46% of votes as compared to the last election, this would cause a great impact on Singapore as if the opposition party accidentally won, would they have what it takes to govern Singapore? The result decrease was caused by citizens, with narcissism. They thought that if they wanted to show unhappiness to PAP because of recent disputes, they could vote for the opposition because they have what "it takes to". This is a form of selfishness as they might not have thoughts of the consequences. Thus, narcissism might cause people to make the wrong decision.
Lastly, the economy would drop due to some issues associated with the citizens with narcissism. If Singaporeans were to have develop narcissism, they would be selfish and egoistic, causing a drop in tourism, because tourists might not want to visit Singapore as the citizens are not welcoming them and show excessive amount of narcissism and thus, tourism would drop, affecting Singapore's economy.
In conclusion, I feel that narcissism in Singapore would cause teenagers to be over rebellious, would also make Singaporean's make the wrong decision and would also affect the economy.
I feel that some of the problems are that teenagers would be too rebellious, people would make wrong decisions and that economy would drop due to some issues associated with the citizens with narcissism.
I feel that teenagers would be too rebellious because of the thought that they are free to do anything they like, which includes dropping out of schools, getting into fights and more. One example is in the Bt Panjang gang fight which happened in November 2010. Police have arrested six people, aged between 15 and 23 years, in connection with a gang fight at Bukit Panjang on Monday night and subsequently 19 young men between 17 and 22 years old were arrested at the Subordinate Courts on Wednesday, in which they are believed to be gang members. This case showed how narcissism can affect Singapore as although Law stated that illegal gathering and fights are against the law, teenagers still broke the law and carried out with gang fights, feeling that they can do whatever they want and that they would be able to escape anything, which is a sign of narcissism.
Also, narcissism can affected Singapore because of Singaporeans choosing the wrong decision. One example is in the recent Singapore elections, in which 2 GRCs were lost and PAP have had lesser votes as compared to the previous election in which PAP lost 6.46% of votes as compared to the last election, this would cause a great impact on Singapore as if the opposition party accidentally won, would they have what it takes to govern Singapore? The result decrease was caused by citizens, with narcissism. They thought that if they wanted to show unhappiness to PAP because of recent disputes, they could vote for the opposition because they have what "it takes to". This is a form of selfishness as they might not have thoughts of the consequences. Thus, narcissism might cause people to make the wrong decision.
Lastly, the economy would drop due to some issues associated with the citizens with narcissism. If Singaporeans were to have develop narcissism, they would be selfish and egoistic, causing a drop in tourism, because tourists might not want to visit Singapore as the citizens are not welcoming them and show excessive amount of narcissism and thus, tourism would drop, affecting Singapore's economy.
In conclusion, I feel that narcissism in Singapore would cause teenagers to be over rebellious, would also make Singaporean's make the wrong decision and would also affect the economy.
Casey Antony
Now that Casey Anthony has been acquitted, should the general public show mercy by accepting the court decision and leaving her alone?
Yes, the public should leave her alone. Since the court decision was that she is innocent, the public should show mercy by accepting the fact that it was circumstantial evidence and should not make up their mind about her being the murderer. Also, they should give her a chance to turn over new leaf.
The court decision was that she is innocent because of lack of evidence, and the evidence given was circumstantial. The public should show mercy, like in Strauss Kahn's case, when Strauss Kahn was accused of raping , the public already formed a premature opinion about him, despite him being an IMF director Dominique. These would be a great impact on people and when he was acquitted, the public forgot about the case. Thus the public should respect the court decision and Casey Antony because she was already acquitted .
The public should also not make up their mind about her being the murderer. As she might not be the murderer and the court had not made a decision. Thus the public should not make up their mind about her being the murderer.
Lastly, the public should give her a chance to turn over a new leaf, as only by forgiving can we see results. Even if she was the murderer, the public stop bothering her because she would be given a sentence and she will pay for what she did, but since she is not the murderer, she should be forgiven and given a chance to turn over a new leaf.
In conclusion, I feel that the public should forgive Casey Antony because the case was her daughter's death and they should not make up their mind about her being the murderer, they should give her a chance to turn over a new leaf and respect the court decision.
Yes, the public should leave her alone. Since the court decision was that she is innocent, the public should show mercy by accepting the fact that it was circumstantial evidence and should not make up their mind about her being the murderer. Also, they should give her a chance to turn over new leaf.
The court decision was that she is innocent because of lack of evidence, and the evidence given was circumstantial. The public should show mercy, like in Strauss Kahn's case, when Strauss Kahn was accused of raping , the public already formed a premature opinion about him, despite him being an IMF director Dominique. These would be a great impact on people and when he was acquitted, the public forgot about the case. Thus the public should respect the court decision and Casey Antony because she was already acquitted .
The public should also not make up their mind about her being the murderer. As she might not be the murderer and the court had not made a decision. Thus the public should not make up their mind about her being the murderer.
Lastly, the public should give her a chance to turn over a new leaf, as only by forgiving can we see results. Even if she was the murderer, the public stop bothering her because she would be given a sentence and she will pay for what she did, but since she is not the murderer, she should be forgiven and given a chance to turn over a new leaf.
In conclusion, I feel that the public should forgive Casey Antony because the case was her daughter's death and they should not make up their mind about her being the murderer, they should give her a chance to turn over a new leaf and respect the court decision.
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Narrative Speech
“Have you heard the news?”
“ ‘Bout what?”
“ The world coming to an end.”
“An end?”
“Yes, an end! Everyone has been talking about it.”
“How come I’m the only one in the dark?”
“No idea, but it is estimated that the world would end by tomorrow.”
“How is that possible?”
“Scientist research showed that gigantic meteorites would hit the Earth’s surface by tomorrow, travelling at the speed of 500m/sec!”
“Omigod, we’re doomed… Anyway to escape?”
“No… Maybe, I think that they were working on a private underwater home, called “Watome”, enough to supply for about a few hundred thousand people.”
“But how would it help?”
“Scientists think that if the meteorite hit the water surface, it would slow down to a speed that would not cause much damage.”
“But… Would it work?”
“Yes, maybe, if the meteorites that hit the water does not heat the water up, it might work.”
“What about the other kids? And our parents?”
“They’re finding out more news, in the center of the town.”
“What’s happening in town?”
“The mayor is making an important speech, which all adults need to attend.”
“What about the children? Don’t they need to know something about this thing?”
“The scientist kept this news so secretive to everyone, even some other governments don’t know about this?”
“We’re in deep soup…”
“But there must be something we can do…”
“Nothing, when the meteorites hit the Earth’s surface it would crack and break, subsequent hits would cause the Earth’s core to crack… And that would be the end.”
“Like how dinosaurs died… And I still doubted it.”
“There’s no time for nonsense! We gotta go to the beach.”
“Wait… Why?”
“I heard that the project of the “Watome” is just around the area of the beach, grab your snorkel, we’re going to go diving.”
“ ‘Bout what?”
“ The world coming to an end.”
“An end?”
“Yes, an end! Everyone has been talking about it.”
“How come I’m the only one in the dark?”
“No idea, but it is estimated that the world would end by tomorrow.”
“How is that possible?”
“Scientist research showed that gigantic meteorites would hit the Earth’s surface by tomorrow, travelling at the speed of 500m/sec!”
“Omigod, we’re doomed… Anyway to escape?”
“No… Maybe, I think that they were working on a private underwater home, called “Watome”, enough to supply for about a few hundred thousand people.”
“But how would it help?”
“Scientists think that if the meteorite hit the water surface, it would slow down to a speed that would not cause much damage.”
“But… Would it work?”
“Yes, maybe, if the meteorites that hit the water does not heat the water up, it might work.”
“What about the other kids? And our parents?”
“They’re finding out more news, in the center of the town.”
“What’s happening in town?”
“The mayor is making an important speech, which all adults need to attend.”
“What about the children? Don’t they need to know something about this thing?”
“The scientist kept this news so secretive to everyone, even some other governments don’t know about this?”
“We’re in deep soup…”
“But there must be something we can do…”
“Nothing, when the meteorites hit the Earth’s surface it would crack and break, subsequent hits would cause the Earth’s core to crack… And that would be the end.”
“Like how dinosaurs died… And I still doubted it.”
“There’s no time for nonsense! We gotta go to the beach.”
“Wait… Why?”
“I heard that the project of the “Watome” is just around the area of the beach, grab your snorkel, we’re going to go diving.”
IN-CLASS ONLINE LESSON #11
“Technology: Pro or Con to students?”
Good afternoon Mr. Lundberg. This afternoon, I am going to talk about a rather general topic regarding students in Singapore, whether technology has become a pro or con to the students.
As we all, in Hwa Chong, we had adopted this program known as the future school. This allows students to use the aid of the technology, to help them improve their knowledge, outside the book and certainly, there are pros and cons about technology, which includes laptops, smart phones etc. for students.
Let me share with you one statistic before starting the argument, from the Pew Research Center it is found in 2009 that 99% of boys and 94% of girls play that video games. Game playing experiences are diverse, with the most popular games falling into the racing, puzzle, sports, action and adventure categories. Other than games, there are different types of how students can use technology, one include social media, which are programs like “Facebook” or “Twitter” or the recent one “Stomp”. “This is great and would not cause any detrimental impact on my studies.” I might say as point of view as a student, but when it comes to gaming and social media, there are bound to be problems that will arise. Gaming, which mostly contains of violence when it falls into the category of action, would cause students to develop thinking that violence is acceptable. Though statistic stated that the amount of violent deaths in school dropped from 270 from 1992-3 to a quarter of that in 1999-2000, but violence could still happen with lesser or no reports made by students. Some of the violence done by students would include bullying, which is a punch in the stomach or fights happening between students. Slaps or punches might not be very serious to the students, but little did they know, that is a form of violence. One example would be in school life, but to protect the piracy of the people, I would not name them, but friendly fights do happen in class so often after school, messing up the whole class, which are signs of violence. And I repeat, serious violence. They get hurt but do not mention it to anyone, but suffer themselves. Social media would also cause a problem, because of cyber bullying. Students might make comments, accidentally or purposely to cause hurt or embarrassment to the victim. Me myself, got bullied socially before, and the hurt done to me couldn’t be described at that time, feeling lost and there is nothing much I could do. These are cons of technology to students nowadays. Academics might also be affected because of the distraction caused by the computer. Smart phones also made games, application, easily accessible, which is why technology might be a con to students.
Certainly there are pros too, but pros would definitely not help the students more than it would hurt them. With the distraction and problems done to students, they might not know how to prioritize their work between gaming and academics, thus I feel that technology, that includes computers, social media and smart phones, are more of a con than a pro to most students. Thank you.
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