http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_650177.html
In my opinion, this story was not reported very effectively. It was one of the most popular article on Straitstimes but I feel that the information provided was not very detailed. This is an important matter as the reputation of Singapore was at stake. Well, think, what is National Service about? At least, National Service is about instilling discipline into male youths in Singapore and to let them experience tough times and to understand that "Life is not a bed of roses". We can ask ourselves, is National Service achieving its objective? Are parents over-protective of their child? This National Service man's mother was probably the one who sent the maid to help her son carry his backpack. If tourists sees this, they will think that Singaporeans are pampered people who are not independent and are not disciplined, that they do not know the objectives of what they are doing.
I feel that the news article should include information regarding whether the government is taking any action against this. What if other youths in National Service follow this bad example?
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Monday, March 28, 2011
Japanese Earthquake and Tsunami
From the Japanese earthquake and tsunami, Singaporeans can learn that no country can be fully independent. When natural disasters strike them, take the japanese earthquke and tsunami for example. Its magnitude is so high, causing widespread damage to the country, it has caused a great loss to the country, in terms of lives and money. The damage is high, and I think that the Japanese might be having financial problems. We can learn that it is important to develop good relationships with those of other races and nationality. When the Japanese faced such difficulties, many people from all walks of life joined rescue teams to help clean up the debris and search for survivors. We must always remember to be friendly, and racial harmony also plays a part. If we give our country a bad reputation, and don't choose to help one another, when we face difficulties, no one will be there to help us. This does not only apply to the country, it applies to yourself. When you face difficulties, who will be there for you? The people whom you treat well or the people whom you treat horribly?
What is literature to me?
To me, literature is a form of art which I embrace. It includes stuff like poetry,compositions, comprehension... which I like, because being involved in such stuff is a form of relaxation to me. The imagery in the content is used very well, thus allowing me to imagine the scenes, to actually feel like I am part of the story of poetry, to actually be there myself to experience it. Literature can be said to be a beautiful world filled with wonders and excitement. Everytime I enter the world of literature, I experience something totally frsh and new, that leaves me thinking about. I always look forward to literature lessons, because everytime we are taught something new, it is like exploring deeper into the forests of literature. Literature is an outlet for release. It is my favourite subject. And because I am dedicated to being part of this beautiful little world, I can excel in literature because I am overwhelmed by this hunger in me to learn more about amazing literature which brings joy and colour to my learning.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Racism
In my opinion, not enough has been done to combat racism, in fact, racism in Singapore has gone to a higher level. Often, people often avoid Indians, and Negroes, calling them "niggers". People discriminate against them mostly because of their skin colour, and often make their lives difficult. However, I have come across cases when people with white/fair skin call dark-skinned Chinese citizens "niggers" too.
Firstly, think, there is a reason why there is Racial Harmony Day, it is for people from various races to come together and develop strong bonds. Often, during Racial Harmony Day, students in schools watch performances by other races, but I think we can bring 2 schools of different races together, and split the students into 2 groups, and have an outing, of course, there should still be performances and teaching of other races' cultures. In schools, each class should also have a mixture of students from various races, allowing each race to bond with other races and know each other better. Often, innocent people are discriminated against, when they have done no wrong, perhaps these 2 suggestions might prove to be effective.
Firstly, think, there is a reason why there is Racial Harmony Day, it is for people from various races to come together and develop strong bonds. Often, during Racial Harmony Day, students in schools watch performances by other races, but I think we can bring 2 schools of different races together, and split the students into 2 groups, and have an outing, of course, there should still be performances and teaching of other races' cultures. In schools, each class should also have a mixture of students from various races, allowing each race to bond with other races and know each other better. Often, innocent people are discriminated against, when they have done no wrong, perhaps these 2 suggestions might prove to be effective.
Monday, March 21, 2011
CIP activity on Founder's Day
This year's Founder's Day was a totally new experience to me. Last year we did beach cleaning, which was a rather simple job. This year, my class and I treated elderly folks to breakfast and walked around Jurong Point Shopping Centre with them. And the elderly folks had early signs of dementia, thus more care is needed. When my friend and I were introduced to the old folk we were required to take care of, the old folk seemed to be a little uncomfortable about our presence, but I could see that she was forcing out a smile. She told me she felt sorry that we had to use our money to pay for her breakfast, and she repeated that a few times. While eating breakfast at McDonalds, I had to cater to her needs, as she found that the coffee was too bitter, and needed to add some creamer and 3 sticks of sugar, I also helped to wrap her burger so that she could eat it more easily and convenient. As time past, I started to realise that to interact with those elderly folks well, we needed to smile more and speak more to them to make them feel that they are not a burden which bothers us, that we are trying to spend time with them. When walking around with elderly, it is always nice to point out interesting stuff, and laugh a little to make them feel that we both are a little like friends, not just 2 people whom are together for few hours which are totally unenjoyable and boring. We also had to speak and walk at a moderate speed so that they can enjoy their walk and also understand what we are saying, rather than feel that we are just like few bees buzzing in others' ears, we also needed to notice what they were interested as time passed. When we went to the supermarket, she asked the officers from New Horizon Centre if they had brought money to pay for groceries, I guessed she was worried we were paying for whatever they were buying, but the officers said we were just walking around.Well, after the walk, when we returned to New Horizon Centre, the old folk whom I was in charge of went to the toilet, I did not have a chance to say goodbye to her. I guess that was my greatest regret.
Saturday, March 5, 2011
English Drama Club
Last year in February, when I knew that I entered English Drama Club, I was filled with disappointment and unhappiness. My first choice CCA was Table Tennis, while English Drama Club was my second. I did not bother to try loving my CCA, instead, I hated it, and I kept appealing to get in. Sometimes, I played with some of the weaker players in the Table Tennis Team Squad for fun. I could defeat the bottom 2 ranked players. I once told that to the coach, but he said,"If you can defeat my top player, I will let you in." After some time, I felt really tired of it. And I started to think: Why don't I just stop trying to appeal, if the CCA works like that, perhaps it was a blessing in disguise that I got into English Drama Club?
Gradually, I stopped slacking off. I started concentrating on learning in English Drama Club, I took trainings seriously and stopped fooling around. I wanted to make the best out of it.
It was tough at first, when I was not good at certain things, like "freezing" on stage. I was a little blur at first. And it really feels silly to sit backstage and have only a minor role in one scene for the Annual Production. Well, it was understandeable. The secondary 2s,3s, and 4s were much better actors than the sec 1s. And obviously we should see how they act, and learn from them.
Months later, after production was over, the sec 1s were training to participate in Humanities in Celebration, an event in school. There were 8 of us, and I was the main character. This was when my enthusiasm started to grow faster than ever. Because I finally had the opportunity, I finally had the chance. Our seniors were there to direct us, they were there to do the blocking, and give us pointers to work on. Only then did I start to feel how addictive drama is. It feels like a drug, when I am acting, I feel so "high"! And the more I act, the "high"-er I get! Drama starts to feel like a virtual world, an outlet for release. Sometimes, when I get tired out during PE lesson, I feel like skipping drama trainings. But then, there is this force, which always draws me to attend my CCA. Had I not changed my attitude, I would not have found out how addictive drama can get.
Gradually, I stopped slacking off. I started concentrating on learning in English Drama Club, I took trainings seriously and stopped fooling around. I wanted to make the best out of it.
It was tough at first, when I was not good at certain things, like "freezing" on stage. I was a little blur at first. And it really feels silly to sit backstage and have only a minor role in one scene for the Annual Production. Well, it was understandeable. The secondary 2s,3s, and 4s were much better actors than the sec 1s. And obviously we should see how they act, and learn from them.
Months later, after production was over, the sec 1s were training to participate in Humanities in Celebration, an event in school. There were 8 of us, and I was the main character. This was when my enthusiasm started to grow faster than ever. Because I finally had the opportunity, I finally had the chance. Our seniors were there to direct us, they were there to do the blocking, and give us pointers to work on. Only then did I start to feel how addictive drama is. It feels like a drug, when I am acting, I feel so "high"! And the more I act, the "high"-er I get! Drama starts to feel like a virtual world, an outlet for release. Sometimes, when I get tired out during PE lesson, I feel like skipping drama trainings. But then, there is this force, which always draws me to attend my CCA. Had I not changed my attitude, I would not have found out how addictive drama can get.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Final Draft
The class was in chaos, students were chatting in their cliques, the class’ clown was fooling around in the front of the classroom, and another was standing on the chair singing. The monitor was nowhere to be seen.
The classroom’s door swung open. It was Mr. Lim. Instantly, everybody returned to their seats.
“Class greet!”
“Good morning, Mr Lim.”
Everybody sat quietly, no one made a single sound. Clearing his throat, Mr. Lim said, “Class, today, I will be returning you your Math test papers, some of you have done exceptionally well, yet, the same cannot be said for certain individuals. Edgar Tan! Come here right now!”
The severely underweight boy walked up to him slowly, unsure of what to expect.
The teacher threw his test paper onto the ground, exclaiming, ”Edgar Tan! You have done badly again! When will you learn to be more hardworking?”
Edgar was on the verge of tears. He thought to himself: What did I do to deserve such grades? But I promised my dad I would at least score an A2 for this test.
After school, Edgar was reluctant to go home. Heading towards the school gate, his father was waiting for him. Mr.Tan was smiling and waving, Edgar felt uneasy.
While they were eating lunch at the shopping centre “Plaza Singapura”, Mr. Tan asked, “Son, so how was school today?” Edgar told his father that it was a fine day for him. Somehow, Mr. Tan sensed that something was not right, and told Edgar not to try to lie to him. Being forced into a corner, the boy confessed about his results. His father’s face turned pale. He said,"Son, tell me what you promised me you would get for the previous test."
Edgar replied,"A minimum of 70 marks?"
He asked again,"How about this test?"
Edgar stuttered,"70 marks..."
Dad took a deep breath, and said,"One more, just one more chance."
Few days later, Edgar’s class’ results for the next test were going to be released. Edgar’s heart was beating rapidly. Then he heard Mr. Lim’s thundering voice, “Edgar Tan! ” Edgar went up to take his test paper. Mr. Lim shouted, “ Can you tell me why is it that your grades are getting from bad to worse?! This is the streaming year, if you want to go to Technical Stream, you are welcomed to get the hell out of this classroom!” Returning to his seat, Edgar looked at his test paper hoping to pass at the very least. Edgar sighed and buried his head in his hands. It was an F9 grade, 29 marks.
When class was over, Edgar was about to walk out of the classroom when Samuel stopped him in his tracks. He questioned sarcastically, “ How many marks did you get for this test? Why did you look so sad? Well, you can’t believe what I scored, 80 out of 100!”
Edgar muttered,” I scored 29 out of 100.”
Samuel laughed,” Did I just hear 29?! What other names can I call you?! Shouldn’t you get a license for being that dumb? Not even an E8! I would love to insult you further, but I don't have the time. So long, moron!”
That afternoon, Edgar sneaked into my room from the doorstep as silently as possible, hoping not to attract the attention of his father. Just when he successfully entered his room, a strong wind passed and slammed the door shut!
In the master bedroom, Mr. Tan was woken up by the loud noise. He then proceeded to open the door and brought along a door stopper.
Opening the door, Mr. Tan was just in time to see Edgar still carrying his school bag and holding the test paper in his hand. Without hesitation, Mr. Tan snatched it over. Edgar’s heart was in his mouth. Mr. Tan immediately shouted,"Son! I just don't see what is wrong with you. Since you entered this elite secondary school, there has not been a single test which you did well in! This is ENOUGH! You said you needed time to adjust to their system, and I gave you chances! This is the End-Of-Year exams we are speaking about! There must obviously be a problem. I have endured your nonsense for 9 months! Other students don't need 3 terms to adjust, they don't even need to adjust! Is it because of your addiction to Maplestory? Or is it that you have a girlfriend?! Alas, you have used up the last straw..."
Mr. Tan snatched Edgar's Maths paper, and tore it into shreds, and went out of the room. Edgar stared into space, as if all hope were lost...
Then, Mr. Tan entered Edgar's room again. Not with the shredded pieces of paper, but with a bunch of canes tied together by rubber bands. He said,"Son, since nothing seems to work for you, I will use the method my colleague did, to cane his child. Since being nice to you cannot seem to work, I might have to resort to such means." Mr. Tan drew back the cane, and... swung it...
"AHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
In this modern day and age in Singapore, grades are everything to a student. Singapore is known for its education, which is known to be quite competitive. “Kiasu”(paranoid) parents send their children to tuition for all subjects in hope that their children would be able to achieve good academic grades. Very often, parents do not consider the stress and problems their child might be facing. In Singapore, such cases are common, especially to weaker students. Most of the time, the child is afraid of complaining to their parents about stress in fear of getting beaten up.
Sometimes, they just have to let go.
The classroom’s door swung open. It was Mr. Lim. Instantly, everybody returned to their seats.
“Class greet!”
“Good morning, Mr Lim.”
Everybody sat quietly, no one made a single sound. Clearing his throat, Mr. Lim said, “Class, today, I will be returning you your Math test papers, some of you have done exceptionally well, yet, the same cannot be said for certain individuals. Edgar Tan! Come here right now!”
The severely underweight boy walked up to him slowly, unsure of what to expect.
The teacher threw his test paper onto the ground, exclaiming, ”Edgar Tan! You have done badly again! When will you learn to be more hardworking?”
Edgar was on the verge of tears. He thought to himself: What did I do to deserve such grades? But I promised my dad I would at least score an A2 for this test.
After school, Edgar was reluctant to go home. Heading towards the school gate, his father was waiting for him. Mr.Tan was smiling and waving, Edgar felt uneasy.
While they were eating lunch at the shopping centre “Plaza Singapura”, Mr. Tan asked, “Son, so how was school today?” Edgar told his father that it was a fine day for him. Somehow, Mr. Tan sensed that something was not right, and told Edgar not to try to lie to him. Being forced into a corner, the boy confessed about his results. His father’s face turned pale. He said,"Son, tell me what you promised me you would get for the previous test."
Edgar replied,"A minimum of 70 marks?"
He asked again,"How about this test?"
Edgar stuttered,"70 marks..."
Dad took a deep breath, and said,"One more, just one more chance."
Few days later, Edgar’s class’ results for the next test were going to be released. Edgar’s heart was beating rapidly. Then he heard Mr. Lim’s thundering voice, “Edgar Tan! ” Edgar went up to take his test paper. Mr. Lim shouted, “ Can you tell me why is it that your grades are getting from bad to worse?! This is the streaming year, if you want to go to Technical Stream, you are welcomed to get the hell out of this classroom!” Returning to his seat, Edgar looked at his test paper hoping to pass at the very least. Edgar sighed and buried his head in his hands. It was an F9 grade, 29 marks.
When class was over, Edgar was about to walk out of the classroom when Samuel stopped him in his tracks. He questioned sarcastically, “ How many marks did you get for this test? Why did you look so sad? Well, you can’t believe what I scored, 80 out of 100!”
Edgar muttered,” I scored 29 out of 100.”
Samuel laughed,” Did I just hear 29?! What other names can I call you?! Shouldn’t you get a license for being that dumb? Not even an E8! I would love to insult you further, but I don't have the time. So long, moron!”
That afternoon, Edgar sneaked into my room from the doorstep as silently as possible, hoping not to attract the attention of his father. Just when he successfully entered his room, a strong wind passed and slammed the door shut!
In the master bedroom, Mr. Tan was woken up by the loud noise. He then proceeded to open the door and brought along a door stopper.
Opening the door, Mr. Tan was just in time to see Edgar still carrying his school bag and holding the test paper in his hand. Without hesitation, Mr. Tan snatched it over. Edgar’s heart was in his mouth. Mr. Tan immediately shouted,"Son! I just don't see what is wrong with you. Since you entered this elite secondary school, there has not been a single test which you did well in! This is ENOUGH! You said you needed time to adjust to their system, and I gave you chances! This is the End-Of-Year exams we are speaking about! There must obviously be a problem. I have endured your nonsense for 9 months! Other students don't need 3 terms to adjust, they don't even need to adjust! Is it because of your addiction to Maplestory? Or is it that you have a girlfriend?! Alas, you have used up the last straw..."
Mr. Tan snatched Edgar's Maths paper, and tore it into shreds, and went out of the room. Edgar stared into space, as if all hope were lost...
Then, Mr. Tan entered Edgar's room again. Not with the shredded pieces of paper, but with a bunch of canes tied together by rubber bands. He said,"Son, since nothing seems to work for you, I will use the method my colleague did, to cane his child. Since being nice to you cannot seem to work, I might have to resort to such means." Mr. Tan drew back the cane, and... swung it...
"AHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
In this modern day and age in Singapore, grades are everything to a student. Singapore is known for its education, which is known to be quite competitive. “Kiasu”(paranoid) parents send their children to tuition for all subjects in hope that their children would be able to achieve good academic grades. Very often, parents do not consider the stress and problems their child might be facing. In Singapore, such cases are common, especially to weaker students. Most of the time, the child is afraid of complaining to their parents about stress in fear of getting beaten up.
Sometimes, they just have to let go.
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