How has technology helped my learning?

Technology has helped me to discuss subject matters more conveniently and to extend my sources which can be used for my learning. Now in secondary two, we have to bring our laptops to school on certain days for online lessons. By doing so, I can search for information online while doing assignments which can help me to learn more. A useful tool is Google. I use it to search for information online, and it recommends various different websites which might be related to what I am searching for. By browsing through the various websites, I get to know many people's opinion regarding the topic and I can analyse it and get a better understanding of it. This helps me in my assignment, because I have a good grasp of the topic, Before laptops were being used during lessons, discussion was always inconvenient. We had to move our chairs to someone's table and sometimes it is difficult to hear what our group member is saying because of other groups' commotions. But now, there is Facebook, and we can discuss easily just by creating a group and using Facebook chat. Not just Google and Facebook, there are many other applications in technology which has enhanced my learning experience!

Online Lesson #7

In the back of a truck, there seems to be unconscious soldiers resting and sleeping all over the place. Some are dying, some fear for their survival. There are some who are hugging their rifles. The back of the truck is in a total mess. The helmets, the armour, the guns, the equipment are left all over the place. On every soldier, there are few wounds, wrapped up with white cloth. Every person's face on the truck looks expressionless. They seem to be having peace in their slumber. It seems that the truck of soldiers are on enemy's ground. In the background, there trees in the surrounding, which might suggest that the vehicle was parked in a forest.
But there is one man in the whole truck who is conscious. He is reaching out for the side of the truck, with a worried look on his face. He seems to be lifting himself up to look at the surroundings. Perhaps he is looking out for enemies. Perhaps he is curious about where he is in. Perhaps he is planning to escape.
In my opinion, I think this photo tells a story. A story of one man amongst all the soldiers who is struggling to escape, to go home. I somehow feel that most of the soldiers are dead, because there are some who are covered by equipment and are laying on top of one another. But yet, there is this man in the left hand side of the picture who seems to be in the position of a person who is sleeping. In the foreground of the picture, there is this unconscious soldier who is hugging onto his rifle, it touches me, because the way he hugs it is as though that rifle is his life, it is as though that rife is his last hope of survival, his last hope of defence.

Does caffeine have beneficial or harmful effects on the body?

In my opinion, caffeine has beneficial effects on the body. Caffeine protects us against diseases, it is nutritious and lastly, it helps us to stay alert and awake when we need to do burn the midnight oil to do work.

Caffeine reduces the chance of getting Parkinson's disease and protect us against Alzheimer's disease. Studies have shown that drinking coffee regularly significantly reduces a person's chance of getting Parkinson's disease, and reduces the build up of destructive plaque in our brains. This shows that caffeine can help us stay healthy and prevent us from falling ill.

Caffeine also has various nutrients which are beneficial to our body. Recent research has proven that it is rich in antioxidants like chlorogenic acid and melanoidins. Antioxidants help prevent oxidation, a process that causes damage to cells and contributes to aging. The anti-oxidants in caffeine thus helps to keep our body in good health and condition. It benefits our body and is a form of vitamin.

Lastly, caffeine helps to keep us awake when we need to do work. Let me give you an example. Once, when I was in Secondary 1, I had to rush out a load of work, but the time was already reaching midnight. A full cup of coffee helped me to stay alert and awake, and thus I was able to complete my work by the time I had to set off for school. This shows that coffee indirectly helps us to finish our heavy workload in time.

In conclusion, caffeine is something which everyone would need in one way or another. It is beneficial to our body and helps us to finish our heavy workload when we need to burn the midnight oil

Towerhill Workshop reflections

Today I attended the Towerhill workshop in my school's Kong Chian Library after school. I realied that I had learnt quite a lot of things from the editors of the book. Initially the editors thought of naming the book “Parnassus”, the home of Greek Muses on a hilltop, as well a the home of music, poetry, learning. However, they thought that it would be too difficult to comprehend for the non-literary group of people. The book contains poems by our very own students, most of which are our seniors few years back. The cover page has a black and white theme, which the editors said was chosen because it looks elegant. And I do agree with them, I feel that the drawing in the front page also contributes to its elegance. The font used is just normal magazine font.

The book is split into 2 sections. The first section being about traditional elements and culture. While the second section i about the new era about the progression of the future. The editors also feel that the book is a progression from past to present, showing how Hwa Chong students' writing has improved over the years and that the clock on the front page is a symbolism for it.

I learnt from the editors that we can get our inspiration for writing from our surroundings. I am sure that there are many things around us that we are unsatisfied with. We can express our feelings through the form of poetry and literature. The editors also mentioned that "writing is to express, and not impress". I agree with him, because whenever I feel upset and emotional, I turn to literature and writing for an outlet for release. They also said that as we practise writing, we will know what works and what does not. They mentioned that many people have this personal fear of being mocked at when other people look at their writing. I think that it might show that the writer is not putting all his effort when writing, thus he or she is afraid that other people would despise the writing. If sometimes we have tried out best, but yet still get laughed at by others, perhaps it shows that our writing has room for improvement. We can look at criticism in a positive way, that it is a platform for improvement.

Each book is sold for 10 dollars. All proceeds collected from selling the book would go to helping Japan's crisis. During the Q & A session at the end of the talk, a Sec 4 student asked why couldn't each Hwa Chong student have a copy of it for free. The editors said that people usually treasure it more when they use their money to buy the book. I have come across incidents where classmates actually throw their Newsweek magazine about, and not appreciate it. So if we use our own money, I think that we should be able to feel the "pinch" and not "throw" our money away.

Phew! That was a quick but enriching experience for me!

Expository Writing - Do we still need heroes?

In my opinion, we no longer need heroes. And that is because having heroes will make us dependent on them and unable to be independent people. We might also learn the wrong values. And lastly, having heroes will affect our teamwork.
As I was writing this expository essay, I recalled a time when I was in Primary 2. I had a pile of test papers given to me during the exam period. However, I was not doing my work, but was playing my favourite game, Maplestory. My mum asked me,"Justin, why aren't you doing your homework? Do you not know that your mathematics exam is tomorrow? It is already night time! Are you mad?!" I replied,"Mum, I have common sense. You know, there is this thing called heroes? You know, Superman, Batman? During the exam, I think they will possess me and help me do all the questions. Don't worry, mum. I will make sure I get full marks." I am sure this has happened to many other young children before. If there really are heroes, everyone will just dump their work aside, because they know that there will be this "hero" with supernatural powers who will go around doing their work for them. Then everyone would be relying on that "hero" to do their work for them, and not actually using their own ability and talents to their work. We would become irresponsible people who do not use our wits and efforts to overcome difficulties. Thus we should not need heroes anymore because we should be independent people who rely on our own efforts and abilities to do our work and overcome difficulties.
Another reason why we do not need heroes is because we might learn the wrong values from our so-called "heroes". Take defiant students for example. In school, we might be looking up to them as our heroes because they have the courage and bravery to go against teachers and ignore teachers. If we are immature, we might not be able to define what is right, and what is not. We might think that those defiant students are true heroes, and are cool. Therefore immature students would start acting like them, and think,"Since they are so brave, why can't I be as brave? I must prove that I am also capable of being rebellious!" Therefore we do not need heroes because we might not have the maturity to define which hero should we learn to be like.
Lastly, having heroes would affect the importance of teamwork. In a team, there are people with many abilities and talents. And heroes can be just a person with the talents and abilities of everyone. Let's say there is a fire, and it is destroying all the houses down the lane. There are intelligent people who can lead everyone, there are strong people, and there are brave people. The intelligent people can think of the nearest water source, the best way to save the people trapped in the fire. While the strong people can fetch water quickly, and the brave people can go into the burning houses to rescue people. If there is a hero, everyone will not care about communicating well with each other, but just depend on the hero to do everything for them. But if there is no hero, then everyone will have a greater urge to work together as a team to overcome the difficult situation. Therefore having heroes would affect our teamwork.
In conclusion, we no longer need heroes because they would cause us to be irresponsible people, they might bad influence for immature people, and they would affect our teamwork.

Do we still need heroes?

No, we don't. Are you going to ask me,"Then who will save us?"
Well, the answer is quite obvious, and that is, yourself. There is a hero in each and everyone of us. Everyone has different abilities and talents. And when we face a crisis, we must bring out the hero in us in order to help everyone, including ourselves, to overcome the crisis. Not everyone is like Superman or Batman. Superman and Batman are just like people who have all the talents and abilities. But we have to admit that we are ordinary people. We don't have many talents, but we can be outstanding in certain aspects. Let me give you an example:
If there is a raging fire which is spreading throughout the neighbourhood, then the brave ones will go and save the people inside(if there are any at all), and the fast and strong guys will go to collect water or find hoses, and the smart ones will direct people around, to allocate the jobs and think of good strategies(of how to save the people in the burning house in the fastest and safest way, thinking of the nearest water source, etc,.)
Many people usually associate heroes with the word "brave", but that is not the case. In that "raging fire" example, everyone was a hero. The strong and fast people made use of their abilities to help, the smart ones used their knowledge and creativity to ensure the safety of everyone while putting out the fire/saving people.
None of the individuals on earth can be as awesome as Superman, but we can be, if we choose to join forces with each other.

Graphic Novel Talk

On Monday, I attended a talk at Kong Chian Library hosted by Mr Jason Lundberg, and Dave Chua(writer) and Koh Hong Teng(artist). They discussed their adaptation of Dave's prize-winning 1997 novel Gone Case from a prose novel to a graphic novel format.
To start with, I attended this talk because I found that the graphic novel talk should be interesting. I have to admit that I am a great fan of comics, and I feel that it is not easy adapting a prose novel into a graphic novel format. Furthermore, they did it in a little group of 2, which was quite impressive. Thus I attended the talk to know more about their adaptation.
According to Mr Koh Hong Teng, at the time when he met Dave, Mr Koh was looking for a local writer, and when he read Dave's book, he found that it was interesting, and worth investing his time in co-operating with Dave. On the other hand, Dave found Koh's artwork quite impressive and local. After some discussion, both agreed not to go for a text-heavy book. In the process, Koh said his artwork was inspired by the things he saw in the HDB estate, and decided to incorporate it into his drawings. There was a scene which he drew that depicted a kid having fun at a game arcade with his mother standing behind him. The background was quite colourful and included many different interesting toys which could be won. After Mr Lundberg asked Mr Koh regarding that picture/scene, Koh said that those toys were actually stuffed toys he used to own.

The first thing I learn was the strength of a team. No matter how small a team is, it is strong if each person has different talents and abilities and their various abilities can come in great use for their project. Before this, I used to think a team was good as long as there were many people and the work was split. But when I listened to the talk, I realised how important was the abilities of various team members, the respect for each other's abilities and trust. When Koh and Dave met, Dave found Koh's artwork good and suitable for they were supposed to do and Koh liked Dave's book. Respect is very important, as well as trust. There was respect for each other's abilities, work and talents between Dave and Koh, and they were able to work together because they know, and they trust that it is worth it working with each other. If we think it is impossible, Dave and Koh have already proven, that the size of the team is not important. What is important is mutual trust and respect, and the ability to work together and make use of the talents they had. During the talk, they also spoke of how they had to plan the project... about setting a timeline and deadline, and planning how much time they would give themselves for each phase of adapting the comic. I learnt that when we do something. We must be able to see the end of the project, and to plan our steps to our goal, and not just do it aimlessly. Because if we have no aim, we will never achieve what we want to.
The next thing I learn was about Koh's inspiration to draw. Well, to put it simply, Koh was inspired by his surroundings. I used to think that inspiration is just nonsense, and we should just draw simple stuff, use stickmans, and just put things simply. But when I looked at certain pictures and scenes in the adapted graphic novel, I actually found that his drawings had many things and details inside, and that it seemed quite real. The colour, the details, that every space on the paper was made full use of. On the way home after the talk, I thought back, and I came to realise, that when we draw something, let's take a gangster's bedroom for instance, we should think about what it is like, we should imagine it. Because when we draw, it would be better for it to look like what it is supposed to look like, to make it look more realistic. What is the point of drawing a gangster's room when all we put inside is just a bed? One thing we know for sure is that it is not a ganster's room. Because, at least there will be a cupboard, scratches on the floor(maybe from the sharp weapons), and little parts in the picture showing some wine bottles and sharp weapons beneath his bed. It is about making things real.
I heard that when Dave wrote the novel, he wanted to take a break from his stressful work, and he chose to write about certain things around him. When we write, most of us would have a message we would want to convey, something we want our reader to ponder about, or to let our reader know something. Let's say I write about murders. Perhaps I want to tell my reader abotu this cruel world where no place is safe, or about cruel reality, to show the bad sides of the world. There should be a motive when we write.

In conclusion, this graphic novel talk has taught me many new things, which I would never forget, and I have also learnt things which I would never learn by reading textbooks. It was a fresh experience.

A comic I have read recently

Comics... COMICS?! Oh yes! It was just few days ago that I was reading "Garfield" in the library! I find that "Garfield" comics are entertaining, and Garfield is cute and funny. I like the nice artwork in the comic, which plays a major role in entertaining its readers. There is wide variety in the drawing, which includes expression, the detail in terms of physical appearance for characters, and the background. I read the book for both the writing and art. And that is because I believe comics aren't anything without art, or writing. I would recommend the book to young children. "Garfield" has been popular with people from all ages and all walks of life. Children would surely enjoy reading "Garfield", it might be their first exposure to literature and it is good that they enjoy it.

Blog Writing Prompt #9

The last book I read was Point Blank. As usual, I enjoyed the tension in Anthony Horowitz's book, the use of imagery, the excitement, the fear as I read the book. Well... what challenged me was... erm... courage? Or was it about making my life different from others'? It is difficult for me to express this feeling... But as I read the book, I realised how much courage Alex Rider had to explore new things and take risks.
I would recommend it to young teens because Anthony Horowitz's books started getting me to love reading. And that was in Primary Six.
Everytime I read his books, it is always a fresh idea, a fresh scene in my mind, a fresh experience.

Online Lesson Part 2

Thinking of the fun I had playing Maplestory with my classmates, I lay comfortably in my soft and comfortable bed, hugging my bolster, wrapping the blanket around myself, resting in bed comfortably. My eyelids started getting heavy... I started to fall asleep. All of a sudden, I felt the ground shaking vigorously. Few seconds later, my parents swung open my door, telling me,"Get out of your room!"
I immediately jumped out of bed, waiting for further instructions from my parents. I was confused and shocked, who would expect an earthquake to happen in Singapore? I have read about earthquakes before, but I never expected it to happen to me. My dad shouted,"Switch on the television, tune in to the news! NOW!" Breaking out of my daze, I followed his instructions.
"For the first time in history, an earthquake has hit Singapore. Citizens are advised to stay calm and hide beneath a table..."
"A tsunami is approaching Singapore, it is estimated to hit Singapore in approximately 25 minutes. Citizens of Singapore are advised to stay at high places, such as ..."
My dad shouted,"Faster! To the rooftop!"
Two days later...
It was only two nights ago that I was chatting with my best friend happily over the phone, watching television with my family, playing my favorite game.Yesterday, life still seemed so beautiful, so peaceful. But now... everything seems so different. Here I am, with other survivors of the earthquake and tsunami, sitting in a hall of a primary school. Two nights ago, I was still hugging my bolster, wrapped in my blanket, sleeping comfortably in my air-conditioned room. In the shelter, it is so stuffy, so dusty, I can hardly breathe. I shed tears of bitterness. I don't see any familiar faces in the shelter. I have not heard any news of my family members. Suddenly, it seems as though my life has been plunged into darkness... where I feel around... and I don't feel any objects around me... hear anything... or see anything! How am I going to live the rest of my life...

Online Lesson

Dear Survivor ,
I am Justin, your friend from Singapore.I have heard of your unfortunate plight---the destruction of property, the death of some family members and friends. I have had some beloved family members taken away from me before, but you must remember that eventually, there will be a day when we all have to leave this world.You must always remember, that wherever you are, God is always with you, being with you. During the terrifying disaster you went through, I am sure you felt helpless, and afraid. God heard your cries, he felt your pains, he knew you were afraid. And thus he tried to save you, and here you are, amongst the other survivors, in a shelter, living on supplies donated by people from all walks of life, mourning over the loss of family members and crying about how your beautiful lives have been affected, how you all have become homeless.
In life, everybody will encounter extremely difficult situations in one way or another, which makes it seem as if their lives cannot continue, and that their lives are in total darkness. But no, it is not the end, not all is lost. In life, when you face difficulties, you have 2 choices---get back on your feet and be positive, or dwell in self-pity. Stay strong, be patient. The time will come, when there will be opportunities to get back on your feet. We, your friends from other countries, can send money, and supplies to you all. Eat, get back your strength! Fight for what you rightfully deserve.
Yours sincerely,
Justin Foo
Your friend from Singapore

LA Blog Post 12/4/2011

It was Projects Day, there I sat, in Computer Lab 5, being one of the last few groups to present. How bored, I thought. Sitting in a chair, staring into blank space, I was wondering when it would be my turn to present.
After hours of fidgeting, thinking about my games, it was finally my group's turn to present. Amazingly, I did not feel nervous at all. I presented my slides confidently and my group members and I answered questions without many problems. Perhaps it was because my group members and I were adequately prepared. Just like that, Projects Day passed.
I was happy when I found out that I had passed Prelim1, after all, my previous group last year failed.
Thinking back, I thought I should have paid attention to other groups' presentations. Perhaps the next time, I would have to discipline myself.

Online Lesson 6

"UBIQ -- The Mysterious Magical Aerosol Spray!"
Stress? Troubled? Irritated? Bored? Need a breather? Come down to any convenience store to get The Mysterious Magical Aerosol Spray which has mysterious wonders which varies with each bottle! Just spray it into air, and wonderful pictures and patterns would form before your eyes! Pictures and patterns vary with each spray. Spray it in the air all around you and a mysterious effect would form! Be prepared to enter a virtual world with The Mysterious Magical Aerosol Spray! It is non-toxic and safe. Get it at a reasonable price of 5 dollars! Don't wait! Grab it before it's sold out!

4. Go to Wikipedia and enter a topic that you're really interested in (eg. football, anime, chess, science fiction, etc.). At the bottom of the entry, under "Notes" or "Further Reading," click one of the citations used in the article (either a website or an ISBN that you can browse under Google Book Search), and read that citation to see if it was used properly in the Wikipedia entry.

In your blog, write a 200-word (min.) report on the source you've chosen, comparing it to another source that you've independently researched. Is the source credible? Accurate? Biased?


(LA-ACE)
To be continued...

Online Lesson #4 Term 2

Racial slurs are foul words which are used to discriminate against a certain group of people, such as calling Negroes "niggers" and calling overly tanned whites "beach niggers". When racial slurs are used, the person who uses them says it in an arrogant tone and causes the person whom he or she is talking to to feel insulted, insignificant, and a thorn in other people's flesh. The person who says it is belittling the other. Because no one can choose their physical appearance and they are not the person who created Man, no one has the right to insult others, thus I feel that racial slurs should be illegal.

LA-ACE
When I was in Primary 6, there was this guy in my class, who came from Thailand and was quite tanned. He was well-versed in Chinese and liked studying a lot. He often spoke Chinese to his friends. There was this group of good friends in my class who called him "Chinese nigger" repeatedly. And everytime they say it, they say it in an extremely arrogant tone, in their eyes, there is this look of hatred, this look of arrogance. It happened at the beginning of the year. The boy's name was Tristan. I took pity on him, because everytime someone mocked at him, he looked so demoralised, so upset.
One week later, during recess, I spoke to him out of curiousity,"Are you alright?" He did not reply, he kept quiet, and walked towards the field. Following him, I was wondering if he found me annoying. Suddenly, I saw tears in his eyes. He turned to me,"What should I do?!" He started crying, he cried out,"They just keep insulting me, I had enough of this! I am tired of putting up a strong front, I am tired of acting strong!" I never thought he was actually so hurt, patting his back, I told him,"Have you not spoken to the teacher?"
He told me that he was afraid that the teacher would not care.
Later that day, I took a video of the group of students mocking him, and showed it to the teacher. It was the least I could do for my classmate.