The neighbourhood where I live is Eunos, Kaki Bukit. I shifted here last year in the middle of March. Well, I was very elated when I shifted. Because the location of my house is now much more convenient, most importantly, transportation. Anyway, the important thing is, my neighbourhood is rather quiet most of the time, and because I live on the 4th floors, one of the lower floors, I might get affected if there is noise downstairs. Because it is far from the road, I get to sleep well at night and I am able to study peacefully as the quietness serves as a conducive learning environment. Downstairs, there are 2 exercise corners, a badminton court, and a little mini-mart. Well, there is a little noise in the evening as kids and teens play with their friends when they are done with their homework... So there would be few people playing badminton... Kids running around with toy guns...
Well, I feel that such a neighbourhood is the "Singaporean" type... I mean, it is what a typical Singaporean neighbourhood would be like. All my childhood, I have been living in a private apartments. And thus it is very quiet throughout the day... Unless there are facilities(e.g. swimming pools, etc,.), then there might be some people using them in the evenings or weekends...
Well, yes, that is the neighbourhood where I live.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Vivid Childhood Memory that helped to influence the person I am today
Childhood, did you just say childhood? Well, people usually think that childhood is a time when we are still little boys... But in my opinion, childhood is a time when we are still a child. Not physically, but mentally too. Childhood is a time when we were not mature.
Thus, today, I am going to speak about a statement by my senior which ended my childhood. Well, it isn't a very long incident, but a very brief one.
Well, that was during the December holidays. At that time, I was in a bus with my now Secondary 4 senior. We were heading for a cinema in Dhoby Ghaut. At that time, I was speaking to him about my troubles in life. But, there was this one statement, a really simple one, but yet a statement which not many realises, and that is "What parents tell us to do is for our own good in one way or another". It really struck me greatly. Day and night, that senior's words still remains in my mind. That statement from him really makes sense. It is a statement which made me more mature. He told me that we might not think so while we are still immature, but in time to come, we will understand their intentions. When we are immature, when our parents scold us we always speak back and are angry at them for scolding us. When we are still childish, we only think from our perspective and not from others'. We only think for ourselves, we do not put ourselves in others' shoes. But this statement struck me. It was the beginning of my maturing.
Thus, today, I am going to speak about a statement by my senior which ended my childhood. Well, it isn't a very long incident, but a very brief one.
Well, that was during the December holidays. At that time, I was in a bus with my now Secondary 4 senior. We were heading for a cinema in Dhoby Ghaut. At that time, I was speaking to him about my troubles in life. But, there was this one statement, a really simple one, but yet a statement which not many realises, and that is "What parents tell us to do is for our own good in one way or another". It really struck me greatly. Day and night, that senior's words still remains in my mind. That statement from him really makes sense. It is a statement which made me more mature. He told me that we might not think so while we are still immature, but in time to come, we will understand their intentions. When we are immature, when our parents scold us we always speak back and are angry at them for scolding us. When we are still childish, we only think from our perspective and not from others'. We only think for ourselves, we do not put ourselves in others' shoes. But this statement struck me. It was the beginning of my maturing.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
LA-Draft 2
“Precisely! The creator of that game is a genius!”
The class was in chaos, most of the 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. Everybody turned a deaf ear to the monitor’s request to keep the noise level low.
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 as Mr. Lim had a reputation for being the fiercest teacher around. 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, not sure 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 responsible and hardworking?”
Edgar was on the verge of tears, he slowly walked back to his seat. He thought to himself: Am I such a failure? What did I do to deserve such grades? Is this going to go on forever? 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, he thought it might help to head to the game arcade at the shopping centre nearby. To Edgar’s surprise, his father was waiting for him at the school gate! Mr.Tan was smiling and waving at his son , Edgar felt guilty. He was stunned, at a lost for words.
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. Feeling afraid of what his father might do to him, he said, “I am sorry, Dad, I tried my best! I just can’t seem to beat Samuel! He scores high marks, he is so boastful! I want to beat him, but I can’t.”
After lunch, Edgar walked home with his father silently, he did not even utter a single word to his son. When they reached home, Edgar went back to my room quietly, and laid in his bed, staring into space. Suddenly, his dad rushed into the room, carrying a stick with him, saying,” Son, I am left with no choice, but to leave matters to the rod! I try to be nice to you, I try to give chances, I try not to hit or hit you!”
With that, his father began “caning” him, as Singaporeans call it. Edgar cried loudly due to the excruciating pain. 10 minutes later, Edgar lay on his bed, looking at the wounds on his legs, he sobbed. He fell to the ground, his eyelids felt ever so heavy. Soon, Edgar Tan fell into a deep slumber…
Edgar had a dream, all his classmates, his father, and that biased Mr. Lim surrounded him. They were mocking him with hurtful words! He felt his mind spinning!
“Your grades are ridiculous!”
“You fool! You will never beat me!”
“Useless fool!”
“I am going to call your parents!”
“Loser!”
“Hopeless failure!”
Edgar seemed to be under too much stress, in his mind, he could hear Samuel, Mr. Tan and Mr. Lim mocking at him! He can hear the world’s laughter!
Edgar was jolted awake when the hour hand on the grandfather’s clock struck an hour. Glancing around, he suddenly noticed the mess his room was in. He remembered his father flipping his bag over to search for his worksheets. He remembers his father knocking his desk over…
He thought back in the past few years…
All the while, from Primary 1 to Secondary 1, Edgar’s grades were either lower than average or ranked last in class. Yet, his father always told him it was fine and things would somehow work out. Perhaps his father has been too patient with him. It has been so many years after all.
Few days later, Edgar’s class’ results for going to be released. Edgar’s heart was beating rapidly. He was extremely nervous. Then he heard Mr. Lim’s thundering voice, “Edgar Tan! ” Edgar went up to take his test paper. Mr. Lim shouted, “ What are your brains for? 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, “ Brainless pig! 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 can’t be bothered. So long, moron!”
Edgar shook his head vigorously, he could not believe it. Edgar shouted,” This can’t be true! Can someone tell me that this is just but a dream?!”
That afternoon, I sneaked into my room from the doorstep as silently as possible, hoping not to attract the attention of my father. Just when he successfully enters 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. His father threw the paper on the ground. Within seconds, Mr. Tan returned.
Edgar shivered, now, it was not just a “cane”, it was a bunch of them tied together with rubber bands!!!! Edgar walked backwards, quickly squatting in a dark corner of his room as his father ran towards him with the sticks.
“AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
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 their child would feel. 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 class was in chaos, most of the 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. Everybody turned a deaf ear to the monitor’s request to keep the noise level low.
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 as Mr. Lim had a reputation for being the fiercest teacher around. 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, not sure 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 responsible and hardworking?”
Edgar was on the verge of tears, he slowly walked back to his seat. He thought to himself: Am I such a failure? What did I do to deserve such grades? Is this going to go on forever? 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, he thought it might help to head to the game arcade at the shopping centre nearby. To Edgar’s surprise, his father was waiting for him at the school gate! Mr.Tan was smiling and waving at his son , Edgar felt guilty. He was stunned, at a lost for words.
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. Feeling afraid of what his father might do to him, he said, “I am sorry, Dad, I tried my best! I just can’t seem to beat Samuel! He scores high marks, he is so boastful! I want to beat him, but I can’t.”
After lunch, Edgar walked home with his father silently, he did not even utter a single word to his son. When they reached home, Edgar went back to my room quietly, and laid in his bed, staring into space. Suddenly, his dad rushed into the room, carrying a stick with him, saying,” Son, I am left with no choice, but to leave matters to the rod! I try to be nice to you, I try to give chances, I try not to hit or hit you!”
With that, his father began “caning” him, as Singaporeans call it. Edgar cried loudly due to the excruciating pain. 10 minutes later, Edgar lay on his bed, looking at the wounds on his legs, he sobbed. He fell to the ground, his eyelids felt ever so heavy. Soon, Edgar Tan fell into a deep slumber…
Edgar had a dream, all his classmates, his father, and that biased Mr. Lim surrounded him. They were mocking him with hurtful words! He felt his mind spinning!
“Your grades are ridiculous!”
“You fool! You will never beat me!”
“Useless fool!”
“I am going to call your parents!”
“Loser!”
“Hopeless failure!”
Edgar seemed to be under too much stress, in his mind, he could hear Samuel, Mr. Tan and Mr. Lim mocking at him! He can hear the world’s laughter!
Edgar was jolted awake when the hour hand on the grandfather’s clock struck an hour. Glancing around, he suddenly noticed the mess his room was in. He remembered his father flipping his bag over to search for his worksheets. He remembers his father knocking his desk over…
He thought back in the past few years…
All the while, from Primary 1 to Secondary 1, Edgar’s grades were either lower than average or ranked last in class. Yet, his father always told him it was fine and things would somehow work out. Perhaps his father has been too patient with him. It has been so many years after all.
Few days later, Edgar’s class’ results for going to be released. Edgar’s heart was beating rapidly. He was extremely nervous. Then he heard Mr. Lim’s thundering voice, “Edgar Tan! ” Edgar went up to take his test paper. Mr. Lim shouted, “ What are your brains for? 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, “ Brainless pig! 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 can’t be bothered. So long, moron!”
Edgar shook his head vigorously, he could not believe it. Edgar shouted,” This can’t be true! Can someone tell me that this is just but a dream?!”
That afternoon, I sneaked into my room from the doorstep as silently as possible, hoping not to attract the attention of my father. Just when he successfully enters 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. His father threw the paper on the ground. Within seconds, Mr. Tan returned.
Edgar shivered, now, it was not just a “cane”, it was a bunch of them tied together with rubber bands!!!! Edgar walked backwards, quickly squatting in a dark corner of his room as his father ran towards him with the sticks.
“AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
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 their child would feel. 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.
Scene from my favorite movie
The movie I am speaking about is "The Ghosts must be crazy". It is a Singaporean movie which came out recently during Week 1 of the school term. My favorite scene was when the Ah Tan(People call him Sickly Chicken) fainted(The officer took his Chinese medicine away while he was boiling it). Encik(Indian officer) had to take him to the medical centre for recovery. On the way, Encik was driving in the jungle and saw a scary ghost in front of him. That was my favorite scene. Encik's face turned as white as a sheet, Ah Tan was semi-conscious in the back seat. The jungle looked dark and there was mist around. Then, in front of the vehicle was a ghost, her hair was so long till it touched the ground, her hair concealed her face. She was wearing a long red robe and white shoes... She was floating in mid-air. She really caught my attention when I was watching the show with my friends from my CCA. The whole jungle was dark, Encik was driving on a path... And straight ahead a bright light arose from somewhere. It was... The Ghost.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Favorite Fictional Character
My favorite character is Alex Rider from Anthony Horowitz's series " Alex Rider". Currrently, there are many stories in that series already, thus I get to know more about the character.
To me, I feel that Alex is a very adventurous and brave person. He is always willing to try out new things and do dangerous stuff. Very often in the stories, Alex came quite close to death. He is more of a spy and also a detective and stories in his series never fail to excite me and keep me reading. What I really respect him for is that in every story of the series, he goes through numerous obstacles and there were many times when his life was threatened and he had to take risks. There have been few stories in the series so far, and I really respect him for always going on his missions in every story and never look back and let his legs turn jelly. Alex is an incredible person. The author of the series, Anthony Horowitz, is a good writer, I am able to imagine the scenes and the behaviour and expressions of the character. You aren't sure what I'm talking about? Read the series yourself and you'll know! :D
To me, I feel that Alex is a very adventurous and brave person. He is always willing to try out new things and do dangerous stuff. Very often in the stories, Alex came quite close to death. He is more of a spy and also a detective and stories in his series never fail to excite me and keep me reading. What I really respect him for is that in every story of the series, he goes through numerous obstacles and there were many times when his life was threatened and he had to take risks. There have been few stories in the series so far, and I really respect him for always going on his missions in every story and never look back and let his legs turn jelly. Alex is an incredible person. The author of the series, Anthony Horowitz, is a good writer, I am able to imagine the scenes and the behaviour and expressions of the character. You aren't sure what I'm talking about? Read the series yourself and you'll know! :D
Monday, January 31, 2011
Chinese name.
Well, I do not really know the significance of my Chinese name. But I know that my Chinese name contains the Chinese word "citizens". And my surname means something like "To contribute to the people, bring happiness, prosperity..." Perhaps my grandfather who gave me this name wanted me to do something for the people around me, most probably, he wanted me to bring happiness and do something for the people. Currently, I do not consider these Chinese characters as part of my identity. And that is because I feel that I am not mature enough to do what I think is expected of me.
Most of the chinese have meanings behind their names which their grandparents/ancestors hope they would live up to. In our everyday lives when we write our chinese names on chinese worksheets during lessons, very few of us actually stop to look over our chinese names, very few of us are curious about the meanings of our chinese names.
But if we pause for a while, to look at our chinese names, and find out the meanings, perhaps it could contribute to our identity. The reason why we got our chinese names is because we are expected to be of good character.
Most of the chinese have meanings behind their names which their grandparents/ancestors hope they would live up to. In our everyday lives when we write our chinese names on chinese worksheets during lessons, very few of us actually stop to look over our chinese names, very few of us are curious about the meanings of our chinese names.
But if we pause for a while, to look at our chinese names, and find out the meanings, perhaps it could contribute to our identity. The reason why we got our chinese names is because we are expected to be of good character.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Favorite memory of Chinese New Year
Chinese New Year itself is a wonderful memory. There is no particular favorite memory of Chinese New Year. It is simply wonderful whenever you hear joyful Chinese New Year songs as you walk down the street. Every year, my family goes back to Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur to visit our relatives there. It is simply wonderful, joyful, and happy to exchange red packets and see all your relatives again. Usually, we visit each other and exchange red packets in the day, and have our reunion dinner in the evening, before going to one of our relatives' house at night to play poker card games(e.g. Russian Poker, etc,.) Chinese New Year is a happy event, so, I don't have any particular favorite memory of Chinese New Year, but it is the favorite memory of each year. Perhaps what would make any Chinese New Year more interesting to me is my relatives' presence. In the past few years, my paternal granddad, one of my paternal grandaunts, and one of my paternal granduncles left this world. And my maternal granddad left even before I could see him. If there is any, I think my favorite memory of Chinese New Year was the time where more relatives were around. I really miss the times when they were all around, and the times when I saw them smiling widely and wishing each other a Happy Chinese New Year.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
LA Online Lesson #2(Part 2)
1. Think about how an individual's identity is shaped. What factors have led to the formation of your own identity?
I feel that an individual's identity is shaped with what they know about themselves. What I think is that my identity came about by what I think about myself, what I know about myself, and not what others think of us. And that is because we know who we are, others don't. We may be a different person from what people think we are. We know our intentions, our thinking. Well, I admit that others’ impression of us are important because we communicate with people and the world, and the way they look at us is important. However, sometimes, in special circumstances, others misunderstand us and thus think badly of us.
2. Search for three images (that are not a photograph of you) that you feel represent your identity.
First image from the bottom: I feel that in life, we come across many difficulties. And along this tough journey of life, very often people get the wrong impression of us. But, we will clutch our chest, deep in our hearts we know,"They do not know who I am, they got the wrong impression. But, one thing i know, I know who I am. I know I am not who they think I am. I have to hang in there and get on with life. I have to do something to change their bad impression of me, if I don’t, I have to live with it."
Second image from the bottom: Not everybody really understands us, and we never tell anyone everything about ourselves(that is why the mouth in the picture is sealed). Sometimes, we keep things to ourselves, we keep our feelings to ourselves. When people insult us, we don’t feel good, we might feel like punching or slapping their faces but we might just keep silent. No one knows.
Third Image from the bottom: When things in life gets tough, when we face difficulties, when we are in dilemmas, we need an outlet for release, we need silence, we need to be alone, we need time to sort out our feelings, and think about how to get on with life. We need to get back on our feet. And that is why the place in the picture looks silent and lonely.
Online Lesson #2(Part 1)
In my opinion, I think that the whole class was responsible for Margot's treatment. Whenever such things happen, not only is the person who caused hurt who is in the wrong, the by-standers are wrong too(if there were any). In this story, they were immature and childish to lock Margot up, they were responsible for not caring for her. Margot did not do anything wrong neither did she hurt them. She just had a strong desire to see the Sun. She wanted to know how the Sun is like. Is it a sin to have such a strong longing for what she desires? The classmates were wrong to suggest locking her up, they were wrong for locking her up, and the others were also in the wrong because they did not stop the others in their actions. In life, each and everyone of us have our desires and dreams. We all want to have a chance to pursue them. We all want to do what we want to do. That’s obvious, who doesn’t? Obviously, every single person in Margot’s class had their own dreams, desires, wishes... It is just that everybody knows Margot’s wish/desire! But didn’t they know Margot has hers’ too? The class did not think, if Margot were to come in the way or them pursuing their dreams, how would they feel? Perhaps they should have a taste of it to know how feels like.
If I were one of the school children, I would stand up for Margot. When they were about to lock her up, I would go forth and stop them. I would make them think:
Did Margot do any wrong?
Is it her fault that she has such a strong longing to see the Sun?
Does she deserve this type of treatment?
If they were her, how would they feel?
Margot is a human too! She has feelings, she has dreams, she has wishes! Don’t they have dreams, feelings, and wishes too? Can’t they spare a thought for her and be more mature? They should put themselves into others’ skin(s).
If they insist on locking her up, I would unlock her secretly later. Because I feel that she does not deserve such treatment, she is innocent! And just like every other child, she has the right to see the Sun. I would hope that they are influenced by my actions and stop bullying her and learn how to care for her and get along with her.
If I were one of the school children, I would stand up for Margot. When they were about to lock her up, I would go forth and stop them. I would make them think:
Did Margot do any wrong?
Is it her fault that she has such a strong longing to see the Sun?
Does she deserve this type of treatment?
If they were her, how would they feel?
Margot is a human too! She has feelings, she has dreams, she has wishes! Don’t they have dreams, feelings, and wishes too? Can’t they spare a thought for her and be more mature? They should put themselves into others’ skin(s).
If they insist on locking her up, I would unlock her secretly later. Because I feel that she does not deserve such treatment, she is innocent! And just like every other child, she has the right to see the Sun. I would hope that they are influenced by my actions and stop bullying her and learn how to care for her and get along with her.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Projects Day
In Projects Day last year, I had to collaborate intensely with 3 group members to create a project. As time went by, I learnt that, in a group, there needs to be teamwork, various talents and abilities, etc,.
At that time, we were Secondary 1 students and did not really know each other well. After we formed our group and submitted the namelist for our project, I realised that I could not seem to get along with any of the group members. Well, I will tell you about the most important person, the group leader.
NJS(Group leader): We trusted him to be the group leader. He seemed to be responsible, but I had got it all wrong. When we went to the library to borrow a laptop to do work, the first thing I saw him do was to check a Facebook game, Mousehunt. He did not really do any work. As a leader, he was supposed to lead, and not be led. In group discussions, there will be many distractions, but it is the job of the group leader to bring the group back to the main topic. There is this saying: Leaders lead their people to where they want to be, great leaders lead their people to where they ought to be but not necessarily the place where they want to be. Group discussions in our group was mostly held in one of the library cubicles where we can practise presenting. A usual group meeting/discussion starts with one or two members arriving at the library and borrowing a laptop, then proceeding to Facebook to play games like Backyard Monsters, Mousehunt, Ghost Trappers, etc,. Then another group member arrives and watches them play the games and starts commenting. Standing by the side, I try to ask them to get down to work,but they seem too engrossed in their games and game discussion to hear me. 1 hour is wasted, when they finally switched off their games, we have to set up the projector. Typical comments:
“**** it! I forgot to save the file last night!”
“I forgot to bring my thumbdrive!”
“Sorry, this is the old file...”
“Here is the new powerpoint slides of mine.”
Guess what? The “new” powerpoint slides done by my project member was just horrible. Everything was back to square one. The background was light blue, the words were in bright yellow, he uses “copy-and-paste”, I see paragraphs in our powerpoint slides! All the advice our seniors gave us, fell on deaf ears. Our group leader could not do anything about that group member who finished the “new” powerpoint slides. I’ll get straight to the point. Our group leader has no control or power over his group members.
BSYH(2nd group member): He is a pretty violent student, and during our group meetings, most of the time he is sitting in a corner either playing games on his handphone or on a laptop borrowed from the library. When the three of us tries to get him to get more focussed, he beats us up and says that we have no right to get him to do so. So, perhaps we shall not allocate him to do any work, just play a minor part in the presentation. Well, his eyes were simply glued to the screen. During Preliminary Rounds, he was not able to present fluently as he wasn’t too familiar with our presentation procedure.
OYK(3rd group member): He was the tallest in the group amongst us 4. He was the quietest in our group and he always looked tired, and exhausted, Singaporeans would call it “sian”. Whenever we ask him to do some work, his reply,”Sian la, fail la!”
Justin(Me): Well, in Secondary One, I would call myself demanding. I was not the group leader yet I was the person who gets the members to work most of the time. Perhaps it was because of my hunger to do well in the project(sorry for sounding arrogant here). I wanted to be able to do well in Independent Studies. I have to admit I am not a muscular person, and BSYH always had a hold over me. Well, perhaps that was what caused the group to not be able to do well. Sigh...
My group members made me stay up till midnight most of the time to see the work(powerpoint slides) which they had done. But when I received their work, things were back at square one. They did not listen to what the seniors had advised us to do. It was all wrong.
I learnt that in a team, we must all have similar views, know how to accept people's ideas, if the whole group wants to slack, they slack together. If they want to commit their all to it. They do it together. Group members also must be able to communicate and get along. Perhaps the lesson learnt is to choose my group members earlier and not wait till the last minute. That time in Secondary 1, I waited till the last minute to choose my group members, thus I had not much of a choice. If we want to do a/the project with the people we can get along well with, we need to start early. It has to be done.
At that time, we were Secondary 1 students and did not really know each other well. After we formed our group and submitted the namelist for our project, I realised that I could not seem to get along with any of the group members. Well, I will tell you about the most important person, the group leader.
NJS(Group leader): We trusted him to be the group leader. He seemed to be responsible, but I had got it all wrong. When we went to the library to borrow a laptop to do work, the first thing I saw him do was to check a Facebook game, Mousehunt. He did not really do any work. As a leader, he was supposed to lead, and not be led. In group discussions, there will be many distractions, but it is the job of the group leader to bring the group back to the main topic. There is this saying: Leaders lead their people to where they want to be, great leaders lead their people to where they ought to be but not necessarily the place where they want to be. Group discussions in our group was mostly held in one of the library cubicles where we can practise presenting. A usual group meeting/discussion starts with one or two members arriving at the library and borrowing a laptop, then proceeding to Facebook to play games like Backyard Monsters, Mousehunt, Ghost Trappers, etc,. Then another group member arrives and watches them play the games and starts commenting. Standing by the side, I try to ask them to get down to work,but they seem too engrossed in their games and game discussion to hear me. 1 hour is wasted, when they finally switched off their games, we have to set up the projector. Typical comments:
“**** it! I forgot to save the file last night!”
“I forgot to bring my thumbdrive!”
“Sorry, this is the old file...”
“Here is the new powerpoint slides of mine.”
Guess what? The “new” powerpoint slides done by my project member was just horrible. Everything was back to square one. The background was light blue, the words were in bright yellow, he uses “copy-and-paste”, I see paragraphs in our powerpoint slides! All the advice our seniors gave us, fell on deaf ears. Our group leader could not do anything about that group member who finished the “new” powerpoint slides. I’ll get straight to the point. Our group leader has no control or power over his group members.
BSYH(2nd group member): He is a pretty violent student, and during our group meetings, most of the time he is sitting in a corner either playing games on his handphone or on a laptop borrowed from the library. When the three of us tries to get him to get more focussed, he beats us up and says that we have no right to get him to do so. So, perhaps we shall not allocate him to do any work, just play a minor part in the presentation. Well, his eyes were simply glued to the screen. During Preliminary Rounds, he was not able to present fluently as he wasn’t too familiar with our presentation procedure.
OYK(3rd group member): He was the tallest in the group amongst us 4. He was the quietest in our group and he always looked tired, and exhausted, Singaporeans would call it “sian”. Whenever we ask him to do some work, his reply,”Sian la, fail la!”
Justin(Me): Well, in Secondary One, I would call myself demanding. I was not the group leader yet I was the person who gets the members to work most of the time. Perhaps it was because of my hunger to do well in the project(sorry for sounding arrogant here). I wanted to be able to do well in Independent Studies. I have to admit I am not a muscular person, and BSYH always had a hold over me. Well, perhaps that was what caused the group to not be able to do well. Sigh...
My group members made me stay up till midnight most of the time to see the work(powerpoint slides) which they had done. But when I received their work, things were back at square one. They did not listen to what the seniors had advised us to do. It was all wrong.
I learnt that in a team, we must all have similar views, know how to accept people's ideas, if the whole group wants to slack, they slack together. If they want to commit their all to it. They do it together. Group members also must be able to communicate and get along. Perhaps the lesson learnt is to choose my group members earlier and not wait till the last minute. That time in Secondary 1, I waited till the last minute to choose my group members, thus I had not much of a choice. If we want to do a/the project with the people we can get along well with, we need to start early. It has to be done.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Comic Strip Part 2(Do look at Part 1 too)
1. Why did you choose these particular different pictures or background(s)?
I chose these different pictures and backgrounds so as to give the feeling that this is the breaktime/lunchtime of a school. I think that when we draw, we need to make the setting and the time obvious so that people who see/read it would know what is going on.
2. How do these images contribute to your narrative elements (plot, setting, characterization, etc.)?
The comic takes place during the childrens' breaktime. In the 1st scene, one of the characters are reading a book while another character approached him to have a chat. Furthermore, there is a tree and some flowers nearby. I feel that the buildings look similar enough to certain schools and that the characters' actions and behaviour is similar to what many do during recess time.
3. How did you make use of the different narrative elements to contribute to the theme you have chosen?
Well, in my comic strips, characterization played a major part in bringing out the message. Some prominent ones include the Negroes and the "white" kid who approached his friend who has reading the book. Basic characterization. The "white" kid has some what of a loose mouth, and he does not mind what comes out his mouth. He just shoots whatever he wants to say. And the Negroes in my comic strip are extremely sensitive and have a strong sense of pride. My Theme is Racism/Prejudice. With these characters and their behaviour, conflict occurs more easily.
Part 1 of Comic Strip (The Theme is Prejudice/Racism)
Reflection on my comic strip can be found in the next post(Part 2 of Comic Strip)
Monday, January 17, 2011
The Most Valuable Thing I learnt in 2010
Hi guys, today I will be writing about the most valuable thing i learnt in 2010.
In my opinion, I think that unseen poetry is the most valuable thing i learnt in 2010. In 2010, we did few things in that year:
-Comprehension
-Unseen Poetry
-Composition
-Literature
-Etc,.
Before I learnt literature in secondary school, I thought of poetry is just crap(I'm sorry I have to be honest here), and I guess that was because I did not know how to appreciate the art of poetry, and that I did not know how to appreciate and understand poetry. But in 2010, our LA teacher taught us Unseen Poetry, and I realised that poetry is actually a beautiful art. And when you know how to appreciate and understand it, it is truly enlightening.
In my opinion, I think that unseen poetry is the most valuable thing i learnt in 2010. In 2010, we did few things in that year:
-Comprehension
-Unseen Poetry
-Composition
-Literature
-Etc,.
Before I learnt literature in secondary school, I thought of poetry is just crap(I'm sorry I have to be honest here), and I guess that was because I did not know how to appreciate the art of poetry, and that I did not know how to appreciate and understand poetry. But in 2010, our LA teacher taught us Unseen Poetry, and I realised that poetry is actually a beautiful art. And when you know how to appreciate and understand it, it is truly enlightening.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
My Favourite Book
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5647132-necropolis
My Favourite Book is Necropolis, currently the latest book of the series "The Power of Five" One of the main reasons I like the book is because of the author, Anthony Horowitz. Anthony Horowitz is a good writer and the way he writes really keeps his readers in a world of their own, in the world of his book, he has a good writing technique. And the way he ends each chapter and book really leaves the reader deep in thought long after the book is closed. And he is able to describe the settings(imagery) in such an impressive way that his readers are able to see and imagine the settings. There is tension in the story and there is excitement most of the time when you read the book. Even when I lay in bed at night, I am still left thinking about his stories, in my mind, I still can see one of the “Old Ones” from the series “The Power of Five” flying and walking around, I can imagine the scenes, I feel my heartbeat increase! When I think about Anthony Horowitz’s stories, I can feel myself being part of the story.
Well, I am not a very enthusiastic reader, i have read less than 70 books in my life and Enid Blyton and Anthony Horowitz were the writers who were able to capture my attention and interest in reading. :D
My Favourite Book is Necropolis, currently the latest book of the series "The Power of Five" One of the main reasons I like the book is because of the author, Anthony Horowitz. Anthony Horowitz is a good writer and the way he writes really keeps his readers in a world of their own, in the world of his book, he has a good writing technique. And the way he ends each chapter and book really leaves the reader deep in thought long after the book is closed. And he is able to describe the settings(imagery) in such an impressive way that his readers are able to see and imagine the settings. There is tension in the story and there is excitement most of the time when you read the book. Even when I lay in bed at night, I am still left thinking about his stories, in my mind, I still can see one of the “Old Ones” from the series “The Power of Five” flying and walking around, I can imagine the scenes, I feel my heartbeat increase! When I think about Anthony Horowitz’s stories, I can feel myself being part of the story.
Well, I am not a very enthusiastic reader, i have read less than 70 books in my life and Enid Blyton and Anthony Horowitz were the writers who were able to capture my attention and interest in reading. :D
Thursday, August 19, 2010
What I have learnt this year.
So far this year, I felt that my understanding of Language Arts has changed, it is now deeper than before. Initially, I thought Language Arts was all about comprehension, grammar, etc,. But now we have learnt more! I am no longer so narrow minded! I have learnt about poems and limericks, which are one of the main things i have learnt in this term. It has been a wonderful experience writing them and reading them. It feels nice to make use of your imagination. I like reading short stories too. In the previous terms, we have concentrated on stories like "Village by the Sea", and "Ten Short Stories". It was greatly enjoyed as i find life stories very interesting and fun to read, it beats reading about politics! Grades are not all which matters in school. There is no point if we memorise everything, get good grades, and forget about it. What mattters at the end of the day is that we remember what our teacher has taught us and know how to make use of the skills in our daily life.
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Three Or So (2)
Is that child in the snapshot me?
That little girl in the woollen dress
By a broken door in a tiny yard
She's shy and laughing and ready to run
And shielding her eyes from the morning sun.
I've forgotten the dress, and the colour of it
I've forgotten who took the photograph
I've forgotten the little girl, three or so
She's someone else now, to be wondered at
With my mother's eyes and my own child's hair
And my brother's smile, but the child who's there-----
The real soul of her------- fled long ago
To the alley-way where she mustn't go
Through the broken door in that tiny yard
In this poem, the figurative language I think is used includes:
1. Imagery(Descriptions of people or objects stated in terms of our senses)
2. Alliteration
3.Personification
The poem describes the girl... who is now gone.
"Is that child in the snapshot me?
That little girl in the woollen dress
By a broken door in a tiny yard
She's shy and laughing and ready to run
And shielding her eyes from the morning sun."
Describes how innocent the author was when she was a little kid.
"I've forgotten the dress, and the colour of it
I've forgotten who took the photograph
I've forgotten the little girl, three or so
She's someone else now, to be wondered at
With my mother's eyes and my own child's hair
And my brother's smile, but the child who's there-----
The real soul of her------- fled long ago
To the alley-way where she mustn't go
Through the broken door in that tiny yard"
Describes the sadness of knowing that the girl is no longer the same, in other words, has grown up.
I can see that in the poem, the girl is described first, before more details about her is revealed. The poem is in systematic order and allows the reader to understand the poem easily.
Reading the poem again, I think the poem is about a girl who has grown up and realises that she is no longer herself. She can hardly remember some things about an old photo, and she feels sad.
In this poem, I think the persona is speaking. It is probably for the public to read. I can sense that this poem is sincere.
The poet might feel sad while writing this poem.
It is probably organized in the way it is so that it is easy to understand. Just like introducing the characters then the plot.
The effect of the previous sentences is to highlight to everyone to treasure their childhood.
In conclusion, I think that in writing this poem, the poet hoped to let the public know that they should cherish their childhood, how they were when they were a child. The innocence, because they will definitely miss it when they grow up.
That little girl in the woollen dress
By a broken door in a tiny yard
She's shy and laughing and ready to run
And shielding her eyes from the morning sun.
I've forgotten the dress, and the colour of it
I've forgotten who took the photograph
I've forgotten the little girl, three or so
She's someone else now, to be wondered at
With my mother's eyes and my own child's hair
And my brother's smile, but the child who's there-----
The real soul of her------- fled long ago
To the alley-way where she mustn't go
Through the broken door in that tiny yard
In this poem, the figurative language I think is used includes:
1. Imagery(Descriptions of people or objects stated in terms of our senses)
2. Alliteration
3.Personification
The poem describes the girl... who is now gone.
"Is that child in the snapshot me?
That little girl in the woollen dress
By a broken door in a tiny yard
She's shy and laughing and ready to run
And shielding her eyes from the morning sun."
Describes how innocent the author was when she was a little kid.
"I've forgotten the dress, and the colour of it
I've forgotten who took the photograph
I've forgotten the little girl, three or so
She's someone else now, to be wondered at
With my mother's eyes and my own child's hair
And my brother's smile, but the child who's there-----
The real soul of her------- fled long ago
To the alley-way where she mustn't go
Through the broken door in that tiny yard"
Describes the sadness of knowing that the girl is no longer the same, in other words, has grown up.
I can see that in the poem, the girl is described first, before more details about her is revealed. The poem is in systematic order and allows the reader to understand the poem easily.
Reading the poem again, I think the poem is about a girl who has grown up and realises that she is no longer herself. She can hardly remember some things about an old photo, and she feels sad.
In this poem, I think the persona is speaking. It is probably for the public to read. I can sense that this poem is sincere.
The poet might feel sad while writing this poem.
It is probably organized in the way it is so that it is easy to understand. Just like introducing the characters then the plot.
The effect of the previous sentences is to highlight to everyone to treasure their childhood.
In conclusion, I think that in writing this poem, the poet hoped to let the public know that they should cherish their childhood, how they were when they were a child. The innocence, because they will definitely miss it when they grow up.
Friday, August 13, 2010
The Begging Mapler- How I was inspired.
How was I inspired to write this limerick?It is an interesting question. I have a classmate by the name of Zhang Yijia. He is an interesting person to be around. Sometime back, our class was doing beach-cleaning on a weekend. After picking 264 cigarette buds, we were resting and speaking about equipment in the game " Maplestory". We boarded the bus back to school together with the rest of the class. On the way back, our form teacher received a call from the form teacher of annother class, saying that a bag was left behind at the area our class was occupying. After a while, Yijia realised that the bag left behind belonged to him. Then he whispered to me," Luckily I did not leave my Illbi and Steely throwing stars behind". The throwing stars were referring to a sort of ammunition in the game. An incident as simple as this inspired me to write the limerick " The Begging Mapler".
Listening to Sounds
I heard the owls hooting in the dark.
I heard the sheep bleating beyond the hill.
I heard the wolves howling forlornly.
I heard the sparrows chirping in their nests.
I heard the dogs barking at strangers.
I heard the horses neigh at each other.
I heard the bulls bellow in anger.
I heard the bees buzzing in annoyance.
I heard the frogs croaking in the wells.
I heard the mice squeaking in fear.
I heard the roosters greeting the day with a cock-a-doodle-doo.
I heard the turkeys yelping away.
I heard the pigeons cooing continuously.
I heard the ducks quacking in excitement.
I heard the pigs grunting amonst themselves.
I heard the cats purring in sadness...
I heard the sheep bleating beyond the hill.
I heard the wolves howling forlornly.
I heard the sparrows chirping in their nests.
I heard the dogs barking at strangers.
I heard the horses neigh at each other.
I heard the bulls bellow in anger.
I heard the bees buzzing in annoyance.
I heard the frogs croaking in the wells.
I heard the mice squeaking in fear.
I heard the roosters greeting the day with a cock-a-doodle-doo.
I heard the turkeys yelping away.
I heard the pigeons cooing continuously.
I heard the ducks quacking in excitement.
I heard the pigs grunting amonst themselves.
I heard the cats purring in sadness...
The Begging Mapler.
There was a Mapler named Peso
Who went running and begging for mesos
And moved with a quiver
To find with a shiver
He has dropped his bag of mesos.
Who went running and begging for mesos
And moved with a quiver
To find with a shiver
He has dropped his bag of mesos.
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