Sacrifice to make someone happy

Looking through the once worn-by-me clothes when I was 3 years old, I could smell the rich history the clothes gave out. Among the pile of clothes, I gradually took out a pair of baby shoes and placed its sole against mine, and I could see the "big" difference in size, it was like a piece of bread. Did I actually used to wear all of these? I have grown out of all of these clothes, and somehow just do not want to lose them. It was like they were a part of me. Taking them away was like taking away your face! My mother told me a few years ago that one day; we would be donating all of these clothes to the less fortunate. Back then I was in Primary 4 when the house was still fresh and spacey. Now that the house was cram, stuffy, and full of unnecessary stuffs, it was time to clean things up.

All my family members knew that I was terrible at cleaning things up; I even stuffed primary school work into any gap or space I can find. But that was not my worst fear. I was afraid that my mother would take away my baby clothes that I loved so much. It was like a relationship between history and me. I protected these “treasure” for all these years, but the time has come, for me to sacrifice something meaningful to me. I was starring at the pile of old clothes when my mother came crashing in with a plastic bag, “It’s time”. I could not resist the temptation to reject to her idea but something tells me that it was time to let it go. However, I argued with my mother that I would keep these “treasure”, and in the end, I was reprimanded and forced to place all of the once worn-by-me clothes. I was pretty down for that moment.

We took the bulky plastic bag of my old stuffs to the nearby church. We were rushing before the gates closed. Finally, placing the bag into the donation drive basket, where the clothes will be given to the less fortunate. At least I made a sacrifice to make someone else happy…

Character to Studies

Schools should emphasize more on character development than academic development.
Do you agree or disagree?

I feel that schools should emphasize more on character development than academic development, as students should be able to express themselves more effectively when entering society. Without proper character development, students do not have the right attitude or values to keep up one's. However, academic development is important too, it gives you the sufficient knowledge to produce quality work. Therefore important to have a balance between these two developments.

Without proper character development in one's life, can lead to the wrong attitude like giving up immediately after meeting up with a problem. Nowadays, children are too pampered by their parents and in result, they depend too much on others for help and have no independence for his or herself. It would be very crucial, for a student to start learning his or her values when their young in order to enter the society with the right attitude. Mainly values such as "Discipline, Respect, Honesty, Inquiry" should be known to all of us if we want to overcome challenges. It is common that those with poor character development tend to development very low self-esteem and think too highly of themselves. Which will mean that the affected person will not be able to carry himself well when he or she enters the society. Therefore, character development is very important for have good self-esteem and able to carry oneself throughout the society.

With proper character development comes with a proper balance with academic development. Nowadays, the society concentrates more on academics than character development in order to get a better job in the society. In my opinion, this form of bring in people into the workforce is a bad idea as they do not have the right attitude and mindset. The society should want the more risk takers and thinkers, not just doers.

However, it is important to have a balance between these two developments in order to truly succeed within the society. With great knowledge comes with great decisions to make. When you have the correct values, you would think twice before executing the move that will cause you to lose it all. Unfortunately, academic excellence is a little bit more important than character when it comes to the society and it provides with oneself more opportunities. Values and character development should come even before academic excellence, as it plays apart in making who you are.

Therefore, schools should place more emphasis in character development than academic development, but there will have to be a balance in order to carry oneself well throughout his or her life.

Cheers,
Ryan Lau :3

Ideal School ~Something Many Schools Should Reach For~

I think that an ideal school should be stress free, have better student-teacher relationship and, be more organise in cooperation among the teachers. Further more, with academics regarded highly as a form of requirement to fit into the fast developing society. As more students strive to be the best, some would be left out and some might not be able to cope. In my opinion, schools in Singapore just do not know how to have fun~!

I think that an ideal school should be stress free as nowadays, youngsters like myself have to handle of resist a lot of depression and stress, be it examinations, homework or project work. Especially in Singapore whereby the education system aims to be at its best, tend to have its own backfiring. Some of the effects for e.g. Students tend to be very quiet as teachers are strict, not enough freedom to voice opinion, some teachers do not accept stupid questions etc. Unlike the schools in Singapore, the schools in New Zealand do not have any examinations at all until students reach grade 6, which is like primary 6 in Singapore, to take their Final Examination before proceeding to High School. Under stress-free conditions, students would be able to think clearly without any worries, thus producing a higher quality of work.

I think that an ideal school should have better student-teacher relationship as it promotes students to be more active and interactive during classes or lessons. When we compare normal Singaporean schools to government schools, the students in government schools tend to be more interactive as from primary school onwards, they have their own current affairs session, which involves being aware of today's or current current affairs. Through this session, students are encouraged to voice out their opinions which lack in many students today. In schools, with better student-teacher relationship, the teachers are able to understand the students character and is able to finger out the weaknesses and the "solutions". Therefore, in my opinion. I think that the schools should focus more on student-teacher relationships.

Lastly, I think that an ideal school should have better cooperation with each other so as to reduce stress among the students. The idea is that the co-operation helps to spread the work and reduce the work depression by receiving less work per day than bombing everyone with work in one day. Thus in my opinion I think that with better co-operation, students are able to have free time each day to indulge in their active lifestyles and hobbies/passion.

I do not own this picture

The End of Our Journey? Get away from the Edge!

Come on guys! This is not the end of of our learning journey, we still have many things to learn. If you have already gave up and jumped of the "cliff" make sure you work hard to make it to the top. Stop wasting your time wondering if this is the end to the LA blog, walk along the edge, we have still so much to learn. This term, I have met many challenges like tests, homework, blog, R n R exercises and many many more. Being the monitor of the class, I tend to freak out when the class is misbehaving, but with the help of the chairman and the rest of the members, order is maintain. But now, I am not going to talk about my normal school life, but my learning journey so far and have yet to come... So far we have been discussing a lot on racism and prejudice, from "To Kill a Mocking Bird" to "Burning Mississippi" to "The Merchant of Venice". To me, I sometimes feel angry that some Christians in "The Merchant of Venice' are not showing mercy that they suppose to be to the Jews. Being a Roman Christian myself, I believe in not using violence as a concept to solve all problem, as the matter of fact, violence can only lead to more violence, am I not right? Further more as we go down the lane, we have the Reading and Reasoning Exercises to hit our head literally! I also feel quite sad that I did not do well for my R and R test in term 3 and promised myself that I will read more and work harder for the End of Year's. After all, "Practise makes perfect" or "Practise promises onself to strive for the better life".

We will soon get the hang of it using these steps suggested by our teacher.(For R and R)
Step 1: Underline keywords
Step 2: Figure what type of question it is
Step 3: Go back to passage and locate where the answer might be
Step 4: Look at textual clues for anwer

If you are a regular blogger who visits my blog regularly, you might see quite some pictures I have used to depict or give a better description of the blog posts. I suggest that you should read my posts tagged "Analyse Writers" whereby I showcase and analyse their famous work like Ernest Heimingways, novel "Baby Shoes"

I wish Singapore in the upcoming Presidential Election, which candidate will change the fate of Singapore, it is in our hands to decide ya? The fact that this term shows that many improvements can be made shows that I have much more to learn before my life ends. Learning goes on forever, whether old or young.

"Thanks to google images for wonderful pictures, I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE PHOTOS EXCEPT FOR THE ONES I TOOK MY SELF!"

Cheers :3
Ryan Lau

Clash of the Ti"Tans"

Tony Tan vs Tan Cheng Bock vs Tan Kin Lian vs Tan Jee Say

When Singapore's sixth and "current president S.R. Nathan will be leaving Parliament office at the end of the month, leaving Singapore in the decision to elect the next president, the one who can guide Singapore to proper and maintain its excellence. Out of the 4 candidates shown above, Tony Tan, Tan Cheng Bock, Tan Kin Lian, and Tan Jee Say which would be the last man standing, and become Singapore's seventh president.

S.R. Nathan
With S.R. Nathan's, the longest serving president since sworn in on September 1, 1999, surpassing Benjamin Sheares, and he has done us proud. Being a popular president, he even had a tough early life in the late 19s. Sone of his contributions are initiating fund-raising for the Sri Sivan Temple which was relocated from Dhoby Ghaut to Geylang East, starting the first Tamil-English kindergarten, and starting a family counselling unit for needy Indian families, for the Hindu community.


Timeline (provided by infopedia)
1940 - 1941 : Office boy and various odd jobs
1955 - 1956 : Medical Social Worker, Singapore Civil Service with stints in Woodbridge and the Leprosy Centre
1956 - 1962 : Seamen's Welfare Officer, Ministry of Labour
1962 - 1964 : Assistant Director, Labour Research Unit, Ministry of Labour
1964 - 1965 : Director, Labour Research Unit, Ministry of Labour; later the Ambassador to Egypt in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
1966 : Assistant Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, rising to the rank of Deputy Secretary
1971 : Acting Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs
1971- 1979 : Director, Security and Intelligence Division, Ministry of Defence and serving as Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Defence
1973 : Chairman, Mitsubishi Singapore Heavy Industries (Pte.) Ltd.
1979 - 1982 : First Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
1980 - 1988 : Director, Singapore National Oil Company
Feb 1982 - 1988 : Executive Chairman, Straits Times Press (1975)
Apr 1988 - 1990 : High Commissioner to Malaysia
Jul 1990 - June 1996 : Ambassador to the United States
1996 - 1999 : Ambassador-at-large
15 Jul 1996 : Director, Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies, NTU; the first for the institution.
18 Jul 1996 : Pro-Chancellor, National University of Singapore
1 Sep 1999 : President of Singapore, 2nd elected into this position and 6th local president.


Dr Tony Tan
Probably with the most experience in Parliament is Tony Tan, being Singapore's Former Deputy Prime Minister and according to news he feels that he has more to contribute to the society and stresses the fact that he should step up and not remain as a spectator while Singapore faces such complicated challenges.He also hopes to help the disadvantaged, handicapped and others who need help. In addition, stresses that it is not the President's responsibility to suggest a change in policy and the fact that the government has to be in power to prevent chaos. And the Presidents will probably sit on the mindset that "If you take care for the people, the people will take care of the mission..." Dr Tony Tan is regarded as a strategic thinker, and a caring person who takes interest in the of Singapore in mind.

Dr Tan Cheng Bock
Tan Cheng Bock's reasons for being one of the candidates for Singapore's upcoming Presidential election, is that he liked to be an unifying figure for all Singaporeans. Tan Cheng Bock was also a former MP for Ayer Rajah, and is a person who believes in what he does and gives in all his best. He sees that Singaporeans want harmony and fair play. There should be mutual respect for the government of the day and the Presidency as both are elected by Singaporeans.
His past involvement
Political Career Profile
General Election Constituency Scorecard
1980 Dec Ayer Rajah 83.4%
1984 Dec Ayer Rajah 75.4%
1988 Sep Ayer Rajah 69.6%
1991 Apr Ayer Rajah 75.2%
1997 Jan Ayer Rajah 73.2%
2001 Nov Ayer Rajah 88.0%
1987 – 1996 Elected Member, PAP Central Executive Committee
Past Appointments
• Feedback Unit (1984 – 1989) – Ministry of Community Development
• 1st Chairman (1985 –1989) Town Councils
• Chairman Jurong East Town Council (Aug 1989 –1991)
• V. Chairman Jurong East Town Council (Aug 1991- 1996)
• Chairman West Coast-Ayer Rajah Town Council (Nov 2001-Dec 2004)
• Vice Chairman, Bukit Timah Town Council (Jan 1997)
Community Development Council (CDC)
• Chairman, Bukit Timah CDC (Dec 1997- Nov 2000)
• Vice Chairman, South West CDC
Parliamentary Appointments
Government Parliament Committee (GPC)
1987 –1988: Co-ordinating Chairman for all GPCs
1987 –1990: Chairman, GPC for Education
1991 –1995: Chairman, GPC for National Development
1995 –1997: Chairman, GPC for The Environment
1997 –2000: Member, GPC for Communications
2001 –2006: Member, GPC for Defence and Foreign Affairs

Tan Kin Lian
He thinks that we need stong and competititve economy to provide a better life for Singaporeans. He sees that many Singaporeans are willing to study and work hard and spending quality time with family memebers. He says that he wants to see balance between work and social interaction. He warns citizens that they should not sacrifice their time and life to keep their jobs. In addition, his vision for Singapore is "Live a good Singapore, live a better life", he would be the voice of the people, listening to their woes and requests. If elected president, he would make a president council to work with experts to make Singapore a better country to live in. I feel that he gives quite alot of promises though....(Mistake for him) He also believes that a good government does not abuse its power.
His vision for Singapore
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwOATWH5Bbk&feature=related
Tan Kin Lian shares his vision for Singapore and how he will realize this vision if elected as the President. He explains how he will actualize his goal as the voice of the people. He also describes the President's charity he would form from the donation of at least half of his salary and outlines details of his President's Personal Council

Career
Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries Singapore (1975)
Advanced Management Program at Harvard University (1993)

Mr. Tan Kin Lian started his career at the Great Eastern Life Assurance Co. Ltd (Singapore) in 1966. He joined NTUC Income (Singapore) in 1977 as General Manager and Actuary. In 1997, he was re-designated as CEO until his retirement on 31st March 2007.

From 1978 until 2007, Mr. Tan Kin Lian received various awards and distinctions. He is also an active member in several associations and institutions.



Tan Jee Say

Tan Jee Say says that he wants to become a president of Singapore as many Singaporeans want a non-PAP President whose independence of the PAP is clear, obvious and cannot be in doubt. Only such a person can have the moral authority to fulfill the mission of Elected President which is to provide checks and balances on the PAP Government. He wants to be an active President, engaging the nation on issues of conscience and promoting worthy causes. Charcteristic of a helpfull person.

Reflections

Being a Singaporean I, feel that life in Singapore is still stuff without much money, and the cost of living is quite high. So life in Singapore is “So far so good” I guess. But now with Singapore’s current head of state is going to be replaced by “younger” and maybe more aspiring leaders to the country. What we all want is a good, respectful, and organized leader who can lead Singapore to proper in the future. From the status of all the President Hopefuls, I can see that it would be a tough fight between the Ti “Tans” I say. With Dr Tony Tan being a former deputy Prime Minister, he should have more experience when running government, but some have an eye for Tan Jee Say a non-PAP contestant, and Tan Chen bock along with Tan Kin Lian. When the time comes for Singapore to vote for a brand new Head of State, they would be deciding their future. However, I noticed that Singapore has a Parliamentary Government, in which the Head of State has less power than the Prime Minister. After all, a head of state in a head of state and not government society. I feel that a great change would be coming to the governing system and our lives as we know it would change by then.

Online Lesson 12

Step 2: The common theme I see is judging the appearance of the person and not see the true personality of oneself. The Prince of Morocco decided to use gold, high valued and rare, to compare to Portia's worthy self and beauty. When he opened the casket, there was a scroll which was saying that all that glitters is not gold which meant that it is not the outside that counts but the inside that counts, the heart and soul the worthy person bears all his life. For the prince of Arragon, he chose the silver casket as pride got the hold of himself and felt that he deserve Portia. Unfortunately, when he open the casket, there was a picture of an idiot holding a scroll. Finally for Bassanio, he picked the dull looking casket which was made out of not just lead but cheap lead. Which proves that Bassanio puts others before him before attending to himself, and he is a humble and fair person, therefore he got Portia.

Step 3: This is just crap! Totally screwed! How much homework I have, is just unbearable, and committing-suicide worthy. What I have, what I have! Was Chinese, English, Maths, and History homework, what is this, probably the most tight day of my life! What more can I get, tuition at 7pm. How the heck am I suppose to get all this crap done by tomorrow, further more, I do not just live far away, I live very far away from school. Keeping what the teachers in my head is causing my head to explode! What, square root of 125 equals to 5? Which year did Singapore get its independence from the British rule? 1819? From what I see now is that I am stuck between two worlds, whether to got for this tuition or not to go. This is just great, a pile of junk plus tuition at night! How am I gonna survive in the future if I cannot even handle a what to be known as "normal" amount of work! I should be doing my work now, but I am paralysed by the decisions I have to make right now, oh my goodness gracious me... Is the world going to end in 2012?

National Day School Celebration

As the dawn breaks,
Students make their way,
To the once a year,
National Day Celebration,
Dipped in red and white,
Were the festive attire,
Assembling at the terraces,
Looking like a sea of red and white
We wonder what kind of performance we were having this year,
As we stared into the steps,
And tapped our feet,
To the rhythm of the mighty construction machines make.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Tap Tap Tap

How long does it take,
For a school of 4000 students,
Take to assemble at the terraces,
Waiting at my position,
Looking around at the field,
And hoped that the Sun will stay behind the clouds,
But as all hope is lost,
The Sun came up,
With its bright cheerful shine,
It causes the clothes we were wearing,
To look brighter and lighter.
What I did not know,
Was the fact that a trick was being played,
On me.

Hey! Ryan! Look behind!
And then realised,
That my bottle was gone,
Thinking that it was in the class,
When I felt a hard solid touching my back,
It was my bottle!
The tricksters laughed,
Till their faces were pink,
And I was embarrassed,
As a drop of sweat started,
To Trickle down my cheeks.
How hot it was,
You don't want to know.

As the celebration starts,
We proudly sang our anthem,
And said our pledge,

The first part of the celebration kicked in,
And off goes the uniform groups,
Showing off their marching skills,
Focused on the formation,
Despite countless disturbance from the crowd.
And we all went on,
Cheering with all our might,

An hour has passed,
We then had to head back to the hall,
And row by row,
The seemingly red and white ants marched off,


Upon reaching the hall,
The crowd began to roar,
As the celebration carried on,
With interesting dances,
Made by the foreigners themselves,
And some by our fellow friends,
How intense it was,
To see all those singing skills and dance skills,
And we all watched in awe,
And had the same thought,
We were proud to be Singaporeans,
And Share the same,

Singapore Spirit.







Blaze the Singapore Spirit!
Cheers,

Ryan Lau

Reflection
This is one of the many ways that I use to convey my experience during an occasional event, the other post that I used the poetic way was the one on the YOG celebration in 2010. I feel that using the poetic structure helps to show more meaning into what you and I am saying. Sometimes, it gives a smooth rhythm and makes it relaxing for the reader to read. I hope that you people think that I am using a steady and happy tone towards the end, and if you guessed it, good job! What really makes a poem special, is that it has hidden words or meaningful words, without the use of adjectives to exaggerate it. Being a Singaporean myself, I am proud of my country, I grew up here, I was taught here, and now I will have to thank all those who made this meaningful journey possible for me.

Blaze the Singapore Spirit!

National Day Parade

It is 5 days after the National Day Celebration, and I am actually writing this entry while listening to Singapore's Prime Minister, Lee Hsien Loong. So far he is just telling us how Singapore maintain its structure, introduces issues faced by students like lack of spaces in Universities is Singapore, warns people that we should do the right thing for Singapore to prosper, and etc. But now, I am here to give my comment. Everywhere we go, we are proud to be Singaporeans, we re proud to be kiasu, a garden city, and having complaining as our favourite past-time.

I can see that the organising committe for this years NDP 2011 have done a great effort in make the celebration a wonderful and unforgettable moment, for not just us, but for also the soon going to leave parliment, S.R. Nathan. We thank President Nathan for his contributions to Singapores achievements. 12 years in parliment is a long time! The fireworks and costumes were awesome, especially the steam buns in the containers. I liked the Uniform groups showing their marching skills and they even showcase some of their newest army technology. Other surprising things like having Gurmit Singh (Actor for Comedy Phua Chu Kang) and En Lai, to dress up as kampong women in the early days. I hope that the Singapore citizens will not lose faith in their own country and hope that next and coming years' NDP would be much better and interesting.

Official Version - Majulah Singapura
Mari kita rakyat Singapura
Sama-sama menuju bahagia
Cita-cita kita yang mulia
Berjaya Singapura
Marilah kita bersatu
Dengan semangat yang baru
Semua kita berseru
Majulah Singapura
Majulah Singapura

English Translation - Onward Singapore
We, the people of Singapore
Together march towards happiness
Our noble aspiration
To make Singapore a success

Let us all unite
In a new spirit
Together we proclaim
Onward Singapore
Onward Singapore

Happy Birthday Singapore!
Cheers,
Ryan Lau :D

Description through objects

Write 200-250 words of descriptive prose, illustrating a character by describing any place inhabited or frequented by that character -- a room, house, garden, office, studio, etc.
The library, a place where most of the information are oblivious to students. Shelves with books nicely arranged in an orderly manner, stood as high as a 3 year old could see. History sections, fiction sections, non-fiction section. The corner of the history section, collected dust, and dusty books and dusty shelves stood there, waiting for a movement in books. During the school period, the library is crowded, and yet noise is kept at its lowest, amazing. Studying, collecting information, making notes, enjoying reading books, is what most people would do. The many sections where unknown to many, books are the real thing, the big thing. Librarians decorate the place with nursery drawings and art to showcase the zones people are in. Streamers and banners indicate the libray's name and at different times of the year's celebrations. Sign boards stick to the walls on the first floor, with notes and schedules of different events that are to be conducted. To suit the readers comfort, a cafeteria is located on the second floor with other entertainment like, providing computers and loaning VCD games. When it is time to close, the lights will be kept dimmer and books and shelves were properly arranged again and carpets were swept and dusted by cleaners. From the outside, it looks quite haunted in the night.

London's Catastrophically Failure

I feel that the police who were involved in the fatal shooting should have themselves expelled from the police force, as if they are under pressure, they might go into rampage and cause chaos. The start of the recent 2011 London riot was caused by a fatal shooting of Mark Duggan, a 29-year-old black man (and father of four), by police. The police claim that they were in imminent danger, even though there is now no evidence that Duggan was armed or presented a threat. The situation was quite unreasonable and killing a black man without any weapons on him is outrages. It was on a Thursday when Mark Dunggan was shot dead at Ferry Lane, Tottenham, and this sparked the riot, causing tremendous chaos and destruction. Futher more, it is less than a year before the inaugrual 2012 London Olympic games, and this is already happening. This would surely strike fear in other countries and not come to the games, worst case scenario, the games would be cancelled. In Britain, there are 58 different police forces, each has its own tradition, uniform, equipment and command structure, and the Metro-politan Police is responsible fore London's security and defence. For example, in every school class we have a class community members to keep the class under control and order, but if they cause an unreasonable action, they would be the ones who are in trouble as the whole class look up to that person. Like the Met's, they are like the managment committee of London. In conclusion, with great power comes with great responsibility.

Poem in this scene (Make it more interesting)

Fire and chaos reign supreme over London

Polices are taking over

As the situation gets more uncontrollable

What caused this

Is the confusion

Of whether the dead man was shot

With him being armed

or not

The Acid Attacker

Ameneh Bahrami, an Iranian woman who was blinded and disfigured when acid was thrown in her face seven years ago, decided to pardon her attacker just before his sentence (court-ordered blinding) was to be carried out.


If I were to be Ameneh Brahrami, I would not show mercy to the acid attacker and have an eye for eye justice for taking away my face. The reason is that the culprit might attack someone else, to spread the word to other countries to tighten punishments.

If I were to be Ameneh Brahrami, I would not show mercy to the acid attacker and have an eye for eye justice for taking away my face. The reason is that the culprit might not learnt from his mistakes, back fire on the forgiveness and attack someone innocent. For example, Singapore's number one terrorist in captive at the detention centre, escaped a few years ago, even after he was given mercy, with the fact that he was never given any charges for any terrorist acts, and without trail went straight to detention. Despite this, he still dared to escape and in the end was recaptured in Skudai, Malaysia. Further more, in primary schools nowadays, students are getting more daring. Even punishments such as caning was introduce to the educational system to keep law and order.

If I were to be Ameneh Brahrami, I would not show mercy to the acid attacker and have an eye for eye justice for taking away my face. The reason is to spread the word to other countries to tighten punishments. Look at Singapre's law, it is very strict, for example, chewing gum is ban in Singapore. However, Singapore relaxed on the ban and those wanting to indulge the decadent habit will have to give their names and produce identification. And gum will continue to be available only at pharmacies. Pharmacists selling to customers without identification could be jailed for up to two years and fined nearly $3,000 US.


In conclusion, if I were to be Ameneh Brahrami, I would not show mercy to the acid attacker and have an eye for eye justice for taking away my face. The reason is that the culprit might attack someone else, to spread the word to other countries to tighten punishments.

Mercy (Reflection)
If we say show mercy, it will sometimes be giving someone a second chance, forgiving someone who went against you and turning over a new leaf. In the Merchant of Venice, Antonio clearly did not show mercy towards Shylock, the Jew. As a Christian himself, he would have practised mercy, but obviously not towards a Jew. I see mercy as being a much tougher element than justice. Being an indirect and reasonable attribute, it is quite rare among Singaporeans as we are kiasu which means, cannot lose. In this case, Ameneh was very kind enough to let the case got, let bygone be bygone. This action touches me as she was once beautiful, and her beauty was taken away from her. Through actions and words we can see if a person is truly forgiven or brought to justice. Nowadays, justice has been implemented in the Singapore Law and Order system, by having strict Laws.

Written By,
Ryan Lau :3

Narrative Dialogue

"........."


"What had happened here A?", B called out


"I'm not quite sure B, all I could remember was that we were chased by killer robots and we ended up in this mini mart"


"It's dark I am afraid, what happen if we do not make it out"


"It is okay son, we will get out, I promise", B said with a shine of hope in his eyes.


"Are you sure?...", A replied with doubts


"I am absolutely sure"


"Holy smokes!"


"Keep quiet, don't blow our hideout...", whispered B.


"That was close"

"My heart nearly came to a halt"


"This planet is not our home anymore A"


"Dad, I heard that there is a safe place over the other side of the world, where people live"


"That is impossible, we saw in the news how destructive the robots were, that killed everyone in their path, no one, absolutely no one could have survived"


"Even though they had survived, the robots would have probably found them and annihilate them with their alien weapons."


"What should we do...?"

"We have to escape form this place no matter what. Our food supplies are depleting and the robots are getting closer!..."

"But where would we go?"

"Anywhere safe"

"But what about the place where it is safe, I thought you promised me?..."

"You have to fact the fact, that no one could have survived an attack like that"

"But....but"

"Enough talk more movement"

"Okay... ..."

"Here we go, the new world, it what we have to find..."

Reflection

I feel that not only using actions, situation and appearances allows us to show the feelings of the certain character. In this story, the dialogues at first have a more steady tone, and as the story or dialogue continues, the tone starts to get sad towards the end. The theme I chose was "The attack of robots, live or survive" which is basically about alien robots attacking Earth and destroyed almost everything in reach, and if you guessed it, the characters are a father and his son. I got this idea from the movie "I am Legend", where by the entire city is zombified and a doctor lives to find a cure. In the end, he finds a cure and there is a place where people are safe. What touches me is that he has served his purpose to find the cure, that is great responsibility and independence to live among the zombies.

Online Lesson (1)

Online Lesson Term 3 (1)
1) Turrets or cannons on the ship for battling
2) The “jackies” are the sailors of the ship. The reason why they were singing “war charities” was because they wanted to boost the sailor’s morale that were on the ship so they will fight with pride and die for the country their fighting for.
3) Both the gun and shovel are made of iron, and in the past during the war, the type of shovel called plowshares would be hammered into the guns, therefore a gun will always be with the shovel and that is why it is called “The shovel is a brother to the gun”

Paragraph B
1) The poem talks about enemy taking over the city and they have the higher order of the so called “court”, whereby all the citizens living in the captured city become slaves of the enemy and of course they would have to obey the enemies or masters’ commands. In shows and non-fiction scenes, the slaves have a tradition for always obeying their masters’ commands and from the enemies point of view, the title “And they obey” clearly illustrates the main story line.
2) This poem is an anti-war poem, thus is shows that in war, the citizens living there in the area have to rebuild the city that they have damaged.
3) It is harder to build it back up again, for example, the recent earthquake and tsunami that have damaged the nuclear reactors in the nuclear plants in Fukushima, the meltdown is still happening since March. Nowadays they are monitoring the movement of the food in and out, worrying that the food would contain radiation that will affect the people’s health. Recently, the meat have been sent in by Fukushima contained low levels of radiation and some even been sent to the countries nearby. In my view, the amount of damaged the nuclear meltdown have caused is much harder to build back than destroy or damage.

Paragraph C
1) The sounds of the future wars represent silent attack vehicle, which is supported by the fact that the poem states "silent wheels" indicating the wheels of vehicles make no sounds, and probably attacks with cannons as said in the poem “whirr of rods not yet dreamed out in the heads of men” which meant that they have not fired.
2) One “king” that has been kicked under the dust is the President of Egypt Mubarak, who was accused and forced to step down as President due to conflicts.

3-min Speech

3-min speech

Should the Singapore government show mercy towards Oliver Fricker?

Good afternoon teacher/Good afternoon teachers and fellow school mates, today I will be talking about the Singapore government should not show mercy towards Oliver Fricker. He cut through the fence of an SMRT Changi train depot with an accomplice and spray painting two metro train carriages with the words "McKoy Banos", a widely documented signature of graffiti artists who have vandalised trains around the world. Some of us might have thought that it was fine art, however to the Singapore government, it was a serious crime. We all know how severe is the punishment for those who vandalise in public and the government shows no mercy when following the rules. Afterall, rules are rules. I feel that vandalism has increased over the years as more and more cases of vandalism appear on the news, for example, Michael Fay who vandalised cars. If I were the government, I will not show mercy as vandalising the SMRT train, humiliates the transport system and the government, and this would be insulting the company. Would be humiliated if someone made fun of you? Surely, it would be yes. In conclusion, right now Singapore have shown mercy to Oliver Fricker by having only 3 strokes of the cane and 5 months in jail, despite the fact that he had committed vandalism before. Thank you.

War Poem (1942 WWII)

The War begins today
The fight has to be it
The one which will change the fate
Of the entire nation

Blood and Gor it may be
For it would be a tough fight
When the titans clash and fight
Flags with a red spot in a white background came down the hills
The fight is close
The British will stand to defend its territory
For it is their priceless trading area

Go Singapore
May we be saved and not defeated
May Our spirits soar
Even through thick and thin
What the battle it may be
We know they will give in their very
Best...

Expert Circle

Topic 1

Many scholars and historians all feel that the name “William Shakespeare” is a pen name for he real author of the plays to hide from the public and many scholars and literature historians all feel that the thought that “William Shakespeare” was simply a pen name is counted a fringe belief. Then, Shakespeare’s biography, particularly his humble origins and obscure life, seemed incompatible with his poetic eminence and his reputation for genius,arousing suspicion that Shakespeare might not have written the works attributed to him. The controversy has since spawned a vast body of literature, and more than 70 authorship candidates have been proposed, including Francis Bacon, the 6th Earl of Derby, Christopher Marlowe, and the 17th Earl of Oxford. The full list is available at : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Shakespeare_authorship_candidates. I feel that Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford is the most likely candidate to have written Shakespeare’s works. Edward was a well-educated and well-traveled nobleman of Queen Elizabeth court which may be comparable with the intelligence of William Shakespeare as William needed to very intelligent and also smart to be able to have written so many superb and historical plays which are still being acted and read till date. Another reason is that Edward was also not known being a playwright or a writer, and simply attributed to have high level of intelligence, which William Shakespeare may have wanted, not wanting anyone to recognise him for anything, if he used a pen name to avoid the public. Edward was also known to be pursuing literature, which William Shakespeare should be doing because the only reason he wrote so many plays was because he loved literature. Last but not least, the birth and death date of William Shakespeare is very close, with the birth date being unknown, only that it is known that he was baptised in 1564, which may be possible as Edward was born in 1550. However, there is a 14-year difference in the year of death, which may also be caused by mistake during recording such as assuming that he was dead just because he disappeared and left.

Topic 2

Queen Elizabeth was the queen of England and Ireland with her reign beginning from the 17th November 1558. Queen Elizabeth was also the last of the tudor dynasty. She was the successor of the Catholic Mary 1. There were a lot of dramatic shifts in the foreign policy as the Monarch became part of the Franco-Spanish-Burgundian triangle. Queen Elizabeth was alike with her grandfather, but her reign sees England in a fight with the Brussels and also England win the Spanish Armada in a war. She cared a lot about the European situation and she often changed the foreign policy. She then subsequently noticed that re-examination of the old-fashioned and well-trodden paths of her ancestors were needed. The king of Spain, the World’s most powerful man wanted Queen Elizabeth’s hand in marriage. However due to the fact that it would offend the citizens of England to have such direct relationships with Spain, hence she rejected the offer from Spain’s king. Queen Elizabeth was also very fond of William Shakespeare’s plays, as he always hinted passages which referred to Queen Elizabeth. She was simply a supporter of all plays and masques.

Topic 4

There was war happening often in Venice in the 14th and 15th century. However, Venice was an important trading centre and art centre because of Venice’s stable political climate. There was over a hundred thousand during the 15th to 16th century. Architecture, art, music and literature flourished in Venice and there were also a lot of craftsmen of different sectors roaming around Venice. Venice was also located along the main trading routes during the Renaissence. Jews were banned from England from 1290, but there are laws to protect those who support the city’s economy. Venice accepted the Jews a bit more than Elizabeth England, but the Jews were confined to ghettos when William Shakespeare wrote the Merchant of Venice.

Topic 6

Shakespeare’s plays were mainly performed in the Globe Theatre. The Globe Theatre has a simple exterior design but a more complicated interior design. As there was no lighting equipment in the theatre, hence the plays were mostly performed in the afternoon. The acquoustics and the actors needed to shout out their lines due to the poor conditions. The actors also stressed their enunciation and exaggerated in their theatrical gestures. The language was hence descriptive as the theatre was open aired and there were little scenery in the theatre. The Lord’s Chamberlain Men acted in William Shakespeare’s plays. Everyone was able to watch Shakespeare’s play as the minimum entrance fee was one penny which needed the person to stand throughout the whole play. Pay two penny and they will be able to sit on covered benches. Richer people would sit above or just to the side of the stage in the Lords’ rooms. Plays were banned temporarily due to plague in 1572 and all the actors were expelled formally from the city. This sparked off the building of playhouses. In the past, the conditions of the Globe Theatre was very terrible and the design was most probably adapted from inn-yards. However, the current Globe Theatre is a lot different. It was rebuilt 2 times. One was because the theatre was burned down by a fire and the second one was for renovation.

Gender Imbalance

If the ratio of the male population to the female population remains at such an imbalance rate, then the population of Asia will decrease, but before that could happen, the trend is that less babies are born and the population of a certain country will decrease, not many jobs are supplied to meet the demand of the great number of females.

If the ratio of the male population to the female population remains at such an imbalance rate, then the population of Asia will decrease. As the number of females increases, the number of marriages will decrease, resulting in lower birth rates in the certain country. Research has shown that the number of marriages in Asia has decreased by at least 2% from 2007 to 2009. 2% is huge, even for Singapore, whereby fertility rate is still below replacement rate of required 2.1 children per couple. If this trend continues, such countries like SIngapore would be badly hit as it can affect both the workforce and defensive force in the future.

If the ratio of the male population to the female population remains at such an imbalance rate, the amount of jobs available will not be enough for the great number of women. According to traditions, "Women are regarded as smarter beings than men, while men are regarded as the heavy work doers". The US Census Bureau notes that the 74 million people added to the world's population in 2002 were fewer than the high of 87 million people added in 1989–1990. The annual growth rate was 1.2 percent, down from the high of 2.2 percent in 1963-64. Which is the result of the increasing number of single men and women in the world. By 2002 the average was 2.6, and by 2009, 2.5. This is marginally above the global replacement fertility of 2.33. This fall has been accompanied by a decline in the world's population growth rate and in the actual annual population increase. In singapore, the jobs available for the women would not be enough as they require more tiertary level jobs, but Singapore's workforce is diversified and suitable for anyone of any level of education.

In conclusion if the ratio of the male population to the female population remains at such an imbalance rate, then the population of Asia will decrease and there will be lacking of females to occupy relevant jobs and lastly.

a paragraph of narrative, 100-150 words, in sentences of seven or fewer words. No sentence fragments! Each must have a subject and a verb

A paragraph of narrative, 100-150 words, in sentences of seven or fewer words. No sentence fragments! Each must have a subject and a verb

The night has to be it for me to have a heavenly good night sleep as these days I have been working like an over sized bee and moving all over the tiny island picking up passengers as they wave their godly to us arms to signal to us they need a lift and now I am drained out of my body and need a sleep and soon I heard a sound that nearly caused me to fall of the bed and clanking and thumping sounds were heard and I thought it was a thief and so I walked out of my room and went to investigate while my cat was still under my bed sleeping and my thoughts were right as it was a thief and the rest of the story would be in the hands of mine and so I held a yellow pages and went to whack out of the man in black who later I found out was my son who was trying to surprise me for my birthday and how embarrass I was.

Optimism

If optimism is not hard-wired into the brain as an evolutionary trait, humans will not be able to go beyond limits especially during the faces of danger. The world will be much more dull and pessimistic as time passes. When optimism goes out of reach, fail will obviously be an option to all situation which involves a face of trouble. From what I heard, optimism is somehow connected to creativity, without ideas to continue the chain of creativity, the chain would break and the world would have not much creativity.

The world will be in chaos if people do not have the optimism requirements. The problem is that if a person is pessimistic, he would most probably be unhappy all his life, bring it on to a larger scle of 6 billion people and you would find the entire world filled with chaos. One common scenario are the "creation" of burglars.

9/11 Poem "A tragic Accident"

This post shows a bit of details of the actual footage and after all a blog should have thoughts of your own.


9/11 Poem

The day was corrupted,
By a sudden burst of fire,
We were frigthened,
As the tragic story beings to fold,
The tail of the great bird stuck out of the center of everything,
At the height of a standing Titanic,
What had happened was oblivious to us,
As the climax begin to rise,
I heard from the crowd,
"Terror men strikes again"
What came to my mind first was the "Terror" group "Al-Qeada"
They have lived up to their names,

Back to the scene,
Was exceedingly shocking,
Machines of Red Crosses and Hoses sped to the scene,
And I pondered "Is it that bad"
And soon the answer will be revealed,
Battling the adversary was their job,
And soon the building started to lose to the fire,
Lives started to literally go down,
When people willingly jumped from the highest floor.

We waited for what seemed to be eternity,
And then the great structure fell vertically,
Crushing everything and everyone in it,
The bigger you are,
The harder you fall,
And soon the world plunges into darkness,
And I lay my sorrows to the heroes

From what I had learned from the 9/11 experience, terrorism is a major factor of danger. Even if we are in one of the most secured and safest country, we should not take it for granted and be aware at all times even if things seemed to be normal. I hope that the world would be peaceful in the future but it would be quite impossible as everyone has different views of things and that whats makes it interesting. It is like being in a perfect place whereby everyone is the same, act the same, eat the same food, talk the same, look the same, would it be creepy. In Singapore has faced one of the most serious escape of Mas Selamat, a fugitive working for the (JI)Jemaah Islamiah and was involved in a series of bombings in Bintan, Indonesia. Singapore's largest mahunt finally came to an end in 2009. This shows that Singapore has to tighten their security, and to ensure no terrorism takes place. If it does, consequences may be dire.

Attempting of Invictus

Invictus
Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the first stanza the writer says in the dark to "whatever gods may be" a prayer of thanks for his "unconquerable soul." First, the speaker is in some sort of metaphorical darkness, perhaps the darkness of despair. Second, he does not pray for strength, but gives thanks for the strength that he already has. The word "Black" represents evil and "The Pit" represents Hell where the Devils are. It is seen and heard from "pole to pole" all over the world and the writer thanks the god for giving him an "Undefeatable" soul and the ability to move on through adversary

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

In the second stanza, the writer does not talk about God's will or even fate; instead he speaks of "the fell clutch of circumstance" that is the word "fell" means bad or evil and "the bludeonings of chance," and indicates that he has overcome these bravely and without any help or complainings.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.
The third stanza is about death and what a trifle it seems to the speaker of the poem. This "place of wrath and tears", this life, it seems, is not full enough of pain and horror to frighten the reader and strong words such as "wrath" is anger and "tears" is pain. And death, "the Horror of the shade," could not possibly worry him, being an end to "wrath and tears". "Yet" he is not concerned in any way about death. Death is merely an end to suffering for our speaker.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll.
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.
In the 4th stanza, the writer talks about the the difficulties faced after death, and how "strait" means narrow in the biblical terms. No matter how narrow the "gate" or start of the journey, how "charged" or hard are the punishments of committing sins "punishments the scroll", the writer can do whatever he wishes to do but he must be careful of his doings "soul".

History of poem/Reflection

The poem was written while Henley was in the hospital being treated for tuberculosis of the bone, also known as Pott's disease. He had had the disease since he was very young, and his foot had been amputated shortly before he wrote the poem. This poem is about courage in the face of death, and holding on to one's own dignity despite the indignities life places before us. The poem shows the never give up attitude to go through thick and thin. Henley shows great determination in this poem, and reveals his character of him being a stubborn person, of never to give up. No matter how hard the fight, how deadly the consequences, we are the ones who can make it right. Like nowadays, in schools, many children come from poor families, unable to support the child's needs. But the childrem themselves must have the will to move on no matter what, otherwise they will not fit into the complicated society it is today. I feel that oneself's future is determine by his or her passion to achieve their dreams and hopes of becoming a better person.

Look up this video for the poem http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pJcwnS1c0I

Cheers :)
Ryan Lau

100 words, one-line, no breaking devices narrative scene

Day at the beach

The sun beats the golden fine sand revealing a fine sparkle that lights up the day as we walked down the stone warmed sidewalk and we met up with friends who we have not seen for a very long time and we sat down and laid our tent and laid the floor mat on the ground and at the same time admired the sun moving from east to west at the speed of mother earth's rotation and we had just set up the equipments and after that we went to seek for catches which will bring us food and then striked 6 pm when the sun slowly drown into the horizon and we could even hear the seagulls making sounds that should be heard and we lay on the sand wishing that this day would happen again

Credit for such a fine picture: http://www.google.com.sg/imgres?imgurl=http://www.fineartphotoblog.com/wp-content/uploads/another-day-at-the-beach-800.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.fineartphotoblog.com/uncategorized/another-day-at-the-beach&usg=__460VVxrIUANVj01X8fVfHpeafvk=&h=448&w=800&sz=111&hl=en&start=4&sig2=J1f60tZecqOM7o5mlsajQw&zoom=1&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=go89G2kIuqdtOM:&tbnh=80&tbnw=143&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dday%2Bat%2Bthe%2Bbeach%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26biw%3D1259%26bih%3D512%26rlz%3D1R2ADRA_enSG343%26tbm%3Disch&ei=U74OTtz2LsPprAe__PyHBA

Same-sex marriages (What does Singapore think of that?)

What does Singapore think of legalizing same-sex marriages?

Singapore will not legalize same-sex marriages any time soon.The criteria for a legalization of same sex marriage in Singapore does not really meet up to the requirements. According to Singapore's legal status, the government has never allowed homosexual sex between men. However, currently Singapore has never criminalize sex between women.Singapore will not legalize same-sex marriages any time soon. When we compare Singapore's legal status and New York's legal status, New York allows same sex marriages but Singapore do not. Just for simple reasons For example: Singapore has around a population of 5 million and further more Singapore faces a problem of a very low fertility rate. On the other hand, New York has a stable population of 19 million. This gives the right for New York to safely legalize same-sex marriages. According to the website "Sodomy Laws" ,the religion argument, that an Islamic or Christian society cannot tolerate homosexuality, has been used by the ruling parties in Singapore and Malaysia to defend their laws criminalizing homosexual acts. By defending the law of criminalizing homosexual acts, religious groups will not be affected or fumed. In addition, educationists oppose the idea of legalizing same-sex marriage, the Islams and Christians were strongly against same sex marriages as well.

Making NS mandatory develops Singaporen boys into men. Do you agree?

Making NS mandatory develops Singaporean boys into men as it helps to strengthen the soldiers' discipline, through tough training, team work and so on so forth. With the fact that Singapore being a small country or island, it is vulnerable to any attacks made by stronger nations. Therefore, it needs manpower to secure and defend the nation. To leave the life of relaxation and becoming an independent, disciplined young man is tough for the majority, as some are too soft. Every Singaporean boy of age 18 are to join the National Service (NS), right after completing their Junior College education. Nation Service (NS) is positioned between JC and University as it promotes and encourages them to be independent throughout their following lifespan. Serving the president and to serve the country is their main motive. One example of a situation whereby (NS) takes things seriously: There was a soldier who let his maid carry his bag.

Online lesson 6 (War journal)

Dear diary,

Today, we have suffered great loss and casualties, it has been a very tedious and hard day as the opposing enemy is strong and not giving up that easily. I fear that we have under estimated them too early and too much, as well as being arrogant that we will win. Fortunately, we managed to save people who were trapped in the area. The sight was horrible. People trapped there were pale-white, dressed in jail clothing and they really look like zombies. We automatically knew that we had to help these innocent people, by providing food and water. My partners and I went around the site, and saw burnt down houses, dead bodies, and the most shocking thing that when we opened the containers, it was lying with people who had probably died of starvation.

Hiding in the jungle for 2 weeks is one of the most challenging task, after retreating from the Japanese soldiers. I got shot in the leg, now it is wrapped in thick bandages to immobilize it and not hinder the healing process. My team mates were all captured or shot dead by the Japanese. What kept me alive was the fact that I could react quickly, protecting myself every step before we were outnumbered. I was demoralized, I have to protect myself and the country "Singapore" from falling into the wrong hands.

That I end with a prayer that tomorrow would be much better than the rest and may the souls of the lost soldiers rest in peace. I am tired, I am devastated, I will fight till my death and that is the scarification I will make in this battle.

Signing off,

Ryan Lau the soldier with great might

Social Media

Q: Social media has made us less social. Do you agree?

Social media has negative effects such as causing people to be less social-able. I do agree with the statement that social media has made us less social as we tend to use the network to communicate with one another rather than having a face-to-face conversation. When a particular person does not practice conversing face-to-face, he would be more afraid to communicate with others and thus have less friends. Social media not only has negative impact on the character of a particular person, but on the body too. Spending too much time on the computer would cause a person to be unhealthy as he would be tired regularly. In conclusion, with this negative effects on the person, social media should not be taken for granted.

Which shows teamwork?

People Action Party (Marine Parade GRC) poster shows more teamwork as Senior Minister Goh has a bigger figure than the rest of the members, signaling he is the leader of the GRC with the help of the members. Furthermore, they are all looking forward, telling us that they are working together as one to lead the nation. On the other hand, the NSP poster shows a much commanding order as they have a picture of the voting slip to vote for them indicated with a cross. Furthermore, the members of the NSP (Marine Parade GRC) are looking in different directions telling me that all of them have different ambitions and thought, therefore not much teamwork.

Do we still need heroes? (The 5 paragraphs)

Without heroes, the whole world will be in great chaos. Heroes are normally referred to as people with supernatural powers, but in my point of view, everyone is a hero. We see heroes as, policemen, fire fighters, soldiers, etc. Heroes risk their lives to save others in the most horrible situations. For example, the current nuclear emergency is occurring in Japan, and the 50 workers which stayed behind while the other 750 ran away, are trying to fix the problem. In addition, when others are creating trouble, they would be there to help.

Heroes risk their lives to save others in the most horrible situations. Like, the recent earthquake had damaged the cooling systems in one of the plants, causing the nuclear rods to overheat. In addition, there was a possibility that a meltdown would occur. However, out of 800 workers, 50 stayed behind to prevent the overheating of the nuclear rods, while the 750 others ran away. The 50 were brave and put themselves above others, are traits of a true hero. Being brave and risk their lives for the sake of others, the government named them the, Fukushima 50. Unafraid of radiation and working in the worse conditions to prevent a nuclear meltdown, they are trying very hard to bring happiness to the society. With such bravery, risking their lives for the sake of others, and trying their best to make things better, the Fukushima 50 are heroes.

Everyone is a hero, helping others is already a trait of a hero. When I help others, it makes me feel like I am a hero, and has brought happiness to others. For instance, recently I helped to tutor my friend who was weak at a particular subject; I gave him slides and played fun games relating to the topic. Learning cannot be interesting when there is no fun. So after much tutoring, came the first test, which he obtained higher marks than before. From my action, I helped others when they are in need of help, which mean that I am also a hero. Being a hero is not a problem if you have the right stuff and put others above yourself.

Heroes can be fire fighters, policemen, doctors, soldiers, etc. Being a hero is sort of a job for each of them. For instance, when a burglar robs a provision shop, the police will be there to arrest the culprit. On the other hand, when a house is on fire and burning, the fire fighters will be the ones who are specialize in that area. I think that in our neighbourhood there are heroes waiting for action to happen, until then they would be preparing for the next emergency.

In conclusion, everyone is a hero, and with much sacrifices and much bravery, can turn an ordinary person to a hero. In addition, I think that we do still need hero otherwise, the whole world will be in great chaos.

Do we still need heroes?

Why do we still need heroes? Well, without them the whole world will be in great chaos, heroes are normally referred to as people with supernatural powers, but in my point of view, everyone is a hero. We see heroes as, policemen, fire fighters, soldiers, etc. For example, the current nuclear emergency is occurring in Japan, and the 50 workers which stayed behind while the other 750 ran away, are trying to fix the problem. They are heroes as they are risking their lives for the sake of with heroes in the society, when others are creating trouble, they would be there to help.

Garfield Comic Strip

I mostly enjoy the comic strips of Garfield and friends, which is a comedy on the television. I often read them on the newspapers when I have the time, but the utmost reason for reading this comic strips is that I like the drawings, they are very original and smooth. Comic strips are way different from the comic books and manga series, as they are much shorter as well as easier to understand or interpret it. Garfield is a fat cat who makes the life of his owner difficult which makes it funny and entertaining. I would recommend this to people who like pranks or just looking for entertainment.

Letter to the Japanese

Dear Lakashima,

I am very sorry to hear that your country has been hit by a land devastating tsunami and I would like to show my condolences. I am from Singapore by the way, and my country is doing all it can to aid your country by sending in paramedics and donations from donation drives all around my country. I am very sorry to hear that your life has been ruin by the tsunami, now you do not even have a place to leave, I hope your relatives living in the area is alright, cause any lives lost can be a lost for us. I can assure you that there are helpful people out there who will do all they can to aid you.

The War

Group #2: The Civil War

a. Identify the southern US states during the Civil War.

Texas, Florida, Tennessee, LA, ARK, MISS, ALA, Georgia, N.Carolina, S.Carolina and Virginia.

b. Who was the US president who proclaimed war against the South?

Abraham Lincoln was the US president who proclaimed war against the South.

c. Why was the Civil War fought?

http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=142717
http://oep.oxfordjournals.org/content/50/4/563.short
The Civil War was fought mainly because of steady accumulation of protracted conflicts since the 1950s and 1960s and conditions that favor insurgency. These include poverty—which marks financially and bureaucratically weak states and also favors rebel recruitment—political instability, rough terrain, and large populations.

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d. When was this war fought?

Ans:The was fought 1861 - 1865

e. What was the outcome of this war?

http://www.uky.edu/~clthyn2/PS439G/readings/derouen_sobek_2004.pdf
Many people died

f. How does the Civil War relate to TKAM?

Both are similar in the factor of racial tension. So, the American Civil War was based a lot upon the disagreement over slavery. In "To Kill a Mockingbird" the case about Tom Robinson also has to do with the racial tensions that were going on in this time period

Reflections
After doing this assignment, I have learned more about the aspects of the Civil War. Which is related to "To Kill A Mocking Bird", whereby both are similar in the factor of racial tension. This assignment has deepen my understanding of racial tension which falls under the category of prejudice. We also managed to watch a base-understanding film of "Mississippi Burning" which greatly represents the "To Kill A Mocking Bird". This term concentrates on prejudice which is present in the current world.

Jack and Jill

Rewriting nursery rhyme "Jack and Jill"into different types/forms

The original rhyme:

Jack and Jill went up the hill

To fetch a pail of water.

Jack fell down and broke his crown,

And Jill came tumbling after.

Up Jack got, and home did trot,

As fast as he could caper,

To old Dame Dob, who patched his nob

With vinegar and brown paper

Narrative

The sun was beating relentlessly on both them, they climbed up the tall hill. Jack insisted that they will race down the hill after fetching the pail of water, and then decide who will be the winner.

In a flash, Jack and Jill ran down the hill with all their might, hoping to outrun each other. However, Jack slipped on a wet patch of grass, and tumbled down the hill. Jill stared at Jack who was seriously injured, blood oozing out from his left leg. Jill brought Jack back home, where he was treated with vinegar and brown paper.

News article

Two children were found injured yesterday. It was known that they said that they were playing on the particular hill across their home and unfortunately, fell down it. There have been reports of saying that the hill was not a safe place to be for small kids and adults should accompany them. "I was foolish to run down that hill when I knew that it was dangerous", says Jack, 9. Therefore, the hill will be cordoned off until further notices.

Reflection on CIP

This CIP experience was a great learning experience for me as I was given the opportunity to interact with the old folks and get to know them better. When taking care of an old folk we should be very gentle as they are fragile, and not treat them like we treat our friends. In this learning journey, it is a great opportunity to learn how to help out others especially the needy when doing voluntary work. The old folk I helped out was an old nun of about 70 over years, but I did not expect that she stil had a good memory. In a matter of fact, the teachers told us that we would be handling those with dementia. She was kind and still active, being a Roman-christian, we managed to talk a lot. My friend and I were the ones who are taking care of the old folk, we brought her throughout the shopping centre to places such as, NTUC, Market, Popular, Pet store. We had a great time! In my opinion, I think that singaporeans shoulds take care of their elders as they have been taking care of us when we were young. It would be a cycle of adults helping the young and in return young help adult in the much later years.

Cheers,
Ryan Lau

Letter to "The Straits Times"

The recent earthquake and tsunamis which hit Japan caused unexpected situations to happen. The earthquake had damaged the cooling systems which as a resulted in the overheating of one of the nuclear plants' nuclear rod. Unfortunately, a meltdown had occurred and caused a radiation leak, therefore contaminating anything nearby. What Singapore had done, was to help aid the residents of Fukushima island. In addition, Singapore took safety precautions such as setting a band on Japan exported goods. Not long ago, vegetables were exported from Japan to Singapore, and found to have contaminated by radiation, and had to destroy any goods which were contaminated. We are lucky to be in a free-of-natural-disaster like Singapore. This recent catastrophe had a great impact on me as I think that we should not take situations like this for granted and always be ready. Many charities are raising funds for the victims in Japan.