It is not the end (Term 1)

It is coming to the end of term 1, but it is not the end, so I am writing this blog post to reflect about what have I learned, what have I discovered, and compare with last year's term 1 reflection. It has been a stressful term for me as we had lots of test, projects, lectures, and of course homework, but I did not take any of this things for granted, I make sure that I have remembered what I had learned through the following weeks. Many things have changed since last year, for instance, "The future school scheme" we have been using this term. It gives us the opportunity to use IT in our lessons, learning out of the normal usual school curriculum. I can see improvement since last year when I started of with Language Arts, I was unsure, quiet and quite blur, but now I have the confidence to speak up in class. I have learn how to write a proper character setting, the plot and how to establish moods effectively. It is a good term for me, that is what I think... What I think is meaningful to me in term 1 is the lessons on "To Kill A Mocking Bird", as it teaches me the ways of writing narrative, and shows that the author has concentrated on the characters feelings.

"I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE PICTURES I HAVE POSTED(EXCEPT FOR THE PICTURES THAT I HAVE TAKEN)"

Using Meaningful words

Many world-renown writers would write stories up to 2 thousand pages, but there is a writer I would like to talk about today, and he is Ernest Heimingway. Ernest Hemingway, as a young newspaperman in the 1920s, bet his colleagues $10 that he could write a complete story in just six words. And what do you know, he won the bet and the cash prize with this "For sale. Baby shoes. Never worn." Well, that is well down to earth that short, actually this "sentence" does not have a definite story line, in addition, as you read, there would be full stops in between which generates 3 pictures in our minds.

"For sale.": Jumble sale, donation drive
"Baby shoes.":Following the words after the sale, there is a pair of baby shoes
"Never worn.": Then a picture appears sad, "Never" is a very strong and negative word,
now you would think about the bad situation which had happened.

What Hemingway does, and in a tricky way, is leave out everything apart from those words which are going to trigger emotions and leave the reader to fill in the story. It's a trick, but a brilliant one. His story doesn't answer questions, it poses them. Then you might poses a question to the question, "What had happened to the baby!" Then like I indicated earlier, that a bad situation strikes your mind about the baby.

This is a response made by a guy in the forum
"What happened to this baby for whom shoes were bought but which are not now required? Why would a baby no longer require shoes? The responses all seem tragic, death, illness, kidnapping, every one a parent's nightmare. The parents then, or those who placed the advertisement, are the protagonists. The group of characters are unknown, the question of what took the baby. By the time we get to the story it is over and we are left to use our own imaginations to fill in the pieces. We must create, in our own heads, the beginning, middle and probably tragic end. "

From this situation, I feel that a story does not have to be long and exciting, but it can be a sentence consisting of a few meaningful words. When writing compositions, we should try to use powerful words to add the feeling.

Trying out
1) Up for rent. Abandoned house. Since 1950. (It gives the feeling of the spooks)
2) Empty field. Damaged land. One tree. (It gives the feeling of curiosity)

Online Lesson #4

a.(Sight) The picture of an army camp across my house. In the night, half of the army camp is in total pitch black while the other half lit by a 2 storey tall lamp post, lights in the rooms will go on and off repeatedly, barbed wires looked as sharp as the sharpest needles you could find. The building stand as tall as my condominium, made of red bricks and orange painted walls, it is one of the most weirdest looking building around.

b.(Hearing) The sound of the night is unique. With the constant firing of empty guns, it goes in the tune of many birds chirping repeatedly. Imitating the sound of the rapid rattling of the guns, I would make a tune out of it. Out of sudden, the "masters" of the camp would scream and yell so loud that I could hear them from my room.

c.(Sight) The design of that specific block, is like a "L" shape, directing all of the sound towards my home. Training in the night, the solders would navigate through tyres and obstacles.

d.(Sight) Green patches of damaged grass can be seen on the court and often, many of the soldiers were seen setting up tents to prepare for the night. Whether it is tedious or painful, our turn will come. (Hearing) Sometimes we can hear the sounds of army vehicles and men marching towards the streets.

Two Best Sentences(a and b)

a)In the night, half of the army camp is in total pitch black while the other half lit by a 2 storey tall lamp post, lights in the rooms will go on and off repeatedly, barbed wires looked as sharp as the sharpest needles you could find. The building stand as tall as my condominium, made of red bricks and white painted walls, like a Singapore flag. (metaphor)

b)The sound of the night is unique. With the constant frenzy firing of guns, it goes in the tune of many birds chirping repeatedly. Imitating the sound of the rapid rattling of the guns, I would make a tune out of it. Out of sudden, the "masters" of the camp would scream and yell so loud that I could hear them from my room. (illiteration)

Photos in the night (After rain)

I'm Afraid

I'm afraid,
I'm terrified,
I'm petrified,
I'm obliterated,
But this does not count that,
I'm afraid,

I'm afraid of the dark,
with the dog's bark,
I lay my hands on my eyes,
Thinking of new ways of ice,
I'm afraid oh yes, I'm afraid...

Now this is just a poem I thought of,
Which represents me in a way that,
I am afraid of the dark,
So don't tease me,
For I believe in not using violence...

I am Tired

Poem(Tired)
I'm tired of everything!
I'm tired of homework,
I'm tired of school,
All I want, is to have a good rest!
Time flies, like a feather dropping from a nest,
Time flies,
We should be happy,
for it is gonna be the weekends!

I'm tired of tuition,
I'm tired of irritating people,
I'm tired of being tired,
As car tires,
Screech to a halt,
When people ran to the hall,
I kicked the wall,
Making myself calm,
Before I tackle the hard day's hell.

The Neighborhood (Bagnall Court)

"Bagnall Court"
I live in a condominium called "Bagnall Court" all my life for 14 years and counting. It is rather interesting to live hear as majority of the neighbors are kind. Around the neighborhood, you will see long roads which go from end to end. Beside my home, is a food court, aroma of the tasty food catches my attention when ever I walk home. I still could remember that the food court used to be made of old rusty metal plates whereas now, concrete and steel were the materials used. Almost every month, we hear alarms of cars going off for about 1 hr before it stops, it can be irritating but I make use of it to entertain my sister. During the monsoon seasons, the carpark which is situated below the court, will get flooded due to blockage in drainage system, my friends and I will sometimes or most of the times play in the "pool" and even try to cycle in it. Nearby is a supermarket "cold storage" where we go to to buy stuffs. I would sometimes go there to see the cheeses, especially blue ones. I love living here it is my childhood place.

Tolerance

After the discussion, we have found out that Atticus Finch has a high level of tolerance and has the ability to face odds like the one we have discussed. We even separated into different criteria s of level of tolerance, in addition had point of views of each character to see how we would react to the situation the selected character. I was surprise that Atticus did not go berserk because of the fact that he is being criticized for defending a negro. Will it just make you angry that people are racist? Atticus should be proud of himself by tolerating a crowd. Now this how we think this is related to tolerance. Firstly, racism is an act of unfairness of one's opinion towards the opposing race, when this is brought to a higher level like a crowd, it will be catastrophic. Back to the topic of tolerance, I still think that Atticus' level of tolerance is very high to be able to withstand the crowd's criticism and threats posted to him. Although most people are "allies" with Atticus, the overpowering of the rich and the "higher-order" people made it seem tough but Atticus never gave up.

These are examples of Atticus' tolerance.



Our discussion where most of the information is available: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1OmsbWQRnnd_3_c-TOpGGxngdrhZBtWVsL6aZ9Awgk0s/edit?hl=en&pli=1#

Singapore Story

Singapore past
18 April 1941.
It is my birthday! This year, I am turning 9 years of age and my relatives both from Singapore as well as Malaysia are coming to celebrate my birthday. I was the son of a rich man who owned a tin mine in Melaka. I remembered once when I visited the tin mine, the atmosphere was intense, many workers were working hard, and their charred faces made me feel sorry for them. I heard that many came from nearby villages whose children had never been to school. None was as fortunate as I was, nor as lonely.
School was a place where we get to learn about society but mostly it revolves around England. My school was situated on the top of the highest hill, which was surrounded by greenery. My school mates were mostly British; therefore I tend to pick up their intonation. I was good in debates and my father thought I am a potential lawyer, but I felt that it was boring. I wanted to become an adventurer. I agree that school was fun, but nothing is as sweet as home.
I lived in a mansion which lies in front of the majestic forest. My house was grey with a tint of white, with staircases all over. One may even need a map to keep track of their location! The floor was made of marble but it was very smooth that you can even sleep on it. The best part of the house was the balcony. Surrounded by many different plants and small trees, I would go to the balcony and stare at the clouds whenever I wanted to be alone. We never needed to do any housework. All was done by our servants, and we had many.
One thing that stroked me was my grandfather who tends to walk through the forest behind my mansion to pluck out herbs and weeds to make a concoction for illnesses. As a little boy, I used to tag along and had my own adventures. Many creatures lived in that forest, but the fiercest of them all was the tiger; a sharp tooth, large body, sharp claws and has the ability to kill a grown man. There have been rumors that people went deep into the forest and never return alive.
It was 10 minutes before my birthday party starts and so far, only my Singapore relatives have turned up. What had happened to the rest? Are they lost? Will they find their way here?
“Sorry we took so long, the roads were so confusing!”, Aunty Rosalind apologized.
“The roads here are so bumpy”, grumbled old Uncle Long. “But we made it..! Where’s my favorite birthday boy?”
The party was filled with relatives chatting, kids playing games and lots of delicious Peranakan food. My favorite was “Babi Ponteh”. Oh how I love the sweet-saltiness taste of the gravy and the potatoes which floats in it and the pork which released a blast of aroma in your faces. That was the best party ever!


15th February 1942
One year had passed and I wished that this year was as exciting as the previous year. I just love excitement. But what happened next was totally out of my expectations.
It was a clear day. Out of sudden, sirens rang throughout the country. “What is happening, Father?” I asked. “This is bad, real bad,” he replied in a nervous tone. Mother, Father and I looked out of the window and saw what seemed to be, Japanese warplanes!” War has finally hit home. But why here and now? What have we done to deserve this? “I am afraid the British had failed us…” Father said once more but this time looked down in fright. However this is just the beginning.
“Everyone evacuate, THE JAPANESE ARE COMING!” a loud voice came from outside. I looked out of the window, and saw Grandpa running towards the mansion. “They are in the nearby town!” he warned. We were lucky that it takes 4 days to reach our house by foot. In a flash, we all quickly rushed to prepare for the adversary. We hid all of our valuables in the storage room which was situated deep beneath the mansion, and most unexpected of all was my grandmother who manage to dig a hole large enough to hide her valuables.
17th February 1942
It was time to leave. At this point, we had already hidden our entire valuable in places the Japanese could not find. “ROAR!” a thunder came through the forest. It is the tiger! We had no choice, but to continue. Soon we reached an old abandon hut which was built by my grandfather. “I remembered when I was young; I always came here to play. Until that tiger came here.” Grandpa recalled.
What was in the hut was a thing of the past, rusty cans of tuna, decomposed paper airplanes, torn slippers, broken buckets, so on and so forth. In the corners of the hut were growing mushrooms and greasy wooden planks on the ground. This hut was actually an old storage room used by my ancestors. As I went through the shelves, the planks which supported it collapsed bringing all the stuffs which once sat on it down. “Look at this mess! I am going outside to keep a look out for danger”, Father went out of the stuffy hut to get fresh air. This is the place where we are going to stay until the Japanese soldiers have left. Meanwhile, Grandpa was looking through the mess and what he found was a miniature statue of the Son of God, Jesus, which he said that it was more than 200 years old. “I thought I had lost this many years ago! This was passed down by my ancestors!” Grandpa realized. As we knew, Jesus was the son of God who save us of our sins, as being Catholics we were rather positive than negative.
At this moment, Father actually went back to the house to get the butlers to guard the house. Whenever we needed anything, the butlers will be around to help.
10th August 1945
After living for three years from the last time we entered this forest, we survived, we managed our lives and went through the war. By then I was 13 years old, I could not remember when the last time I celebrated my birthday was. It seemed like eternity, we got out of the forest and went back to our mansion.
Upon arrival, I saw the mansion, it was horrible, the plants which surrounded it died, parts of the mansion was spray painted and chips of cement fell of the walls. This was not the case; all that matters was the fact that we were still alive and together. Mother, Father, Grandma, Grandpa, we were together.
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A scene of my favourite movie

The scene of my favourite movie is this, the part when the Polar Express arrived at the main character's house. This picture depicts the scene of the boy outside the house. The setting of this scene is spooky and surprisingly at the same time relaxing. In the setting the Polar Express came down the rails which appeared suddenly and with the hissing sound coming from it. In addition, snow is coming down from the sky, giving a feeling that it is very cool. When I say that it was relaxing, I meant that in such a cold weather, and a train comes around blowing warm air around it. The setting is spooky as there is a mist surrounding the train that appears mysteriously, the boy was probably scared and curious about this train.

Favourite Fictional Characters

My most favourite fictional character is Doraemon is a Japanese manga series created by Fujiko F. Fujio. This fictional character has a pouch which leads to another dimension, whenever he needs a gadget, he would just put his paws into his pouch and takes it out. What I like about Doraemon is the fact that he is cat. He travels back in time from the 22nd century to aid a schoolboy, Nobita Nobi. The gadgets that he finds in his pouch are hi-tech and amazing. Any way, who can time travel at this time and day?

Chinese Names

Names, are a symbol which represents a person's identity. it is something which you will be tagged with for the rest of your life and it is your only way to differentiate yourself from others. English characters and English characters are very different, but today I will be talking about Chinese names.

My English Name:Ryan Lau
My Chinese Name:刘乐洋

Meaning of my Chinese name,
-刘 is my Surname
-乐: Happy
-洋: Ocean

Basically it means happy ocean...

To me english names are more mysterious to me as they do not have a meaning of their own. In addition, I feel that names are special to everyone, not just humans but animals, plants, bacteria. Imagine a world without names, will it be chaotic? If we do not know the names of bacteria, how do we recognise them? So we should be thankful for have names...

Name's Definition:
a word or a combination of words by which a person, place, or thing, a body or class, or any object of thought is designated, called, or known.

By,
Ryan Lau