Term 3 Post 6

I believe that Justice and Mercy can indeed co-exist. Mercy can still be displayed when justice is shown. This is because the definition of these two words are highly debatable. Justice is served if the party blamed gets spared, because the accusing party had the final say as to whether or not she wanted to pursue the case. This can only be achieved when the accusing party shows mercy. Also, I feel that mercy exists in many forms all around us. The enlightenment of a guilty party's punishment is definitely an act of mercy, yet justice at the same time is demonstrated, by the simple fact that he was indeed punished. Another example would be an examiner showing mercy and marking more leniently when the examinee clearly does not deserve the grade. Again this is mercy co-existing with justice. This reflects how mercy can only be shown and justice still be served.

Term 3 Post 5

I feel that Shakespeare's intention of creating Shylock is to portray the image of Jews. Shylock is a very negative character in the book. He sees money more important than his daughter, as depicted in act 1 scene 3. This shows us how much a loser Shylock is, because even though his daughter is of his own blood, he would rather have the wealth. Also, Shylock was seen as an inhumane character, when he was so determined to cut off a pound of flash from Bassanio. This can be referenced to act 4 scene 1 and act 3 scene 3. In short, Shylock is a cunning villian in every aspect. Shakespeare is a christian and disliked the Jews. This can be seen from the many concrete evidence that we have. For one, the Jews were accused of doing many terrible things, which included sacrificing children who were Christian and drinking their blood. It is not difficult to see why the Christians disliked the Jews, and thus the reason behind creating Shylock is to show the Christian's hatred towards the Jews.

Term 3 Post 4

In this article, Jim Roger's argument is that the West are becoming the debtors, whereas the East are becoming the creditors. Therefore, it is important to learn chinese. Also, to learn chinese effectively, one must have the correct environment.

America is utterly failing to produce a generation of global citizens, with only 37% of Americans holding a passport. This shows that a large percentage of the Americans fail to look into the future, thus not able to see the importance of travelling overseas and improve oneself. This can be a very serious problem, because the reality shows that the West is gradually coming to a financial downturn. The learning of Chinese is especially important now, since China would most probably the country that leads the world in the near future. To be able to converse well with the leading nation, one must definitely know Chinese.

Also, being able to blend into the Chinese society by understanding their cultures would be a great help as well. I feel that people from all over the world will soon migrate to China for a better living condition. And since it is gaining power as we speak, it is essential to a citizen of China as soon as possible.

To start off, it would be better if one comes to places like Singapore and Taiwan to stay temporarily, which would act as an adaption period. If a child is brought up in such an environment, she would have a start ahead of other child. In the future, it is almost definite that she would be a very rich person.

Term 3 Post 3

I fully agree with Janalle's point of view. I feel that the educational system in Singapore is pointing in the wrong direction. In this country all that matters is doing the right thing and emerge as champions, and it makes us think of this question: are we using the right method? In many cases, such as "why is carbon a non-metal" as mentioned, questions are not answered. Perhaps most of the teachers do not even know the answer to that themselves. All they think of is probably what can carbon be used to make? Janalle then elaborates on the point that Singaporeans are taught to help an old lady cross the road when she looks like she needed some help, but in actual fact how many bothers to reach out to these people in need of help? It has become such that Singapore's educational system is ineffective, and this is made worse by the fact that teachers often take up CME lessons for their own subject's. This proves that Singaporeans see academic results more important than moral values.

An ideal education would be possible. It is only a matter of whether the government wants to put in more effort in realising it. For one, I have been to Taiwan and saw how everybody lined up for the elevator and stood by one side for those who are in a hurry to walk past. They do this without reminder and it makes me ashamed to see that Singapore is far from their standard. In actual fact, they received education on all these, and even though they may not be as advanced in technology as Singapore, they certainly have cultivated much more moral values than us. All of these lie in education. We can see the importance of it in many ways. Also, if the teachers would let down their pride and hesitate for a second to think why certain things are also, I strongly believe that the educational system would be much better than it is currently. Most teachers regard simple questions as something that is not worth taking up their time to figure out, however in many cases it is these "simple things" that they fail to comprehend. To sum up, I really hope that the government will see the light as soon as possible, because not only does this lead to foreigners looking on us, Singaporeans will also lack moral values themselves.

Term 3 Post 2

I think that there is a difference between treating water as a human right and as a commodity. I feel that water is a human right and it would be wrong to use it as a commodity.

Some may say that even though water is a human right, there are people who are not privileged enough to purchase sufficient water. For the people living in these areas, water must be purchased via other countries, thus it is very unfair. Even though they may not have natural water resources, they should at the very least be able to purchase them. However, I feel that selling water as a profit is a very selfish thing to do. These profits are private, but the water belonged to everyone.

Water is a very valuable resource. It belongs to the Earth and everyone living in it. It should be conserved for the later generations, not sold to other people for a profit. Then again, what would happen to those who are not rich enough to pay for the water? Should not water be something entitled to everyone? Or would be it be such that only the rich gets to drink? People definitely need water to survive, therefore the more should water be provided equitably to all people and not on the basis of the ability to pay.

Since water belongs to everyone and anyone, there should not be any selling of water. This is especially the case when people are selling water to earn a private profit. Not only is this morally wrong, it is not justified and definitely morally wrong.

Term 3 Post 1

I feel that giving of weekly days off should be legislated in Singapore. To start off, I would like to state a fact-- maids are humans too. They, too, need a break like everyone else. The problem here would be whether or not at least once per week would be too much a break for maids. In my opinion, breaks are very important to workers and maids, because it helps minimise significantly the number of issues regarding stress and overwork.

Not only can stress and overwork lead to health problems, the morales of such workers can be greatly affected too. Singaporeans complain that they are working for prolonged hours, but have they ever spared a thought for maids then, who definitely work longer hours than they themselves?

I think that the maids would work more efficient given sufficient rest. One day off would not be over demanding. However I do feel that the maids have an obligation to report what they have done with the money/ time outside. This is because there were several incidents whereby the maids went out late in the night and went home pregnant. This causes much trouble for both the employee and the employer. If both parties cooperate, I am very sure that these disputes would be avoided.

Sundays are deemed as the day for most people to rest. Maybe it would be most ideal to allow the maids to take a break like the rest of the family. Maids would certainly feel bored if they are stuck to chores everyday without break.

To conclude, I find breaks especially important in whatever we do. Not only is it only fair for maids to have weekly days off, it also increase the efficiency level from maids in whatever chores they do.

Children in the darkness -task 2

Point of view- 3rd person point of view

The poem was narrating about the situation of the children, and it did not focus on the description of the children's personal feelings, which proves that it is a 3rd person's point of view.

Situation & Setting- It is narrating on the children that lives a completely different live, and born in a world of war with no light. It shows how blinded they have been turned into by the external circumstances and why it deserves our sympathy. The phrase "war consume them" further evokes the reader's feelings on how the children have been used as a machine for war, which then leads to the war being the entire point of their lives.

Language/Diction- Metaphors were used. One example would be the title, in which darkness do not necessarily meant a place with no bright light to light up the place. It has a deeper meaning in which refers to being blinded by war.

Personal Response- One will definitely empathise after seeing how children from somewhere on the other side of the world are living their lives. It will lead us into thinking how we do not treasure our lives and dampen it when others are clearly suffering much more than us.

Children in the darkness -task 1

Even though the title suggested that the poem was about poem living in the darkness, upon reading the poem one would realise that it is not referring to the children literally living in darkness. It actually reflected on how some children were forced to join the war and not giving them a chance to study and do other things a child should at that age. It also shows that it is not the child that does not wish to be like any other normal kid, but its because they were never given the exposure to learning and playing. This poem evokes feelings of sympathy towards these children as their lives were bound to be lived in misery.

Term 2 Post 4

I survived the ordeal.
It was painful watching my comrades die in the battle, but as time passes I learnt to deal with it.
War leads to suffering. Most of the time, you wouldn't even know how you die. It is as though you were running along with your team mates and suddenly you were shot. For those unfortunate enough to have to endure the pain before his life ebbs away, it was the moment in which they would think of their beloved ones. Even though we all went for the war prepared to die, it was still heartbreaking thinking how your loved ones would feel knowing your death. Struggling against death itself was useless, we all know that. Miracles do happen in war. Sometimes your entire team gets slaughtered but you and only you survived. But getting hit by a missile or a rifle straight through your chest and surviving it, not very probable. That was one thing I learnt through my experiences in war. You have to learn to let go of certain things.

For me, I had nothing to lose. I had no family left to begin with. They were all killed before the war. That was why I decided to join the armed forces in the first place. I signed up for the war bringing nothing along with me, and even though I survived, I came to realise that I bought nothing back along with me. So what if I did kill a few more people and somehow felt that my family was avenged? I tried thinking the problem in the perspective of the other party's family member. To them, their loved one died in a war. No matter which side you may be standing on, you will always feel the hurt. Do I gain pleasure and honour killing others? No. This is why wars go on continuously. The warlords have the urge to seek revenge or have their own other intentions, but those who foolishly offered themselves to war, and those who were forced to join in the fight-- those are the people who suffer in the end.

Wars brings misery. The advancement of technology only brought the killing of your opponent to a higher level. As all of us get astounded by the motion seeking missiles and killing machines, how many of us actually see that these are things that lead to the death of other people? Certainly war is important, but I am pretty sure there are many other ways to resolve different opinions other than through combat.

Yes, most of my comrades died. What was achieved in the end? Nothing but a sense of despair.

Term 2 Post 3

The First Sino-Japanese War occurred from 1 August 1894 to 17 April 1895. It was a battle between the Qing Dynasty of China and Meiji Japan, primarily over the control of Korea. After more than six months of continuous successes by Japanese army and naval forces and the loss of the Chinese port of Weihaiwei, the Qing leadership sued for peace in February 1895.
Direct results of the war showed that the military strength and sovereignty of the Qing Dynasty had been severely weakened during the nineteenth century. It demonstrated that forced reform had modernized Japan significantly since the Meiji Restoration in 1867, especially as compared with the Self-Strengthening Movement in China. Regional dominance in East Asia shifted from China to Japan. The Qing Dynasty, along with the classical tradition in China, were the ones who suffered a major blow.

In order to protect its own interests and security, Japan wanted to either add Korea to its own force before it was seized by another power or at least ensure Korea's effective independence by developing its resources and reforming its administration. As Prussian advisor, Major Klemens Meckel put it, Korea was "a dagger pointed at the heart of Japan". Japan felt that another power having a military presence on the Korean peninsula would have been a threat to Japanese national security and so they resolved to end the centuries-old Chinese control over Korea. Moreover, Japan realized that having access to Korea’s coal and iron ore deposits would benefit Japan's growing industrial base.

The Second Sino-Japanese War occurred from July 7, 1937 to September 9, 1945. It was a conflict fought primarily between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. From 1937 to 1941, China fought Japan with some economic help from Germany, the Soviet Union and the United States. After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour, the war merged into the greater conflict of World War II as a major front of what is broadly known as the Pacific War. The Second Sino-Japanese War was the largest Asian war in the 20th century.

The war ended with the surrender of Japan. Before 1937, China and Japan fought in small, localized engagements, so-called "incidents". Yet the two sides, for a variety of reasons, refrained from fighting a total war. In 1931, there was a Japanese invasion of Manchuria. The last of these incidents was the Marco Polo Bridge Incident, which took place in 1937, marking the beginning of total war between the two countries.

Students should be given more freedom in deciding school rules

Excessive freedom leads to disasters. Whenever there is too much freedom given, people tend to abuse it. If the laws of the country are chosen by its people, where stealing and robbing isn't a crime, the country is bound to have disasters. Therefore, to a certain extent, students should not be given more freedom in deciding school rules.

It may be a good idea, however, to allow students to propose suggestions to the school rules. This is because the teachers may fail to look at certain things at the perspective of students. Suggestions should always be open in order for a school to improve continuously. However, we must not neglect the fact that the teachers still have the final say on whether or not the school rules should be changed or added.

If students are given more freedom in deciding the school rules, then it will defeat the purpose of having school rules. Rules are meant to be followed, not to be decided. If it is changed frequently, it will be difficult to abide to the rules.

I feel that students should not be given too much freedom and power as they are not matured enough. Some of them will fail to see the importance of certain things and insist in doing it their own way. The school rules the school set acts as a guideline for them to follow so as not to fall astray. If the students are the ones deciding the school rules, there will be no guidelines and they will easily side track in studies.

Since too much freedom leads to many undesired things happening, I feel that students should not be given more freedom in deciding the school rules.

Nuclear Energy

Yes. Nuclear energy still has a part to do in our world.

By using nuclear energy, we can reduce the consumption of fossil fuels, which we use daily in our normal lives. It in turns slows down global warming, because the usage of fossil fuels are one of the main factors. This is because nuclear reactions do not consume oxygen or produce carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gases.

It can also dependably produce power for many areas, which other technologies cannot. Radioactive by- products from nuclear reactors are useful to medicine and industry. Nuclear reactions result in the decay of heavy, unstable elements into lighter, more stable elements. Some of the byproducts of radioactive decay are themselves useful. For example, plutonium decays into americium, a metal used in small amounts in smoke detectors. Radioactive molybdenum decays into technetium, used in medical diagnosis. Radioactive byproducts also see use in industrial processes and scientific research.

Therefore, nuclear energy still has an important role to play in our world.

Term 2 Post 2

After seeing the picture, I feel deeply traumatised. It showed how war brings pain and agony.

The man in the picture was bleeding all over and his comrades were desperately attempting to rescue him. He appears to be in great pain. It pains me to see his face. Streaked with blood,

his eyes were tightly shut, as if all the pain would be gone if he didn't look at the battleground. His comrades looked desperate. In the battleground where everybody fought as one, comrades no longer considered merely a friend, they were as close as a family member. The battlefield was a place in which everyone places their trust on their comrades. It was their responsibility and burden to ensure the survivability of their comrades. If they survived through ordeal of war, why didn't their friend. They could all feel the guilt in their heart. They're comrade was about to die.

And they all knew it.

The place was also in a terrible shape. Debris were everywhere. It was most probably the battleground. Judging from the state it was in, I can conclude that the battle was epic. Crumbles covered the entire place and it was no longer recognisable. The devastation was so great that it caused buildings to collapse. It could only show the dim future ahead for all those who lived around that area.

War is a very terrible thing. It is usually stirred due to somebody's personal greed. However, it only brings pain and misery to others. After looking at this picture, I can already see the aftermaths a war can bring. It destroys families and homes, and thus I came to realise that it is really important to do what we can to prevent unnecessary wars from occurring.

Term 2 Post 1

Dear Aunty,

I am deeply traumatized. Who would have expected that such earthquakes would strike Japan. Thankfully I happened to be one of the lucky survivors that lived through the incident.

It was terrifying- the ground suddenly shook so badly in the office I was in that the books on the tables and shelves fell down. It was like nothing I have encountered! Instantly chaos reign everywhere. Screams rang in my ear. Before I knew it, everybody were rushing towards the exit. I followed suit, only to find myself being carried away by the flow.

How I wish I could be back to Singapore at this time! Not only is our food and water supplies contaminated with radiation, we also lived in fear of encountering another earthquake. Singapore on the other hand is surrounded by other countries. This way it will not be affected if there were any tsunami. Earthquakes would also only be felt slightly if it was very severe in the neighbouring country.

Help is on the way here as we speak. America and other countries have sent the donations and supplies for us.

I do not know if I will still be around tomorrow. I have been praying hard since the first day. Anyway, I will write to you as soon as I can.

P.S. Try not to buy any products imported from Japan! It may be contaminated with the radiation too!

Perspectives

Parent's perspective:

After listening to the headmaster's speech, I felt relieved that I had made the right decision by sending my son to this school. With much more graduates than any other schools in America, it was the best school my son could ever enter. However, I am very worried for my son. He is after all still a kid, and he would not know how to take good care of himself. What if he were to fall sick? Who would be there to take care of him? It would certainly be good if we sent him to a school nearer to our house, but then again, his studies determine his future. In this prominent and promising school, I am sure his results will soar above others. If he were to fall ill, I shall see what I can do to make sure that his misery is short. I wish my son all the best in the long future ahead in this school.


Children's perspective:

I feel very afraid as I have absolutely no idea what the future has in plan for me. Only time can tell. Then again, I find myself excited as well. This is mainly because it would be my first time I am exposed to a new environment. It would be time for me to be independent, far away from the restrictions and protections from my parents.

Similes, metaphors and personifications of Clock Tower

The clock tower looked as though it was an oversized grandfathers clock. It was as tall as an overgrown giraffe, as majestic as a castle. Not far away stood the stone statue, the grandfather. He held out his sugar candy-like walking stick in front him. Rain or shine, he stood there ever so firmly, the guardian of the school it appeared to be. It's colour stood out from its background. The sky, deep blue in colour, had a direct contrast with the dull grey tone of the statue. Do not be misled by its colour. Though it may look unattractive, it is one of the most treasured "artefact" found in hwa chong.

200 word reflection

I have learnt many meaningful things this year. For one, I have learnt how to write an intriguing story. Dialogues are often added to make it more lively and real. A successful story will fully captivate the reader and encourage him to read on. To achieve this, proper plotting is required. Even though I enjoy writing a narrative story, I find that having a word limit of 500 is too little. However, I suppose that summarising the story into 500 words is part of the training that we have to undergo.

Also, I find that the technique "show but not tell" is not as simple as it sounds. I myself have a problem doing that when writing narrative compositions. I find that the lessons can be made more interesting by giving us more hands on activities, for example, writing a story in groups or stuffs like that. This will make the lesson more interactive and different.

Characterisation

Character: Lenalee Lee

At first glance she comes off as a very sweet and friendly girl, but she carries some deep scars within her due in part to her past. Her parents were killed when she was extremely young and she was separated from her only living relative, Komui, when it was found that she was had some unique power.

She had nearly been devoured by her madness when he reappeared in her life and remained there, curing her loneliness. Whenever other people were tired, she will always be the one who walks through the door and offer them a cup of coffee. She was liked everywhere she went, and only she could stand up to Kanda, a lone soldier, smack him with a clipboard and get away with it.

She is very determined almost to fault at times and despite a few bumps along the road is not the type to give up, even if the odds are not in her favor.

My Favourite Part in the School

This is my favourite part of the school. I like this place most because it reminds us of our history. It was the man on the statue, Tan Kah Kee, who gave us what we have today. Without his generous fundings and far sight, we will not have such a wonderful place to study today. At the back of the statue stands the clock tower. Not only does it remind us that time is precious, it is also something that all Hwa Chongians ought to be proud of. It contains rich historical value as well as uniqueness that cannot be found anywhere else.

Also, the position of the statue also serves as a protection for all of us. As it is placed right in front of our entire school, it is as though he is watching over all of us. Rain or shine, he is always there, one step ahead of us. It shows how important he was and still is.

When I first stepped into this school, the first place I went to was the clock tower. I believe that it is also a landmark that most people remember of Hwa Chong. To me, this was the most significant and majestic part of the school, thus the place right in front of the clock tower and the statue is my favourite part in the school.

Computer addiction - part II

The reason I chose to do this comic is because I find that computer addiction has become a severe problem in Singapore. It is not uncommon that one faces the computer for more than 2 hours playing. Not only will this affect their studies, their social lives are greatly affected as well. Many people regret wasting their precious time playing comptuer games only when they grow much older. This is a scenario I do not wish to see. I hope to use this comic to serve as a reminder to all those who are becoming like a big time computer addict, that it is time they reflect upon their actions. I urge all the computer addicts out there to think of ways to help themselves turn around before it is too late. Why let computer games ruin your life and future?

Computer addiction

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Black Eyed Peas- Where is the Love?

The main point of this song is to promote anti- discrimination. It brings nothing positive, only provokes negative thoughts and outcomes in the end. For example, discrimination only surface more hatred, and people are suffering and some even dying due to these discriminations.

The thing that draws my attention most is the chorus of the song:

"People killing people dying,
Children hurtin you hear them crying."

It shows how sad and serious the situation really is. Ultimately, it also affect the children greatly. It is inhumane to be discriminating others in the first place, and now that it has been developed into such a serious situation, I find that something must be done to prevent this from happening.

"Whatever happened to the values of humanity,
Whatever happened to the fairness and equality,
Instead of spreading love, we're spreading anomosity."

I strongly believe in equality. In this cases it is obvious that some people do not. However that does not give us rights to look down on others that are different. It is not as if they are more superior in any other ways, other than the special privileges they have given themselves. Whatever happened to the love that ought to be existing?

Miley Cyrus- The Climb

Miley Cyrus- The Climb

I can almost see it
That dream I'm dreaming but
There's a voice inside my head sayin,
You'll never reach it,
Every step I'm taking,
Every move I make feels
Lost with no direction
My faith is shaking but I
Got to keep trying
Got to keep my head held high

There's always going to be another mountain
I'm always going to want to make it move
Always going to be an uphill battle,
Sometimes I'm gonna to have to lose,
Ain't about how fast I get there,
Ain't about what's waiting on the other side
It's the climb

The struggles I'm facing,
The chances I'm taking
Sometimes might knock me down but
No I'm not breaking
I may not know it
But these are the moments that
I'm going to remember most yeah
Just got to keep going
And I,
I got to be strong
Just keep pushing on, cause

There's always going to be another mountain
I'm always going to want to make it move
Always going to be an uphill battle,
Sometimes I'm gonna to have to lose,
Ain't about how fast I get there,
Ain't about what's waiting on the other side
It's the climb (yeah)

There's always going to be another mountain
I'm always going to want to make it move
Always going to be an uphill battle,
Sometimes you going to have to lose,
Ain't about how fast I get there,
Ain't about what's waiting on the other side
It's the climb (yeah yeah ea ea)

Keep on moving
Keep climbing
Keep the faith baby
It's all about
It's all about
The climb
Keep the faith
Keep your faith

Whoa a oh oh




I particularly chose this song as it teaches us that life is always full of obstacles. Most of the time things does not go the way people hope it would, yet one must always try his best to overcome the obstacles in life. There is only one difference between those who succeed and those who do not. Those that are strong will succeed in the end, yet those who succumb to fear and other factors that made them stop halfway will end up failing. This song also reminds us that if there is a downhill of everything, there will be an uphill as well, meaning to say that one will eventually reach a point where he can only get better. If one can endure till that time comes, he would most probably succeed in whatever he wanted to do in the end. Even so, there will still be times where even after trying hard, one still cannot get the preferred end result. However, look at the bright side- It will be yet another experience for one to learn, and thus not making the same mistake, if any, in the future. In a nutshell, all of us must learn to look at things optimistically, have faith and do not lose sight of one's dream and goals. If there is a mountain of obstacles in front of you, just try your best to climb over them.