Darren

New York approves same-sex marriages

2011-06-26T21:47:00.000-07:00

New York governor Andrew Cuomo has officially signed a law, which takes effect on July 24, that permits same-sex marriages, despite opposition from the largest and most influential religious groups. Many same-sex couples immediately started planning their marriages and celebrations broke out all over the city.

In my opinion, I think that this decision is wrong. Men and women were never meant to be with another person of the same gender, as seen from how babies can only be conceived naturally in a man-woman marriage and not a same-sex marriage. This is clear evidence that homosexuality does not follow the natural order of things. Homosexuality is a mindset that these people adopt, usually due to influences when they were young. People were never born homosexual. Homosexuality is not like birth defects such as autism, which are there when a person is born. A person can choose whether he or she wants to be homosexual or not, unlike an autistic person.

Future of Singapore Football

2011-06-21T06:24:00.001-07:00

While I may not have watched the full match of the U15s Singapore football team take on Newcastle United's youth side and only half of the U16s take on Flamengo, the results from both matches and the way both the U15s and U16s showed great determination and fighting spirit is something that can reignite Singaporeans passion and support for local players. In the old days, players such as Dollah Kassim and Quah Kim Song had Singaporeans screaming their hearts out in support but nowadays, local football fever seems to have disappeared and the national team has been experiencing many problems, some of which resulted in the entire team being dropped from the national side recently. This is the result of a steady decline in the standard of local football so much until a recent video of young 10-year old American boys in a match resulted in a comment that the standard of the boys was the standard of the S-League. While I may not entirely agree with that comment, it shows just how poorly Singaporeans, or at least residents of Singapore, rate local football.
However, the recent success of the U16s, otherwise known as "The Cubs" in the Youth Olympic Games and the results the U15s and U16s have produced so far in the Canon City Lion Cup shows that Singapore football does have a hope after fall. The Singapore team, in all three occasions, were up against bigger, stronger and technically better opponents but they managed victory twice (U16s 4-3 Montenegro and U15s 4-3 Newcastle United) and one draw (U16s 1-1 Flamengo). While it was clear that the Singapore boys may not have the best technical ability as mentioned earlier, the fighting spirit was evident in all three matches. Half the battle is won when you believe that you can win and hence, I am looking forward to the time when these young boys grow up and don national colours as "The Lions" and I believe that when they do, Singapore's passion for local football will be reignited and the famous Kallang Roar will be heard once again.

Chinese authorities detain 74 people in latest lead poisoning scandal

2011-05-31T04:52:00.000-07:00

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific/view/1132266/1/.html

172 people have fallen ill due to lead poisoning in eastern China and authorities have detained 74 people, suspending operations at hundreds of factories in the area. Many of the factories have been found to have violated environmental standards and levied fines which amounted up to 8.22 million yuan.

My opinion is that these 74 people, who are most probably the masterminds, are extremely self-centred and greedy. They are the heads of the companies that own the factories and are almost definitely wealthy, unlike many of their workers, who are probably middle-class people or poor people who need their jobs desperately. These 74 however, only cared about cutting costs and production time and did not spare a thought for their employees, especially those who are struggling financially. I do not think that the masterminds bothered to consider or knew and did not care about the consequences of doing so. When the operations were suspended in factories, the workers would be out of a job and those poor ones would have no income to sustain himself or his family. This may even lead him or her to commit rash acts such as stealing in order to survive, which may then land him in hot soup. Hence, by deciding to cut costs and production time via illegal means just to save some money which they do not really need, the 74, and any others that are responsible, have effectively doomed some of the workers in their companies. Hence, my opinion is that they are self-centred and greedy.

MRT vandal's jail term extended by two months to seven months

2010-08-19T23:07:00.001-07:00

Oliver Fricker, 32, the swiss national that broke into an SMRT depot and vandalizing a train has had his five months jail term extended to seven months after the prosecution argued that his jail term for trespass should be increased.
Firstly, I feel that there is nothing wrong with graffiti. Graffiti is a beautiful work of art and is no different from wall murals. The only difference is that graffiti is not allowed in Singapore except for certain designated areas.
Graffiti is extremely creative and interesting and in fact, many consumers who saw the spray-painted train even thought it was part of some sort of advertisement or campaign SMRT was carrying out. Many did not think it was 'ugly' too. SMRT trains now are not exactly very creative, with them being either white with red lines or black with red lines. What I think SMRT should do is to perhaps designate a certain number of trains to be decorated with graffiti and the artists have to prove that they are capable of producing quality works of art. I feel that this will definitely be beneficial to many people as when they take the train to work early in the morning or back home after work late at night, the creativity of the graffiti on the trains will definitely catch their attention and lift their spirits.
However, I agree that Fricker's jail sentence for trespassing should be increased. His getting past the tight security at the depot may instigate greater treats than a graffiti artist. Already, there have been failed terrorist attacks on Singapore Changi Airport, including the plan hatched by the infamous Mas Selamat. By showing that as there is a way to get in, Fricker may have encouraged terrorists to try and carry out an attack on one of Singapore's major transport system, the Mass Rapid Transport system.

Russian dies in World Sauna Championship Final

2010-08-10T15:54:00.002-07:00

On 7 August 2010, the annual World Sauna Championship Finals in Finland ended in a tragedy. Six minutes had gone by when the judges noticed something was wrong with the Russian champion, Vladimir Ladyzhensky. The event was stopped immediately and the Russian and his Finnish opponent, Timo Kaukonen, were brought to the hospital. Ladyzhensky died soon after he was brought to the hospital while Kaukonen suffered burns. The cause of his death is still unknown as all rules were followed and he had undergone a medical check-up before the event.
In my opinion, Vladimir Ladyzhensky made the wrong choice to take part in this competition. Although he had been certified medically, there is always a chance that something might go wrong. If I were the Russian, I would not take part in the competition. Firstly, the competition is extremely dangerous and can be life-threatening. Is it worth it to trade your life for money and fame? Definitely not. In the picture in the newspaper, I can also infer that Vladimir Ladyzhensky is an old man in his 50s or 60s. This would mean that it would be even more dangerous for him. Lastly, Vladimir Ladyzhensky's death would have a huge impact on his family members. They would definitely be very hurt and grieved over his passing. By taking this huge risk to enter the competition, Vladimir Ladyzhensky has paid the price and has caused his family and friends to suffer. Hence, I feel that he made the wrong choice to take part in this competition.

Russian dies in World Sauna Championship Final

2010-08-10T15:54:00.001-07:00

Should drug trafficker get death sentence?

2010-08-02T05:01:00.000-07:00

Malaysian Yong Vui Kong, convicted of drug trafficking 47.27g of heroin and sentenced to the gallows, has hope. In Singapore, trafficking 15g or more of heroin will result in the death penalty. Their reasons include that he has become repentant in prison and that his death will not deter others from trafficking the drug.
In my opinion, he does not deserve the death sentence,even though he did surpass the amount of drug that warrants a death sentence by almost three times. Firstly, he did not harm anybody directly in any way. Some may argue that as the drug destroys a person's life, it is still the person's choice whether he or she wants to use the addictive drug. Hence, Yong cannot shoulder the blame alone.
Secondly, he is repentant over what he had done. I am sure that he is a first-time offender and did not know about the death sentence for trafficking over 15g of heroin. If he did, I am sure that he would not have done so. This is the other reason why I feel that he does not deserve the death sentence.
Instead, I think that he should be given a really long jail term, one of at least 10 years. I feel that first-offenders who traffic more than 15g of the drug should be given a long jail term, based on how much they traffic while second-time offenders should be the ones that go to the gallows.

Should a person's weight affect his or her's chances for promotion?

2010-07-04T16:17:00.000-07:00

In my opinion, I feel that a person's weight should not affect his or her's chances of promotion. Firstly, performance is the main factor for promotion and hence, a person who is obese should stand the same chance of getting promotion as people who are not.
Many may argue that appearance is important too and I do agree that if you are obese, it is very hard to get jobs such as front desk personnel in hotels but in most private businesses, not every worker in the company meets clients. Most do their work at their desk the whole day. Hence, appearance would not count and the obese person should stand an equal chance to get promotion as a normal person.
However, supposing the obese person is somehow the only choice for a certain job, one that requires meeting clients, then appearance but I still feel that it should not affect the person's chances for promotion.
A company can also take some steps and measures to cut down on the amount of obese and overweight people in their company. One would be to hold a session compulsory for all employees and explain to them the importance of having a normal weight and not being obese. This way, not only will the obese people have and equal chance of promotion, but they may also take the advice and try to slim down, killing two birds with one stone.

Foreign talents: Good or bad

2010-07-02T23:53:00.000-07:00

This subject, about whether spotting or attracting foreign talents to come to Singapore is good or bad has been a topic of discussion for some time already. Some people feel that attracting these foreign talents to come to Singapore and stay is good as they contribute to Singapore greatly. One example would be Feng Tianwei, who was born in China, came to Singapore under a Foreign Sports Talent Scheme. She has shot up the table tennis rankings to reach world no.2 and has done Singapore proud in many competitions, including beating China 3-1 with two other teammates en route to winning the Liebherr World Team Table Tennis Championships in Moscow. Feng showed how much her importance as she won the two matches she played against the world no.1 and 4.
However, some people feel that by attracting these foreign talents, many of who are academically gifted, Singaporean children do not have a chance to get into a good school of their choice as the foreign talents are given priority. However, this is not true as if the child works hard and scores really well, which school will not take him or her? Hence, this "bad" thing about attracting foreign talents to come and stay becomes good as the local students will become more competitive and study harder to fight for the remaining places in the good schools, as well as prove that they are as good as these foreign talents.
In my opinion, bringing foreign talents to Singapore is good as for one, this can make the local students more competitive and more hardworking as mentioned above. These foreign talents may decide to say as well. These two parties will contribute a lot to Singapore in the years to come.
Another reason for my stand will be that as Singapore is a small country and has a small population of about 4.5 million, how many "talents" will there be in such a small amount of people, as compared to countries such as China, which has a population of 1 billion. There is an abundance of talents there, many which remain undiscovered. Hence, by bringing all these foreign talents, many of which stay in Singapore and make it their home, we ensure that the future work force is a capable one.

Term 2 Week 10 Home-learning Task 2: Steps in analysis

2010-05-25T18:29:00.000-07:00

Rainbow Death

1. Point of view

The speaker is the poet. The voice is dramatized, emphasizing the speaker's anger towards the effects of the "agents" as well as the suffering experienced by the victims. This anger must have been generated throught a first-hand experience of seeing these suffering and the poet fits this criteria as he had participated in the war. He also described the effects of agent orange well and also said that there were actually other agents that were not used as much as agent orange and hence not many people would know about it. The only way he could have known about these other agents would be that if experienced it himself. The speaker, who is the poet is also extremely angry towards America over the suffering the innocent people of Vietnam. For him to be able to have such anger towards his own country, it would require something really big to happen that could make him think or feel this way and hence, a first-hand experience is the only way he could have such anger.

2. Situation and setting
The setting is after the use of agent orange. This is evident from how the speaker describes the effects of agent orange on the victims. The only way for the speaker to see the effects would be if the agent had already been used on the Vietnamese people, or if the US military used it on their own soldiers, which is highly unlikely.

3. The title itself is an oxymoron. A rainbow is not used with death, or used to describe death. In the story of Noah's ark, the rainbow was a sign that the earth would not be flooded again and hence not cause death. "Death potpourri" is also an oxymoron. Potpourri is a collection of dried flowers and fruits that emit a fragrance smell. The poet also uses "nefariously" when describing America. Nefarious means something evil and immoral and the poet uses it to emphasize the cruelty and how evil America was to use agent orange, hence saying that the suffering of the victims was really horrible.

4. This poem reminds me of the horrible effects of agent orange, as well as the cruelty of the US military to use this horror on innocent people. This led me to go and learn more about agent orange. I found out that the US military had actually bought these agents to destroy the crops the Vietnamese were growing as well as to make the land infertile. When they found out about the horrible effects of agent orange, they did not stop using it, but continueud without thinking about the innocent people whose lives they were ruining.

Term 2 Week 10 Home-learning Task 1: War poetry analysis

2010-05-25T17:22:00.000-07:00

1st poem - Children in the darkness by Henry M Bechtold
There are children in the darkness
Who have not seen the light
There are children in the darkness
Who someone will teach to fight

Chalk and blackboards will not be
To this door there is no key
From this life they can not flee
And these children are not free

Could we simply light a candle
Could we give them half a chance
Could we teach them how to read
Could we teach them how to dance

Or will a war consume them
Their body and their soul
Will their life and blood be poured
Down some endless thirsty hole

Back into the darkness
From which there is no flight
Back into the darkness
Into which there shines no light

The poet wrote this poem after seeing a program on television that showed a small boy in military gear. The poem talks about children being sent to fight a war, children being taught how to fight. I have identified one area of conflict and that would be that these children are at the "beginning of their lives", just introduced into the world and have a bright future ahead. However, by giving them weapons and military gear, as well as some training and then sending them to the battlefield to fight against grown men who have spent a considerable time training in the army, it is like sending these children to their deaths. In a war, you also need to have intelligence and wisdom to think of plans to outwit the enemy as well as to predict the moves of the enemy. As children, their minds have not yet fully matured and they do not have enough experience and intelligence. Ultimately, they will definitely fall to the enemy. Hence, this is a conflict as these children, at the beginning of their lives, are instead at the end of their lives.

2nd poem - Rainbow death by Hubert Wilson
America did not foresee
Green, pink, purple and other colors death potpourri!
Expecting others to pay a high price.
Now thinking twice?
Toll on the innocent and unborn.

Omnipotent and disregarding who will mourn.
Reflective about all the illness, birth defects and prematurely dead.
All the deceit continues to spread.
Nefariously America led astray -
Generations untold WILL pay -
Execrable effects of agent orange spray!

The poet wrote this poem based on the Vietnamese war and talks of how the victims of "Agent Orange" went through untold suffering. Rainbow death talks about the various "agents" that the US military created to use during the Vietnam war, of which Agent Orange was used the most. Agent Orange caused deaths and disabilities and the children born to these victims were affected with birth defects too. The poet served in the USAF and participated in the Vietnam war, hence getting a first-hand experience of the horrors of these "agents".
One area of conflict would be that rainbow and death were used together. In the story of Noah's ark, the rainbow was a symbol of life, a promise that the earth would not be flooded again, or in simple terms, not cause mass deaths and destruction. Hence it is a conflict as the rainbow is used to describe death.
Another area of conflict would be that America, the country responsible for these "agents" believes in human rights, freedom and more. However, by using these "agents" on the citizens of Vietnam, they also affect the innocent children of these victims, forcing them to have a hard life ahead due to birth defects caused by Agent Orange and co. They have no freedom to choose their path of life and hence this is an area of conflict.

What a hero!

2010-04-26T05:34:00.000-07:00

Two days ago, at the junction of Choa Chu Kang Street 52 and Choa Chu Kang North 6, a maid sacrificed herself to save the younger of her employer's two daughters. They were crossing the road at a pedestrian crossing when the maid, a little in front of her employer Madam Lau, saw a bus coming her way and flung the one-year old child in her hand in front to safety. She was then run down by the bus as it was too late for her to get out of harm's way. She was taken to NUH later but tragically died that night.
In my opinion, this maid is a hero who deserves great commendation. She is a person who has a heart of gold. When she saw the impending danger, her first thoughts were not about her own safety, but of the safety of the little girl in her arms. She did not hesitate to fling the girl to safety when most people would have dropped the girl and leapt away to safety. Her willingness to sacrifice herself for the girl, to put others before her is a quality that is extremely hard to find and more precious than any precious stones.

Maniac killer in Japan

2010-04-19T01:59:00.000-07:00

In Nayoga, Japan, a 30-year old man stabbed five members of his family with a kitchen knife, killing two of them. His brother, girlfriend and his mother were injured while his father and his niece of one years old were killed. You would not believe it but the reason for the attack was that the internet access to the family home had been cut off, presumely by the father. There are also reports that the man had confined himself to his room for the past 15-years old.
In my opinion, the man is most likely to be mentally unsound. During the past 15years that he confined himself, he probably got addicted to something online, to the point where he lost himself over it.
I feel that in order to prevent such tragedies from happening, the family members of people with high internet usage should monitor what they are doing, make sure they do not get addicted or hooked onto anything, to prevent themselves from ending up like this Japanese man.

Fight breaks out after B Division Rugby Boys Final

2010-04-14T05:54:00.000-07:00

What a way to end the final. ACS(I) and SAS players fought on the pitch right after the final whistle. The fight left Leonard Wee, from ACS(I) with a bloodied nose and mouth after he was punched in the face by a St Andrews player. However, there have been reports that Leonard was the one who had ignited the fire, calling one of the St Andrews players a loser and insulting his mother.

In my opinion, Leonard should be blamed for the entire affair. He not only insulted the player himself, but also insulted his mother. Furthermore, St Andrews had just lost the final and the players would most likely be sad and disappointed. If someone calls one of them a loser and insult his mother, that person is just looking for trouble. The fact that Leonard was on the opposing team who had just beaten St Andrews does not make the situation better. It only worsens it.
The moral of the entire affair: Think before you speak/ do anything

Home Learning: To Kill A Mocking Bird

2010-02-28T16:20:00.000-08:00

Interpersonal task: I sought the opinion of my sister at home about prejudice and discrimination and she told me that she felt that although history, statistics or evidence may prove that that person or race is not one of noble character or justify discrimination, we should not judge anyone without getting to know him or her first. She also said that we should never discriminate against somebody or a race just because other people do so.
I agree with what my sister says. In the 1800s to the 1900s, blacks were discriminated by the whites, especially in America. They were treated unfairly and treated as only two-thirds human beings. There were many cases of injustice to the blacks such as the incident which led to the Montgomery bus riots. The strange thing is that there was no records or statistics/evidence to show that blacks deserved to be treated that way. There was no stand for the whites to say that the blacks were inferior. However, they still chose to discriminate against the blacks, the reason probably being that the situation was that way, that everyone was doing it. Thankfully, we had people such as Martin Luther King and Abraham Lincoln, who fought for equal rights for the blacks, allowing the blacks to come into society and hence making all the contributions that they have made to our society.

Intrapersonal task: I would like to be friends with Atticus Finch. Throughout the entire novel, we are offered many glimpses of his noble character. He has many qualities of a good person. Humble, determination, courage and many others which i will explain.
We can see how humble he is from the incident with the mad dog. Atticus was actually a very good shooter. However, he never told his children of this ability of his. When Heck Tate asked him to shoot the dog, he said that he could not do it and asked Heck to do it instead. Only after Heck's persistent request did he do it. When Heck Tate told his children that he was the best shot in town, he told Heck to shush, showing how humble he is.
We can see how determined he is from Tom Robinson's trial. He knew that it was a gone case, that Tom Robinson would be charged with rape and sent to prison but he still tried his best, still tried to save him even though he knew it was hopeless. How many people do you know that will still try and do something even if they know they will fail. This quality of his is a rare one and one that we should all strive to have.
We can see how courageous he is from Tom Robinson's trial too. At that time, blacks were being discriminated by the whites. They were treated as inferior to the whites and treated unfairly. In this court case, Atticus was defending Tom Robinsons, a black man against Mayella Ewell, a white woman. Atticus knew how the white community would react when he chose to defend Tom and the struggles and abuse he and his family would face but still, he chose to continue as he knew what he was doing was right. He told himself that no matter what, he would do what is right. This shows how courageous he is.

Kevin Smith kicked off a plane

2010-02-15T17:38:00.000-08:00

The director of Mallrats(1995), Kevin Smith, might want to think of losing weight. He was kicked off a Southwest Airlines flight for his weight and his inability to fit in a seat properly. He responded by posting over 50 angry posts on Twitter. Southwest Airlines later apologised by putting him on another flight and issued him a voucher.
In my opinion, just because he is unable to fit in his seat, hence inconveniencing the other passenger(s) sitting next to him, it does not warrant him being kicked off the plane. Furthermore, if that person does not complain, then everything will be alright, why force him off? I do not think there are any rules that say that if a person cannot fit in one seat then he or she has to be thrown off a flight. The captain of that plane should be punished for his rash actions.

Woman who sued William Tan convicted

2010-02-10T01:48:00.000-08:00

Stephanie Chee, a 50 year-old woman, sued paralympian Dr William Tan for alleged loans that amounted to $400,000. Now she has been charged with 10 accounts of making false reimbursement claims against three charities. There was even an incident where she submitted the same claim twice to pay a plastic surgery medical bill her brother had run up.
In my opinion, I do not understand why people will go to such means just for a bit more money. If she was elected as the general managers of Parkway Healthcare Foundation, one of the charities she submitted false claims against and of Toa Payoh Senior Citizens' Healthcare Centre, I do not believe that she would be in such a desparate need for money. By doing such dishonest acts, she is putting her reputation, her job and many more at risks. If her misdeeds came to light, there would be many negative effects on her life.

World's biggest mango identified

2010-02-01T04:30:00.000-08:00

Here are some good news for all mango lovers. Have you ever thought that growing a mango a whopping 3.5 kilograms was impossible? Well that is possible as proven by Sergio Bodiongan from the Southern Phillipines. It surpassed the previous record of a 2.4 kilograms mango grown in Canada by 1.1 kilograms! If only grapes could grow as large...

Kuyt does it again

2010-01-31T03:03:00.000-08:00

Dirk Kuyt is the new Liverpool hero. With the likes of Torres and Gerrard unavailable, Kuyt has stepped in the fill that inspirational role. Against Tottenham he struck twice to give Liverpool a crucial 2-0 win over their rivals and although against Wolves he did not score, he was probably one of the biggest threats to the Wolves' backline and this time, he once again led Liverpool to another vital victory over Bolton Wanderers which meant Liverpool are just one point behind fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspurs.

Language Arts prompt: How the treatment of African Americans have changed over the last 30 years

2010-01-20T04:30:00.000-08:00

At the present, treatment of African Americans is the same as the white Americans. You see them appearing in movies such as Rush Hour 1, 2 and 3. You see them as political leaders all around the world and even as presidents of their countries as in the case of Barack Obama. But did you know that before 1980, the treatement of these African Americans was extremely bad? In fact, there was even segregation between the whites and the blacks. The black people could not use certain facilities or could only use them on certain days at certain times such as the cinemas. The blacks were also forbidden from using the big library of the whites and were only allowed to use a small library for the blacks. The ironic thing was that this was not the way things should be. As stated in the Jim Crow Laws, the blacks and whites were to be separated but there should be equal treatment for both. That means the blacks should be given a library as large as the whites', have a cinema that is of the same standard of the whites' and so on. However, this resulted in unequal treatment for the blacks.
Of course, with the treatment that they were getting, there were definitely people who were angry and opposed that type of treatment. One of them was the famous Martin Luther King. He strongly protested against the treatment of the black people in America and did all he could to stop it.
In the 1950s. the African American Civil Rights Movement was started. This movement fought for equal rights for the African Americans. At that time, there were many incidents where blacks were treated unfairly and this was the cause of this Civil Rights Movement.
To cut a long story short, the African American Civil Rights War was a success and resulted in equal treatment for the black people. The blacks had finally gained equal treatment and soon, black people held many important positions such as a member of the Congress(Shirley Chisholm), or actors/actresses in movies such as Star Trek:The Original Series. Over the years, the situation improved more and more until today, where you see Barack Obama as the president of the United States

Poor condition of public bus

2010-01-12T22:55:00.000-08:00

This morning I took the bus 852 to school. When the bus arrived at the bus stop, I noticed that the front doors were open even though the bus had not stopped yet. I thought at first that maybe the driver may have opened the doors a little early but as the bus started to move again, the front doors did not shut and the driver later explained that the doors were spoilt and could not close. This is actually quite dangerous as people may actually fall out if the bus stops or turns abruptly.
Unfortunately, the doors were not the only problem. A few stops later, a lady wanted to get down and pressed the "bus stopping" button. However, the light did not flash up. She tried a few more times but it still did not light up and the other buttons also did not work. The alarm system was not functioning. She and a few other people then called out to the bus driver to stop at the next stop. However when the bus arrived, the back doors did not open. The bus driver then said that the back doors could not open and that we had to alight from the front.
It also became extremely humid after a while in the bus, which I presume is due to the air-conditioning system breaking down.
When the bus had almost reached my stop, the bus was suddenly filled with a loud wailing sound. What had happened was that the card reader has stop working and it was the source of the sound.
I feel that the company which owns the bus should conduct regular maintenance checks on the bus to ensure that the bus is in good condition.

New school year

2010-01-12T04:36:00.001-08:00

Well it is the second day of school for me here in Hwa Chong Institution and I have got the back to school blues. Another long and tiring year awaits, plus the fact that this year there are more subjects, higher expectations and of course, streaming. For me, it is tough getting back into study mode after two long months of rest and play. Furthermore, having to wake up at 5 30 am every morning is a factor that makes me tired and sometimes a little distracted whenever I go to school.
However, there is on factor which makes this school year a little more enjoyable. My class has been one of the classes that have been chosen to be one of the "Future classes". This means that we will be allowed to bring our laptops to the school and we will be using them in our lessons. This makes the lessons much more interesting as we, the students do not just sit there in our seats and listen to the teacher for the entire lesson which is around an average timing of an hour. We will also be allowed to chat with each other during the lesson, as long as it is about academic stuff and not about games and other things.
With all these in mind, should I look forward to the new school year? Or should I not look forward to it?

Teen medium made suicide pact with friends

2009-09-09T03:03:00.000-07:00

If you have read the newspaper during the past few days, you would have come across an article about a teenage self-profressed Taoist medium who made a suicide pact with a few of his friends and his younger brother.
6-year old Ku-Witaya convinced six of his friends and his younger brother to enter into a suicide pact with him. He said that they had to die to become slayers and kill demons in the world. He also told them of a "Third World War". According to a witness, 16, Sia Chan Hong, 16, was the most passionate about the suicide pact while Witaya was unwavering. Out of the the group, only Chan Hong and Witaya jumped in the end. One of them backed out on the night they met while the others backed out on seeing Chan Hong moaning and groaning after jumping.
In my opinion, what they did was extremely foolish. To listen to a friend and believe him is okay but to commit suicide is extremely crazy. I myself am a Christian and I have talked to a few of my friends about Christianity but I will never put them in any life-threatening situation or ask them to take their own lives! It was really saddening to know about this incident.

US journalists claim North Korean soldiers dragged them across the Chinese border

2009-09-04T03:51:00.000-07:00

The two journalists from the United States who were detained in North Korea have said that they were dragged across the border by North Korean soldiers. The both of them, Laura Ling and Euna Lee admitted that they had indeed crossed the border on their own, but the time spent there was less than a minute. They were seized by these soldiers on March 17 for crossing the Tumen river, which was frozen at that time with the guide. Here is a statement from the both of them about the incident.
“We tried with all our might to cling to bushes, ground, anything that would keep us on Chinese soil, but we were no match for the determined soldiers,” Ling and Lee said. “They violently dragged us back across the ice to North Korea.” They also claimed that they may have been lured into a trap. “In the days before our capture, our guide had seemed cautious and responsible,” the reporters said in their statement. “To this day, we still don’t know if we were lured into a trap. Fortunately for these two journalists, they were rescued by Bill Clinton, who came over to North Korea and negiotiated a release for them.

The Kop Comes To Asia!

2009-07-27T05:05:00.000-07:00

It was a fantastic Sunday night yesterday at the friendly match between Liverpool FC and the Singapore Lions. I was sitting in the East'Kop'Stand for all the die-hard Liverpool supporters. The atmosphere was full of excitement and when an occasional rival fan(including two of my church friends)turned up(they bought tickets too)turned up in a rival shirt(usually Manchester United), the whole contigent of fans booed him. They wanted them to change shirts and cheered when that happened.
The match started at around 7 pm and I watched these world-famous players do their stuff. However, in the first half, there was hardly any action except for the occasional chance created by Liverpool. There was also a scare for as fans when one of Singapore's players broke through the defence but his shot was straight at Cavalieri and on the stroke of half-time, when Voronin's strike rolled into the bottom corner of the goal, the stadium erupted in cheers.
The second half started with a some of the bigger players coming on such as Albert Riera, who later scored a goal after latching on to Mascherano's cross. The crowd then was chanting the name of Torres and Benitez did not let them down, with Torres coming on for Yossi Benayoun, causing the entire stadium to erupt in loud screaming and cheering. Dirk Kuyt was also introduced soon after. Nemeth then scored from Dirk Kuyt's cross to make it three in the 73rd minute. Pepe Reina and Xabi Alonso were then introduced five minutes later. I remember sitting in the stands and seeing Reina and Alonso waiting to be substituted in, the fans started calling for the ball to be kicked out so the two star Spaniards could be brought in. When the substitutions were announced, again the stadium erupted in loud cheers. Kuyt, who created a total of three goals, then provided Torres with a simple tap-in two minutes later. The rout was then completed by Nemeth, who scored a brace. Torres also had a header headed narrowly wide. At the end of the match, after the prize presentation, the Liverpool playes walked around the entire pitch, waving at the fans. Benitez and a few others followed suit a while later.
However, there were a few things not satisfactory though. Firstly, the stadium only had one screen, which showed the score but not the match time. Also, everything, from the players assembling on the pitch to the prize presentation, was conducted infront of the grandstand. We fans in the 'Kop' Stand could hardly even see the players faces, except during the warm-up, the match and when they walked around the pitch.
Overall, it was still a fantastic experience, being able to see these world-class players in real life and every single cent of the $88 i paid was totally worth it. Oh and every ticket-holder was entitled to a free scarf(designed properly).

Online assesment 4: The casino to be built in Singapore

2009-07-02T17:08:00.000-07:00

In my opinion, the building of this casino is more harmful than it is helpful. Yes, economic recession has taken its toll and many people have been left with no job, no way to support their family. No doubt, this casino would provide many jobs, however one must also consider the cons, not only the pros. I discussed this with my father and he said that it would be "socially bad for the families in Singapore". The families he were referring to were the families of people who like to gamble. This brings me to the fact that a youtube video I watched also carried the same message,"Often, the people who really suffer from problem gambling aren't the gamblers." Gambling is highly addictive in my view, and the mindset of gamblers would probably be that the next time they gamble would be their "Big Break", hence they keep coming back for more gambing, squandering their money and neglecting their family. A good example would be Ah Boh in the story Lottery by Catherine Lim. In Lottery, Ah Boh is hooked on 4D and she throws much of her salary down the drain by spending it all on 4D numbers. She does not support her mother, saying that when she strikes the jackpot, she can give her mother much more. She takes everything she sees as a "sign", to the weighing of a cat to the car plates of a car in an accident. Even the death of her mother in an accident fails to wake her up, fails to remind her how she did not care for her mother enough. From this example, we can see that gambling destroys a family. People who are addicted would also run out of money and if unable to persuade their friends or relatives, may even turn to loan sharks.
I condemn the building of a casino in Singapore as it would turn the whole country around, people who are addicted becoming bankrupt and there are many other consequences for this. We must put an end to all this.

Online assesment 3: Analysing poems

2009-06-30T16:40:00.000-07:00

The Son is in Secondary School by Affran Sa’at
My badge has a Latin motto
Hope for the future
The future is hope
Or something

At times black crows try to interrupt
When we sing the National Anthem

It is difficult to maintain
The whiteness of my shoes
Especially on Wednesdays

I must admit there is something quite special
About the bare thighs of hardworking scouts

The Malay chauffeurs
Who wait for my schoolmates
Sit on the car park kerb
Telling jokes to one another

Seven to the power of five is unreasonable

On Chinese New Year
Mrs Lee dressed up
In a sarong kebaya
And sang Bengawan Solo

The capital of Singapore is Singapore

My best friend did a heroic thing once
Shaded all A’s
For his Chinese Language
Multiple-choice paper

In our annual yearbook
There is a photograph of me

Pushing a wheelchair and smiling
They caught me
At the exact moment

When my eyes were actually closed

This poem has been organised into a mixture of single lines, couplets, triplets, quatrains and is a free verse poem without any rhythm or rhymes. No alliteration and imagery has been used. Exaggeration has been used in the form of the whiteness of the author's shoes, making his shoes seem like they are very white and clean. Personification too has been used when the author wrote that crows tried to interrupt them when they were singing the national anthem.

Online assesment 2: My favourite poet

2009-06-29T16:51:00.000-07:00

James Mercer Langston Hughes, born on February 1, 1902 was an American poet, novelist, playwright, short story writer and columnist(a journalist who writes for publication in a series). He is my favourite poet as I find that he is an extremely talented person. He written so many poems such as Montage of a Dream Deferred, One-Way ticket and The Weary Blues. He has also written many books, both fiction and non-fiction such as Not without Laughter and Famous American Negroes. He has even written plays! I also dug up a recording of an interview with him. In that interview, he talks with Studs Terkel about a few different topics, mainly the blues. In one incident, he actually wrote a blues on a blank Western Union telegram for his program later right on the spot! He did not have any time to think about it, albiet a few seconds, but still managed that feat! Such talents are scarce in the world. Sadly, Langston Hughes died on 22 May, 1967 due to complications after abdominal surgery, related to prostrate cancer.

Hughes gained white-collar employment in 1925 as a personal assistant to the historian Carter G.Woodson at the Association for the Study of African American Life and History. Hughes quit to work as a busboy in a hotel as he did not like the time constraint that limited his writing. While working as a busboy, Hughes met the poet Vachel Lindsay who was impressed with the poems Hughes showed him. Lindsay then publicized his discovery of a new black poet. By this time, Hughes' earlier work had already been published in magazines and was about to be collected into his first book of poetry. This may be how he rose to fame.

However, it is believed that Hughes was a homosexual and included homosexual codes in many of his poems, similar in manner to Walt Whitman, whose work Hughes cited as another influence on his poetry. Arnold Rampersad, the primary biographer of Hughes, determined that Hughes exhibited a preference for other African-American men in his work and life.This love of black men is evidenced in a number of reported unpublished poems to a black male lover.

Here are some poems from Lanston Hughes

The Negro speaks of rivers
I've known rivers:
I've known rivers ancient as the world and older than the
flow of human blood in human veins.
My soul has grown deep like the rivers.
I bathed in the Euphrates when dawns were young.
I danced in the Nile when I was old
I built my hut near the Congo and it lulled me to sleep.
I looked upon the Nile and raised the pyramids above it.
I heard the singing of the Mississippi when Abe Lincoln
went down to New Orleans, and I've seen its muddy
bosom turn all golden in the sunset.
I've known rivers:
Ancient, dusky rivers.
My soul has grown deep like the rivers.

Dream deferred
What happens to a dream deferred?
Does it dry upLike a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore--And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over--like a syrupy sweet?
Maybe it just sagslike a heavy load.
Or does it explode?

Dinner Guest: Me
I know I amThe Negro Problem
Being wined and dined,
Answering the usual questions
That come to white mind
Which seeks demurely
To Probe in polite way
The why and wherewithalOf darkness U.S.A.
Wondering how things got this way
In current democratic night,
Murmuring gentlyOver fraises du bois,
"I'm so ashamed of being white.

"The lobster is delicious,
The wine divine,
And center of attention
At the damask table, mine.
To be a Problem onPark Avenue at eight
Is not so bad.
Solutions to the Problem,
Of course, wait.

Recording of interview: http://www.chicagopublicradio.org/Content.aspx?audioID=28870
Biological information, The Negro speaks of rivers poem: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Langston_Hughes#Death
Dream deferred poem:http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/dream-deferred/
Dinner Guest:Me poem :http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/dinner-guest-me/

Online assesment 1: Messy Room

2009-06-28T18:09:00.000-07:00

Messy Room by Shel Silverstein
Whosever room this is should be ashamed!His underwear is hanging on the lamp.

His raincoat is there in the overstuffed chair,

And the chair is becoming quite mucky and damp.

His workbook is wedged in the window,

His sweater's been thrown on the floor.

His scarf and one ski are beneath the TV,

And his pants have been carelessly hung on the door.

His books are all jammed in the closet,

His vest has been left in the hall.

A lizard named Ed is asleep in his bed,

And his smelly old sock has been stuck to the wall.

Whosever room this is should be ashamed!

Donald or Robert or Willie or--Huh? You say it's mine?

Oh, dear,I knew it looked familiar!

I like this poem as it is quite a funny poem. The person in the poem sees a room and is disgusted a the horrible state that it is in. What he does not know is that he had been criticising his own room! When he realises it, his reaction is huge. I also like the way he describes the state of the room, such as saying that there was underwear hanging on the lamp, as well as a smelly and old sock stuck on the wall. Personally, I find this very humorous and that is why I like this poem.

In my opinion, the hyperbole in this poem is the phrase"Oh, dear" in the last sentence. I feel that it exaggerates the shock and dismay of the author when he realises it is his room. I feel that the poet chose to use this form of figurative language as in the poem, he had been criticising the state of that room and making it sound so bad. However, he has no clue that it is actually his room and I think the author wants to show the shock and dismay of the person when he realises it is his room. That is why the author chose to use this form of figurative language.

As I look back at my first semester.....

2009-06-11T04:58:00.000-07:00

My first semester as a secondary one student is over. It has been a fruitful experience for me. There were many ups and downs from this experience but I have to say, I enjoyed it thoroughly.
To me, one of the best things that occured was that I got into my first-choice EP3(CCA), waterpolo. I was competitive swimmer before I came into Hwa Chong( I was not fast enough to go nationals though ) and as there was no more time for me to continue it, I was worried that I would get out of shape. However, I learned that Hwa Chong had waterpolo/swimming EP3 and did not hesitate to go for the trials and was pleased that I did well in it( according to Samuel and Marcus ). When it was time to select the EP3 of your choice, I put it on the top of my list without hesitation. However, I was worried that I would not get in as I heard that most people do not get into their first-choice EP3. Fortunately, when the posting was out, I was on cloud nine when I found out that I had joined the Hwa Chong waterpolo family.
Another of the things that I liked was the fact that I got to follow the C division waterpolo team to all of their matches! As we were two short of a full team, the two secondary one students who had use DSA to come here, Marcus and Samuel, both from my class were roped in. However, two reserves were needed and I was lucky enough to be one of them! Hence, I went to the matches with them, warmed up and practised with the team while waiting for the match to start. The other reserve, Zexel( who was my primary school classmate ) and me also played the role of ball boy whenever the ball went out. It was really fortunate for us as at times, the weather would be windy and cold and at other times, dry and hot. Hence, jumping into the pool was very refreshing.
As for my academics, I am pleased to say that my test marks this term had improved from last term. My Infocomm studies got an unexpected 82 marks, an A1, my history I managed a 13( over 20 marks ) from an 11 last term, which if converted to a hundred marks, was quite a few grades. My geography too managed a C5, 17.5 over 30 from 15 last term, though I lost quite a few marks due to imcomplete answers only. My chinese too improved to 54 over 100( not very good but a significant improvement from last term's 40 over 80 which is about 50 over 100. My maths, one of my weakest subjects, managed a pass for the test. my science also scored 29.5 over 40, missing out on an A1 by just half a mark. But the best of all was my Language Arts( english and literature combined ) which scored A1 for both the narrative writing test( 23 over 30 ) and for the literature test on Animal farm by George Orwell( 21 over 25 ).
However, there were bad things too. In my first semester as a Hwa Chong student, my grades were not very good. My Language Arts scored only a B3 and for my maths, I failed all but the first test, which was a relatively simple one.
Moving on from the good and bad things, there were many interesting things too. I found out that in Hwa Chong, it is actually compulsary to create a blog! The blog would be graded though so you had to post meaningful posts.

Friends

2009-06-08T22:43:00.004-07:00

To me, there are many types of friends. However, the best type is still friends who are true to you. There are people who if you are rich, famous or have rich and famous relatives, do their best to get in your good books. These are the people who will desert you in times of trouble such as when you are in financial trouble should you lose your fortune and leave you to struggle on your own.

True friends are people who truly care for you and will always stand by you, no matter what difficulty any of you are facing. These are the people who will take time to understand your problems and do what it takes just to help you.

When we choose our friends, we must not only look at their physical values, be it their looks, their wealth or their social status but more importantly, we must look at their hearts.

School assignment: If many people say something is true, is it really true?

2009-05-20T03:00:00.000-07:00

Well, in my opinion, just because many people believe something is true, it does not mean that it is true. For example, if people say this is the best restaurant in the world after trying many different restaurants, I will not believe it is the best. I will only think that it is quite a good restaurant. You may never know, there may be a small restaurant in a small town that is better! It also depends on the person trying the food. Different people have different preferences just like how some people like Manchester United football club while others support Liverpool football club, which in my opinion, is way better than Manchester United.
Moving away from football, now if you really want to find the best restaurant on earth, what you should do is gather everyone in the world and patronise every single restaurant on this earth and not one can be left out. After that, you should then conduct a survey to find out which restaurant is the best and tally the results. Total time taken to find best restaurant in the world: To long to count. As you can see, finding the best restaurant in the world, or any best thing in the world would take to long.
Also, if many people say something, like this certain scientist has successfully cloned a mammoth, we should not just believe it immediately too. We should first find out if there is such an event or is it just a rumour, then see if he or she has any evidence or data to prove it and lastly, find out if the data is real or fake and hence see if this whole incident is a fraud or not.
Hence, I conclude that just because many people believe something is true, it does not necessarily mean it is true.

School assignment: Happiness

2009-05-20T02:18:00.000-07:00

Happiness is the feeling of joy when something you want to happen really happens, like when your parents get you the phone of your dreams for your birthday or when your favourite football club wins the league. That is what I think of the term ' happiness'.
There are many things that can make people happy. It may be that the girl or guy of their dreams agrees to go out with him or her. It can be that you have struck the lottery. It can be that you scored an A1 for all your tests. Most people do everything they can to make this things happen, so they will be happy.
However, they should think first if this thing is even worth it. If that girl or guy does go out with you, how do you know he would not dump you for another person they see? And all you get in the end is a broken heart. You can also buy a million lottery tickets and you can still no strike the lottery. even when you do, you would have spent more on the lottery tickets than you have gained. Also, once you strike it, you will feel like buying another ticket as in your mind, you are thinking that it is very easy to win. You will probably then keep buying until you use up all the money you won.
However, happiness is also important. If you are sad or ashamed, you will not feel motivated to work harder and strive to achieve your goal. In your mind, you are already thinking that you cannot do it even though you have only tried once or twice or have not even tried at all.
You actually have control over your happiness. You should try not to be too attracted to something, such as your dream girl or guy. This way, if something happens and you two break up or something, the impact on your happiness will be much lesser and it will be easier for you to pick yourself and work harder.

Science Term Test

2009-05-15T04:11:00.000-07:00

I am so UN-lucky. For my science test, I achieved 29.5 marks, just half a mark away from my third A1 of the term. Reason: My statements ( distance of xxxxx= speed divided by time etc...) was judged by my teacher to be incomplete. My teacher says that if we do not write statements, we will get zero for that question, regardless if the answer is correct. Also, she strictly says that all answers should be in 3 significant figures. Total marks lost due to these things= 3.5 marks, which would give me 33 marks, well above the A1 mark of 30. Currently, my MSG is 3.5 and if I ahd gotten just half a mark more for science, it would become 3.3. I am sure there is a good reason why she enforces all these rules but I am sure it is a little too strict? Right? Please state your opinions.

Reflections on average Mean Subject Grade(MSG) so far

2009-05-14T05:21:00.000-07:00

I took my last test on Wednesday and so far, of all the tests results that I know, I have gotten two A1s for my Infocomm Studies and Language Arts(literature and english combined), one C5(Geography)and two C6s(Maths and Chinese). I am pleased though with my results for my Infocomm Studies as I had not really studied and for Language Arts as well. On the other hand, I am disappointed for my Geography as I could have done better. I was a little careless and did not elaborate on my answers, which resulted in most of my questions not getting full marks though I had grasped the point. For my maths, I was too a little disappointed but I knew that my maths was not very good( I will have to work harder). As for Chinese, I was sick on the test date and had to take a harder make-up test but it hardly made a difference. I lost marks in the forming of sentences with cheng yu, which is something like a proverb or moral. I had revised, though not very thoroughly these cheng yu but my mind just went blank then.
I have yet to get back my other test papers but do not worry, I will reveal them once I get hold of them. Although my performance is still not very good, I am happy to know that I am improving and will strive for more of the elusive A1s next term.

Conspiracy? Rumours about UEFA not wanting All-english final

2009-05-08T04:08:00.000-07:00

The second-leg of the Champions League semi-final between Chelsea FC and FC Barcelona took place on 6 May 2009. Chelsea took the lead from Michael Essien's wondrous strike in the 9th minute. It looked like there would be a repeat of last-year's all-english final when in the last few dying minutes, Barcelona grabbed a precious away goal to send them into the Champions League final. Michael Essien, the initial hero, was to blame. The ball was in Chelsea's penalty box but he cleared it right into the path of Messi, who fed it to Iniesta who then rifled it into the back of the net. That was Barcelona's only shot on target and they made full use of it.
However, Chelsea had four penalty claims turned down by the referee Tom Henning Ovrebo, leading to rumours that he had turned them down so as to avoid an all-english final. Out of the four, at least two were genuine penalties. Although I am not a fan of Chelsea, I feel that it was a little unfair to them.

Lucky Chelsea

2009-04-29T04:00:00.000-07:00

Tsk tsk, Barcelona missed ALL those good chances to kill off Chelsea's chances of European glory. Chelsea themselves had a few good chances but a small amount compared to Barcelona's. Barcelona should have won but Petr Cech made fine saves to deny them. On the other side of the field, Victor Valdes too made a few good saves to prevent Chelsea from getting a precious away goal. I hope that Arsenal will triumph over Manchester United tonight, though I still support Liverpool. Manchester United will then be demoralised and lose all their remaining fixtures in the Premier League, allowing Liverpool to clinch the title.

The amazing things that faith in God can do

2009-04-20T05:53:00.000-07:00

I just watched a show and it is called ( si er fu sheng) which in english, means resurrection. It is about an amazing miracle that happened in 2001. It is about a pastor in Africa, who died and was placed in the mortuary for three days and came back to life. The clip shows the sequence of events and how his wife trusted God so much and was duly rewarded with the resurrection of her husband. In this show, the resurrected pastor, whose name I believe is Daniel( the show is in Mandarin after being translated and I am not very sure about his name ), also shares about what happened to him during those three days. He said that when he was in the ambulance, he saw two people, who from a glance he knew were angels of God, step into the ambulance. When he saw this, he knew that he had already passed away physically. One of the angels then took him to visit heaven. They first visited the place where people went to when they died. He saw people singing in one voice, all dressed in the same clothes, not one sang too slow or too fast, and if one bent down, all bent down and no one was too slow or too fast. He wanted to join them but the angel said no and brought him to visit another place which I am not too sure what it is. He said it was a house, but a house so beautiful that he could not describe it. It was like made of gold all over, and even the flowers were like made of gold. The angel was like a friend to him, held his hand and answered any question he asked. They also visited hell, where he saw a humongous door that the angel opened with a mighty hand raised. When the door opened, he heard the tortured cries of the souls in there. The people cried out for help, but the strange thing is that they seemed to be able to only see him and not the angel. One of the punished souls said that he was too a pastor and had taken the church's funds. He said that he was willing to give it all back, if only he would help him. Before he left for earth, he was tasked with giving the world a warning, a last warning.
I watched this and I was amazed. I had never seen such a miracle except the resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ. As you can see from this show, great faith in Jesus can enable all miracles to happen. We should also never forget the warning. Stop all our evil ways and trust in Our Lord Jesus. Learn from the example of the other pastor in hell. It is too late to turn back once you have done it.

Behavior of some people on public buses( For school )

2009-04-20T04:06:00.000-07:00

Noticed how on public buses, there is usually at least one person who takes up two seats? I am not implying that they are fat, what I am actually saying is the selfish way they behave. They purposely sit on the outside, hence blocking the way to the seat inside. Most people would not go forward and ask for that seat but would instead leave things as it is unless they really need that seat. Furthermore, even if you ask for that seat, these people would not move in but would instead shift their legs and leave you to squeeze through the narrow passage to the inside seat. This is especially difficult on a crowded bus. I remember once, when I was coming back from school and it was the peak hour, I boarded a bus(852) and it was very crowded. I noticed that at the back part of the bus. There were one or two empty seats that were blocked by the legs of these selfish people. One of these people moved in to let another person seat but the other, a woman, seeing the crowd, refused to move in and just sat there as though she was the only one on the bus. I am sure that you would, seeing the crowd, move in and let other people sit. This is not the only case. I am sure that there are countless of similar people who do this too.
What I do not understand is why they refuse to move in and let other people sit. Is it because they have a sickness and does not want anyone to be infected too? Or is it because they belong to some kind of rich family and feels superior to others? Or is it because they are plain lazy. No person is superior to another. All are equal. Being rich, famous or important is just a privilege and does not warrant you to look down on other, less-privileged people. We should maintain a good habit of moving in and letting others sit, and not be some kind of lazy, snobbish person.

Good News Singapore!

2009-04-12T02:57:00.000-07:00

Good News Singapore is an evangelistic outreach from 10-12 April at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, 7.30 pm(doors are opened to public from 6 pm)and it was organised by my church, Victory Family Centre! Our speaker was world-known evangelist, Reverend Reinhard Bonnke. He was awesome! On the first night, the stadium was packed to the brim and I heard there were quite a number of people who could not get in and had to sit in a tentage outside and watch it on a screen. Still, Reverend Bonnke delivered the gospel so well that on the first night, we had 815 decision cards even though we could not collect all as the response to the altar call was overwhelming. On the second night, there was less people and my sector was almost empty. Still, many people responded and on our combined Sunday service, the attendance was a little lesser but we were treated to an Awesome worship session by the hot worship band from Australia, Planetshakers(Luckily I was an usher on duty so I could watch them practice). Reverend Bonnke was our speaker for that service too. For those who want to hear the good news, there is still tonight, the last night. Planetshakers will be rocking the Indoor Stadium with their worship songs tonight and Reverend Bonnke will be preaching his message for the last time( For now).

And Manchester United fails....

2009-04-08T00:40:00.001-07:00

Poor Manchester United. They were beaten twice in a row by Liverpool(1-4), followed by an embarrasing defeat at hands of Fulham(0-2). They managed to clinch a victory over Aston Villa with Macheda's excellent curler making it (3-2). Manchester United's confidence was boosted by that win and they faced Porto at Old Trafford surely full of confidence, plus the fact that Porto were away. Sadly, Porto took the lead early in the game and fought back when they trailed United 2-1, levelling the score to gain the advantage. I wouldn't be surprised if Man United's chances of Champions League glory has vanished.

Alan Shearer set to be Newcastle's new manager.

2009-04-01T03:48:00.000-07:00

Alan Shearer, 38, will be Newcastle's fourth manager this season. The 38 year-old has only eight games to save the club he used to captain from relegation. An uphill task, considering that he has no coaching experience, coupled by the fact that the Magpies would be fighting Chelsea this Saturday. Think he will succeed? I think only Rafael Benitez would be able to pull off such a feat.

Remembering Uncle Ronnie

2009-03-29T06:04:00.000-07:00

Whenever I go to sunday church, I am always greeted with a friendly smile. Uncle Ronnie would be there at the entrance to the hall, greeting everyone with a smile on his face, a firm handshake and to the men, a warm hug. He brightens up our day with his friendliness and always greets and helps my grandfather when he comes to church.
However, tragedy struck on Wednesday night, 25 March 2009 at prayer meeting when Uncle Ronnie, who had just shared a great testimony came down the stage and sat down. Moments later, he collasped. He died of a heart attack later that night. His sudden death came as a shock to all of us. Just 3 days ago, he was sitting in my family's car chatting with my parents about how he wants to glorify God, how he wants to go and be with Our Father in Heaven. Just 3 days later, his wish was granted.
Uncle Ronnie is a great man who spent his life serving the Lord Our God. Even in his last hour, he was on the stage giving glory to God. He helped and touched so many people in and out of my church. I know he is now with God in heaven but even though he is not with us physically, we will still remember you. We will never forget him, a man who spent his life serving others.

LA prompt: Is a puddle of water a problem?

2009-03-27T19:47:00.000-07:00

There was a puddle of water at the entrance of my classroom yesterday. Rags were thrown onto the puddle. Is the problem solved? I do not think so. The rags would take a long time to soak up all the water. If we leave the puddle exposed, people may slip and the floor will get dirty. However, if we throw rags onto the puddle, the floor will still be slippery and the floor will still be dirty. I think the way to solve it is to use a mop to wipe the area.

School assignment: Mahatma Gandhi

2009-03-24T06:04:00.000-07:00

There are certain things I like about Mahatma Gandhi. Firstly, his non-violence approach to every situation. I read about once in 1921 when Prince Edward of Great Britain visited India, a riot started and Gandhi tried to adopt a peaceful protest. However, the situation got out of control and a policeman was even killed by the mob. Secondly, the fighting spirit in him. Once, when his request for the taxes for salt and land was rejected, he solved the problem by making salt from the seawater with a group of devotees.
However, nobody is perfect and there is one thing that I do not like about him. Firstly, the way he tends to put his life in danger on purpose to try and resolve the problem. Once when he called for the British to leave India while speaking to the people, protesting loudly, he landed in jail. He did not give up but the way he tried to get the British to leave was wrong. What he did was to go on a hunger strike for twenty-one days, putting his life at risk.
He is unique as he did not fight back when attacked, did not give up when he failed and the fact that he is very humble. How many people can you find on the street that leave you alone, do not give you weird looks or harbour bad feelings against you if you attack them? How many people can you find that keep trying till the end? How many people are there that, despite having a celebrity status, calls his enemies his brothers? Very little.
Mahatma Gandhi is a great leader, a great person and we should all learn from him.

Train tragedy at Clementi MRT

2009-03-24T04:24:00.000-07:00

Tragedy struck when a woman was killed after a train hit her at Clementi MRT station. It happened at 6.15 am on Tuesday. Altogether, 6,250 pepople were affected by the incident and train services resumed at 7.03 am.

New sea monster fossil found!

2009-03-18T20:53:00.000-07:00

A new sea monster fossil has been found and this giant, which was found in the Artic and known as "Predator X", has a bite 4 times that of a Tyrannosaurus Rex. Its skull alone is over 10 feet long and it weighed about 45 tonnes. The bite force of this pliosaur is one of the largest to be calculated and it can crush General Motors' large sport utility vehicle, a Hummer. Sweet.

The Mighty Reds stage another comeback

2009-03-14T17:38:00.000-07:00

It was sweet victory for Liverpool. The Reds came from behind to trounce their rivals Man United 4-1. A clinical finishing from Torres to score the equaliser. Gerrard's penalty was just out of the reach of Van Der Sar. Aurelio's free kick swerved into the net so fast that Van Der Sar was rooted to the ground and he could only watch as Dossena's chip floated over him and dipped into the net. I was worried that, considering Man U's good form, Liverpool might lose but my favourite team, Liverpool, overcame United easily, brushing them aside. Yes!! Liverpool WON! Woohoo!

Van explodes in a carpark near BLK 279

2009-03-13T23:46:00.000-07:00

I was waiting for my show to start when I heard my father shout," A van is burning." We all hurried to the window to see. All I saw was a big cloud of smoke. This was the first time I experienced something like that and I was excited, shocked at the same time. My mother called the fire brigade and we all went down. It was total chaos downstairs as tons of people turned up to see the commotion.
When the firemen arrived, we all watched as they bravely fought the fire, doing things as fast as they could. It was a nice experience overall in the end.

Australian wrestled with a KANGAROO?

2009-03-09T03:26:00.000-07:00

In Canberra, Australia, an extraordinary wrestling match took place. Beat Ettlin was awoken by the sound of something crashing through a window. It was in fact a kangaroo. He even thought it was a lunatic ninja at first but was relieved to find that it was just a kangaroo. However, he heard his son scream out and thought it might be dangerous for his family and wrestled the marsupial out of the front door wearing only his underpants. His battle scars include scratche marks on his buttocks and legs, his underpants having been shredded in the incident.
It is said that the kangaroo hopped over a fence into their backyard. Beat and his family also suspects that the kangaroo felt trapped and hence, tried to get out of the yard by crashing through the bedroom window.

Good A-level results result in early dismissal

2009-03-06T05:26:00.000-08:00

Today was a great day. Rumours were flying that if the A-level results, which were to released today, were good, the whole high school would have an early dismissal.
11.10 a.m.- the fire alarm rang. We went to the hall where instead, our principal announced the great results. However, this joyous moment was marred by the fact that CCA was still on that day, meaning we could not go home. Also, our history teacher held us back for about half and hour to explain our holiday homework. Moreover, I had to see my chinese teacher.
Even worse, the weather was extremely hot and we had to do push-ups on burning hot ground. Still, it is the last week of school lessons as next week is sabbaticals.

Student stabs professor in the back

2009-03-03T23:45:00.000-08:00

Read the article on the incident where the student stabbed his professor in the back? Here's your chance.
Strange, don't you think, that a student would suddenly stab his professor in the back for no apparent reason. Anyway, it was just a normal session with the professor and David Widjaja suddenly stabbed his professor, slit his own wrists and then jumped off the building and fell to his death. Why? That's the big question. Stress?
It has been revealed that the student, studying in Nanyang Technological University had a scholarship revoked just two weeks ago. That might have been the reason.

AHHH! Horrible week!

2009-03-01T23:20:00.000-08:00

It is a NIGHTMARE week for me. First, Liverpool LOST through an own goal though you cannot blame Alonso, then I got my total MSG today and it is 3.8. I have about one failure I think. I must improve next term.

Liverpool WON in the Bernabeu

2009-02-26T05:47:00.000-08:00

Yeah! Liverpool won Real Madrid AWAY. They now have the advantage.

Oh no! Its a DRAW

2009-02-22T23:24:00.000-08:00

Ahhhhhh! Liverpool drew! They probably cannot win the premiership already. But luckily, there is still champions league trophy up for grabs.

Illegal sale of kidneys are rampant in India

2009-02-19T04:25:00.000-08:00

Due to the devastating effect of the tsunami which is still felt by the indian people, the sale of illegal kidneys are very common in India. Extreme poverty, unpaid debts and unemployment have forced indian people to sell the kidneys. There are many doctors around who also steal the kidneys of patients. The "mastermind" is a doctor called Dr Kumar, labelled "Dr Horror". He has stole many kidneys from unsuspecting patients. One of the "victims"is a gardener called Akram Khan. He was told to go to Dr Kumar for a medical check-up but anasthetic was administered to him without his consent and when he woke up, he saw a bandage wrapped around his bodyand when he asked the doctor why the bandage was there, Dr Kumar told him that he had removed a stone in his one of his organs. Dr Kumar had fled to Canada with his family but he has been arrested. Luckily.

Read about the 13 year old father yet? Here's your chance

2009-02-18T04:59:00.001-08:00

I know this is kind of late but I did not know what to post and remembered about this incident. 13 year old Alfie is now a father, the mother being 15 year old Chantelle. Chantelle had this baby after Alfie was allowed to sleep over at her place and something magical happened( I'm sure you know what happened too . However, there is another 16 year old boy who claims to be the father of that baby and demands a DNA test.
The parents of Alfie are just too irresponsible. Alfie is only 13, has not broken his voice yet, looks like a 8 year old and is only 1.22m tall. I'm sure they did not educate him in these matters and as a result, he is a father.

Tests are coming up

2009-02-16T00:48:00.001-08:00

I have tests this weeks and I am stressed. Lucky maths and english over already. However, I still have history, geog, chinese and science is TOMORROW. Hope I pass.

The Ballad of Charlie Gordon( LA ACE project)

2009-02-03T03:07:00.000-08:00

Charlie Gordon, Charlie Gordon, whose IQ was 68.
He was naive, and gullible, and thought everyone was great.
He aspired, to be smart, and one day this dream came true.
Dr Strauss, and Dr Nemur, said" We're giving this chance to you."

He went for, the operation, and suddenly became smart,
But he was unhappy, as he learned how, people treated his old self.
Then Algernon died, and he knew that, he may suffer the same fate,
but he still learned more than anyone to date.

He knew that, his intelligence, would one day all vanish away,
but he accepted it anyway.
He started to go back to his old self again,
and this, is how, this exciting story ends.

The Taximan's Story

2009-02-03T02:20:00.000-08:00

I read "The Taximan's Story " in "Little Ironies" by Catherine Lim. It is about a taximan sharing to a customer about the difference between teens of the present century and that of the previous century. It tells us about the life of teenagers now, how many young girls and boys trick their parents that they have a school activity but actually go out, smoke, dress like big shots. It also tells us about how many schoolgirls who make love with foreigners and other boys, one sadly being the taximan's daughter too. The irony is that he does not like all these young people doing all these immoral things yet he rushes to fetch them around as though he was their servant.
Upon reading this story, ifeel quite sorry for the taximan as his only child that might have a promising future would actually do this type of things. However, I agree that this story is quite realistic as that is what is happening now but not on such a large scale.

"Flowers for Algernon"

2009-02-03T01:59:00.000-08:00

I read "Flowers for Algernon" as required for my Language Arts curriculum and it is about a low IQ man called Charlie Gordon. Quite taxing but, no choice. I prefer the Charlie with an IQ of 68 than the one with an IQ of 200 as when he was highly intelligent, he became arrogant and looked down on other people, looking only at their weak points and not their strong points but when he was no intelligent, he was humble and treated everyone well.
I feel that what makes an ideal human of life is not his or her intelligence, but rather the person's happiness, as well as being humble and not arrogant. Intelligence does not determine that smarter people are superior and we should not follow the example set by Charlie in "Flowers for Algernon", where he looked down on the two scientists who conducted the operation on him.
Giftedness is a level of intelligence higher than average. However, people should not use science to improve someone's intelligence or external appearance as it is not natural and may have a negative effect on a person's body or mind.

Yeah! Liverpool beat Chelsea

2009-02-01T22:42:00.000-08:00

Total ownage. Liverpool owned Chelsea and they will beat Man U at their next meeting. Torres's double killed the game and Liverpool demolished Chelsea to be back in the title chase.

School blog prompt: The importance of age and experience to the workforce in any country

2009-01-30T16:49:00.000-08:00

Age and experience are one of the most important things in any workforce in any country. This is evident as most of the construction workers nowadays are all young and strong people, local or from overseas. However, you also will need experienced people to control the company, ensure it goes in the right direction and make the correct decisions. If a company's workers have no experience at all, the company will not go far.
Hence, it can be concluded that age and experience are important if a company is to excel and stand above the rest.

Here's what happened when I visited my pri teachers

2009-01-22T20:20:00.000-08:00

I went to visit my teachers( primary school ) today. Firstly, I went the wrong way to go to Catholic High and had to go a longer way, dragging my unfortunate friend along. So jia Lat!! I was sure when I reached school that some teachers would be unable to recognise me. However, my social studies and band teacher recognised me instantly. However, my english teacher when she saw me, her facial expression was like" Omigod! You've changed." My maths teacher too could not recognise me at first but remembered me later. Overall, It was quite fun as I played soccer there( Sec1 vs Sec2 oldboy) and we were getting trashed.

AHHH!!! Liverpool DREW!!

2009-01-20T23:38:00.000-08:00

Liverpool drew AGAIN!!!! Must be that Benitez AGAIN. Kidney stones does not decrease his level of IQ does it? Giving your opponents the attacking initiative after you have just taken a slender lead is a horrible idea. Just like in the Stoke match, wrong tactics AGAIN( how many times do I have to use that word). Two wrong tactics = Liverpool very lucky to escape with 2 out of 6 points.

Weekly Episode review ( Han Wudi)

2009-01-17T00:37:00.001-08:00

In this week's Han Wudi, the emperor, it showed how Han Liu Che, the emperor, was preparing to fight against the Xiongnus. At that time, the Han empire had to give yearly tribute to the Xiongnus, or they would be crushed by the powerful and stronger Xiongnu army. However, Han Wudi did not want to be subjected to this humilation that began at the start of the Han dynasty.

One of the main differences between Xiongnu and the Han empire showed today was the weapon quality. Han Wudi brought a precious sword of one of the Xiongnu Kings, " Jinglu" to a blacksmith and tested the sword by hitting it against a sword made of iron by the blacksmiths. The sword gave way after being hit once by the "Jinglu" sword, which was made of steel. It also showed the difference in quality. The blacksmith was asked to forge a sword of similiar quality but the forged sword though of good quality, still was not as good as the "Jinglu" sword and gave way after about five hits by the "Jinglu" sword.

This episode showed the determination of Han Wudi, who was so careful not to leak out his plans taht he planned all his strategies with his subjects in a cave. His fighting spirit is something we should all learn.

For those who want to watch this show, it is on Channel 8, every Saturday at 2.30pm.

Special edition post on the hardships faced by farmers due to reforestation

2009-01-15T05:31:00.000-08:00

Reforestation does help our earth and all of us, but what about the farmers who own some land in the forest park, land they use to grow their crops, land that has been taken away for reforestation? Their income is already so little and if their land is taken away, they will have less land to grow their crops, meaning less income for them. All the farmers and their families are citiziens of China like all the other people.

Why should they suffer just for a few trees?

The government should at least re-allocate equally big and good land somewhere else not to faraway or give them a reasonable amout of compensation monthly. Everyone deserves equal treatment.

These farmers have been leading their lives this way from the moment they were born. We should not disrupt their lives like that but should instead find other alternatives.

Special edition posts on the cruelty of whaling in Japan

2009-01-15T05:09:00.000-08:00

Whales are hunted for their meat and blubber. Japan now is hunting whales excessively. If this does not stop, whales would soon appear on the endangered list and may even follow in the steps of steller's sea cow, the quagga, the passenger pigeon and many other extinct animals.

Though it is not wrong to hunt whales, Japan should not hunt whales so excessively. Even if it is a delicacy in Japan, the citizens there should not order whale every time they visit a restaurant. That will cause an increase in demand for whale meat and hence, whales will be hunted more. More meat, people will eat even more of whale and the demand for whale meat will increase again, causing whales to be hunted even more. That will show how selfish they are.

Man's greedy nature has caused the extinction of the dodo, the elephant bird, the passenger pigeon, steller's sea cow, the moa and many more animals. Some people even did not know that the animal they shot was tha last of its species. If man was not so selfish and greedy, we would still see the quagga, giant birds like the moa and the elephant bird and many more. Likewise, if Japan does not stop its excessive whaling, whales, one of the largest mammals on this earth(even bigger than most dinosaurs) would too be gone forever.

Liverpool drew again?(Same club, same score)

2009-01-12T02:19:00.000-08:00

I was utterly shocked by Liverpool's lacklustre draw with lowly Stoke City. Their recent form was encouraging and I was sure that Liverpool would come away with at least a two-nil win over Stoke City. Instead, Liverpool looked cowed against a team who had lost four games straight before this match. Again, Benitez's tactics had a part to play in the draw. He, instead of giving Robbie Keane, who is finally starting to score goals, a chance to prove himself further, started with Dirk Kuyt who has not been very profilic. Liverpool finally began to play better when Steven Gerrard hit the woodwork twice late in the game, but then it was already too late.

The previous time Liverpool played Stoke, they were in excellent form, full of confidence, and yet they drew 0-0. It is the same as this match. Liverpool, in good form and full of confidence, were held to another 0-0. This was a good chance to create and even bigger point gap between them and the other clubs yet they missed it again. Benitez should really consider his tactics better if Liverpool are to end their long drought for the Premienship title.

Number 1

2009-01-08T01:15:00.000-08:00

It is Compulsory For All students to have blogs, therefore Im dedicating mine to LIVERPOOL, the merseyside team & GOD