The Doggeh's Blog

Current Affairs Blog Post: The Dr Susan Lim Saga

2011-07-02T04:32:00.000-07:00

Hi there! This my next current affairs blog post regarding the Susan Lim Saga that happened a while ago. My class was told to have a debate over this and thus, I am posting my reflections here. A main idea of what happened in this case was that Dr Lim was hired to cure a Bruneian patient (Royalty) of her breast disease. Dr Lim initially requested for $25 million and the family accepted, wanting to save the future queen as soon as possible. However, in November 2007, the royal family wrote to the Ministry of Health, asking them to tell Dr Lim to reduce her fees as $25 million was a big sum. Considering the fact that Dr Lim had already received $14 million from the past few years as service charges from the government of Brunei and also that the Bruneian patient died, the Singapore Medical Council is launching an inquiry against Dr Lim for overcharging her patient. The question burns down to this: Should a doctor's fees take priority over benevolence?

This question mainly means that doctors should provide cheap services to people who cannot afford it like for example, an old man with no one to depend on.

Reflections:
I feel that a doctor's fees should take priority over benevolence. Doctors should be paid fairly and not short-changed/taken advantaged of whether your family is rich or poor. In this case, Dr Lim's patient is from royalty and is thus, well-to-do.

Firstly, doctors should be given fees fairly as they are like any ordinary human, having a family to feed. They also have to take care of themselves and survive, furthermore with the high living costs nowadays. By taking advantage of/short-changing them, possibly by telling them that you have no money, they make losses. They are indirectly providing a cheap or free service this way and also, they have to spend money on medicine like antiseptic. They do not earn enough money to feed their families. If you short-change them, you might feel happy that you gained. However, ask your conscience. Is this really the right thing to do? What would happen to the doctor that provided a cheap service? Thus, I feel that doctors should be paid fairly.

Next, solving the problem of people with no money. In some cases, doctors are called upon to be Samaritans. Usually, they would see old people (Common) that are critically ill. However, there is this problem that these old people have no one to depend on and have no money on them. Are the doctors really that cold-hearted to leave the old person to die? Obviously not. Yet, they are faced with the problem that they do not receive fees. There are mainly two solutions to this. One, you can provide a free service since the man is already dying and you do not want to be known as a cold-hearted person. Or you can help that old person to apply for financial services like Medisave. After all, they have been saving it for life, why not use it now? Hence, the problem of 'being forced to be benevolent' is solved.

Lastly, it is regarding the Singapore Medical Council's inquiry against Dr Lim's company regarding the overcharging. I feel that there is no problem regarding this incident. Dr Lim has already asked/warned the patient about the prices and the patient has already agreed to it. The patient has also chose Dr Lim for a reason. This reason would be that Dr Lim had a good reputation. Hence, it is not uncommon for a good doctor to charge patients at a high price for services. Also, at that time, the patient would have already seen a few doctors and compared prices so Dr Lim's price should have been reasonable. Therefore, there is not really much of a problem with this incident.

In conclusion, I feel that a doctor's fees take priority over benevolence. Doctors are human beings too and require money to survive. Free services should not be provided as 'There is no such thing as a free lunch'. Solutions towards the problems of not having money etc can be easily solved. Hence, doctors have all rights to charge their patients.

Current Affairs Blog Post: Meeting the people session online

2011-06-26T04:17:00.000-07:00

Hi there, this is my 3rd blog post on current affairs for the holidays. This blog post is regarding a system initiated by the government, where a meet-the-people's session would be held online. The link for this article is http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_684143.html. Enjoy! :D

Summary of the article: Recently, the PAP initiated a new system, which is the meet-the-people's session online. This system allowed residents to speak to the ministers in their constituency, without having to go to the nearest town council. People could provide their feedback and suggestions through social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter. This would not only provide convenience, but also save time.

I feel that the system to use social networking sites to provide feedback and suggestions is truly a good idea as it provides convenience from residents within the constituency. It could also help the PAP in the next general election, as more people would vote for the PAP for initiating this new system for them. However, with advantages definitely comes disadvantages. These disadvantages are not of the system, but the flaws of social networking sites.

Some common problems of social networking sites that have little or no relation to the Meet-The-People session online are cyber-bullying and addiction to the Internet. Also, there is a case of disturbance online like spamming and posting of vulgar stuff. This is the true problem that this initiative is facing.

Firstly, the problem of spamming. Spamming refers to the continuous posting of irrelevant stuff by an individual. In this case, spamming is occurring since people are posting trivial matters that does not concern the ministers on their walls. For example, a person could be posting on the social networking sites of his personal problems like stating that his house's toilet has broken down or that his house is poorly situated. This is a personal problem, what could the posters of these messages want the ministers to do? Hire a plumber? Thus, if the people living in a certain constituency want to report to their minister about a problem that they are facing, they should think of how many people are involved and not only for themselves. Such examples include telling the ministers of faulty lights or a lift that broken down. They could also report about the lack of facilities in that area.

Next, there is the problem of the posting of vulgar and abusive stuff on the ministers' wall. Some people in Singapore, due to the recent General Elections 2011, dislike their ministers since they did not hope for them to win. For example, if a person voted for the workers' party and in the end, the PAP won, they might be quite angry with the PAP, with a sense of dislike. They would thus, make use of this social networking sites to curse at the PAP with a fake name, so that these PAP members would not be able to track down who the culprit was. This is a common problem faced by the ministers.

Overall, this idea was quite a good initiative that the PAP made and would definitely garner more support in the next General Elections. As long as these ministers are patient, the problem of spamming and the posting of abusive stuff might not seem so major in the end. By not paying attention to these people, the problem is actually solved.

Current Affairs Blog Post: Exposing kids to different kinds of sports in schools

2011-06-26T02:09:00.000-07:00

Hi there, this is my second blog post on current affairs for the holidays. The link to the article is http://www.straitstimes.com/STForum/OnlineStory/STIStory_683522.html. Enjoy! :)

Summary of the article: In many schools nowadays, students are not exposed to various kinds of sports and are hardly taught anything related to sports like for example, techniques and methods to play. The writer of the news article feels that students should be exposed to sports more often for them to discover their talents in certain areas.

I agree with the writer of the article that students should be exposed to more kinds of sports, but only to a certain extent. Discovering hidden talents is indeed important in a student's life as it could help him to earn achievements and get a career in the aspect that he/she is good in. However, I feel that this should not be done during PE lessons. The main purpose of PE lessons is to give students a chance to a take a break from their academic routine and also help keep them physically fit. Also, most PE lessons of various schools in Singapore are more focused towards the NAPFA test so most of the PE lessons would be used up to train students for it. PE lessons are usually conducted once a week so there would be hardly enough time to discover new talents. All that have been said in this paragraph, however, only applies to secondary schools.

On the other hand, primary schools do indeed help students discover their talents. During primary school life, there would be around 3 hours of PE Lessons per week on the average, with exception to the examination period. Also, the workload during primary school level is not as hectic as compared to secondary schools so primary school students would have more time to come into contact with various sports. I believe that PE teachers in primary school, do teach students how to play various sports like basketball and soccer. Through this, students would be exposed to different kinds of sports and also be able to discover the talent that they have in that certain area. Thus, students are already exposed enough in primary school level.

Many teachers and parents in Singapore are more academically-focused. They regard primary school level as the exploratory stage and secondary school level as the developing stage. Hence, to achieve a win-win situation (More academic time and physical education time), Co-curricular activities have been introduced to help students develop their talents. In primary school, students would discover their talents in certain areas and when they graduate to secondary school, they would join a COMPULSORY co-curricular activity for them to further develop their talents in that area. Also co-curricular activities are held after school, usually from 1 to 3 times per week and students would thus, be able to manage their academic work and keep physically fit at the same time. Hence, win-win situation is achieved.

Current Affairs Blog Post: Dead Body Found In HDB Water Tank

2011-06-04T05:09:00.000-07:00

Hello there, this is my blog post for Language Arts on current affairs, regarding the dead body found in water tank incident that occurred recently. Here is the URL to the web page regarding the article: http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_669451.html

Summary of the article:

In one of the HDB flats in Woodlands, a dead body was found in the water tank. This resulted in dirty water (Yellowish and foamy) and also unsafe for consumption. The maid was killed by her boyfriend, possibly due to the fact that they wanted to break up. Many residents thought that this was a private matter and thus, did not interfere despite the screams and shouts.

Reflections:

The 27-year-old Bangladeshi maintenance worker's action to kill the maid was wrong. Firstly, if the murder took place due to the fact that both parties wanted to break up, the man should have been calm and talk things through with the Indonesian maid. In other words, instead of committing murder, he could have been more civilized. With murder taking place, the worker would be sentenced to the gallows or given a sentence of a lifetime imprisonment. On the other hand, if the man would have talked things through, there would be a chance of them patching their misunderstandings up. Even if the maid insisted on breaking up, the man could just give her some time to think things through as decisions being made required plenty of thought at that point of time. Also, if breaking up really took place, the man should just learn from his mistakes (what he did wrong that led to both parties breaking up) and find another woman. After all, the Indonesian maid may not be the best in the world for him.

So, what if the Bangladeshi man killed the Indonesian maid rashly, without putting in thought about the consequences that would follow? Well, a murder still took place so he would still be sentenced. It is his loss too. Also, even if his actions were rash, putting the dead body in the water tank was a wrong action too. He already killed one person and should feel guilty about it. Does he want to be the murderer of the woman AND the murderer of the residents of the HDB flat by polluting the water, making it unsafe for consumption and possibly resulting in death? One mistake is enough, a second one should not be made.

Hence, I feel that the Bangladeshi man’s actions were wrong and that he should pay for what he did to the Indonesian maid and the residents of the HDB flat.

Home based Learning Exercise

2011-05-24T19:20:00.001-07:00

Dear Diary,

It all happened on the 25^th of June 1950. I was still asleep when my father woke me up. He told me that B-29, a type of plane had been launched. North Korea was invading South Korea. Initially, I wondered why North Korea would even want to harm us. After all, we had good bilateral relationships by just being located next to each other. It was then when my father told me that military conflicts had emerged between both governments.

Life was bitter during the war. There was no place for us to live in, no food and under the mercy of the extreme cold temperature. Fortunately for us, we weren’t that rich. I received news from my friends in high school that the rich people had all been taken away by the ‘In Meen Goon’, the North Korea soldiers. All their possessions had been taken away too. The most shocking thing was that it was actually the poor people of South Korea who brought the ‘In Meen Goon’ to the rich people. They had betrayed us due to their jealousness of the rich people.

Last week, when I was walking alone at night, I witnessed a killing scene that traumatized me fully. When I was walking, I saw a number of people lying at the feet of a North Korean Soldier. They were all frail and weak. They did not have a shirt on them and bones were protruding. They had not eaten for quite a few days and were pleading with the North Korea soldier to give them food. However, the North Korean soldier was merciless. He took out his gun and began firing at the people below him. Suddenly, one of the people began to stand up and run. The North Korean Soldier fired at the running man. However, when the North Korean Soldier shot at the man, it was not just the man that died. The stray bullets killed many others too. People from the police station and other high positioned people got their fingers cut off and shot. I ran behind a wall to seek shelter. My heart was pounding. After 10 minutes, the firing of gunshots stopped. I went out and saw a land of horror below me. The bodies of many were left on the floor, unattended. This showed how cruel those North Korean Soldiers were! This incident left me in shock for the entire night, to the extent that I had nightmares and was unable to get any rest.

Many people were missing during the war. Many people were killed during the war. And all of them shared something in common. They were INNOCENT. There was hunger. People died of starvation. The living conditions were poor with the low temperatures. I did not complain about anything for fear of dying. I was struggling not to die. I was not trying to live. Neither was I trying to die. The war should never have happened. In conclusion, war is the worst tragedy in the world.

Yours sincerely,

Mervyn
7^th October 1950

Blog Prompt 11 - Do you feel that crisis brings out the best in man?

2011-04-15T08:33:00.000-07:00

           What does crisis mean? What does the best in man refer to? These two questions have to be addressed before the question can even be attempted. Crisis refers to the point of emergency, possibly involving a life or death situation, for example, the Japan Earthquake that happened recently. On the other hand, the best in man, could refer to many sorts of things, but the most basic of all is the virtues of man.
            So now, my overall answer of the question if crisis is able to bring out the best in man. I feel that the answer varies. In certain aspects, the answer can be "No" and in other aspects, the answer could be a definite "Yes". It is not that difficult to see why crisis can or cannot bring out the best in man, but this can only be seen if you consider the question in a two-point perspective.
           Firstly, the reason behind the answer "No". Crisis may not actually bring out the best in man, but actually the worst in man if you consider it in a different way. For example, take the different sorts of crisis occurring around the world, be it the riots or the Japan Earthquake. In these aspects, man are actually turning out to be selfish beasts, only thinking for their own lives and not caring about others. During an evacuation, people are struggling to hold on to their lives, shoving and pushing people out of their way and even resulting in a stampede in some cases. These people have obviously not considered that it would be dangerous for others, especially the old folks' and the young children. They only care about their own lives and not others. By shoving and pushing, they really do save their own lives. But have they ever considered the fact that they are taking away the lives of others? By shoving and pushing, we can see how selfish these humans or maybe even heartless beings are. These selfishness leads to the worst in man being brought up in such cases and thus, I feel that crisis may not always bring out the best in man.
           Next, the reason behind my favourable answer. Crisis can also bring out the best in man in some cases. For example, take the 911 Bombing incident. An aeroplane crashed into the World Trade Center, resulting in heavy fire breaking out. However, the firefighters at the scene did not care about their lives and yet, dashed into the fire, hoping to at least save a few lives. This depicts how the best of man was brought up. Through this crisis, selflessness of man was actually brought up, with the firefighters dashing into the fire risking their lives.
           In conclusion, what does the best in man mean? Through the above stated, the concluded meaning of the best in man refers to life and death. The best of man is portrayed when someone risks whatever he haves, just for the benefit of others. The firefighters stated risked their lives just to save the folks, not even sparing a thought for themselves. This is known as selflessness. This is what is meant by the best in man.

Blog Prompt 10

2011-04-09T07:46:00.001-07:00

My Reflections:

Kids ruling the school seem impossible. In fact, when you talk to someone about your idea about having kids to have their own curriculum and rule the school, that person would think that you are joking. Kids all around the world are regarded as incapable and irresponsible. Therefore, kids are not competent enough to rule the school.

If kids were to develop their own curriculum, the school would be full of chaos and it would be disorganized. In fact, the curriculum would be terrible and messed up. Being kids, it is quite obvious that they would prefer having fun first than to keep the best for the last when it comes to fun and games. Therefore, it is quite possible that if the kids were to create their own curriculum, they would make all the fun activities on the first day of school which is Monday. On Monday, the timetable could be full of fun such as having music lessons in the morning and physical education at noon. All activities on that day would not be related to academic and in the end, all the academic lessons would be pushed back, deeper into the week. This would result in the disorganization of the school, and also disruption in the student's education. Fun should be merged with academics. There is time for fun and time for studying. The kids would probably not enjoy school if all the academic lessons were all on Wednesdays to Fridays, right? This is one of the reasons why I feel that kids are not capable enough to rule the school.

Another reason why I feel that students are not capable enough to rule the school is because they are obviously not mature enough to do so. For example, if the students were to put all the fun activities and lessons on the Mondays or Tuesdays, it would affect them in a way in which they do not about or do not understand. In a child's mind, fun is all that he or she thinks about and the future implications or problems are not thought of when the child makes a decision. By pushing all the fun lessons forward, they would just have 2 days of fun and slack that they have no homework. However, they did not think or realise that if the other days are academic days, they would be full of homework and not be able to cope. They have no idea that the timetable should be balanced since their flows of thoughts are not developed enough. This is another reason why I feel that children are incompetent to rule the school.

Due to the immaturity of the children and their poor flow of thoughts, they are definitely not capable enough to have their own curriculum, organized by themselves. Once again, I would like to stress the point that kids ruling the school are an impossible task, although some schools have already tried it out when they have not weighed the pros and cons.

Blog prompt 9 - What are the qualities you look out for in a MP/Minister

2011-04-01T07:47:00.001-07:00

There have been many reviews and posts on the internet about the general elections that are approaching and most of the comments are negative. Ms Tin Pei Ling is a young candidate at the age of 27 and she is disfavored by the crowd.

She is disfavoured by the crowd since the crowd feels that she is not a suitable candidate and people like her are quite easily found. They have posted online that she has no qualities to lead Singapore. People like her can also be found, possibly 1 in 12. She cannot serve the nation and help it in its time of need, says the crowd. With this bad response from the crowd, this sort of comments and posts would be found in the newspaper and on the internet (being spread) since this incident is important for making Singapore’s future generations livable. More people would did not see these comments or posts would be influenced that Ms Tin Pei Ling is a bad candidate and their mindsets would change for the worse that she is not a good leader. Therefore, no one would vote for her, just because of the media and possibly the rumors spreading. These rumors are being spread when a person does not get the full picture and topic. Those who spread these rumors possibly do not know anything and all about Ms Tin being a terrible leader, could be all assumptions.

Now for the million dollar question. What do I want to see in the next MP/Minister? I want to see the qualities in this person. To be a MP or Minister, you do not need to have good grades and a really high education status. To be a MP or Minister, you have to show. You have to show that you are a good leader who is capable of leading the country and this can be shown by going on some rally speeches. This person should also set a good example for all to following. He or she must also be dedicated to Singapore so that he or she does not dump Singapore aside and run off in times of crisis. This is what I look out for in a MP/Minister.

Online lesson Term 2 Week 2 Exercise 1

2011-03-29T22:30:00.000-07:00

Topic: Pick a photo from the slideshow and write a descriptive piece. Write in the voice of the character or one of the characters, with focus on the atmosphere, mood and emotions. Post your descriptive piece on your blog.

Firstly, I would be writing about the physical features of the the character and lastly, I would be using these features to write in the perspective of the man in the following picture.

Physical Features/Emotions:
The man in the picture looks as if he is dressed shabbily.
He has not shaved for quite a few days and looks dirty. We can conclude from this point that he has not showered for a few days, most probably because he does not have a home to do so. (Only assumption)
His eyes are full of fear and he is on the brink of tears.
His creased mouth makes him seem nervous.

Shabbily looking + Fear + Grief + Nervous = War
War takes away the homes of many, thus the shabby look. There is also the fear and nervousness that he might get killed/injured in the war and thus the fear in his eyes. The grief could also show that the things that are precious to him are gone like for example, his family members.

Therefore, we can tell/assume that there is a war going on at that time.

From the 1st Person Point of View:
I am scared. Very scared. I don't know why but I feel fear all over me even in my eyes. War is coming. If war is coming, where is my son? Is he injured or in a worse-case scenario, dead? He should be defending the country now as he is serving the nation in the army. What if he doesn't make it out alive? I am really afraid.

All my worries, nervousness and fear are all caused by the fact that the other country is attacking us. Why can't they think of it in a other perspective? Why can't they put themselves into our shoes? They think killing people is fun? They think making people sad is fun? Well they should just stop. They should think of how many lives would be lost in the war, they should think of the families and there well-being is their only child have been killed. Grief would be in the families for life. It would leave a deep scar! Surely they do not want us killing their beloved family members right? I feel that they should just regret what they are doing and stop!

Blog prompt 8

2011-03-25T08:12:00.000-07:00

Blog Prompt 8: Tell us whether or not you tend to pay attention to events in other parts of the world and why? Why should we care about what happens in places far away from where we live in general?

Reflections:

I personally feel that I do pay some attention to events in other parts of the world, mostly around South-East Asia. I also feel that we should care about what happens in places far away from us as it affects not only affects the countries near that place, it also affects us as a whole.

We should pay attention to the events in other parts of the world firstly to keep up with the times and not be so ignorant. Doing so, I would be able to understand the situation that the other countries are having and also paying attention helps in your current affairs knowledge. If you only read a small portion, it is still fine as at least when someone talks to you about current affairs, you are able to understand part of it and be able to give a response that has some relation to that topic. However, reading more would benefit more.

We should pay attention to the events also because we have to prepare for the worse in some cases. For example, take the recent Japan Earthquake. The Earthquake involved a Tsunami following right after it and also quite a number of deaths. By understanding the situation in Japan, we can prepare for the worse by looking up on some safety measures to take when something similar happens to us. Furthermore, Japan is quite close to us and there is still that slim possibility of something similar occurring in Singapore. Mr Goh Chok Tong stated that the Japanese are much superior towards Singaporeans since the Japanese were quite calm and optimistic despite the terrible disaster. Also, many survived although the disaster was far worse than expected. Furthermore, Japan is still having a positive attitude now and has even starting planning for the rebuilding of their city. By taking such precautions, Mr Goh wouldn’t make this comment again and will feel that Singaporeans are on par with the Japanese. Also, other countries would not look down on us.

I feel that we should care about the events that happened in places far away from us. We cannot possibility just say that since those countries are far away from us, the disaster for example, they are facing would not affect us and thus, we should not care. Firstly, there is still a slim probability of something similar occurring to us although we are far away. Next, also if the disaster does not hit us, we still have to pay attention to it to understand more and possibly make a donation or something. Lastly, it could not be the disaster that would affect us, but it could also be the country itself that affects us. The country’s economy and financial state would be affected after a disaster. If one part of the global economy is affected, the rest would be affected too. By understanding the situation there, we can not only help by thinking how to resolve their problems, but also think of how we can prevent this incident from happening in future if it occurs to us. We can also consider and think of how we can aid our economy since if that country's economy goes bankrupt after the disaster, we are bound to lose some money and investors. This is what we can do and also this is why we should pay attention to events that happens far away from us.

Official Blog Post 5

2011-02-26T21:33:00.000-08:00

Link to news article:
http://www.asiaone.com/News/Latest%2BNews/Asia/Story/A1Story20110227-265528.html

Summary of the news article:
          A father rented out his child to another person for money and to lessen his burden as his family was very poor at that time and could not bear to feed an extra mouth. His child was returned to him after the "rental period" was over and he found out that his child had been abused and used as a slave. (Which is what we are learning now in school, the topic on "slavery") He hopes to turn back the clock and rescue his child and prevent him for getting hurt. He also blames the person who rented the child and accuses him of child abuse.

Reflections:
          Netizens who have been viewing this news article have scolded the father for renting out his child. They are also enraged that he still blames and accuses the person who rented the child for child abuse. They feel that if the father cared about his child more, it would not have happened and he is not in any position to blame others. He can only blame himself for not showing care and concern to his only child.
          I feel that there is a two-point perspective in viewing this situation. The first perspective is to view this situation in the shoes of the father while the second perspective is to view the situation in the shoes of the Netizens. After doing so, we can conclude the final result of who is in the wrong and who is right.
           Firstly, in the perspective of the father. I feel that the father is not in the wrong for renting out his child. He is actually caring for his child if you think in a different way. Many people with an average IQ would just say, "Oh, he rented out his child and now he is blaming the person who rented the child for child abuse? He is in the wrong, how could he blame others?". However, if you possess an IQ above an average person, you could view the situation in this way. The father is actually showing care and concern to his child. He did not expect his child to be abused initially and in actual fact, he rented out his child just to let his child lead a happy life and does not want him to suffer along with him. By providing his child with a happy life, he is actually showing care and concern. He also stated that if he knew that his child was going to be abused, he would go back in time and not rent out his child. Sure, we cannot tell if he really means it or not, but I am sure that he possesses a fact that every parent does. A parent would always love his or her child. It is quite obvious that the father is indeed showing care and concern to his child. He rented his child out to not only give his child a happy life, but also does not want him to suffer with a poor family. He also rented out his child for personal benefits such as to lessen his burden and not have an extra mouth to feed. If you would consider this statement, you would conclude that the father is a very cold-hearted person. However, if you would link it back to all I have said, you would realise that he is not only doing it for his personal benefits, he is also doing it for his child. If he were to not "rent" out his child to others, his child would definitely suffer along with the family. In fact, the family would even suffer more with an addition of a new family member to feed. He would rather take a risk to let his child suffer or live a happy life, rather than to guarantee that his child would live a hard life. Furthermore, by renting out his child, he would earn some "rental fees" which would ensure that his family could cope with for a while. Therefore, in conclusion of the first perspective, I feel that the father was actually right to rent out his child as it is a way to show care and concern. Without the rental, he would not earn some money to cope with and would also have an extra mouth to feed. This would make the family suffer more with its current state. Furthermore, the family was quite poor.
          Now, in the second perspective of the Netizens. The Netizens would definitely feel that the father is in the wrong for renting out his child and letting him suffer by eating faeces. However, I am sure that no one had expected this to even happened. The Netizens are actually in the wrong to accuse the father that what he did was wrong. Surely they do not expect the father to predict the future and know that his son was going to be abused? Furthermore, if they would put themselves into the shoes of the father, they would understand the pain that he is suffering at that point of time. In their own perspective, they would obviously feel free to comment in a bad way but if they were to understand the feeling of being poor, they would think before they speak. Let me tell you something: If you were the one who were in the situation, how would you feel if Netizens gave comments that are totally rubbish when they do not understand anything? Obviously you would feel enraged. You wouldn't like lowly educated people commenting on your current situation without understanding the full context of the situation!

          So in conclusion, I feel that the Netizens are actually in the wrong by commenting without understanding the full situation. In conclusion, the father is partially right to do what he did while the Netizens are totally wrong.

Official Blog Post 4

2011-02-23T00:56:00.000-08:00

News article: http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_635141.html

Summary: Young people rather focus on money and work than on giving birth to children.

Reflections: Firstly, I feel that the reasons why these young people rather focus on money and work is because of their mindset. Working is equivalent to earning money so this is why these young people rather focus on work. They also believe that what can give them happiness is actually wealth, but this is only short term and not long term. These young people have the mindset that money is the way to solve all their problems and would give them plenty of happiness. This is not true. However, they have heard the same old sentence since young that "Money makes the world go round". With this mindset, they want to strive to work a lot to get more money, which they can spend in the future and have an early retirement. Money cannot bring you happiness and joy. Children can. These young people nowadays feel that having children are troublesome, due to the fact that they commonly see parents scolding their children. They also feel that these children would be spending all their money away, resulting in the lack of money for themselves. There is also an inflation going on so if there is an extra mouth to feed, the monthly income of the family would decrease. However, children are important people in everyone's lives. Parents scold children only because they want their children to possess good moral and social values in the future. They are caring for their child in an indirect manner. Children may be spending your money, but think of it in this manner. Children only need to be taken care and fed when they are young. If they grow up, they might enter the workforce and earn some money for you instead. Instead of having to work, there is another extra breadwinner in the house to add on to the income. In the future, when you grow old, at least there is a child that can take care of you, showing you concern after thinking of what you did for them when they were young. This way, you wouldn't have to go to an old folk's home etc.

In conclusion, I feel that having children is more important than money and work, even though they are troublesome and might spend your money. In the future, you might have an easy life with them!

Adios for now :D

Blog Prompt 7

2011-02-22T23:33:00.000-08:00

Summary of the topic:

Nowadays, technology is being used widely, even in teaching. Technology makes teaching fun and interesting and also engages the students in a virtual learning environment. Therefore, some people feel that in the future, technology would be used to teach students and the teachers would have no use to the students anymore. There are questions that Google can answer while teachers might not be able to answer the same question. I personally feel that the machine can replace the teacher, but there are some pros and cons of this idea if you think of it in a different perspective.

Reason why I feel that the machine can replace the teacher:

Technology is very advanced nowadays since scientists and engineers have been trying to invent many new things. Some schools in Singapore are also using the future school scheme, whereby the students engage in a virtual learning environment, be it using the iPad or the laptop. They also use collaborative websites such as Google Docs to learn together. Such independent learning makes the teacher seem almost unnecessary today. Why do students need a teacher when they have a laptop? Why do students require a teacher when the whole world of answers is right in front of them? Why do students even consult a teacher when Google or Yahoo or Bing is present, with answers to all our problems? In reality, technology is replacing the teacher. Almost 90% of the information on Google does not belong in the brains of the teacher. The answers to different questions by the teacher is limited, but the answers to that very same problem is widespread with Google. This is why I feel that in the future, technology could replace the teacher.

Pros and Cons when the teacher is replaced:

If the teacher is replaced, if I feel that there are some pros and cons to it:

Pros:
- More answers, not as limited as the teacher
- If the machine's teaching methods involve games, it would help students learn faster and in a more interactive manner

Cons:
- The lesson would not be interesting without games.
- Boring lectures and full of theory, no practical
- Teachers understand the students more
- Teachers can interact with the students in a fun, conducive learning environment

In conclusion, there are actually two perspectives. If the students feel that they want to gain more knowledge, they should have a teacher. However, if the students feel that they should not have a teacher there to like "scold them" or teach them, they should have technology instead since such people prefer technology usage over knowledge.

Blog Prompt 6 - Where is the Love??

2011-02-17T02:52:00.001-08:00

Song “Where is the Love”

Song URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpYeekQkAdc

Reflections:

Firstly, it is a good and nice song and also quite popular among many people. It may be the famous singers or the famous songs that make the singers famous. I do not know, but the song is good.

Now to the real deal of this blog post. The reflections. The issues discussed in this song are mostly related to the theme of racism. The song is most probably trying to say that many “black people” are discriminated due to their skin colour. Discrimination occurs in USA to the extent that people are killed in the process of it. “And to discriminate only generates hate” is a quote from the lyrics of the song. Discrimination generates hate so that means that the black people do not really like the so called “white people” for they are insulted by them. The song is also trying to state that the society nowadays is crumbling, with people with warped values. This is caused by the people as they are too egoistic to care about others. They lack basic respect and love for each other and they also possess sheep-thinking.

My thoughts to this issue is that why can’t the “white people” accept the “black people”? President Obama is the president of the country full of “white people” and they have learnt to accept him as a good and caring leader who is very capable. These “white people” have to accept the “black people” or there will be chaos forever in USA, mostly related to racial fights. I am sure no one wants that to happen. Do the “white people” really believe that creating peace is not by accepting the “black people”, but to ‘exterminate’ each and every one of their ‘kind’? I am sure they do, with reference to the quote in the song “People killing, people dying.” The first “people” refers to the “white people” while the second “people” refers to the “black people”.

There are also other forms of injustice in society nowadays. Such include being biased, or discriminated at. Some even occur in schools! You think that school is a fair place for all where there is justice taken care by the teachers? Well, think again. SOME teachers are also biased. They could be biased against a malay/tamil student, and support a Chinese student even though they clearly know who is really in fault. However, the teacher is Chinese and prefers to Chinese Race, well elese can be done to prevent this? It’s not our thinking to influence, it’s theirs to influence, which makes the entire situation even more difficult to resolve.

Thus, I feel that the only resolution is through a compromise, whereby both parties agree on a term such as “having world peace” etc. A compromise is usually the best solution, while violence is not. Therefore, violence should never be implemented in this kind of situations.

See you for now :D

P.S This is the edited version.

Blog Prompt 5

2011-02-06T16:17:00.000-08:00

Article Title: Graduated Parents produce children who go into top schools
Summary: Good genes produce good children. A parent who is smarter, produces smart children. However, there are children who do not have graduated parents, but succeeds by going into a good secondary school.

Feelings:
I feel that there are two things that affect the success rate of children. Firstly, it is the effort being put in. Second, it is the genes. Not all children with graduated can do well and they can mostly likely fail. Although their parents would be willing to pay money for assessment books and a good education, such as tuition. However, it is not this money put in that affects how well they do. It is the amount of effort put into doing these academic work. You may want to buy assessment books, but if you do it horribly, there is no point in buying them as you do not learn. So, it is the effort that you put in into studying this academic work, not the fact that if you buy assessment books, your child can do well. Money is spent, but effort is not put in, what's the point? Many students who come from a humble background, whose parents are not well to do, also can do well. For example, there is a rich kid in my class, whose parents adore him and splurge money on assessment books, hoping that he does well. However, he does not care and under this permissive parenting, he plays computer games the whole day and only studies when it is during the examination period. Although he has such well to do parents, he does not do well. As Thomas Edison said, "Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration". Perspiration refers to effort so it is effort that would affect. Thus, in conclusion, I feel that everyone can do well if they study. It is not only genetic, but depends on effort. Some students who come from neighbourhood schools can also fare better than top schools. If they are willing to put in effort, I don't see the reason why these students from humble backgrounds cannot fare better than students with rich or graduated parents.

Disclaimer: I am not offending these children of graduated parents, but in turn, motivating children who come from a humble background to do well. So as long as effort is put in, I believe that everyone can fare well in terms of academic.

Official Blog Post Reflection 3

2011-02-01T06:15:00.000-08:00

http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/World/Story/STIStory_608810.html

Hi there! I am going to do a reflection on the recent Egyptian Riots now. I will also state a few other details of this incident. Enjoy!

Basically, the Egyptian Riot was started because of the presidential elections. The Egyptians are enraged with the parliament since they suspected that someone played foul during the presidential elections. They suspected that vote rigging took place, whereby a member who won most seats, earned his seats by buying or earning his votes through dirty means, such as threat. Vote Rigging is not allowed so the Egyptians are enraged and thus, started this riot. They do not wish to have a leader or president, in charge of the country when he is not welcomed by the Egyptians.
I feel that if a person wants to earn a high authority placing, he should do so will clean methods and play fair. He should not steal other people's votes by use threat or money. Such people prove 2 things. Firstly, they are cowards who know that they cannot win. Second, they are people who want to get whatever they want by any means, fair or foul. Such people should not be the president of a nation since they cannot get what they want with pure skill. How is the president who use foul methods planning to earn trust or friendship from other countries? Threat or money? I don't think so. He should not be the president if he cannot be in the first place, he should be far-sighted and think of the problems Egypt will face and the stress if he gets elected. He should not think of fame or power without thinking long term. However, he has power now, but no fame. Not to mention that he is a terrible president, he is also even hated by his own people. If he cannot even control his own people, how is he going to manage his country, and even form ties between Egypt and other countries. The best solution to this problem now, is to have a re-election, whereby fair methods are used. If not, Egypt will always be rioting and the entire country would be chaotic. This also affects them in terms of their economy, since no foreigners would dare to go there to trade since they have fears of meeting death. Their economy would cripple and when it happens, many countries' economies would also cripple. Thus, a solution has to be implemented fast.

Official Blog Post Reflection 2

2011-02-01T05:38:00.001-08:00

Hi there! I am writing now to do another reflection. The reflection I am going to do about is the future school scheme in Hwa Chong Institution. The Future School Scheme is a program that allows students to use laptops during lessons to make the lesson more fun and exciting for students. The technology also helps in searching for more information on the website. More knowledge is gained this way. The debate of this topic is about whether laptops should be brought to school to do work or we should just use the conventional method of the whiteboard and markers. The proposition would agree that bringing laptops is good while the opposition would disagree on bringing laptops to school.

Proposition: Bringing laptops to school is an advantage since there is more information in the internet than in the teacher’s brain. There are some things that the teacher does not know so the internet is the best way to get such answers. Laptops can be quite resourceful when used correctly. Thus, to gain more knowledge, the best solution is to allow students to bring laptops to school and allow the laptops to be taken out and used during certain lessons which require research. Doing this reduces the amount of homework to be done and also prevents the computer labs from being so cramped.

Opposition: Bring laptops to school is a disadvantage since the laptops are misused. During lessons, many people play computer games behind the teacher’s back so laptops are not used to do research. Laptops are also quite troublesome as students have to take the laptop, which is quite heavy, to and from the school back home. They are also a trouble as there are more incidents of theft, with the inclusion of laptops. That’s why laptops are a trouble and also an extra tool in education since people use it to play computer games.

My view: I feel that there is no right and wrong in this situation, but the one who is even right is the proposition in my view. Laptops are an advantage since they contain a lot of knowledge on the internet. The opposition states that it is more trouble due to weight and theft. For weight, it is not much of a problem since we do not have to bring many things to school, unless you need to bring uniforms or maybe instruments. As for the rest, the weight is still okay. As for theft, the school has already prepared lockers for everyone in the class. What a student needs to do is to purchase a lock and lock your laptop in the locker when you are not in class. It may be a little more troublesome, but it is worth it for the knowledge and the laptop, which you obviously do not wish to get stolen. As for the part of playing computer games, I cannot really say much. The students who wish to play and not pay attention in class will suffer in the end, and will also affect the class’s Mean Subject Grade. These students should just fail and get out of the school to some other school. The school cannot possibly remove their future school program, just for a few students who play games and do not want to do well. It affects them the most in the very end, sending them out of Integrated Program, into an “O” Level Class or maybe get expelled. They cannot possibly blame anyone because it is just their fault. Playing computer games might affect those people near the gaming-addicts so it is best for students to speak up when they know someone is gaming. The teacher can change the seats of these students to the front so that they can get observed more easily, thus, the future school system does not have to be removed. In conclusion, the future school scheme should just be continued and the students who just choose to play and not pay attention will just be out of the Integrated Program and the ones suffering would be themselves.

Official Blog Post Reflection 1

2011-02-01T02:08:00.000-08:00

http://sg.yfittopostblog.com/2011/01/26/mm-lees-comments-on-muslims-draw-criticism/

Hi there! I am writing now to do a reflection by myself on a news article. The article is in that URL on the top.

In the article, MM Lee stated that 'Singapore’s progress on integration has been affected by the tendency of Muslims in the region to be “distinct and separate”.', which is indirectly an assault to the Muslim Community. The Muslim Community would obviously feel angry about this false accusation. MM Lee should have been more sensitive about his comments and think that his comments would hurt the Muslim Community. Although he does not feel that this comments are rude, he should take into consideration of the Muslim Community's feelings. If he is not hurt, does that mean that others are? He also stated that he had to be candid in his views and state fact. Being candid doesn't mean hurting others. He could have said his comments in an indirect and not rude manner. If his comments were not in a rude manner, the Muslims would have known that it was just a comment and he was not trying to be rude, instead of thinking that he wants a challenge and the comment was a direct assault on the Muslim Community. Such thinking of using explicit descriptions would have saved MM Lee all the trouble of getting into such a mess now. In conclusion. Think before you speak. You have plenty of time to think about what to say, and you are not like in a life and death situation. Thus, think before you speak and take into consideration of other people's feelings before you speak. 'If you are not hurt, it doesn't mean that others are not hurt.'. This is my final conclusion and the summary of all I have just stated.

My Current Language Arts Journey-Part 1 (AAT and LA)

2011-02-01T01:51:00.000-08:00

Hi there, I am back to blogging after some rest away from Blogger. Today, I will be writing about my current language arts journey, which in other words, my feelings about Secondary 2 Language Arts till now.

Firstly, I will be talking about the targets which I posted in a different blog post. My targets are quite achievable up to now for Language Arts, with my Language Arts teacher asking a question after every answer, we can definitely get good grades with a lot of attention paid. Somehow, I feel that Language Arts is related to Art and Acts of Thinking, AAT, a different subject in Hwa Chong Insitution. This is because, we are taught to think. After each question, we would be asked another question to think on. This improves thinking as we don't see the things on the outer surface, but in the inner surface of the text. For example, in a passage, we get the direct meaning of a word, for example, "Staggered". Many may think that it is just some plain text with a meaning. However, this word has hidden meanings. The author used these words to convey a special message. We were required to think of why the author used this word and not what the word meant. Through this, we found out that the words used were used for a specific purpose. For example, as I said, "Staggered", not only makes the passage more descriptive, but sometimes, also make readers curious why this guy is staggering. We can conclude that he is injured. If he is injured, the mood must be something negative. This word contributes to the negative mood in the passage, thus, when being an author, we have to use words to convey a hidden message, not just use that word for descriptive writing. Therefore, we have to incorporate the mood with the word with thinking. The final conclusion of this blog post? AAT and LA are somehow related as I felt. It is not just that both are in English and have Oral participation points, but are similar in a way of thinking. Both requires a mind that is working fully, a mind that can deduce explicit meanings of few words. This is why I also feel that this Language Arts Journey is full of knowledge and will also help develop the human mind. The lessons were very well taught.

Blog prompt 4

2011-01-30T17:11:00.001-08:00

BLOG PROMPT 4: Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew said in the book "Hard Truths" that we are not ready to have a non-Chinese Prime Minister or President. How far do you agree with this statement?

I do not agree with Minister Mentor's statement as stated above. Why can't we have a non-Chinese President or Prime Minister? President Nathan is also a non-Chinese but is still the president of Singapore so why can't we have a non-Chinese President or Prime Minister? Does MM Lee feel that non-Chinese are not capable to lead Singapore?

I feel that there is some sort of stereotype being raised here. I am sure that MM Lee strongly feels that Chinese are the most superior nowadays with regards to his comment. He thinks that Chinese are capable to lead. Why? Maybe he thinks that most people in the PAP are Chinese and Chinese are capable? He thinks that most people from good schools such as Raffles Instiution and Hwa Chong Institution are Chinese and thus, people from these schools should be leaders.

The Mood of a Photograph

2011-01-29T23:56:00.000-08:00

Hi there! Firstly, I would like to wish all readers a Happy Chinese New Year in advance! Next, I would like to state that I am writing this blog post to show you all the mood of a photograph and explain it.
The mood I am supposed to depict or portray is a fearful mood. I am going to use that picture to explain the mood in an indirect manner. Here is the picture:

This picture depicts a tornado and lightning. It can show that fearful mood since both tornado and lightning are natural disasters feared by many and may cause deaths, thus, making the mood fearful. Another point about this fearful mood is that a tornado and lightning is occurring at the exact same moment, which is quite coincidental. If both are occurring at the same time, it means that there is sort of a natural phenomenon occurring. This intensifies the fearful mood.

Blog Prompt 3

2011-01-26T19:32:00.000-08:00

Blog Prompt: Are Chinese Mothers more superior than Western Mothers?
Brief Summary: Chinese Mothers are said to be more superior as they can produce children with better grades and skills. Chinese mothers praise their child when they receive an A while western mothers praise their child when they get B.

Reflections:
I feel that some Chinese Mothers are more superior than Western Mothers while some are not. The article states that Chinese Mothers can do a better job in helping their children get better grades than Western Mothers. This is not fully true. Some Western Children nowadays perform much better than some Chinese children. As far as I know or have thought, Western Children has always received better grades. Some Chinese Children received better grades as their parents are more "Kiasu", by sending them to many tuition centers. With this external help, Chinese children can do better. Chinese children are more restricted and are highly-expected by their parents. Chinese Mothers do authoritative parenting of their child while Western Mothers do permissive parenting. Authoritative parenting is better as the child will be more disciplined while permissive parenting makes the child spoilt. In my primary school, there were a few Western people who performed very well. Most of the Chinese performed worse than them, with exception to the top few classes. This is why I feel that Chinese Mothers and Western Mothers are equal. They have different teaching methods, but Chinese Mothers cannot be regarded as more superior. Some Chinese Children perform good, some Chinese Children perform bad. It is mostly relied on the external help these children receive or the amount of attention the children pays in class. You cannot just say that Chinese Mothers are more superior since SOME Chinese children perform better than SOME western children. In the article, there is a stereo type being formed. The writer states that Chinese mothers are better, which also implies that Chinese is better than Western people. There could be a stereo type, which means that the writer dislikes the Western community or something like that. It MAY only be a judgment, but it is also quite clear that the writer seems to dislike the Western race.

The Civil War

2011-01-25T19:17:00.001-08:00

Blog Prompt 2

2011-01-25T19:16:00.001-08:00

Blog Prompt:
"Is it better to have never known something than to have known something and to ultimately lose it later"

Opinion:
I feel that it is better to have known something and to ultimately lose it later instead of not knowing something forever. In a simple way as to speak, by knowing something now, you will not regret it in the future and be kept in the dark. For example, if your parents kept a truth from you when you were born, like for example, your actual parentage, you will want to find out who your actual parents are and not be kept in the suspense forever, thinking that your real parents are the ones that raised you up. So as to speak, there is a limited time each person can have. It is better to know the truth now than to be kept in the dark forever. Another example is, if you really have something to ask a person about, you should ask him or her and not be embarrassed to do so. You would rather let your mind be at ease now than in the future when the person who is gone. If you did something wrong to your friend and another person gets maligned, you should also tell the truth and not live with a life of regret. So to all readers out there, tell out your sins and what you have to say in your heart. Do not wait till the last minute or your mind will never be at ease.

Comic Strip

2011-01-23T20:02:00.000-08:00

Hi there, I am doing my Language Arts comic strip e-learning assignment. This is my comic strip:

I chose the pictures because they best represented what was going on in my mind. The ideas in my mind made me think of a few objects and so I used these images from Google. I used a comic strip to convey a message to tell the viewers. I told the message I was trying to convey in an indirect manner. Through this images and mostly the speech bubbles, I told the message. Do you know what the message is?

Blog Prompts

2011-01-18T18:45:00.000-08:00

Prompt: "Have you ever been part of a group of people who were unkind to a one or some individuals? What was the circumstance? How did you act? What did you feel"

I had once been in a part of a group of people who were unkind to their classmates. It happened during Primary 6. Me and my friends were all part of the so-called "Class soccer team", whereby every recess, we would go to to the field to play soccer with other people. However, in our team, there was a person called Aidan who did not know how to play soccer. He had a passion to play soccer every recess but no one told him that he was not really that good yet. Aidan, on the other hand, knew that he was terrible in soccer and was glad that his classmates allowed him to join in the fun. One soccer match, my class was playing 8 on 6 with another class. Our class had 8 people and theirs had 6. No one, wanted to be the goal keeper, so a boy called Paul from our class said, 'Hey, Aidan. Go be the goal keeper". Aidan did not want to be the goal keeper as he feared that he might cause the team to lose and also, he did not want to break his spectacles which always happens during the times he was the goal keeper. He was actually a better striker than a goal keeper and everyone knew that. Paul, on the other hand, did not know how to play in the first place and always fouled people. He was actually the cause for the losses in our team. No one said that Aidan and Paul were terrible as they did not want to hurt their feelings. When the match started, Aidan was the goal keeper and Paul was the so-called "Attacker". An attacker should be in front but Paul wanted to be a greater help and be the man of the match so he went behind to defend. He scored an own goal. It was his fault but he still blamed Aidan for being lousy. The two quarreled and in the end, we resolved the problem by telling them the truth. Paul was angry and hurled a lot of abuses while Aidan accepted the fact because he knew from the start. Paul walked off angrily....

Targets for 2011

2011-01-12T16:43:00.000-08:00

Hi there, today I will be posting my targets for 2011 as well as the problems I faced
1) What went well last year?

There was a smooth learning of Poetry and Short Story analysis although there were a few problems in understanding and memorizing different important parts of the short story. Poetry was also quite easy except for the part whereby I had to analyse the poem and answer the questions. Remembering and applying the poetic devices was generally easy. The best that went well was the end of year examinations. I achieved good results and reached my target of A2. Most of this was thanks to the comprehension and poetry. I did not fare quite well in the composition though.

2) What went wrong?

In 2010, while learning Language arts, there were quite a number of problems I faced. Most of the problems were solved by consulting the teacher or a friend. Animal farm was difficult, whereby we had to memorise different important parts of the story and then analyse it. We had to annotate on the book and observe important details. We also had to pay attention to some minute details which I found it hard to memorise. Some of these minute details were also including the animals’ or humans’ clothing. The place at which an event took place was also analysed. The hardest part of memorizing all this minute details was the part which we had to understand the representations of the characters and things in animal farm, and find out what it actually represented in reality.

3) What is my target MSG for 2011?

In 2011, like everybody, I would hope to achieve better grades than in 2011. In 2010, I achieved an A2 for my end of year grade for Language Arts, so the only grade to improve to is A1! However, I do not hope to do worse than in 2010. An A2 for my end of year grade would be fine if I do not meet A1 since the work in Secondary 2 is obviously harder than in Secondary 1. So these are my finalized targets

A. Term 1: A2 (Since it is harder with the introduction of To Kill A MockingBird)

B. Term 2: A1

C. Term 3: A2 (Since we have The Merchant of Venice, a harder to analyse Shakespeare play)

D. End of Year Grade: A2 (Around the 73% mark, hopefully I can achieve higher)

E. As for ACE, I hope to score at least 80% of the marks I have to score for ACE.

4) How do I intend to achieve this?

Obviously, the way to improve is to do more research and pay more attention during class times. Constant revision helps and mugging also works at times.

Okay, that's all for now. Will be posting more soon! Bye!

More about me

2011-01-12T05:37:00.000-08:00

Hi again! This blog post that I am posting is to let you readers know more about me. I am Secondary 2 and I am currently studying in Hwa Chong Institution. My grades are about average and my best subject as of my 2010 End of Year Examinations result is Lower Secondary Science. My weakest subject is Integrated Humantities.
My current CCA is NPCC and some of my strengths include playing table-tennis and playing Scrabble. During 2010, I took part in a school competition for Scrabble and we received the 3rd place in the international level. This year, I would definitely take part in the competition again. I also took part in the Scrabble competition organised by the school and I got 2nd place. It was during Library Week and ACE points were awarded for taking part and winning. My Scrabble skills have not rusted after almost 1 and a half year, before the PSLE due to constant training with my Primary School in Secondary 1. I went back to my Primary School to teach my juniors how to improve their Scrabble Skills too. CIP hours were awarded. That's all for now, goodbye!

The Year of the Rabbit

2011-01-12T05:22:00.000-08:00

The year of the rabbit has arrived so quickly and the year of 2010 has gone. Time flies so quickly when you are having fun. This is my new Language Arts blog which I just created today.
My old blog is: www.mervyncheong.blogspot.com
The reason why I have a new blog is that I forgot my old blog's password. Not really forget the password but forget the user name. This is the problem with having so many accounts.
As for the new year, I am quite worried for the long route ahead of me. The reason why I am afraid is that I got a gut feeling that this year's syllabus would be very hard. Even before the year started, I knew it would be difficult. There would be 2 books we need to learn this year, mainly "T.K.A.M" which stands for To Kill a MockingBird and The Merchant of Venice. I am sure that the first book will require a lot of annotating like last year whereby we had to annotate Animal Farm. Furthermore, it is almost two times longer than Animal Farm. 2 times the annotating, 2 times the memorising of facts and not to forgot, 2 times the difficulty. I will post more about my targets and problems in the next blog post. See you for now!