I just saw this report on the news and it seemed like a relevant topic for me to comment on. According to report, we are not allowed to drink anything – not even take a sip of plain water from a bottled source to quench our thirst/even babies are not allowed to be fed milk from a milk bottle in an MRT. Apparently, offenders will be fined.
Somehow, I find that such laws are practically inhumane and it appears to be depriving us of our human rights. This can be argued in the logic that “If one is about to get knocked down by a car, what would be his instant reaction? Of course it would be to run and preserve their life. So…if one is extremely thirsty and needs a sip of water to quench that dying thirst of his, should he be deprived of that sip just because he is on an MRT that may well soothe him for the entire trip?” A new-born baby is unable to express himself verbally or tolerate his hunger/thirst, hence, should a parent of the baby be fined for feeding the baby milk on an MRT? Apparently, they will be fined but why are the terms so harsh and inflexible? Is it logical for one to deprive another of quenching their thirst simply because one is travelling on an MRT? One’s ability to sustain such feelings is limited and it wouldn’t be pleasant if one has to wait till he leaves the station before he can drink something.
I wouldn’t mind if sweet drinks were prohibited as there is a reason behind that – to keep the MRT clean of pests. BUT why is plain water not allowed either? I don’t see a reason behind prohibiting this. Many times I have travelled on an MRT and had the urge to take just a sip of water but I did not dare to. My friend was once confronted in an MRT just because he was about to drink water. Hence, I had to tolerate this uncomfortably thirsty sensation until I emerged from my station. I really feel that this law against drinking even plain water in an MRT should be abolished as it is not right to defy one of his means to quench his thirst at any location.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Offshore oil drilling -Gulf of Mexico (USA)
Off-shore oil drilling refers to the drilling of oil in deep waters. The reasons behind this situation in the US are that President Obama is making it a priority to wean America off foreign oil and instead obtain oil from its own resources – oil from under the sea bed, as well as achieve energy independence. However, offshore oil drilling does not only have benefits, the cons of this issue regarding the environment are extremely significant. But first, let me state some of the pros.
Pros:
It is intended to reduce dependence on oil imports, generate revenue from the sale of offshore leashes and lower the prices of oil in terms of petrol. It is estimated that the Gulf of Mexico holds somewhere around 70 billion barrels (42 gallon of oil per barrel) of oil while 40 billion of which remains undiscovered in the deepwater. There’s also thought to be more than 85 billion barrels of undiscovered crude oil off the coast of the US. These are more than a decade’s worth of oil at USA’s current oil consumption pace. With all these oil, the USA can achieve its goal within years.
Cons:
Nevertheless nothing is perfect. In this case, the cons are actually much more than the advantages. Environmentalists believe that offshore oil drilling is not the best way to achieve energy independence as we are risking our environment by doing so. The deepwater drilling may unearth toxins from below the seabed and these may eventually end up in our seafood supply. Possible accidents may occur such as the explosion of oil drilling plat forms (e.g. BP oil spill), spillage of oil by “boats” transporting them and the bursting of oil pipes. All these lead to large amounts of oil being released into the ocean which threatens the ecosystem in an area – marine life and coastal communities will be impacted. Furthermore, it takes months to drill a deepwater well and it is rather costly (>$100 million). Even with million-dollar, hard-as-diamond bits, drilling four and five miles through mud, salt and several layers of rock is painstaking work. In fact, it relies incredibly on luck to actually find oil after all the extensive drilling.
Offshore oil drilling is definitely not a long term solution towards the running out of energy resources or to seek energy independence. One day, the oil supply we have will eventually run out and we have to turn to other alternatives. Most people are placing revenue and solving the current problem of a higher priority than the environment which they live in. The damage dealt to the ecosystem by offshore oil drilling is immense and is an immediate area of concern. If we were to forsake the environment for benefits, in terms of development and immediate salvaging of the shortage of energy resource, that is not permanent, eventually would we even have an earth to live on? I believe that turning to renewable resources for energy as a cheaper alternative to non-renewable resources, lower damage dealt to ecosystem/environment as we improve economically and technologically and as a more sustainable and desirable method to achieve energy independence. Hence, the benefits of offshore oil drilling are not worth the undesirable consequences.
Pros:
It is intended to reduce dependence on oil imports, generate revenue from the sale of offshore leashes and lower the prices of oil in terms of petrol. It is estimated that the Gulf of Mexico holds somewhere around 70 billion barrels (42 gallon of oil per barrel) of oil while 40 billion of which remains undiscovered in the deepwater. There’s also thought to be more than 85 billion barrels of undiscovered crude oil off the coast of the US. These are more than a decade’s worth of oil at USA’s current oil consumption pace. With all these oil, the USA can achieve its goal within years.
Cons:
Nevertheless nothing is perfect. In this case, the cons are actually much more than the advantages. Environmentalists believe that offshore oil drilling is not the best way to achieve energy independence as we are risking our environment by doing so. The deepwater drilling may unearth toxins from below the seabed and these may eventually end up in our seafood supply. Possible accidents may occur such as the explosion of oil drilling plat forms (e.g. BP oil spill), spillage of oil by “boats” transporting them and the bursting of oil pipes. All these lead to large amounts of oil being released into the ocean which threatens the ecosystem in an area – marine life and coastal communities will be impacted. Furthermore, it takes months to drill a deepwater well and it is rather costly (>$100 million). Even with million-dollar, hard-as-diamond bits, drilling four and five miles through mud, salt and several layers of rock is painstaking work. In fact, it relies incredibly on luck to actually find oil after all the extensive drilling.
Offshore oil drilling is definitely not a long term solution towards the running out of energy resources or to seek energy independence. One day, the oil supply we have will eventually run out and we have to turn to other alternatives. Most people are placing revenue and solving the current problem of a higher priority than the environment which they live in. The damage dealt to the ecosystem by offshore oil drilling is immense and is an immediate area of concern. If we were to forsake the environment for benefits, in terms of development and immediate salvaging of the shortage of energy resource, that is not permanent, eventually would we even have an earth to live on? I believe that turning to renewable resources for energy as a cheaper alternative to non-renewable resources, lower damage dealt to ecosystem/environment as we improve economically and technologically and as a more sustainable and desirable method to achieve energy independence. Hence, the benefits of offshore oil drilling are not worth the undesirable consequences.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Recent Stomp Article - HCI teachers taking valuables of students to teach them a lesson
Indeed, the students are at fault for not locking their classroom. Then again, is it justifiable for teachers to take the belongings of students “to teach them a lesson” just because they did not lock the door? For this case there are two perspectives. One as an angered victim and another as a teacher merely wanting to let students learn their lesson and not to take things for granted.
From a victim’s perspective, this may be more of a traumatizing experience than learning a lesson (I was a victim once so I can understand how it felt like). Imagine your laptop (whether or not it’s your personal computer or shared) which costs possibly more than 1k suddenly vanishing from your class. The charger and mouse were left behind and only the laptop was taken away, what would be the first thought? Obviously it would be theft – someone must have came in, bagged all the laptops and left seeking for a place to sell them for cash.
Imagine the loss of all the compilation of notes (especially in future school classes), project information and costly programmes…the grief and hopelessness the victim is subjected to is immeasurable in a sense. All that time after losing my laptop, my mood was really bad, I felt like I could kill – the feeling was horrible. At one point, I even wanted to let the police handle this supposedly theft case but thinking rationally eventually changed my mind.
The victim's argument would probably be “If someone robs a bank to prove that the security of the bank is low and wants officials to improve security, is that considered a crime? If someone stabs another in the back and claims it is to teach the victim a lesson for not being wary of his back, is that not a crime? ” It is similar in this scenario, “If a teacher takes (it can be regarded as stealing as the items are taken without permission from the owner) the belongings of students to teach them a lesson for not locking the classroom, can that be classified as a crime?” Logically, the answer would be yes as teachers, no matter what, indeed have no right to remove items of students from classroom.
Nevertheless, we have to consider the perspective of the teachers who took the items. In order to teach students not to take things for granted, warn them of possible theft cases and teach them a lesson for giving thieves an opportunity by not locking their doors. In a way, their actions can be justified. It is all for the good of the students. In fact, having teachers who actually care about the welfare of the students is, beyond any doubt, better than teachers who don’t give a damn.
If the teachers did not “perform” a theft case scenario and chose to lecture the students about the importance of guarding against theft, would the students actually bother to listen or even take it seriously? It is only after experiencing such a case would one truly understand the harsh reality of the world that theft can happen anywhere, anytime as long as there is an object, a thief and the opportunity. The only way u can guard against theft is to not leave any opportunities.
Hence, I believe that what the teachers did was right. After it has occurred to me previously, I truly learnt my lesson. If the teachers had not done as such, I would probably still take things for granted. If my items do get stolen one day, who would I have to blame but myself for giving the opportunity.
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do pardon me for my pathetic vocabulary - i will try to improve
From a victim’s perspective, this may be more of a traumatizing experience than learning a lesson (I was a victim once so I can understand how it felt like). Imagine your laptop (whether or not it’s your personal computer or shared) which costs possibly more than 1k suddenly vanishing from your class. The charger and mouse were left behind and only the laptop was taken away, what would be the first thought? Obviously it would be theft – someone must have came in, bagged all the laptops and left seeking for a place to sell them for cash.
Imagine the loss of all the compilation of notes (especially in future school classes), project information and costly programmes…the grief and hopelessness the victim is subjected to is immeasurable in a sense. All that time after losing my laptop, my mood was really bad, I felt like I could kill – the feeling was horrible. At one point, I even wanted to let the police handle this supposedly theft case but thinking rationally eventually changed my mind.
The victim's argument would probably be “If someone robs a bank to prove that the security of the bank is low and wants officials to improve security, is that considered a crime? If someone stabs another in the back and claims it is to teach the victim a lesson for not being wary of his back, is that not a crime? ” It is similar in this scenario, “If a teacher takes (it can be regarded as stealing as the items are taken without permission from the owner) the belongings of students to teach them a lesson for not locking the classroom, can that be classified as a crime?” Logically, the answer would be yes as teachers, no matter what, indeed have no right to remove items of students from classroom.
Nevertheless, we have to consider the perspective of the teachers who took the items. In order to teach students not to take things for granted, warn them of possible theft cases and teach them a lesson for giving thieves an opportunity by not locking their doors. In a way, their actions can be justified. It is all for the good of the students. In fact, having teachers who actually care about the welfare of the students is, beyond any doubt, better than teachers who don’t give a damn.
If the teachers did not “perform” a theft case scenario and chose to lecture the students about the importance of guarding against theft, would the students actually bother to listen or even take it seriously? It is only after experiencing such a case would one truly understand the harsh reality of the world that theft can happen anywhere, anytime as long as there is an object, a thief and the opportunity. The only way u can guard against theft is to not leave any opportunities.
Hence, I believe that what the teachers did was right. After it has occurred to me previously, I truly learnt my lesson. If the teachers had not done as such, I would probably still take things for granted. If my items do get stolen one day, who would I have to blame but myself for giving the opportunity.
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do pardon me for my pathetic vocabulary - i will try to improve
Relevance of exams
This idea is referred to from Ting Kiat's blog but I assure you I am not referring to his points, ONLY THE IDEA =D. My definition of exams: A test to gauge one's understanding of a particular subject whereby marks or grades are awarded.
Then the questions come: What is the point of exams other than to gauge the standard of someone? What are the advantages of exams, if any? What are the disadvantages of exams then? Should exams be abolished or kept in the curriculum?
What is the point of exams other than to gauge the standard of someone? In fact, I find that this is the only point - to let teachers and students themselves know how they fair in a particular subject and try to improve (students). What else is there?
Advantages of exams
The advantages are merely to let students know where they stand and hopefully spur them to improve via competition with other classmates, allow teachers to assess their students to identify the weaker ones who would require more help and for the school to provide awards (or rather incentives) to encourage students to strive harder or maintain their standard. These are the advantages from my perspective, there may be more but that’s all I can think of now…
Disadvantages of exams
Competition between students for better results may be perceived as a good way to urge improvement but cultivating over-competitive students is not what the school should do isn’t it? In fact, I have just one example in class – deemed the class mugger. His name shall not be revealed but he’s the one who got 1.0 MSG for 2 terms straight (actually he’s a competitor of mine -.-) Over-competitive students are bad (see poor vocabulary of mine!) as they tend to aim for the best ALWAYS in almost any aspect. I think that’s why he’s called the class mugger…
Ok, back to disadvantages. Students who receive unsatisfactory results tend to lean towards “conceding” defeat to studies and totally ignore it for the rest of their lives. Students who obtain exemplary results tend to strive harder and improve or simply just to maintain their placing but such students are constantly under immense stress as they “force” themselves to do well (I have to admit but I am like that and I hate it).
Another disadvantage is that students only study for exams at the last possible moment and the method is to memorize everything that will be tested. Such knowledge will only stay in the mind temporarily and is easily forgotten, however, it is still able to help them obtain excellent marks for exams. Hence whether or not the students are knowledgeable in a particular subject, the one who memorizes most efficiently will normally top the class. Therefore, is this still a good gauge of student’s standards? I guess not.
Lastly, it is the pressure of parents who always want their students to be the best – if they have obtained commendable results before. I think this was what changed me – the urge to always be one of the best and the pressure and expectations that I shoulder from my parents.
Conclusion + Opinions
Hence, is there actually a point in having exams? I would say yes to only final year exams but NO to termly examinations. I don’t see a point in having exams every term as students will still get over it by cramming everything in their head each time there is a test as almost everyone wants to do well. Only having final year examinations will be greatly appreciated by most students as that would be a huge boulder off their shoulders. The method of studying which I have mentioned above will not work for final year examinations as there is way too much to study to cram into one’s head. Also, students would be less competitive as there are lesser exams for them to pit against one another. However, I doubt that this “idea” of mine will ever be implemented…Singaporeans are always so kia su to be the best and the MoE probably believes that having exams is the best -.-
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do pardon me for my pathetic vocabulary - i will try to improve
Then the questions come: What is the point of exams other than to gauge the standard of someone? What are the advantages of exams, if any? What are the disadvantages of exams then? Should exams be abolished or kept in the curriculum?
What is the point of exams other than to gauge the standard of someone? In fact, I find that this is the only point - to let teachers and students themselves know how they fair in a particular subject and try to improve (students). What else is there?
Advantages of exams
The advantages are merely to let students know where they stand and hopefully spur them to improve via competition with other classmates, allow teachers to assess their students to identify the weaker ones who would require more help and for the school to provide awards (or rather incentives) to encourage students to strive harder or maintain their standard. These are the advantages from my perspective, there may be more but that’s all I can think of now…
Disadvantages of exams
Competition between students for better results may be perceived as a good way to urge improvement but cultivating over-competitive students is not what the school should do isn’t it? In fact, I have just one example in class – deemed the class mugger. His name shall not be revealed but he’s the one who got 1.0 MSG for 2 terms straight (actually he’s a competitor of mine -.-) Over-competitive students are bad (see poor vocabulary of mine!) as they tend to aim for the best ALWAYS in almost any aspect. I think that’s why he’s called the class mugger…
Ok, back to disadvantages. Students who receive unsatisfactory results tend to lean towards “conceding” defeat to studies and totally ignore it for the rest of their lives. Students who obtain exemplary results tend to strive harder and improve or simply just to maintain their placing but such students are constantly under immense stress as they “force” themselves to do well (I have to admit but I am like that and I hate it).
Another disadvantage is that students only study for exams at the last possible moment and the method is to memorize everything that will be tested. Such knowledge will only stay in the mind temporarily and is easily forgotten, however, it is still able to help them obtain excellent marks for exams. Hence whether or not the students are knowledgeable in a particular subject, the one who memorizes most efficiently will normally top the class. Therefore, is this still a good gauge of student’s standards? I guess not.
Lastly, it is the pressure of parents who always want their students to be the best – if they have obtained commendable results before. I think this was what changed me – the urge to always be one of the best and the pressure and expectations that I shoulder from my parents.
Conclusion + Opinions
Hence, is there actually a point in having exams? I would say yes to only final year exams but NO to termly examinations. I don’t see a point in having exams every term as students will still get over it by cramming everything in their head each time there is a test as almost everyone wants to do well. Only having final year examinations will be greatly appreciated by most students as that would be a huge boulder off their shoulders. The method of studying which I have mentioned above will not work for final year examinations as there is way too much to study to cram into one’s head. Also, students would be less competitive as there are lesser exams for them to pit against one another. However, I doubt that this “idea” of mine will ever be implemented…Singaporeans are always so kia su to be the best and the MoE probably believes that having exams is the best -.-
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do pardon me for my pathetic vocabulary - i will try to improve
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Failing of projects day semi-finals
It was already expected as we made minimal progress during the holidays due to the organization having their own programmes and even when school reopened when our timeslots clashed with curriculum. Our presentation was also not as appealing as that of other groups with photo montage/pictures of them working with the organization and their progress. We truly paled in comparison to them and that was probably the deciding factor of our failure to get through. So what happens if I fail to get through…
If it were last year, I wouldn’t really care whether or not I pass the semis. Reason being that projects day was not a component of our grades then. But now, 50% marks of our IS (independent studies) grade is derived from projects day and failing the semis mean losing 35 marks straight. According to what I know, the criteria to gain entry into special programmes (CSE) are a minimum grade of A2 or A1 for IS. However, this instant loss of 35 marks would land me in a B3 grade for IS, hence depriving me of the opportunity to enter CSE. How is this fair? My grades are ok yet this bloody projects day may well ruin my chance…
In fact, I find that projects day should never had been made a part of our grades due to the fact that not everyone is able to squeeze out the time to dedicate it to working out a perfect, awe-inspiring and striking project, especially in Service Learning. Maybe time management and lack of co-operation was our main problem but still, our opportunities for special programmes should not be limited or determined by a project. But still surprisingly enough, more than ¾ of the class failed the semis. And I believe that there are very few groups who managed to make it through. I do wonder if this is the way the school uses to cut down on the number of students vying for the CSE programmes. If it is so, I got to admit that I have come to the wrong school. Last year was fine, this year it’s a horror.
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This is just a rant of mine to get the frustration out of my heart.
If it were last year, I wouldn’t really care whether or not I pass the semis. Reason being that projects day was not a component of our grades then. But now, 50% marks of our IS (independent studies) grade is derived from projects day and failing the semis mean losing 35 marks straight. According to what I know, the criteria to gain entry into special programmes (CSE) are a minimum grade of A2 or A1 for IS. However, this instant loss of 35 marks would land me in a B3 grade for IS, hence depriving me of the opportunity to enter CSE. How is this fair? My grades are ok yet this bloody projects day may well ruin my chance…
In fact, I find that projects day should never had been made a part of our grades due to the fact that not everyone is able to squeeze out the time to dedicate it to working out a perfect, awe-inspiring and striking project, especially in Service Learning. Maybe time management and lack of co-operation was our main problem but still, our opportunities for special programmes should not be limited or determined by a project. But still surprisingly enough, more than ¾ of the class failed the semis. And I believe that there are very few groups who managed to make it through. I do wonder if this is the way the school uses to cut down on the number of students vying for the CSE programmes. If it is so, I got to admit that I have come to the wrong school. Last year was fine, this year it’s a horror.
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This is just a rant of mine to get the frustration out of my heart.
Friday, July 2, 2010
Where do I get my blogging ideas.
I am totally not one with ideas circling in my head all the time but more of one who can only work if given an idea. Occasionally I get ideas from discussed topics in class and the news but these are not enough. Therefore, I tend to visit blogs of classmates in order to brainstorm of something to write. Although this may be interpreted as ripping off but I somehow cant get my own ideas. I am only able to write out my opinions on something but unable to think of a topic...My vocab is pathetic as well. Looking at all the "cheem" phrases/words that my classmates use makes me envious in the sense that "I want to do that too". But sometimes I wonder, must we really have good vocab? Isn't the main point just to get our message across? So what is the point of using bombastic words? Nevertheless, I am looking for ways to improve this situation as its indeed boring to see myself repeating the same words time and again. The only way for me to improve this poor vocab of mine is to read more books but I am rather lazy and sometimes more of "cant-be-bothered" to find books. Hence, is there any recommendations of good books to read?
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Dates of post
Due to the fact that I rarely have the time to blog, I will probably only be able publish posts within a certain time period when I am rather free. The date on my posts is normally the day when I thought of blogging on an issue and not the date that it is actually posted. Unique style of blogging =D
Friday, May 7, 2010
Lowering of weightage of Mother Tongue in PSLE
The Minister for Education, Ng Eng Hen, is currently deciding on whether to lower the weightage of Mother Tongue in PSLE. Their reasons for doing so is for students who are weak in MT (Mother Tongue) but excel in other subjects to move on and not get affected by low MT PSLE results. There have been mixed reactions over this issue. In my opinion, the pros (serves as ‘escape route’ for students who are weak in MT) are certainly not worth the cons. There are two sides to this issue, one side supports it and the other is against it.
Those who support this find that lowering the weightage will benefit those who are good in other subjects but weaker in MT. This will give them a chance to enter their dream schools as long as they excel in the other three subjects. However, this is the only benefit of this decision and it only benefits students who are significantly weaker in MT but the benefits is only for the short-term. I will go on to elaborate on this later.
On the other hand, the cons totally outweigh the benefits. Students who excel in their MT will now be at a disadvantage as MT will count less in their PSLE, this will cause students to take the subject less seriously and eventually neglect it just because it is of a lower weightage. Students will place less emphasis on MT and spend less time studying it. Reducing the weightage could lead to an overall drop in Chinese standards. If this move is implemented it is sending the message that people who master English are superior than those who master MT and not English. Singapore has repeatedly emphasized the importance of bilingual language but isn’t this move sending a contradictory message that MT is not as important as other subjects?
The main reason why Singaporeans do well in other countries is because of the fact that we are BILINGUAL and that gives us an edge over many others from other countries. China has the third largest economy in the world and it is necessary for us to maintain relationships with China via communication. If students were given the chance to shirk of learning of MT, we are simply placing a barrier between us and China. If this goes on, we will lose the advantage we currently possess as other countries are placing great emphasis on Chinese Language unlike Singapore which is considering to lower its weightage (my interpretation would be: lower its importance). Thus, we will eventually lose out in the global market. Is it worth it? My answer is a certain NO.
For me MT has been one of my best subjects since I started schooling and English has been my weakest. I find that it is really unfair as MT would no longer be able to average out with my English marks and result in me having a huge disadvantage. If the weightage of MT was lowered just because some parents came up to protest, why not lower the weightage of every single subject anyone is weak in? Why not remove education (I would be glad to end studying haha)? If students were unhappy about MT pulling down their marks, they should put in more effort in studying it instead of complaining here and there. If every student complains about the subject they are weak in and the MoE does exactly what it is doing now, I guess Singapore will become the truly unique no-education country.
Those who support this find that lowering the weightage will benefit those who are good in other subjects but weaker in MT. This will give them a chance to enter their dream schools as long as they excel in the other three subjects. However, this is the only benefit of this decision and it only benefits students who are significantly weaker in MT but the benefits is only for the short-term. I will go on to elaborate on this later.
On the other hand, the cons totally outweigh the benefits. Students who excel in their MT will now be at a disadvantage as MT will count less in their PSLE, this will cause students to take the subject less seriously and eventually neglect it just because it is of a lower weightage. Students will place less emphasis on MT and spend less time studying it. Reducing the weightage could lead to an overall drop in Chinese standards. If this move is implemented it is sending the message that people who master English are superior than those who master MT and not English. Singapore has repeatedly emphasized the importance of bilingual language but isn’t this move sending a contradictory message that MT is not as important as other subjects?
The main reason why Singaporeans do well in other countries is because of the fact that we are BILINGUAL and that gives us an edge over many others from other countries. China has the third largest economy in the world and it is necessary for us to maintain relationships with China via communication. If students were given the chance to shirk of learning of MT, we are simply placing a barrier between us and China. If this goes on, we will lose the advantage we currently possess as other countries are placing great emphasis on Chinese Language unlike Singapore which is considering to lower its weightage (my interpretation would be: lower its importance). Thus, we will eventually lose out in the global market. Is it worth it? My answer is a certain NO.
For me MT has been one of my best subjects since I started schooling and English has been my weakest. I find that it is really unfair as MT would no longer be able to average out with my English marks and result in me having a huge disadvantage. If the weightage of MT was lowered just because some parents came up to protest, why not lower the weightage of every single subject anyone is weak in? Why not remove education (I would be glad to end studying haha)? If students were unhappy about MT pulling down their marks, they should put in more effort in studying it instead of complaining here and there. If every student complains about the subject they are weak in and the MoE does exactly what it is doing now, I guess Singapore will become the truly unique no-education country.
Hit Counter
I have just reset my hit counter as the previous one was way too simple. Not like my style. =)
Importance of Teachers - not just be done with teaching
To me the responsibility of a teacher is not just to teach but to ensure that we understand as well. Throughout my entire schooling life of almost 8 years, I have encountered all sorts of teachers, those that are committed and do care; and those that can’t be bothered, teach and be done with it.
Last year learning LA was a horror and dreaded period for me. The lessons were simply receive work -> complete it -> submit -> receive marked paper -> brief analysis and the cycle starts again. Lessons were monotonous, boring and absolutely did not appeal to me but I listened on and tried my best. Tests came and went, the grades I obtained were always B4 or worse. LA was “pulling up” my MSG. It was the ACE and OP then which thankfully pushed me over to A1 =) Plus, the teacher had a %$&#$ fiery temper. One of my friends got screwed over because he was drawing (if I remember correctly) and the teacher asked him to stand but that was not the end. The teacher claimed that he was glaring at the teacher disrespectfully, screamed at him and sent him to the door. It did not end there either, the teacher thought he was smirking (from what I saw, he was not showing any signs of disrespect but purely standing at the door looking ahead) and screamed at him repeatedly before calling his parents on the spot. I was like what the hell.
In secondary 2 I expected my LA grades to remain as it was in secondary 1. The teacher was different though. The first assignment on speech that I did on speech came back with a sea of red. I failed it lol. However after thorough analysis and going through of the ways to write a proper speech by the teacher, I improved. During the term test the marks I obtained for speech doubled, yeah!!! Then in term 2, I obtained 19/25 for the TKAM test which was the highest grade I had ever obtained for such tests. LA lessons in secondary 2 were considered a lot more fun than it was in secondary 1. I understood what was being taught and tried my best to apply them, it was great.
Math in secondary 1 was fun and I looked forward to every single lesson. The teacher who taught me captivated us with his interesting lessons and he gave us encouragement too, that was what spurred me to strive hard. He ensured that we understood everything before handing out assignments to us and he would go through it and make sure that we know our mistakes before going on to the next topic, initially I did not do well for maths but through this teacher I improved and my love for math remained.
Sadly in secondary 2 we had another teacher. The way this new teacher taught was absurd. Worksheets were handed out before he taught anything and he expected us to do most of them by the next lesson. How the ^&(* am I supposed to know how to do the questions before him taught them? The terms he used were way too profound for someone like me who was not from primary GEP schools. The way he teaches is plain boring, I could sense that in many of my classmates. The first lesson was already a chore for most of us and the subsequent lessons remained this way. Many of my friends decided to give up on his lessons and self-studied at home. I found that even I myself couldn’t understand anything after his lessons. Math lessons were now dreaded by most of us. This teacher has totally ruined my love for math. The next test is on Monday and I am quite sure I will not do well (mentally preparing myself) as I have yet to understand anything that he has taught. I am devoting the entire of Sunday for revision, the guide books at home should help.
In primary school I have never felt this way but after experiencing one and a half years in secondary school I came to realized the importance of teachers. Teaching is not everything, it is having the students to understand what you have taught that is the point. That’s how I feel.
Last year learning LA was a horror and dreaded period for me. The lessons were simply receive work -> complete it -> submit -> receive marked paper -> brief analysis and the cycle starts again. Lessons were monotonous, boring and absolutely did not appeal to me but I listened on and tried my best. Tests came and went, the grades I obtained were always B4 or worse. LA was “pulling up” my MSG. It was the ACE and OP then which thankfully pushed me over to A1 =) Plus, the teacher had a %$&#$ fiery temper. One of my friends got screwed over because he was drawing (if I remember correctly) and the teacher asked him to stand but that was not the end. The teacher claimed that he was glaring at the teacher disrespectfully, screamed at him and sent him to the door. It did not end there either, the teacher thought he was smirking (from what I saw, he was not showing any signs of disrespect but purely standing at the door looking ahead) and screamed at him repeatedly before calling his parents on the spot. I was like what the hell.
In secondary 2 I expected my LA grades to remain as it was in secondary 1. The teacher was different though. The first assignment on speech that I did on speech came back with a sea of red. I failed it lol. However after thorough analysis and going through of the ways to write a proper speech by the teacher, I improved. During the term test the marks I obtained for speech doubled, yeah!!! Then in term 2, I obtained 19/25 for the TKAM test which was the highest grade I had ever obtained for such tests. LA lessons in secondary 2 were considered a lot more fun than it was in secondary 1. I understood what was being taught and tried my best to apply them, it was great.
Math in secondary 1 was fun and I looked forward to every single lesson. The teacher who taught me captivated us with his interesting lessons and he gave us encouragement too, that was what spurred me to strive hard. He ensured that we understood everything before handing out assignments to us and he would go through it and make sure that we know our mistakes before going on to the next topic, initially I did not do well for maths but through this teacher I improved and my love for math remained.
Sadly in secondary 2 we had another teacher. The way this new teacher taught was absurd. Worksheets were handed out before he taught anything and he expected us to do most of them by the next lesson. How the ^&(* am I supposed to know how to do the questions before him taught them? The terms he used were way too profound for someone like me who was not from primary GEP schools. The way he teaches is plain boring, I could sense that in many of my classmates. The first lesson was already a chore for most of us and the subsequent lessons remained this way. Many of my friends decided to give up on his lessons and self-studied at home. I found that even I myself couldn’t understand anything after his lessons. Math lessons were now dreaded by most of us. This teacher has totally ruined my love for math. The next test is on Monday and I am quite sure I will not do well (mentally preparing myself) as I have yet to understand anything that he has taught. I am devoting the entire of Sunday for revision, the guide books at home should help.
In primary school I have never felt this way but after experiencing one and a half years in secondary school I came to realized the importance of teachers. Teaching is not everything, it is having the students to understand what you have taught that is the point. That’s how I feel.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Projects Competition - Prelims
If it were not included in IS which would affect my overall grade and eligibility for special programmes, I would probably decide to flunk it during the prelims. But now its compulsory =( haha that’s too bad for me. As always, procrastination got the better of us (my group). Before the prelims the only thing we had done was just the plan of what we were going to do. It was only 2 days before the prelims then we started on the powerpoint. It seemed great at first, the powerpoint was nice, the plans were detailed and well structured and we expected to do well. But we failed. We definitely lost marks in the presentation component as we were not really familiar even with our own project (results of last minute chionging), thus, stuttering was inevitable. It was originally decided that I would be the one to do the presentation (I had presented for my group last year too) but I was down with throat infection and my members had to do the speaking. Even I had difficulty understanding what they were saying when I was seated beside them because they were too tense, spoke too fast and unclearly, needless to say about the judges. Furthermore, because of our procrastination we had not included our reflections nor acquired an organization. That probably led to our failure.
We had to go for prelim 2. Joel immediately went to contact organizations to seek their approval. The two of us then worked on the powerpoint and improvised it. We completed that about a week before prelim 2. Failure is not an option, we had to do our best. On the day of prelim 2, we presented. Although the results are not out I believe we did quite well. It was only after failing once did I realize the consequences of procrastination but still it’s inevitable in everyday life. And because of this new system I am so stressed! I have to strive to reach the finals so as not to lose marks in IS. Determination and perseverance is not the key, the only thing that drives me forward is the marks that I must not lose. It seems like I have changed into a calculative person as well. I hate this feeling, it feels as though I am forced to do something. Its tiring.
We had to go for prelim 2. Joel immediately went to contact organizations to seek their approval. The two of us then worked on the powerpoint and improvised it. We completed that about a week before prelim 2. Failure is not an option, we had to do our best. On the day of prelim 2, we presented. Although the results are not out I believe we did quite well. It was only after failing once did I realize the consequences of procrastination but still it’s inevitable in everyday life. And because of this new system I am so stressed! I have to strive to reach the finals so as not to lose marks in IS. Determination and perseverance is not the key, the only thing that drives me forward is the marks that I must not lose. It seems like I have changed into a calculative person as well. I hate this feeling, it feels as though I am forced to do something. Its tiring.
Sunday, May 2, 2010
ACE and OC system
In 2009 they were hopeful components in every subject that could pull up marks. Because of the ACE and OP system then, I managed to obtain 1.0 for my MSG. But now in 2010, they are a new subject that affects our overall score and eligibility to enter the many special programmes. Few have voiced out their opinions only until the recent Level Assembly did I realize I was not the only one who have negative views of this new system as not only did it affect scores, it also affected our way of thinking. Thus, I would like to express my opinions of this new system (hope I won’t get screwed for doing this).
Oral Participation system, currently known as Oral Communication
It is good for urging students to speak up in class to express themselves BUT what if some students are shy or want to keep to themselves? What if some students want to speak up but are ‘ksed’ by over-enthusiastic students (There’s one in class)? In this case it is not fair. Students who are shy and have introverted personalities (like myself, except the shy part) are being forced to speak up, this is against their personalities and they will not feel comfortable in a school where speaking up is graded. It is also extremely unfair for students who get ‘ksed’ because they do not get the chance to voice their opinions as some others will simply snatch their chance. As a result, they may lose out in terms of oral participation scores which ultimately affects their grade. Be it students who are introverted or students who get’ ksed’, they may not be eligible for many special programmes even if they are good academically as OC grade is put into account (I am afraid I may be one of them, I almost failed my OP last term). Wouldn’t that be unfair? Students who are keen to study and learn yet are not given the chance to join the better special programmes because of their personality. Current Affairs discussions are also part of the OC grade and classmates are the ones who grade the participants. The grades given may be biased and would be unfair for many. Although there is a teacher who is involved in grading, the mark given by students will ultimately affect the overall score. Therefore, I really dislike this system.
ACE system, currently known as Independent Studies
It encourages students to take on additional tasks and join competitions BUT it causes students to become very calculative (as pointed out in the recent Level Assembly).” Is there ACE? No ACE? Ok never mind.” Before taking on any additional tasks, the first thing most students will want to find out is if there is ACE for completing them. If no ACE can be obtained, majority will not take on that task. It makes students give up on many opportunities just because there is no ACE to obtain. True enough, I myself won’t do anything extra if I won’t get ACE for it. Now instead of encouraging students to go the extra mile, it instills the over-calculative mind in them which is obviously not a good thing. Projects Competition which was previously only compulsory for Sec 1 and Sec 2 is now a component of this IS system. Getting into the Finals is a MUST if one wants to get a minimum of A1 for their IS grade as it’ is near impossible to max out ACE points for the various subjects. Something that has once been a platform to enjoy and experience has now transformed into a compulsory, dreaded event. Once again, IS is another criteria to ace in order to join the special programmes. Even in the upper secondary levels we still have to take part and attempt to enter the finals for projects competition otherwise GG…
I would recommend IS and OC not be included in our overall grade or be a component to ace for eligibility to join special programmes but instead be something extra for students who have the desire to take part in them and not a compulsory for students who have no wish to do so. All in all these are only my opinions but I believe I am not the only one who feels this way. I do believe there is a majority like me who has other opinions of this system which is supposed to help students but apparently it is unable to do so.
Oral Participation system, currently known as Oral Communication
It is good for urging students to speak up in class to express themselves BUT what if some students are shy or want to keep to themselves? What if some students want to speak up but are ‘ksed’ by over-enthusiastic students (There’s one in class)? In this case it is not fair. Students who are shy and have introverted personalities (like myself, except the shy part) are being forced to speak up, this is against their personalities and they will not feel comfortable in a school where speaking up is graded. It is also extremely unfair for students who get ‘ksed’ because they do not get the chance to voice their opinions as some others will simply snatch their chance. As a result, they may lose out in terms of oral participation scores which ultimately affects their grade. Be it students who are introverted or students who get’ ksed’, they may not be eligible for many special programmes even if they are good academically as OC grade is put into account (I am afraid I may be one of them, I almost failed my OP last term). Wouldn’t that be unfair? Students who are keen to study and learn yet are not given the chance to join the better special programmes because of their personality. Current Affairs discussions are also part of the OC grade and classmates are the ones who grade the participants. The grades given may be biased and would be unfair for many. Although there is a teacher who is involved in grading, the mark given by students will ultimately affect the overall score. Therefore, I really dislike this system.
ACE system, currently known as Independent Studies
It encourages students to take on additional tasks and join competitions BUT it causes students to become very calculative (as pointed out in the recent Level Assembly).” Is there ACE? No ACE? Ok never mind.” Before taking on any additional tasks, the first thing most students will want to find out is if there is ACE for completing them. If no ACE can be obtained, majority will not take on that task. It makes students give up on many opportunities just because there is no ACE to obtain. True enough, I myself won’t do anything extra if I won’t get ACE for it. Now instead of encouraging students to go the extra mile, it instills the over-calculative mind in them which is obviously not a good thing. Projects Competition which was previously only compulsory for Sec 1 and Sec 2 is now a component of this IS system. Getting into the Finals is a MUST if one wants to get a minimum of A1 for their IS grade as it’ is near impossible to max out ACE points for the various subjects. Something that has once been a platform to enjoy and experience has now transformed into a compulsory, dreaded event. Once again, IS is another criteria to ace in order to join the special programmes. Even in the upper secondary levels we still have to take part and attempt to enter the finals for projects competition otherwise GG…
I would recommend IS and OC not be included in our overall grade or be a component to ace for eligibility to join special programmes but instead be something extra for students who have the desire to take part in them and not a compulsory for students who have no wish to do so. All in all these are only my opinions but I believe I am not the only one who feels this way. I do believe there is a majority like me who has other opinions of this system which is supposed to help students but apparently it is unable to do so.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
The first post this term...
After such a long time I finally found some time to write my first post for this term. Only 12 hits since I created this blog which shows how insignificant it is and still 0 comments. The only people who would probably read my blog are those who do know me so it’s really obvious that my blog is unappealing (and lame?). I don’t post on my personal life (my life is boring), politics stuff (which I do hate) or anything that can be of much interest. I am personally not humorous but rather introvert (something I got to admit) and I blog only because there’s ACE to obtain. I will elaborate on that in another post soon (how the ACE system actually affects me). All these contribute to the reasons why my blog is simply pathetic. I have to say that I don’t really like to blog either.
I remember that my LA teacher “wanted” (if I do remember correctly) our blogs to attain the state of those of celebrity bloggers. Now I am absolutely sure I will never ever get there. They may have started from scratch like me but I don’t understand how they could shoot up to fame. Initially, I thought that it would be possible; I thought blogging was an easy feat but I was wrong. It’s TEDIOUS. After reading some blogs of celebrity bloggers I realized that what they post are concerned with their everyday life, its witty, its humorous, its meaningful, its though-provoking and its captivating, all these are what my blog doesn’t have. Being a rather introvert person anything that I post will never fit the criteria of an interesting blog…My friends who know me well will understand what I mean, even my posts on Facebook are EMO (exactly what my friends post on my FB status). Therefore, its absolutely impossible for me to accomplish that goal (not what I want though) of having a ‘famous’ blog.
Changing my character would be the only solution. But is it possible? My answer is not likely, changing my character will be really tough and do I like the way I am now, I like to keep to myself (that’s why I rarely speak up in class, unlike most people) and I feel better not having much attention. I don’t know why but that’s how I feel. I guess it would be great too if I could change. My blog may never be as attractive or meaningful compared to many others but I will try.
I remember that my LA teacher “wanted” (if I do remember correctly) our blogs to attain the state of those of celebrity bloggers. Now I am absolutely sure I will never ever get there. They may have started from scratch like me but I don’t understand how they could shoot up to fame. Initially, I thought that it would be possible; I thought blogging was an easy feat but I was wrong. It’s TEDIOUS. After reading some blogs of celebrity bloggers I realized that what they post are concerned with their everyday life, its witty, its humorous, its meaningful, its though-provoking and its captivating, all these are what my blog doesn’t have. Being a rather introvert person anything that I post will never fit the criteria of an interesting blog…My friends who know me well will understand what I mean, even my posts on Facebook are EMO (exactly what my friends post on my FB status). Therefore, its absolutely impossible for me to accomplish that goal (not what I want though) of having a ‘famous’ blog.
Changing my character would be the only solution. But is it possible? My answer is not likely, changing my character will be really tough and do I like the way I am now, I like to keep to myself (that’s why I rarely speak up in class, unlike most people) and I feel better not having much attention. I don’t know why but that’s how I feel. I guess it would be great too if I could change. My blog may never be as attractive or meaningful compared to many others but I will try.
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Changes made to blog
1) Layout -
a)Changed the template to a more pleasant looking one instead of the other plain-green template. I believe it feels way better to read from a blog that has nice layout rather than one that is boring and plain. The layout seems to affect mood, the previous layout was horrid and unpleasant from the way i see it!
b)Added two pictures at top and bottom of the blog and a blog description, though not sure how it helps but it does make the blog appear more presentable.
c)Changed the font and colour of the text such that its comfortable to the eye and pleasant to read. While reading my previous blog i realised that the font and colour of the text was most unpleasant to the eye and it seemed like a chore to even read my own blog. After making changes I find that its alot better. =)
2) As for content I have tried my best to include in-depth thinking by spending more time on the posts. Also I hate to write about mundane stuff like current affairs as I really dislike handling such issues, thus, I would probably avoid posting current affairs topics in this blog as it would certainly lack personal opinions and boring to read (I know almost nothing about such topics).
I am not IT savvy so the changes made may not be significant but it would definitely make this blog more reader-friendly than it was before, hope you will understand =) and do let me know what can be improved.
a)Changed the template to a more pleasant looking one instead of the other plain-green template. I believe it feels way better to read from a blog that has nice layout rather than one that is boring and plain. The layout seems to affect mood, the previous layout was horrid and unpleasant from the way i see it!
b)Added two pictures at top and bottom of the blog and a blog description, though not sure how it helps but it does make the blog appear more presentable.
c)Changed the font and colour of the text such that its comfortable to the eye and pleasant to read. While reading my previous blog i realised that the font and colour of the text was most unpleasant to the eye and it seemed like a chore to even read my own blog. After making changes I find that its alot better. =)
2) As for content I have tried my best to include in-depth thinking by spending more time on the posts. Also I hate to write about mundane stuff like current affairs as I really dislike handling such issues, thus, I would probably avoid posting current affairs topics in this blog as it would certainly lack personal opinions and boring to read (I know almost nothing about such topics).
I am not IT savvy so the changes made may not be significant but it would definitely make this blog more reader-friendly than it was before, hope you will understand =) and do let me know what can be improved.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
2012
The movie - 2012
Brief Intro
According to the Mayan calendar, the world will come to an end on December 21, 2012. Alarmingly, it seems that there have been usually severe storms on the surface of the sun, which are having a grave effect on earth. By 2010, the world's top scientists have confirmed that the world would come to an end. As it reaches the year 2012, signs of impending doom have been steadily accumulating and fissures rapidly appeared in the earth. We are then introduced to Jackson Curtis(John Cusack)who joins the race with his family to ensure that humankind is not completely wiped out. While they attempt to escape the catastrophic natural disasters they encounter several nerve-wrecking dangers where they almost died. Eventually, they managed to board the ship and survived, however the world had been totally destroyed and most land was submerged in water, the remaining survivors had to start from scratch. Although like any other disaster movies which depict a happy ending for the protagonist, its special effects, realistic natural disasters and non-stop thrill makes it a must watch. Besides the effects, the movie shows that human beings can sometimes be selfish in the face if danger and most who managed to get the tickets for the ship were the rich (those people who constructed the ships didn’t get tickets either), this depicts typical human personalities and nicely links the movie to the audience.
Will 2012 come true?
After watching the movie, I wondered if it would really happen in the real world. Human activity had polluted and ruined the environment, this was one of the causes of the several catastrophes that occurred in the movie. Recently, several countries throughout the globe has met with strange weather conditions. Several countries recorded extreme temperatures both high and low for the first time ever. Some countries encountered heavy downpours which led to flooding (almost 80% of its state was flooded) while others met with hail (it had never been so violent before), the last time such extreme weather conditions occurred was more than a century ago. In the year 2010 of the movie, several countries were hit with severe life threatening weather conditions that had never happened before. Even in Singapore, the temperature is so high and almost every day the sweltering heat suffocates me, this was the first time I had ever felt this way. Is it possible that 2012 would come true? In my opinion it is actually possible, human activity has already damaged the earth severely, if we don’t put spare a thought for the Earth we are living on, one day it may take revenge.
Brief Intro
According to the Mayan calendar, the world will come to an end on December 21, 2012. Alarmingly, it seems that there have been usually severe storms on the surface of the sun, which are having a grave effect on earth. By 2010, the world's top scientists have confirmed that the world would come to an end. As it reaches the year 2012, signs of impending doom have been steadily accumulating and fissures rapidly appeared in the earth. We are then introduced to Jackson Curtis(John Cusack)who joins the race with his family to ensure that humankind is not completely wiped out. While they attempt to escape the catastrophic natural disasters they encounter several nerve-wrecking dangers where they almost died. Eventually, they managed to board the ship and survived, however the world had been totally destroyed and most land was submerged in water, the remaining survivors had to start from scratch. Although like any other disaster movies which depict a happy ending for the protagonist, its special effects, realistic natural disasters and non-stop thrill makes it a must watch. Besides the effects, the movie shows that human beings can sometimes be selfish in the face if danger and most who managed to get the tickets for the ship were the rich (those people who constructed the ships didn’t get tickets either), this depicts typical human personalities and nicely links the movie to the audience.
Will 2012 come true?
After watching the movie, I wondered if it would really happen in the real world. Human activity had polluted and ruined the environment, this was one of the causes of the several catastrophes that occurred in the movie. Recently, several countries throughout the globe has met with strange weather conditions. Several countries recorded extreme temperatures both high and low for the first time ever. Some countries encountered heavy downpours which led to flooding (almost 80% of its state was flooded) while others met with hail (it had never been so violent before), the last time such extreme weather conditions occurred was more than a century ago. In the year 2010 of the movie, several countries were hit with severe life threatening weather conditions that had never happened before. Even in Singapore, the temperature is so high and almost every day the sweltering heat suffocates me, this was the first time I had ever felt this way. Is it possible that 2012 would come true? In my opinion it is actually possible, human activity has already damaged the earth severely, if we don’t put spare a thought for the Earth we are living on, one day it may take revenge.
Monday, March 1, 2010
Term 1 Week 9 Online Lesson
Intrapersonal [pick one]:
a. Who would you want to be friends with in the novel? Explain.
I would want to be friends with Arthur Radley. He had been prejudiced against by the Maycomb residents and was blamed for every single crime that occurred in Maycomb. Even after the real culprit was caught, the people still suspected him. To them, he was like a phantom evil and creepy. If I could be friends with Arthur Radley, I would want to know why he didn’t like to venture outside and how he felt about the way the residents treated him. I would also want to know why he didn’t want to clarify with the residents that he wasn’t an evil person, how his brother, Nathan Radley, had treated him and how he felt about living in Maycomb. Being friends with him could allow me to clear so many doubts that the novel itself can’t. I could also help him explain to the residents his difficulties and probably help him to get accepted by the Maycomb residents. After all, being able to know someone better can also help me learn how they would think and act from their perspective. Furthermore, he saved Jem and Scout from Bob Ewell. This shows that he is actually kind at heart and willing to lend a helping hand to anyone in need unlike what the other Maycomb residents thought of him. As such, he will be a nice person to be friends with who only has kind intentions.
Naturalist:
a. Do a research on the natural habitat of mockingbird. In your research, include the kind of flora and fauna you think exist in Maycomb and explain why the mockingbirds live in Maycomb.
Mocking birds live in areas with open grounds, shrubby vegetation and in land developed for agriculture. Maycomb is an old small town. It was poor as well due to the depression. Its main income would be from agriculture. Due to it being old, shrubby vegetation around the area would be quite common. As its small, the population around the area shouldn’t be too large and there would be some open areas to suit the mockingbirds. Agriculture being its main income would mean it has agricultural lands which are perfect feeding grounds for the mockingbirds. Thus, mockingbirds live in Maycomb as the living environment is suitable for them. Also, the people in Maycomb do not kill mockingbirds as they regard it as a sin to kill a mockingbird and it would be safe for the mockingbirds to live in Maycomb.
a. Who would you want to be friends with in the novel? Explain.
I would want to be friends with Arthur Radley. He had been prejudiced against by the Maycomb residents and was blamed for every single crime that occurred in Maycomb. Even after the real culprit was caught, the people still suspected him. To them, he was like a phantom evil and creepy. If I could be friends with Arthur Radley, I would want to know why he didn’t like to venture outside and how he felt about the way the residents treated him. I would also want to know why he didn’t want to clarify with the residents that he wasn’t an evil person, how his brother, Nathan Radley, had treated him and how he felt about living in Maycomb. Being friends with him could allow me to clear so many doubts that the novel itself can’t. I could also help him explain to the residents his difficulties and probably help him to get accepted by the Maycomb residents. After all, being able to know someone better can also help me learn how they would think and act from their perspective. Furthermore, he saved Jem and Scout from Bob Ewell. This shows that he is actually kind at heart and willing to lend a helping hand to anyone in need unlike what the other Maycomb residents thought of him. As such, he will be a nice person to be friends with who only has kind intentions.
Naturalist:
a. Do a research on the natural habitat of mockingbird. In your research, include the kind of flora and fauna you think exist in Maycomb and explain why the mockingbirds live in Maycomb.
Mocking birds live in areas with open grounds, shrubby vegetation and in land developed for agriculture. Maycomb is an old small town. It was poor as well due to the depression. Its main income would be from agriculture. Due to it being old, shrubby vegetation around the area would be quite common. As its small, the population around the area shouldn’t be too large and there would be some open areas to suit the mockingbirds. Agriculture being its main income would mean it has agricultural lands which are perfect feeding grounds for the mockingbirds. Thus, mockingbirds live in Maycomb as the living environment is suitable for them. Also, the people in Maycomb do not kill mockingbirds as they regard it as a sin to kill a mockingbird and it would be safe for the mockingbirds to live in Maycomb.
MI Learning Profile
Kinaesthetic: 18
Linguistic: 16
Logical: 19
Interpersonal: 20
Intrapersonal: 20
Naturalistic: 20
Musical: 8
Visual/Spatial: 17
The results show that I may be nature smart. I will like the world of plants and animals and enjoy learning about them; I may be myself smart. I will know about yourself and your strengths and weaknesses; I may be people smart. I will like to mix with other people and I will belong to lots of clubs. I like team games and are good at sharing. In fact, the results are extremely accurate!
The MI test lets me know how I fare in each area and which learning style suits me best. Thus, learning through the intelligences which I am best at can ensure that I will grasp more of the topic and understand it better allowing me to know more. Learning through my better intelligences will ensure that learning will not be a daunting and monotonous task as I can now enjoy it by learning through preferred styles. I can also try to improve on weaker areas by tackling tasks based on my weaker intelligences. Overall it is a good gauge for me to know myself better and what I am good or weak at.
Linguistic: 16
Logical: 19
Interpersonal: 20
Intrapersonal: 20
Naturalistic: 20
Musical: 8
Visual/Spatial: 17
The results show that I may be nature smart. I will like the world of plants and animals and enjoy learning about them; I may be myself smart. I will know about yourself and your strengths and weaknesses; I may be people smart. I will like to mix with other people and I will belong to lots of clubs. I like team games and are good at sharing. In fact, the results are extremely accurate!
The MI test lets me know how I fare in each area and which learning style suits me best. Thus, learning through the intelligences which I am best at can ensure that I will grasp more of the topic and understand it better allowing me to know more. Learning through my better intelligences will ensure that learning will not be a daunting and monotonous task as I can now enjoy it by learning through preferred styles. I can also try to improve on weaker areas by tackling tasks based on my weaker intelligences. Overall it is a good gauge for me to know myself better and what I am good or weak at.
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Home Learning
Pros (general)
Even if teachers are away they can still assign homework and put up lessons online for us to study despite their absence, hence, lesson periods will not be wasted. It is an innovative method of learning whereby lesson structures are fixed and instructions are to the point. There is a higher level of interaction which arouses interest of students to keep them focused on the tasks at hand. Comments can be posted and we can learn from them. Also we are able to refer to everybody's answers and be inspired by their good points. With home learning, students can wake up later than usual as there is no need to travel to school; lessons are just several clicks away.
Cons (from my perspective)
It would have been holidays if I were in primary school. However, teachers can now “teach” us and “give” homework online in HCI. If teachers gave homework that can actually be completed within the lesson span of 1hr I would not bear such a grudge towards home learning. However, in my opinion, some teachers take advantage of home learning to give us ALOT MORE homework and expect us to finish them or have them as homework. It really angers me that there home-learning is actually meant for us to do more work…true enough we do not need to wake up early but the amount of work given forces us to “stay back” to finish them even with the breaks in between. I have tabulated 13 assignments, 2 essays, 2 discussions and 1 proposal (excluding minor assignments) for 1st and 2nd march home learning. These sums up to almost 20 tasks over the span of 4 hrs lesson for 2 days each, that’s like 4 times the normal workload we would receive on normal school days. Besides these, distractions are generally common as there is no one to watch over us and we may lose concentration or even forget to complete the work assigned.
Once again, this is just my opinions of home learning. Everyone has different perspectives, thus, I would like to know how everyone else feels about this issue.
Even if teachers are away they can still assign homework and put up lessons online for us to study despite their absence, hence, lesson periods will not be wasted. It is an innovative method of learning whereby lesson structures are fixed and instructions are to the point. There is a higher level of interaction which arouses interest of students to keep them focused on the tasks at hand. Comments can be posted and we can learn from them. Also we are able to refer to everybody's answers and be inspired by their good points. With home learning, students can wake up later than usual as there is no need to travel to school; lessons are just several clicks away.
Cons (from my perspective)
It would have been holidays if I were in primary school. However, teachers can now “teach” us and “give” homework online in HCI. If teachers gave homework that can actually be completed within the lesson span of 1hr I would not bear such a grudge towards home learning. However, in my opinion, some teachers take advantage of home learning to give us ALOT MORE homework and expect us to finish them or have them as homework. It really angers me that there home-learning is actually meant for us to do more work…true enough we do not need to wake up early but the amount of work given forces us to “stay back” to finish them even with the breaks in between. I have tabulated 13 assignments, 2 essays, 2 discussions and 1 proposal (excluding minor assignments) for 1st and 2nd march home learning. These sums up to almost 20 tasks over the span of 4 hrs lesson for 2 days each, that’s like 4 times the normal workload we would receive on normal school days. Besides these, distractions are generally common as there is no one to watch over us and we may lose concentration or even forget to complete the work assigned.
Once again, this is just my opinions of home learning. Everyone has different perspectives, thus, I would like to know how everyone else feels about this issue.
Friday, February 5, 2010
Animal Abuse
I recently witnessed an incident whereby two young kids were treating their pet dog (it was leashed) in an abusive manner. They were tugging at the leash of their dog really hard and pulling it wherever they want, sometimes even in circles. One of them even attempted to sit on the dog. I could see that the dog was struggling profusely as a sign of disliking such treatment. Their mother appeared to be advising them to stop but her words fell on deaf ears, no action was taken. The dog was being tormented by its owners and looked really pitiful. Although they are young or probably ignorant of how the dog actually feels, why are they “allowed” to ill-treat their pet this way? Do they even have the rights to torture it? How would they feel if they were being treated as such?
It was also only recently that I heard from a friend that he had watched a video of a woman abusing her cat eventually killing it. The cat was supposedly being stepped by her (she was wearing high heels) repeatedly over the body whereby the cat was eventually killed with a blow in the head. The scene was full of blood with internal organs of the cat lying around. It was plain cruelty. Did the killer have no sense of guilt at all, how could she kill the cat in such a terrifying manner and even upload it on the net for all to see? From my perspective she finds amusement in torturing animals. She probably treats them as lower beings and that she can take their lives at any time.
Sometimes I don’t understand why people can have the conscience to do such a thing and worse still to capture the scene for everyone to see on a website. The cruelty and stone-cold conscience that some people have developed is horrifying. Are more and more people actually doing such things or is it just the minority few? Animal have lives too, they are just like us, they too can feel pain and we never treat them in such a manner. They are there to accompany us; the world belongs to not just us but every other living thing on it, such actions should never be condoned.
It was also only recently that I heard from a friend that he had watched a video of a woman abusing her cat eventually killing it. The cat was supposedly being stepped by her (she was wearing high heels) repeatedly over the body whereby the cat was eventually killed with a blow in the head. The scene was full of blood with internal organs of the cat lying around. It was plain cruelty. Did the killer have no sense of guilt at all, how could she kill the cat in such a terrifying manner and even upload it on the net for all to see? From my perspective she finds amusement in torturing animals. She probably treats them as lower beings and that she can take their lives at any time.
Sometimes I don’t understand why people can have the conscience to do such a thing and worse still to capture the scene for everyone to see on a website. The cruelty and stone-cold conscience that some people have developed is horrifying. Are more and more people actually doing such things or is it just the minority few? Animal have lives too, they are just like us, they too can feel pain and we never treat them in such a manner. They are there to accompany us; the world belongs to not just us but every other living thing on it, such actions should never be condoned.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Balancing of CCA and homework
My CCA: Track and Field – Long Jump
Track and Field is a rather demanding CCA (theres training even during home-learning and on "half days") as it’s extremely competitive and require a lot of commitment from the members. Besides the major Nationals there are several mini competitions as well such that the coach can select the 3 to join Nationals.
My recent long jump competitions
After joining track and field (long jump) since April last year, I have not joined any competitions till this year. In fact, I have yet to join any competition whereby I represent the school along with my teammates throughout my life. The recent all-comers at Bukit Gombak Stadium was my first experience at any external competition be it sports or academics. Initially I was really nervous afraid that I wouldn’t do well and end up disgracing myself but after several trial jumps I was quite confident I would not do too badly. On my first jump, I surprisingly jumped a distance between 5 and 5.2m, never had I jumped so far during my trainings. The feeling was great and this continued for the next two jumps.
Several weeks later I joined the 2nd all-comers. This time my aim was zone 2 (5.2-5.4m), however, I ended up over boarding all three jumps… either the distance for the run up was wrong or I was slower than normal.
I knew that I had to train harder, however, for me to “want to” train harder especially when the Nationals are approaching; I would need less homework. Training while a stack of homework awaits me when I get home is unpleasant; it seems like a burden and I wouldn’t have the mood to train properly. Yet there’s nothing I can do. Homework will always be a part of schooling life.
Homework
Due to the fact that HCI is a top-notch school, the amount of homework given is generally more than that of most schools as students are probably required do more practice. In my opinion, homework is a chore for someone like me who has CCA commitment daily. However, I can only attempt to balance CCA and homework. Staying up till 11 or 12 is now common for me to finish off homework. If only there would be less homework, sometimes I even have to skip CCA just to do homework. I hate homework…
Track and Field is a rather demanding CCA (theres training even during home-learning and on "half days") as it’s extremely competitive and require a lot of commitment from the members. Besides the major Nationals there are several mini competitions as well such that the coach can select the 3 to join Nationals.
My recent long jump competitions
After joining track and field (long jump) since April last year, I have not joined any competitions till this year. In fact, I have yet to join any competition whereby I represent the school along with my teammates throughout my life. The recent all-comers at Bukit Gombak Stadium was my first experience at any external competition be it sports or academics. Initially I was really nervous afraid that I wouldn’t do well and end up disgracing myself but after several trial jumps I was quite confident I would not do too badly. On my first jump, I surprisingly jumped a distance between 5 and 5.2m, never had I jumped so far during my trainings. The feeling was great and this continued for the next two jumps.
Several weeks later I joined the 2nd all-comers. This time my aim was zone 2 (5.2-5.4m), however, I ended up over boarding all three jumps… either the distance for the run up was wrong or I was slower than normal.
I knew that I had to train harder, however, for me to “want to” train harder especially when the Nationals are approaching; I would need less homework. Training while a stack of homework awaits me when I get home is unpleasant; it seems like a burden and I wouldn’t have the mood to train properly. Yet there’s nothing I can do. Homework will always be a part of schooling life.
Homework
Due to the fact that HCI is a top-notch school, the amount of homework given is generally more than that of most schools as students are probably required do more practice. In my opinion, homework is a chore for someone like me who has CCA commitment daily. However, I can only attempt to balance CCA and homework. Staying up till 11 or 12 is now common for me to finish off homework. If only there would be less homework, sometimes I even have to skip CCA just to do homework. I hate homework…
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Racism and the Internet
Recently, our class began discussing the novel "To Kill a Mockingbird" during LA lessons.
This book is a coming-of-age novel set in the 1930s, in the fictional Maycomb County of Alabama, where racism and several other social problems exist. It is about a girl named Jean Louise Finch aka Scout and a boy named Jeremy Atticus Finch aka Jem who goes through life in Maycomb County whereby they experience racism, discrimination and many other social life problems. Through their father Atticus, who teaches them morals, they learnt to view from someone else’s perspective and to understand others better; maturing into sensible children with stronger wills.
Racism is something that almost everyone would experience throughout their life. It’s when one party feels that they are more superior and want to rule or even control the lifestyles of the so called “inferior” party. They bear hatred and intolerance to those races which they look down on and discriminate against them. In Singapore a multi-racial country, most may say that racism can’t possibly exist. However, I feel that racism actually occurs in Singapore; although it’s rarely voiced out some people do express their discrimination on other platforms for them to appear anonymous. It’s inevitable for one to feel that its race is superior probably as a sense of national pride, however, its best to keep such feelings under control.
During lessons, there would usually be someone who will randomly shout out random yet humorous comments, sometimes racist comments, to break up the tense seriousness to make lessons amusing and more captivating. I am certain whoever shouted out such comments didn’t have any other intentions other than humor.
However, the platform whereby such comments are expressed is extremely critical. For example, if such a comment were passed in a classroom, we will simply treat it as a joke with no hurtful intentions; but if such a comment were expressed on the internet for example on a blog or Facebook whereby almost anyone can view such comments it would have been a grave mistake as it could result in a flame war which could even lead to arrest.
Indeed some time ago, there was an article in the papers about some Chinese teens who posted racist remarks on Facebook who were then arrested. This link will provide additional details:
http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_486005.html
This tells us that racism is actually a major issue worldwide such that a racist remark ended up in these teens being arrested and that a social networking area can be dangerous if one doesn’t consciously think before he acts.
This book is a coming-of-age novel set in the 1930s, in the fictional Maycomb County of Alabama, where racism and several other social problems exist. It is about a girl named Jean Louise Finch aka Scout and a boy named Jeremy Atticus Finch aka Jem who goes through life in Maycomb County whereby they experience racism, discrimination and many other social life problems. Through their father Atticus, who teaches them morals, they learnt to view from someone else’s perspective and to understand others better; maturing into sensible children with stronger wills.
Racism is something that almost everyone would experience throughout their life. It’s when one party feels that they are more superior and want to rule or even control the lifestyles of the so called “inferior” party. They bear hatred and intolerance to those races which they look down on and discriminate against them. In Singapore a multi-racial country, most may say that racism can’t possibly exist. However, I feel that racism actually occurs in Singapore; although it’s rarely voiced out some people do express their discrimination on other platforms for them to appear anonymous. It’s inevitable for one to feel that its race is superior probably as a sense of national pride, however, its best to keep such feelings under control.
During lessons, there would usually be someone who will randomly shout out random yet humorous comments, sometimes racist comments, to break up the tense seriousness to make lessons amusing and more captivating. I am certain whoever shouted out such comments didn’t have any other intentions other than humor.
However, the platform whereby such comments are expressed is extremely critical. For example, if such a comment were passed in a classroom, we will simply treat it as a joke with no hurtful intentions; but if such a comment were expressed on the internet for example on a blog or Facebook whereby almost anyone can view such comments it would have been a grave mistake as it could result in a flame war which could even lead to arrest.
Indeed some time ago, there was an article in the papers about some Chinese teens who posted racist remarks on Facebook who were then arrested. This link will provide additional details:
http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_486005.html
This tells us that racism is actually a major issue worldwide such that a racist remark ended up in these teens being arrested and that a social networking area can be dangerous if one doesn’t consciously think before he acts.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Blogging
The only reason why I am only blogging is because it’s part of Language Arts and there’s ACE to obtain. In fact, my views on blogging are mostly negative as I personally dislike blogging.
Firstly, from my perspective, it’s a waste of precious time due to the fact that I have CCA everyday from Monday to Friday 3-6pm, normally by the time I get home it would be at least 7pm then after dinner etc it would be almost 8. The time from 8pm till I sleep would mainly be used to finish off the huge workloads that are given almost every day, sometimes I have to stay up till 11 or 12 to finish all these homework, thus, I have absolutely no time for blogging regularly.
Secondly, blogs are publicly open for anyone to read and comment. I definitely wouldn’t want to post my personal thoughts or feelings for someone else to read would I? Well, that’s from my point of view. Although just like an online diary, any post that contains sensitive topics such as racism could probably spark off an online “war” whereby one gets criticized repeatedly for making such posts etc. This could possibly lead to disastrous outcomes. I certainly wouldn’t want to risk that.
Thirdly, I am wondering is there even a point to blogging? Besides posting about your life/something interesting that you witnessed/your perspectives of various issues etc, what else is there? Will I gain insights by blogging? Will I improve in any way by blogging? Will I find blogging interesting or fun? In fact I don’t see why people like to blog. To me a blog is simply an online journal which others can read and comment on, like a diary which isn’t personal, nothing else.
Finally, for those of you who like blogging please understand my standpoint. I admit that blogging is a way for one to express their feelings freely on a seemingly online journal but I am just not interested in it due to time constraints. Blog posts that consists in-depth thinking generally require a significant amount of time to “come out with”. For someone like me who barely have the time to relax, I would prefer not to blog if possible. From my perspective, people blog because they have the time and not everyone has the time to blog regularly. I may sound cryptical to some of you but those who find blogging a waste of time and a hassle will understand how I feel. However since blogging is part of school work I am left with no choice but to blog.
Once again I emphasize that the posts in this blog may appear lame compared to my usual self and sometimes lack in-depth thinking due to limited time (although I will try my best). This blog is purely for school work and nothing else also I don’t have a personal blog.
Firstly, from my perspective, it’s a waste of precious time due to the fact that I have CCA everyday from Monday to Friday 3-6pm, normally by the time I get home it would be at least 7pm then after dinner etc it would be almost 8. The time from 8pm till I sleep would mainly be used to finish off the huge workloads that are given almost every day, sometimes I have to stay up till 11 or 12 to finish all these homework, thus, I have absolutely no time for blogging regularly.
Secondly, blogs are publicly open for anyone to read and comment. I definitely wouldn’t want to post my personal thoughts or feelings for someone else to read would I? Well, that’s from my point of view. Although just like an online diary, any post that contains sensitive topics such as racism could probably spark off an online “war” whereby one gets criticized repeatedly for making such posts etc. This could possibly lead to disastrous outcomes. I certainly wouldn’t want to risk that.
Thirdly, I am wondering is there even a point to blogging? Besides posting about your life/something interesting that you witnessed/your perspectives of various issues etc, what else is there? Will I gain insights by blogging? Will I improve in any way by blogging? Will I find blogging interesting or fun? In fact I don’t see why people like to blog. To me a blog is simply an online journal which others can read and comment on, like a diary which isn’t personal, nothing else.
Finally, for those of you who like blogging please understand my standpoint. I admit that blogging is a way for one to express their feelings freely on a seemingly online journal but I am just not interested in it due to time constraints. Blog posts that consists in-depth thinking generally require a significant amount of time to “come out with”. For someone like me who barely have the time to relax, I would prefer not to blog if possible. From my perspective, people blog because they have the time and not everyone has the time to blog regularly. I may sound cryptical to some of you but those who find blogging a waste of time and a hassle will understand how I feel. However since blogging is part of school work I am left with no choice but to blog.
Once again I emphasize that the posts in this blog may appear lame compared to my usual self and sometimes lack in-depth thinking due to limited time (although I will try my best). This blog is purely for school work and nothing else also I don’t have a personal blog.
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