In Your Own Words(blog prompt)

You are a student activist for animal preservation. You strongly believe animals should not be hunted for their body parts as medicinal ingredients. Draft a speech which you are going to make at a public forum on preventing cruelty to animals.

Good morning ladies and gentlemen. Today, I shall be talking to you about preventing cruelty to animals.

Sometimes, we must remember that even though animals are, well, animals, but they are also living, breathing creatures just like us humans. If you put yourself into their shoes, how do you think you will feel if someone cuts off one of your body parts just because it can be used as a medicinal ingredients? Moreover, the cruel people who do these type of things just throw the poor animals back to where they came from, slowly leaving them to die instead of ending their pain straightaway.

Another point: sometimes, the medicinal values of body parts of some animals may just be rumours. For example, the rhinoceros. It is rumoured that their horns have great medicinal value just because their horns have calcium inside them. If that is the case, why don't we pound up our nails and use them for medicinal purposes?

Thus, I would like to advise everyone: do not follow blindly just because someone says so or it MAY work. Think of the beautiful creatures that you will hurt. Thank you

ANGLES competition

Today was the finals for the ANGLES competition 2009. The contestants, were, in my opinion, absolutely fantastic. They were so even matched that it was hard to decide which one I liked best. I am sure the judges were stumped too.:) Even with little time to prepare for the impromptu speech, the contestants still did a great job and still sounded very professional. Goes to say I have a lot more to learn if I want to join these type of competitions......

In Your Own Words(blog prompt)

A recent nationwide survey done in Singapore has reveled that primary school students have a nonchalant attitude towards environmental issues. You are the president of the Activist's' Club in Singapore and have been invited to make a speech to educate and inspire the young ones to make a difference in their lifestyles and choices.

Good morning boys and girls. As all of you know, Mother Earth has been greatly affected for the past few decades because of our neglect. Problems include global warming and air pollution. Thus, now is the time to save the Earth.

Many of you would not be bothered about this fact or think that doing your part to save the environment would cause your friends to think of you as a good-two-shoes type of person. But, there is nothing to be ashamed of. The only time you will feel ashamed is a few decades later, when you think, " I could have avoided all of this if I did my part to save the environment before."Another point I want to stress is that we all live on the same planet. Thus, a few people's negligence could cause the world suffer. A good example would be in China. It is one of the countries worst hit by air pollution. This is because there are selfish people out there who only care about making money. They think," I won't live long enough to see the bad things happen anyway." It is precisely this kind of attitude that will lead to the Earth's downfall.

Thus, start making a change. Simple things that you do in everyday life will help to save the Earth. For example, recycle whenever you can. Always bring a container along when you want to buy takeaway food. Only turn on your air-conditioners when the heat is really unbearable.

With this, I end my speech. Thank you all for your kind attention.

I Outsmarted You There, Didn't I, Mr Principal?

As you all will remember, Dr Hon posted the news about Coral Secondary School's ban. Intrigued, I searched the web and saw this funny yet meaningful blog post. However, there were undesirable comments so I deleted them. This was taken from http://politicssg.blogspot.com/2009/02/will-coral-secondary-principal-be-sued.html...


Will Coral Secondary principal be sued for human rights violation? Not a chance in Singapore

Coral Secondary School is allegedly one of the strictest school in Singapore. It forbids any student in uniform from entering the nearby White Sands shopping mall in Pasir Ris. On top of that, it also forbids students in uniform from hanging out at the neighbouring housing estate. Not even dropping by the mini-mart to get a drink.

The exception - the community library in White Sands Shopping Mall. However the student is required to go through the process of seeking approval from HOD/Student Management, Operations Manager, Vice-Principal or Principal.

When asked by the press to comment on the rule, principal Veronica Ng responded: 'Coral Secondary places much emphasis on inculcating in our students good habits like using time prudently. As such, it is in their interest not to loiter in the malls after school.'

Where there are rules, there are always enforcers. To prove that they are really serious about it, the school assigns teachers to patrol the shopping mall and neighbouring areas after school. Any offenders caught will be sent for a two-hour detention.

Some may condemn the school for human rights violations. But alas, this is Singapore! Without a doubt, this is a definite law case in U.S., but here in Singapore, the principal is only learning from the government. The government seems to believe that the most efficient way to govern a country is by creating laws.

Back to the school. Is that really a perfect ban? Will this ban truly ensure that the students are using their time prudently? Could the students not log into their computers and play online games with their friends in the comfort of their homes?

On top of that, where there are rules, there are always loopholes. And where there are loopholes, there are always more rules to be broken...

• Student A brings along a light set of civilian clothing in his/her school bag. If a teacher spots him/her entering a toilet in uniform but exiting in civilian clothing, can he/her be penalised? Notice that the student is no longer in school uniform. Will the rule still stand?

• Student B gets an approval to visit the community library but he/she then gives, or worse, sells the approval to Student C. Student C gets into the community library and quickly borrows a couple of books before proceeding to the fastfood restaurant. Can the teacher then penalise Student C for grabbing a bite after going to the library?

• Student D is caught in the mall by a patroling teacher, but after the two-hour detention penalise has been given to him/her, if he/she decided to stay in the mall, will double jeopardy then forbids the teacher from further penalising him/her?

For the school to set such a ban is a double-edged sword. While some students may stay "good" because the opportunity to stray has been removed from them, the ban may also be a good training ground for some students to learn how to think outside the box to outsmart the law.

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Right. Here are my thoughts about the topic: to introduce such a notion is totally abstract. If a student wants to enter a shopping mall, he or she must not be wearing their school uniform. In the first place, the students are still going to loiter in shopping malls if they really want to, be it wearing school uniform or home clothing. So, is the rule made to "prevent students from wasting their time loitering in shopping malls" or is it just a feeble attempt to protect the school's reputation should something go wrong? This, dear people, is the thing you have to consider.

Furthermore, "anyone caught would be sent to an 2-hour detention". Isn't this such an irony in the face of the school insisting on preventing students wasting their time away? Furthermore, isn't it more time consuming to go home, change into home clothes, and then go back to the shopping mall again just for a simple lunch? This, too, is another factor to consider.

Thus, I suggest that instead of imposing bans on students(which will only make them more rebellious), the school should conduct more workshops or talks about time management so that students will be convinced not to waste their time instead of being forced to

Thus, I would love to hear your comments about my views. Feel free to comment

Ang Moh Pai???

Many Singaporean does not like Caucasians. Face it. It is a true fact. Here's the next fact: many Singaporeans do not like them because they have seen too many of them showing off how much money they have.

Why, though?

Throughout my 12 years of life in Singapore, I noticed that Singaporeans tend to be stereotypical. A few examples would include:

Ang Moh= Show Off
Neighbourhood School= Pai Kia(misbehaving pupils)
Simple Clothes= Poor

I will be focusing on the Caucasians. Why do people feel so distant from them even though they may be born in Singapore? I must admit, I felt that way too until today...

Scene: City Hall Interchange

It is the peak hour and everybody is squeezing into the train that just arrived. By accident, 4 HCI boys accidentally hit a really tall Caucasian.

Xavier: Sorry
Xuyi: Are you ok?
Caucasian:(pleasantly)It's ok. It's like rugby players shoving each other almost every other day.
Jian Shun: At least we don't have to worry if any of us falls down

We laugh merrily...

(Caucasian says goodbye to us before alighting at Bugis.)

That simple meeting left a deep impression on me. We aren't that so different after all. We're all humans. We need friends. We have our own needs. Ang Moh Pai? White American? African American? Nah. To me, now we're all the same. And that's how the world should be.

Flowers for Algernon Discussion Questions: Question 3

What makes an ideal human or the ideal life?

An ideal human that everyone wishes to be would be a fairly well-off person who has a great personality. He is someone that people can look up to and respect. People won't find it hard to communicate with him because he is not the least bit snobbish. He also has a wide circle of friends and is popular and well-liked.

The ideal life need not necessarily be full of material stuff. The ideal life, in my opinion, is one trying to live life to the fullest doing meaningful things and not meaningless things such as consistently changing handphones or bags when the trend is so. The ideal life should be spent helping other people as well.

Little Ironies- The Taximan's Story

What is the irony in this story?

Throughout the whole story the taximan talks about teenagers making themselves cheap and about them going to hotels to entertain Eurasians but in reality, his daughter is doing those type of things as well. Moreover, he also makes money off these teenagers and is not afraid to admit it. This greatly contradicts what he is trying to talk to his passenger about.

What are the themes raised in this story?

• How teenagers in the 21st century differ from those of a different time(in terms of obedience)

• How materialistic teenagers are these days(making themselves cheap to satisfy their materialistic needs).

• How parents are less willing to hand out physical punishment .

How realistic is this story?

This story is actually very true. It is not particularly rare to see things like this happening in Singapore. However, I feel that "wallet full of American money" is a bit too unrealistic and exaggerated.

What do you think of the taximan? Do you feel sympathy for him?

Although I feel that he contradicts himself, he should be pitied. He is trying to make ends meet and also saving up for his daughter's university fund but she goes off making herself cheap and entertaining the Eurasians.

Do you agree with his lamenting?

Yes, I do. Nowadays, many teenagers are more rebellious and less willing to obey their parents. Thus it is understandable how the taximan feels.

What about the other characters in the story? Do you feel sympathy for them?

No. Even if they wanted to earn money, they should do it properly and not try to earn a quick buck by entertaining the Eurasians.

Today's training was brutal. Everybody(including me) who are going for competition in April are going to suffer a lot.

First part: frog jump to the enormous tree outside the shed, do 20 squats, frog jump back.
Second part: frog jump to the tree, 20 squats, duck walk back(I think)
Third part: run to tree, 20 squats, run back.
Fourth part: 60 pushups(30 of which somebody's leg is on your back)
Fifth part: Raise your legs up vertically and your partner pushes them down. You have to raise your legs before they hit the ground(40 times)
Sixth part: Stomach exercise(40 times in 45 seconds, although it's kind of impossible)

Right now, my whole body is aching. No kidding. But I'm not complaining. I just hope all our hard work will pay off. Tommorow we must do 整套. Sigh......

FLOWERS FOR ALGERNON ACE

Question 6


Charlie Gordon
17 Nisshao Street, House number 12
New York

15th August 2001

Dr. Hartles Nemur
Science Researcher
National Institute of Science
116 Nolifa Street

New York

Dear Dr Nemur,

Afta you told me abot the risks of the operashun, I hesited for while. But now I huv made up my mind. I want too go fer the operashun. 2 years ish a lot of time ande I can do a lot of things than. i wil be able too comunicate wih other peoples properly and they wun look at me funyly like I'm a alian. I can talk to Miss Kinnian proper and maybe Joe and Frank woud like me evan more. I also want to halp dum people like me too. And than maybe shumday Joe and Frank wont remamber me fer being dum but fer helping people. Ihate it whan people alweys leave me out becouse I don't reily know a lot of thengs. I'm also a humen being But everybody leaves me out becouse I'm dum and not smart like thum. Whan I'm smart I'll be reily happy and I also promish that I'll do something good with all my nowledge. I'll let all the dum peoples in the warld become smart as well. So please please let me have the operashun Dr. Nemur. I promish I wont let you down.


Your faithfilly,
Charlie Gordon