LA Expository Writing Exercise

Hello!

Since i've already done this and haven't got a chance to present this to the class, I might as well put it up here.

Basically, the question -- What makes a superhero?

Yup, so we were supposed to write a 150 ++ word essay on it. Unfortunately, although I tried to the best of my ability, I exceeded the word limit ):

Here goes!

What makes a superhero?

Forget all that rubbish about being invulnerable and being able to shoot electricity. Sure, super powers are one thing that most superheroes possess in order to enable them to carry out their duty, as the vigilante of their city, successfully. However, in reality, what superheroes really possess that distinguishes them from the average citizen is their exceptional character traits in the form of outstanding courage, their willingness to commit their live to maintaining law and order in a city and their sacrificial spirit.

Super powers do indeed assist the superhero in his/her duty. However, the traits of the superhero are what allows them to be superheroes and not villains. While superheroes commit to putting their powers towards a good cause, villains make use of whatever abilities they have to wreak havoc in cities and commit heinous crimes which the superhero has to attempt to successfully put a stop to.

Courage is an essential trait towards the development of a superhero. Sure, it seems so easy when you watch them defeat the villains on television. But what would you do if you were in their shoes? The probability of you turning and running away with your tail between your legs is exceedingly high. Now, do you think courage matters?

And how about the willingness to commit to upholding justice? To commit to completing any task is no piece of cake. And what’s more, with your life at stake everytime you attempted to foil the crafty schemes of the villains. Whatever the superhero is doing at the moment, he/she would have to throw it aside and rush to the scene of the crime whenever he/she receives an alert. As such, commitment is vital in defining a superhero.

Last but not least, the sacrificial spirit of the superhero. I reiterate the fact that risking your life to rush over and attempt to do battle with a villain (who in most cases, if not all, is probably more than 69 times stronger than you) is a severely uphill task for any mortal man. Like, who would want to give away their life in a matter of seconds?

After reading this, do you think superheroes are only built on the basis that they can fly, have prominent physical features, and have a large variety of superpowers/weapons? Certainly not.

That Time of The Year

Hello guys (:

it's that time of the year again, where exams arrive, various events take place, and people start mugging like crazy.

Cool.

The first event is the much-awaited Youth Olympic Games!

Here's a little bit of background information for those who don't read newspapers/watch news/have a general idea of what people around them are talking about.

Youth Olympic Games

Facts & Figures Country of host city: Singapore (YAY) Opening date: 14 August 2010 Closing date: 26 August 2010 3,600* young athletes between 14 and 18 years of age 5,000* young athletes and officials 205 National Olympic Committees 1,200* media representatives 20,000* local and international volunteers 370,000* spectators 26 sports and culture & education programmes yup. I think the sport which I paid the most attention to in the Youth Olympic Games was football. It was kinda funny when Zimbawe claimed that they would "sweep-aside Singapore 5-0" before the game. Why? Because Singapore took just 10 seconds to score their first goal, eventually outplaying, outmanoeuvring and outpacing a shocked Zimbawe. Following that was a 3-2 victory over Montenegro, and finally last night a match against Haiti. Haiti, the supposed underdogs in the match, played like champions, constantly pressuring Singapore for the ball. Hence, the match culminated in a 2-0 victory in Haiti's favour, a red card for Singapore and caused Singapore to miss out on a chance to win a gold medal once again. The sole consolation was that Singapore now have a chance to play for bronze in the third place play-off (idk when's that so don't ask me). The games aside, I think this time of the year was also the time where the best movies came out, although the movies due to be released at the end of the year look more than decent too. Inception was great, and so was Despicable Me/Step-Up. I guess Salt was the only disappointment, with too much violence and killings and no plot at all. Credit to the actors though. Heheheh. Though I shouldn't be watching movies now that the EOYs are coming! Ahhhh. Examination fever is currently running high too. With Secondary Two being the all important streaming year, coupled with Dr Hon's new Independent Studies/Oral Communication policy which prevents all failures from getting promoted to Sec3 IP, it would be impossible to say that any Hwa-Chongian didn't feel tense. I shall refrain from criticising the New IS/OC policy, furthermore when we had no knowledge of the consequences of failure in the system. I guess why I really posted this was really to just share my thoughts and feelings ... I think i'd be glad enough if i could get promoted to Sec3 IP next year.

YOUR MIND IS THE SCENE OF THE CRIME

Hello people!

I just happened to be surfing the net randomly when got inspiration, so yeah I think I'll blog about it quickly before I forget.

How many of you out there have watched the movie Inception?

Well if you haven't, I'd suggest you go and watch it as soon as possible, because it's one of the best movies I've ever watched, The Dark Knight aside.

And no, it's not because of Ellen Page

So basically the movie is about dreams. Familiar topic, eh?

To be specific, it's a dream within a dream within a dream ...

You get the idea.

The main character of the movie is Dom Cobb, played by Leonardo DiCaprio (I'm also very sure that many of you would have seen him in the Titanic.

But that's not the point..

The main idea of the movie is that in your mind, anything can happen. People can steal ideas, people can plant ideas (and that's the concept which is going to be explored in this movie) and do anything they like in your mind! And that all happens when you're dreaming. And when you wake up, you have no idea who interfered with your thinking.

Here's the thing about our Dear Dom. He can steal valuable and important information, ideas and secrets by entering their dreams via sophisticated technology. He also has a totem, an object which he carries everywhere, and he spins it while he is in dreams to see whether he is dreaming or if he is in reality. His totem is shaped like a top, and the idea is that if it spins continually, he is in a dream, but if it stops spinning, he is in reality. Also, he's working for a mysterious organisation called Cobol Engineering, which will not tolerate any failure to steal dreams. Later, you will find out that the stringency (such a word?) of Cobol Inc will lead to his desire to want to accomplish the mission for Saito.

Dom Cobb and his team of secret-stealers (I'm not sure if there is an official term for dream-stealers but anyway even if there is, I forgot) were sent to steal secrets from a wealthy businessman, by the name of Saito (he's played by Ken Watanabe btw). However, the plan backfired as Saito had already known what they were trying to do and he stopped them before they could steal his secrets.

Later, Saito told the team that it was actually a test, that he had actually allowed them into his mind to test whether they were good enough. I guess you can already infer from here that he wanted them to accomplish a task for him.

Now, in the movie, it was revealed that Dom Cobb had a history that he didn't exactly want to boast about. The projection of his deceased wife Mal (played by French actress Marion Cotillard) continually haunted him, foiling his plans every time he entered a dream world to steal secrets. Cobb was also unable to return to his hometown due to suspicions that he was the murderer of his wife. Hence, the connection established here was that Saito would be able to allow Cobb to return to his hometown if he accomplished a mission.

And the mission? The exact opposite of what Cobb had been doing until then.

Inception.

Cobb, delighted at the chance to return to his hometown, considers the proposal briefly and accepts it. From then on, he recruits Yusuf (Dileep Rao, who I had never heard of previously) as a chemist, Ariadne (Ellen Page) as an architect and Eames (Tom Hardy) as a forger. Basically, Yusuf's role is to design the sedatives to plunge the team into dreams, Ariadne's role is to design the dream worlds which they would be going into and Eames's role is to change his appearance in dreams (which would prove really helpful later).

Inception would be the art of planting an idea inside somebody's head, instead of stealing one.

So, their main objective would be to drug Saito's main competitor, Robert Fischer. His father, Maurice Fischer, was in poor health and the team's task would be to plant the idea inside Robert's head that he should break up his Father's company.

Following that, the team drugs Robert on a plane and each of them go into the dream (including Saito). In each dream level, one member of the team stays behind and the rest of the members proceed further to the next level of the dream. In the first level, Yusuf stays behind while the rest of the members go deep in, following that would be Arthur, and then Eames. At the third level, a number of things happen. Saito dies and goes into limbo, while Fischer receives the idea that his father wants him to live his own life, which means that the team has succeded. But now they have to get out of the dream. And something (or somebody) will make it difficult for them.

In the third level of the dream, Cobb's projection of his deceased wife Mal appears and shoots Fischer, which messes up their plans. Cobb and Ariadne then follow Mal and Fischer to the final dream level, limbo. Limbo is a level where nobody is the dreamer, where the people who enter a dream go when they die (albeit when they are under heavy sedation). To cut a long story short, Ariadne shoots Mal and makes herself and Fischer go to the third level of the dream by jumping of a building. That is called the kick. When you die in limbo, you will go up to the dream level above limbo, making you go closer to reality. However, if you die in any other dream level than limbo, you will go into limbo. Complicated huh.

Saito and Cobb eventually find each other and shoot each other, riding the kick all the way up to the surface. The scene there is the same scene as the scene at the beginning, with the clever use of the flashback technique used to build up suspense.

Eventually, Cobb succeeds in his mission and gets through customs all the way back to his hometown. He sees his children, whom he has missed for many years because he had to flee the moment the authorities suspected him of killing his wife. Meanwhile, the scene shows his totem spinning on the table, but the screen blacks out before the totem stops, leaving open the issue of whether Cobb is back in reality or still in his own dream.

Whew. That was tiring. But i guess i haven't really done a good job of explaining what happened in the movie even after writing so much. Still, i hope I've done enough to convince all the movie-fans out there to go and watch the movie yourselves! It's really easy to understand once you've watched it a few times. So there!

Sean.

Spare the rod, help the child?

Hello World!

it's been quite a long time since i last posted anything on my blog. Anyway, in short, this post will be about discipline, as the title suggests. Yup.

To begin, i'm really sure most of you kids/teenagers out there would have experienced punishment (or discipline, in a nicer way) in different forms. Caning, grounding, and so on. What's more, it takes place in school, at home, in the outside world (fines, etc, etc). But what is the main purpose of discipline?

Just to clarify, I shall be mainly focusing on discipline matters within the four walls today. Maybe discipline in the outer world may follow in my next post. But let's ignore that for the time being.

So why do parents discipline/punish their children? Mainly it's because their child has done something wrong, broken some rule, etc etc. But can you parents out there deny the fact that some of you punish your children simply to vent your anger on them? Say one day you came back from work, in a bad mood because something went wrong, and your child comes up to you and asks you "why is the sky blue?" And that, to some of you, is the "final straw". Your child becomes the butt of your anger, you thrash him/her repeatedly, ignoring his/her cries and totally forgetting the fact that your child knew nothing about your day at work. He/she did not mean to provoke you. There was no hypocrisy at all in his/her question, just childish innocence. Did he/she deserve the beating?

Of course, to look at this issue purely from the child's point of view would be unfair and biased, as I myself am only a teenager. I understand that sometimes children flout the rules and it would only be fair and just that they are given their desserts for that. That is undeniable.

Let us look at this from yet another angle. Say you punish the child every single time, whether it be over a trivial matter or over a serious issue. What do you think the result will be? Your child will grow up a defiant, angry person. Now, would any of you like to see your child turn out that way? I am sure, no matter how cruel a person can be, no parent would want to see their child have such a character.

Now, i hear you ask, then what should you do? The solution, really, is quite simple. Listen to your child. Talk to him/her more. Spend more time with him. And i assure you, as your relationship improves, you will not punish him/her unless there is a justifiable reason to. And he/she will accept it. And that is because what your child needs from you is really your support, your guidance, your advice! As parents, don't you feel that you should help your child?

As always, nobody is perfect. Children will always make mistakes. But there is no need to punish them so severely. Grounding, the removal of privileges, and so on! These are all various methods to teach your child a lesson. And the most important thing is that after you have disciplined your child, you talk to him/her and explain why you punished him. Tell him/her that what you did was for his own good, that he should not repeat his mistake lest the consequences of his error be severe.

To conclude, parents out there, please be aware of your child's feelings. We are humans too. Talk to them, spend more time to them. Advise them. And slowly but surely, you may totally abolish the need to punish and discipline them. Spare the rod, spoil the child? Maybe not.

Task 2 - Home Learning 25/26 May,

Hello people!

This is my second task, a follow-up from the first one. Enjoy!

Task 2
Complete the template provided in Annex A, focusing on (1) Point of View; (2) Situation and Setting; (3) Language/Diction; and (4) Personal Response, and post your response to Task 2 on your blog. This template is based on John Lye’s ‘Critical Analysis of Poetry’, and you can make reference to this in Annex B when in doubt.

1)Point of view

2) Situation and Setting

3) Language/Diction

4)Personal Response

First of all, here's the poem:

Rainbow Death by Hubert Wilson

America did not foresee
Green, pink, purple and other colors death potpourri!
Expecting others to pay a high price.
Now thinking twice?
Toll on the innocent and unborn.

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

1)Point of View:
I think the poem was written from the point of view of somebody who had first hand experience in the Vietnam War, ie. the person had experienced fighting in the war before. It could be written by a soldier.

Evidence that the poem could be written by a soldier is that the persona explains and elaborates a lot about "agent orange", the toxin used largely in the Vietnam War. In the poem, the writer explains the effects of agent orange on people, such as that agent orange would result in illness, birth defects and premature death.

Hence, this shows how the persona understood the Vietnam War well and had experienced fighting in the War before.
2) Situation and Setting:
The setting and situation of the poem are most likely after agent orange was tried and tested in the Vietnam War. The persona's tone explains this as he elaborates on how bad an effect agent orange had on the war, causing illnesses, premature death, and such. The persona tries to show us how agent orange will affect the lives of the people exposed to agent orange, and why agent orange should not be used anywhere, whether in the war or somewhere else. Hence, the persona is trying to emphasise that agent orange is overall detrimental to the Vietnamese population and it should not be used anymore.
3)Language/Diction:
The writer and persona adopts a harsh, severe tone as he tries to show how war will have negative and detrimental effects on the Vietnamese civilians. By his language in the poem, especially when the writer uses the specific word "potpourri", we can pick up the tone of the poet. Since "potpourri", in this scenario, represents the many deaths of people because of the war, we can tell that the writer discourages war and is trying to bring across the consequences of war to the reader(s). Furthermore, the title "Rainbow Death" contradicts itself as death is usually not associated with something so positive like the rainbow. The poet could possibly be trying to say that the war is unpleasant as rainbows usually represent hope and death is usually representive of destruction. Perhaps, the rainbows could represent the herbicides used in the War. Hence, the writer could be trying to discourage the herbicides used in the war which would ultimately cause death and destruction.

4)Personal Response:

This poem is indeed skillfully written, using figurative language to convey an important message: that the consequences of war are never pleasant. Especially when a toxin such as agent orange is used. The poem is basically trying to convey the message that children can be orphaned, people can develop sicknesses, and the most obvious: lives can be claimed. And the source of this is just war. And war is only brought about when two countries only look out for their own interests and do not consider the feelings of the other countries. So the writer is trying to tell us that war can be prevented! There is no need for war at all if countries are not so selfish, if they are willing to sacrifice a bit to prevent war. In essence, the writer is trying to convince us to do our part to prevent war as the consequences of war will be harmful to everybody.

Okay that's all!

Task 1 - Home Learning 25/26 May,

Hey there (:

As part of the school curriculum, today i'll be writing a report on the conflict found in a particular poem, "Rainbow Death".

Task 1
Based on your understanding of the selected poem, perform extensive web research and write a report detailing the conflict represented in the poem(s) of your choice. Bear in mind that this piece of background information will allow your blog audience to further understand the poem as well as your analysis of the poem in Task 2.
Be sure to include your references and credit your sources.

Okay before I begin, i'm sure you all will want to know what the poem is about. Here's the link and introduction of the poem http://www.warpoetry.co.uk/2010warpoetry.html#Rainbow.

Got it? Now I shall provide a brief introduction of Hubert Wilson, the poet. Hubert Wilbert was a Vietnam War veteran soldier, as were his four brothers. He served in the USAF Security Service and along with some intelligence school graduates, prepped for about 14 months at Kelly AFB in San Antonio, Texas, and expected to be sent to Vietnam or elsewhere in Southeast Asia in 1970. However, eventually, Hubert Wilson was assigned to Shemya Island, Alaska, an extremely run-down and contaminated area!

Because of this, Hubert Wilson’s health problems started with headaches and limb pains. His central nervous system's condition gradually worsened with tremors, severe headaches, progressive limb pains and the like. To top it all, no doctor could diagnose the specific illness which Hubert Wilson possessed. Hubert Wilson’s most accurate guess is that the heavily contaminated drinking water at Shemya during his year there as an intelligence analyst caused him to develop such symptoms.

Now, on to the poem.

The rainbow death which is mentioned by Hubert Wilson in his poem actually refers to the Agent orange, the substance which caused him to develop so many health problems. But what was Agent Orange specifically?

Agent orange was a chemical substance used against Vietnam during the Vietnamese war. Agent orange was a herbicide and defoliant- contaminated with TCDD or Tetrachlorodibenzodioxin.

In short, both herbicide and defoliant have the same meaning -- they both refer to weedkillers, substances used to kill plants.

TCDD, meanwhile, refers to a type of environmental pollutant and it became known as the most potent compound during the Vietnamese War.

Now, close to 5 million Vietnamese were negatively affected by Agent Orange and which resulted in about 400,000 deaths among the Vietnamese people and deformation of countless babies at birth.

So in essence, “Rainbow Death” tries to show how harsh the consequences of war can be. In his poem, Hubert Wilson wants to show that even after war has ended, the impact of these wars on the people affected would remain. And people affected by the war once can be scarred for life. On top of that, Hubert Wilson also wants to show how terrible modern warfare can be. As we go through technological advances, inevitably, our weapons becomes more severe and ultimately, more destructive.

Yup that's all! Be sure to check out the poem people!

Recent News: Chelsea Crowned Premier League Champions Last Night

Hello football enthusiasts (:

I'm sure most (or all) of you would have heard about Chelsea winning the coveted Premier League Title last night after a failure to win it after three years, since they last won it in 2007. Manchester United's 4-0 thrashing of stoke was a mere consolation compared to Chelsea's 8-0 victory which effectively handed them the title.

Personally i'm a Manchester United supporter, and I feel that it is rather disappointing that they gave up the chance to be the first Premier League side to win four titles in a row. And the fact that when they lost, they were just one point behind Chelsea, makes their failure to win worse. Failing to capitalise on winning key games such as the 0-0 draw at blackburn caused their failure to win the title. Of course, their over-reliance on Wayne Rooney as a main striker also caused them to fail to win the title.

However, credit to chelsea for having a strong, experienced and skilled squad of players. From Didier Drogba, striker-in-chief, to John Terry, their captain and most consistent defender, Chelsea's squad is full of footballers oozing class and skill. Of course, their experience also played a vital role in helping Chelsea to win the title.

To conclude, I feel that sometimes, football clubs will be disappointed with what they have achieved, as is the case in the real world, but such disappointments are more or less inevitable. Hence, even from the fact that Chelsea have snatched the title out from Manchester United's nose, I have learnt that we should make the best of every opportunity and capitalise on any chances we happen to get. Because some things only come by once.

Casinos - Boon or Bane?

Hey!

Okay first of all before I begin, I know many of you think that the topic i'm writing on is like really common and boring. Well, it is. I'm only writing on casinos because I can't think of anything else to write about. But nevermind, just try to read it okay?

I shall first elaborate on how casinos benefit our country. First of all, in a small country like Singapore where we do not have many natural attractions such as forests, parks, etc, the integrated resort is a great asset to our country. Neither do we have any historical monuments such as the Great Wall of China. As such, we have to rely on man-made attractions such as the Integrated Resorts and Casinos to boost our tourism rate.

Casinos, first of all, help by attracting tourists from foreign countries to our country. Casinos in Singapore not only have gambling facilities (obviously) but they also have departmental stores, restaurants, entertainment facilities, and so on. Hence, not only hardcore gamblers will be attracted to the casinos, but also families from other countries who are on vacation. Casinos have been developed to suit the needs of the entire family, and will hence help to attract more tourists, and at the same time bring in a greater revenue for the country.

Next, casinos will have a positive effect on Singapore's economy. Most gamblers bring a substantial amount of money to casinos as they are very likely to lose a small sum of money very quickly. Hence, with the average gambler spending about seven hundred dollars in cash, it will be greatly beneficial to our economy.

Casinos also provide job opportunities for people. The development of casinos have brought about new job opportunities for people including chefs, waiters, helpers, cleaners, etc. Hence, this will help the unemployed find job opportunities.

However, there are also problems. Casinos bring about high crime rates as most hardcore gamblers will be addicted to gambling and when they are out of money to gamble, they will find ways to get more money. And usually, murder, stealing, etc are brought about when gamblers need to find a way to obtain more money so that they can gamble.

On top of that, gambling will also affect the gambler's life, as well as his/her family's life. And this is especially so if the gambler is the sole breadwinner of the family. A gambler will only bring his family to ruin as his/her gambling will probably cause the family to run out of money soon. Hence, gambling can easily ruin and tear apart a happy family.

In conclusion, I feel that the benefits brought about by the casinos are definitely beneficial and will help our country greatly. However, the detriments brought about by casinos are also definitely serious enough to be considered. So is the casino a boon or bane? It all depends on how you look at it.

Facebook -- Detrimental or Beneficial?

Heyy people (:

I felt inspired to write this post after my group did a Statistical Poster Project on this topic. So here goes.

Basically our survey tried to find out the number of people who used facebook nowadays, as well as what people used facebook for, how many hours people spent on facebook, and etc.

So.

The people we surveyed consisted of mostly teenagers, and according to our survey, 100% of the participants used facebook. From the survey results, it is clear that there is an increasing trend of people who use facebook nowadays. Oh, out of teenagers though. Heh. Anyway, I shall refrain from giving an opinion on whether that is a good or bad thing. So, on to the next question.

We also found out from our survey that most people used facebook for communication, applications and "interacting" with people. Of course, some people also use it for stalking (: But anyway, this means that most people use facebook as a platform for communication, which according to my interpretation means that most people use facebook to get to know more people, to talk to their friends, and so on. This might be a good thing, so to say. I know a friend who has difficulties communicating with people because he is simply too shy. He rarely talks to people, and he has problems asking people questions, answering people, having conversations with people face to face. So, the solution? Create a facebook account! Facebook has helped him over the years to overcome his problem as he isn't as shy talking to people online, interacting with friends, and getting to know new people! Nowadays, his problem has been completely solved and he no longer has difficulties talking to people anymore. Hence, facebook might be a good thing in this sense.

However, a high percentage of people also used facebook for applications. As is the case with my class, lots of people play "Mousehunt" on facebook. Mousehunt is a popular facebook game which involves sounding the hunters' horn every few minutes, and as you progress further through the game, you are able to catch mice with greater point/gold rewards. But let's not go too into detail. After all, my point here is that mousehunt is ADDICTIVE. And not just moderately addictive. Like significantly addictive. Once a person starts playing mousehunt, he will want to continue playing mousehunt until he gets to a higher rank. And because the game is ever-changing and ever-developing, there will be no end to it. And how do I know it is addictive, I hear you ask. It's because I play it too. And I'm of the knight rank now, a fairly high rank. To tell the truth, I don't know when i'll stop. So that, in essence, allows us to conclude that facebook is detrimental to teenagers in the sense that it is addictive. I'll talk about the effects of addiction later.

Next, we asked how long teenagers spent on facebook. As well as whether they thought having a facebook account was important. According to our survey results, around 80% thought that having a facebook account was important. Also, around 50% of people spent 1-2 hours on facebook, while the rest spent 3 hours or more. From this, it is clear that facebook is addictive. This is evidently a detriment as teenagers need to focus on their schoolwork and not facebook. Perhaps, though, facebook could be used for relaxation after a long bout of homework. Apart from this, teenagers also think that having a facebook account is important. Hence, from these two survey questions, it is clear that facebook is addictive and might affect teenagers.

Personally, I think that facebook brings about more detriments than benefits. Facebook is not only addictive, it is also a time-waster and it might cause teenagers' studies to be affected. Though it is indisputable that facebook has some benefits, the detriments outweigh the benefits. In conclusion, I feel that facebook should be used in moderation, not too much, but it can also be used after homework, studying, etc. So, detrimental or benefitial? It all depends on how you use it.

Reflection

Hey people (:

this post will be, as the title suggests, a reflection of my term one progress in school so far.

However, the smiley face up there does not represent my mood now.

Okay, here goes.

I haven't done very well so far. And I'm not very happy about it, considering that the ratio of the amount of effort I put in to my results is not very balanced. And the difference is relatively large.

Though I don't deny that I did not put in that much effort for my first test of the year, my first mathematics test, I feel that it's unfair to say that I did not put in a considerable amount of effort, especially for the humanities subject.

Though all my grades were average, I did quite badly for two subjects. QUITE. And those were my two bogey subjects, math and science. Again, this year, they came back to haunt me.

I suppose the first math test for the year was sort of a "rude awakening". After failing my first math test, I was shocked and worked harder than I had ever worked before for my second math test. And i'm pleased to say that my hard work paid off, enabling me to achieve a grade which I had never achieved before for mathematics, an A1. That just goes to show how hard work pays off.

However, for science, I was not so fortunate. Despite memorising the characteristics of lenses, critical angles, etcetc, I totally forgot about the drawing section and was completely stunned on the day of the paper. I had not practiced drawing ray diagrams at all! This caused me to achieve a really bad grade for my science paper (not an F9 though, whew).

I was "inspired" to write this post after referring to my friend's blog. (http://2010languageartsblog.blogspot.com/2010/03/dont-worry-be-happy.html)

Truth be told, i'm relatively displeased with my results for the first term of the year. My goal for next term is to allow my MSG to drop by at least one grade. And I will do as much as I can to achieve it.

Wish me luck, people!

Sean.

Veteran Trainer Killed by Orca

Hello peeps (:

I'm sure most of you would have seen this article in The Straits Times. For those of you who haven't heard of it, here's the newslink:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/02/24/seaworld-trainer-dead-kil_n_475408.html

In short, this article is exactly what I said in my title. An whale "murdered" a trainer (Dawn Brancheau) in SeaWorld Parks. According to eyewitness, the whale "took off really fast in the tank, and then he came back, shot up in the air, grabbed the trainer by the waist and started thrashing around, and one of her shoes flew off."

I'm sure this incident will deeply tarnish the reputation of Seaworld Parks. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SeaWorld). Renowed worldwide for their variety of thrill rides and their display of marine animals, Seaworld Parks is one of the most successful adventure parks in the world. The incident will most probably make visitors question the safety of Seaworld Parks and the long-term outcome might easily be that visitors are afraid that the marine animals there might cause harm to them, and Seaworld Parks will undoubtedly lose its popularity.

I also feel sorry for the trainer who had to be the victim of such an unpredictable yet fatal accident. Here's some information on Dawn Brancheau:

According to a profile of Brancheau in the Sentinel in 2006, she was one of SeaWorld Orlando's leading trainers. It was a trip to SeaWorld at age 9 that made her want to follow that career path. Dawn was the youngest of six children who grew up near Cedar Lake, Ind.

Personally, I have no clues as to why the orca would behave in such a way to a trainer. Perhaps it was scared by the large audience? Perhaps it suddenly saw Brancheau as a threat to his safety? We will never know.

Comments are welcome.

Sean (:

Food For Thought

Greetings (:

Today I will be blogging on a rather serious incident that recently took place in my class:

*bell rings to signal the end of chinese lesson*

One of my classmates is called out to meet the teacher. The teacher speaks to him until our recess time, when the whole class races out of the classroom but is shocked to see that our classmate is looking terribly upset.

Now, what went wrong?

Apparently, the chinese teacher had been speaking to him about his chinese report. In my school, we have a unique system of "ACE", the term given to our results for project work, reports, etc. Ace points are included in the EOY scholastic MSG, and failure to maximise the ace points for the term might result in a poor grade for the EOY mean subject grade.

Anyway, after much coaxing, my classmate finally blurted out the cause of his unhappiness. He had done a ten-page report, expecting to get at least 3-4 ace points, but he only received a miserable two points. After putting in so much effort and achieving such results, it was only natural that he should be upset.

After thinking about this incident, I feel quite sorry for my classmate. After putting myself in his shoes, I understand how he feels, as it feels really terrible after putting in so much work but achieving poor results. Though we should respect the teacher's final decision, I think she should have considered his feelings and perhaps given him a few more ace points for putting in so much effort, hence allowing him to maximise his ace points for this term.

Dear readers, please share your opinions.

Sean.

Task B -- Intrapersonal

Hello people!

I've just found out that my second highest score in the Multiple Intelligence Test was an Intrapersonal learning profile, hence today I will be required to answer some questions related to the "Intrapersonal" person.

Intrapersonal [pick one]:

a. Who would you want to be friends with in the novel? Explain.

b. Which character would you like to play in the movie version of the novel? Explain.

c. Write a diary entry for a major character of the novel.

a) I would want to be friends with Atticus Finch.

Atticus' Good points:

-Friendly

-Open-minded

-Honest

-Straightforward

-Brave

-Protective

-Modest/Humble

-Generous

-Knowledgeable

-Caring

-Unselfish

-Has Strong Morals

-No prejudice or racial hatred

-Good-hearted

-Helpful

-Peace-making

-Determined

-Decisive

-Calm

Atticus' open-minded, honest, and straightforward points mean that he would not hide anything from you if you are his friend.

Atticus' courage, bravery, and protectiveness further encourage a person to befriend him.

The more subtle traits, such as caring, selfless, peace-making and humble, would over time be realised by people and encourage one to be his friend

Atticus is also the most steady, decisive, and calm person in the novel, making it easy to befriend him.

Task B -- Naturalist

Heyy people!

Okay, just a brief introduction. My post will be regarding the mockingird. Read on to find out more!

My task:

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.

Nesting

Northern Mockingbirds are typically monogamous, but polygamy does occur.

Some birds may remain paired year round, but pair bonds typically last a single breeding season.

They nest in dense shrubs or low trees.

The male builds a bulky foundation of twigs, and the female adds an open cup of weeds, grass, and leaves, lined with rootlets, moss, hair, and plant down.

The female incubates 3-4 eggs for 12-13 days, and then broods the young for about 6 days after they hatch.

Both parents help feed the young, which leave the nest at about 12 days.

The young cannot fly well for another week or so, and the adults continue to feed the fledglings for up to 3 weeks after they leave the nest.

Northern Mockingbirds can raise up to 4 broods in a season.

A few days after the young fledge, the male begins building the foundation for the next nest, while the female continues feeding the fledglings.

Once the foundation is built, they switch, and the female builds the rest of the nest while the male feeds the fledglings.

Migration Status

The migration of Northern Mockingbirds is not well understood.

They are resident in some parts of their range, but in others, they undertake some southward movement in the fall.

Still others travel north in the fall and winter, complicating the issue even more.

Conservation Status

Northern Mockingbirds have declined in some southern parts of their range in recent decades, while at the same time expanding northward into other areas.

They were captured and sold as caged birds from the late 1700s through the early 1900s, a practice that significantly reduced northern populations.

Since the International Migratory Bird Treaty Act outlawed their capture, Northern Mockingbirds have been expanding back into their former range, and into new areas.

This expansion is likely to continue with the spread of suburban and second-growth habitat, and ornamental plantings that provide food and cover.

Northern Mockingbirds were formerly considered only vagrants in Washington, but have been recorded annually in Washington since the mid-1980s, and have nested a few times in the Columbia Basin.

When and Where to Find in Washington

Northern Mockingbirds can be found rarely at any time of year in Washington, but they are most often found in winter.

Winter sightings have come from both sides of the Cascades, although they are more common in western Washington.

Northern Mockingbirds have, however, nested in eastern Washington's central Columbia Basin at least three times (in Benton and Grant Counties).

The northern mockingbird lives in open country with thickets, farmland and desert brush.

Northern Mockingbirds also inhabit dense, low shrubs and areas with open ground.

Throughout their range, they are common in suburban areas and parks with short grass.

They avoid the forest interior, but can often be found at forest edges. In Washington, they often inhabit sagebrush habitat.

I think that the flora and fauna in Maycomb are made up of mostly birds, short bushes (shrubs), and dry grassy plains.

Mockingbird would want to live there because Maycomb was supposedly very similar to their natural habitat, and they would be able to find a place to nest in the low shrubs.

Okay that's all!

Do comment people!

Sean.

My Learning Profile

Hello people! This will be my second "official" post (:

As mentioned in the title, this post will be about my learning profile.

Anyway, just to give a brief introduction on a person's learning style, known widely as a person's "learning profile".

Your personal learning style involves several factors, especially:

Which are your strongest intelligences?
What senses do you prefer to use as you learn?

Your strongest Intelligences

Research by Dr Howard Gardner at Harvard University in the USA indicates that we have, not a single fixed IQ, but several different forms of intelligence. They can all be developed, but it makes sense to use your strongest type of intelligence as you learn.

Okay, back to the topic. There are eight (wow) different types of learning profiles, namely:

• Kinaesthetic
• Linguistic
• Logical
• Intrapersonal
• Interpersonal (It's different)
• Musical
• Visual/Spatial
• And lastly, Naturalistic

Now, guess which one is my learning style?

*DRUMROLLS*

Answer?

Naturalistic! YAY! :D

haha okay that was random. But anyway, as part of my school's curriculum, I'm required to write here what I feel about the results of the MI test (ie. what i feel about being a naturalist)

So, here goes!

I've always felt that i've loved nature, ever since young. And i've also always been able to think clearly and forget about all my problems when I went to the park, the nature reserves, etc. This, of course, made me want to sit there, among the lush greenery forever, and forget everything. No more tests, no more exams, no more stress!

I guess that's your idea of utopia.

But of course, that was impossible. It was impossible to escape from the harsh reality of life and hide in the safety of nature forever.

When possible, I used to take my homework, go to a quiet corner of the "garden" at the foot of my condominium, and sit down there for hours completing my homework. The best thing was that I was able to complete my homework much faster than I would have in my study room.

Unfortunately, my parents didn't approve of my "habit", and insisted that I remain in the apartment to study. And nowadays, every now and then, I would stare out of the window and wish that I was back in the arms of nature.

So I guess I really am a naturalistic person.

On a lighter note, do visit http://www.bgfl.org/bgfl/custom/resources_ftp/client_ftp/ks3/ict/multiple_int/questions/choose_lang.cfm to see what your learning profile is!

Cheers,

Sean (: