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.