Photo of bag-carrying ambassador charms China

I refer to the article: "Photo of bag-carrying ambassador charms China"(http://sg.news.yahoo.com/photo-bag-carrying-ambassador-charms-china-184349082.html)

This article shows a photo of Gary Locke, the first Chinese-American ambassador to China, and a former governor of Washington state. The photo shows him paying for his own coffee. After this photo was posted on Sina-Weibo, it generated 40000 reposts and thousands of comments.

The huge response meant that it was something that we probably do not see often, if not at all. Officials, despite how low ranking they are, will still have a personal assistant to serve them coffee; therefore it was very surprising that the Chinese-American ambassador was buying his own drink.

Doing their own "dirty work" without the help of an assistant seems to portray a humble image in many leaders. If I imagined President Obama was in the White House, in his room, and was hungry and wanted to eat, what would I expect him to do? Would I expect him to drive alone to a hawker centre to eat? Of course not. Instead, I would expect him to pick up the phone on his desk and call for an assistant to get him some food. Such is our impression of leaders; they always have someone to help them get what they want, in which they can just sit around and wait for their orders to arrive. As such, Gary Locke buying his own drink resulted in such a large amount of response; it was something that people hardly see.

After this incident, I am sure Gary Locke's popularity will increase, as people enjoy having a leader, or a high ranking official that can empathize with them. For example, a while ago, there was a picture of then new Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew taking the public bus. People were impressed and started showing their support for Minister Lui Tuck Yew. They were happy with having a minister that could actually empathize with their daily lifestyle, such as taking bus.

However, I would like to say to leaders: Do not "do your own dirty work" just for the sake of your image. Do it only if you really want to. Many people have also said that Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew is just putting on an act to get the support of citizens. Whether or not it really is remains to be seen. Of course, I feel that leaders should do it only from the bottom of their heart; what comes from the bottom of one's heart reflect one's true character.

Pair jailed in inciting disorder in England

I refer to the article: "Two jailed for inciting disorder"(http://sg.news.yahoo.com/two-jailed-inciting-disorder-182231949.html):

Two men made use of facebook to incite disorder in England. The first man, Jordan Blackshaw, created a facebook event named "Smash Down Northwich Town", and the other man, Sutcliffe-Keenan, set up a facebook page titled "Let's have a riot in Latchford".

We can see in this example that the impact of social-networking sites are not to be underestimated. In social-networking sites, such as twitter, facebook and so on, people can connect with others. People can also, regardless of their age, meet up together and unite. If used for a noble cause it can be very beneficial, but when used in situations such as inciting disorder, the consequences would be dire.

One person alone is not enough to start a riot. It will have to take many people with the same ideas or ideologies to unite and come together in order to start a riot. Social-networking sites is one such place where they could unite. Perhaps there are individuals in various parts of the world with an ideology, who feel that there is a need to do a certain thing, but they feel they cannot do it because they are alone. However, after connecting with many other people all over the world through social-networking sites, they will realize and say:"Hey! I am not alone! There are so many people out there with the same thinking as me!" Then, these group of people, will now come together and discuss what they want to do. My guess is that this is one of the starting points of the whole of the England Riots.

The police are fearful of a mass gathering in real life as they know that riots and other forms of trouble could arise from there. However, they do not know that such a mass gathering need not take place in real life anymore: everyone has gone online nowadays.

Once again, I reiterate my stand that social-networking sites are a very powerful tool in connecting people. When put to good use, it can be beneficial, but when used improperly, will result in disasters.

Vandalism

I refer to the article "SMRT Bishan depot breached, train vandalized"
( http://sg.news.yahoo.com/blogs/singaporescene/vandals-breach-bishan-depot-smrt-train-vandalised-155409194.html )

On Wednesday morning, a northbound MRT train was found vandalized; graffiti was discovered on the train, and it was immediately pulled out of service. Checks later revealed a breach in the fence of the depot where the train was parked. This is the second time in two years which a train has been vandalized.

However, I do not understand the aims of these people vandalizing MRT trains. What do they do this for? Are they doing this out of mischief, because they thought it was fun, or are they just trying to impress their friends that they are capable of such things?

To all vandals: are you sure you want to do this? The punishment enforced by the Singapore Government is large: a jail term of 3 years, or a fine of $2000 and between 3 and 8 strokes of the cane. Let me just tell you: it hurts. There are many criminals, after getting caught for various crimes, who say: "Give me as long in jail as you want, just spare me the cane." They know it is extremely painful, such that it is even to the extent of torture. So, would you risk getting into such pain, just for the sake of impressing your friends, or just for a moment of fun?

Of course, I feel that SMRT should step up its security, and prevent such a thing from happening again. Such things causes inconvenience to passengers going to and fro about Singapore. Many of us depend on MRT trains to travel about. Every MRT train can hold about 1000 people at the maximum, thus every train is important.

Generally, I urge all vandals: think of the consequences before you act. I also urge SMRT: prevention is better than cure.

Male Celebrities crossdressing at NDP

As we all know, National Day Parade (NDP) 2011 comprised of a skit, in which we see Gurmit Singh and Chua En Lai crossdressing to act as females in the skit. This has attracted a lot of comments from Singaporeans.

I feel that, male Singaporean actors acting as females in NDP, is extremely unacceptable. This is an event that is being viewed not just by Singaporeans, but by people all over the world. When they see and find out that the so called "female" actors on stage are actually male, what will they think of Singapore? Will they think of Singapore as a "gay country"?

NDP is a time to show off the might of the country, to show everyone what we can achieve and have achieve. The skit is also meant to characterize the typical Singaporean, thus adding fun to the NDP. However, I am sure a large part of Singaporeans would not like to be characterized by 2 "homosexual" actors on NDP! I feel that this decision to cast Gurmit Singh and Chua En Lai as female actors on the NDP stage significantly damaged the National Day Mood that day.

Of course, many people may think that this demonstrates Singapore's liberal attitude towards homosexuality. However, I ask you; is there any country whose statue, representation or avatar demonstrates homosexuality? I think not. Even countries that openly support homosexuality would not display it very outwardly towards other countries. Nothing wrong with homosexuality, but in this case, when this show is screened to all Singaporeans, it seems like an advertisement to become homosexual even.

I feel that NDP 2011 could have been better. NDP this time displayed poor taste on the organizers part. I hope they ask for the public's opinions on what would be a good NDP before they organize it.

Who really won?

Osama Bin Laden was killed on May 2, 2011, when US Navy SEALS stormed the compound he was living in and killed him in a gunfight. This was a significant victory; everyone came out of their homes to celebrate his death.

However, recently there was an article ( http://news.yahoo.com/10-years-9-11-did-bin-laden-america-013813783.html ). 10 years after the horrible 9/11 attacks, who actually won: America or Osama Bin Laden? 

Most people feel that America lost. Some reasons why include the problematic Iraq War, homeland security, and other issues. And yes, there is substantial evidence that bin Laden got what he wanted. After the 9/11 attacks, bin Laden predicted that America would be involved in a war that would result in financial problems, a loss of credibility and loss of individual rights. And yes, these problems are already starting to show. Some people even interpret it in this way: bin Laden wanted to destroy America, yes, but he knew he could not do it himself, or even with Al- Qaeda. 9/11 was the pave the way for America's self destruction.

However, I have my own opinion about this matter. America is fighting a war, in this case, with terrorists. And, we know this famous quote: "No one wins a war." Yes, there can never be gain in a war. What is the most precious thing in all of the universe? A human life. None of the riches in the world can replace a human life. No matter how much gains a country can make from fighting a war, the end result is always casualties and loss of lives. Perhaps terrorists groups feel they have won because they treasure the aim of their mission more than others, and it does not matter to them that they lost a brother or a close friend in the course of this mission. However, I maintain my stand that a life is the most precious thing in the world, nothing else can compensate for it.

So, my conclusion once again: nobody won, neither the terrorists nor America.

The History of China and its impacts in a nutshell

As of late, China has been coming up with all sorts of moral issues; firstly the baby milk powder case, where melamine was included in the milk powder, resulting in the deaths of many babies from kidney stones. A while later, we hear of the case of a boy selling his kidney to buy an iPad 2. It has been said that his health is deteriorating day by day. Most recently, we have a case of a woman in China trying to sell her virginity for an iPhone 4. Of course, we have the human rights cases that have been going on in China from the start; examples include the Falun Gong series.

As to why so many immoral issues spring up from China, I have a few speculations. Though they may be slightly far fetched, it is still a plausible reason to China's present predicament. I would like to share them with you today.

As we all know, China has a long history of almost 5000 years. At a point in China's history, we had the Tang Dynasty, which was considered to be a high point in China Civilization, a golden age of cosmopolitan culture, territory, and population. It surpassed all other dynasties, even the famous Han Dynasty. The moral values of the Chinese were at its greatest in that time. Many famous and great Chinese Emperors also came from that point. 

The fall of the Tang Dynasty came in AD 907. From here, we now fast forward to the first time China was conquered and ruled by a foreign power. In AD 1271, the Mongolians, led by leader Kublai Khan, conquered and ruled China in the Yuan Dynasty. Somewhere along the Yuan Dynasty, the people in China (still mainly the traditional Chinese) were forced to transit from Confucian high culture to Mongolian imperial establishment. In other words, they were forced to give up their moral values, to end their beliefs on Confucius values and take after the Mongols. All those that refused were killed, and many refused. They were all killed. This was the first step in China losing its moral values.

Since the end of Yuan Dynasty till before present day China, it has been attacked many times by foreign powers, often losing, and having to give pieces of land away. This was especially the case after the Opium Wars. As such, China has been seen as weak. China is seen as a country that is easy to bully. As such, they are literally bullied mercilessly. Bit by bit, the culture of China has eroded.

It would be alright if the citizens of China were just the same as any other countries' citizens. However, that is not the case because:

Imagine China as a person. A person that is mercilessly bullied. The after effects of bullying are not to be underestimated. They will have low self esteem. This person who is bullied so horribly will have problems later on in life. 

Take that and apply it to China now. I am not surprised, after suffering so much since the start of the Yuan Dynasty, that so many moral issues occur.

Another side point:

As we know, Japan is considered one of the best societies in the world now; their culture, philosophy and tradition are very well recognized in the world, and many countries aim to emulate this. For example, a scandal in any country is seen as something small, but to the Japanese, it could mean the whole world. Many of the people involved in scandals would step down and resign.

While researching, I discovered another interesting fact. Japan and its allies attacked China in AD 663, during the time of the Tang Dynasty. However, they fought and lost to Japan, resulting in a total failure. Following that, Japan underwent a widespread reform, to adopt the Tang Dynasty political structure, bureaucracy, culture, religion and philosophy. All these were adopted during the period of the Tang Dynasty, which was the high point of Chinese Civilization. All these cultures have not changed for over 13 centuries; the Japanese have never been forced to give up their methods of civilization.

In other words, the culture that Japan has today is a proportionate representation of the civilization in the Tang Dynasty. As such, Japan is seen as one of the best societies in the world.

Looking back, it seems that both China and Japan had the same high point - the civilization of the Tang Dynasty. Japan managed to maintain it. However, China was ravaged by war, and conquered at many points to the extent that it lost most of the original Tang philosophies and cultures. We can see the significant difference between China and Japan today.

The past will affect the present. However, no matter how much one tries to change the past, one cannot. It seems like the problems going on in China will continue to last for quite a long while.

England Riots

The start of the England Riots came in response to mainly the death of Mike Duggan, who was killed by police. In addition to that, the rioters were rioting about the economic crisis, resulting in poverty and unemployment. The initially peaceful protest soon turned into a violent riot, with much destruction throughout Britain.

I feel the actions of these violent rioters are the cause of what we term "ethical egoism". These rioters burned and looted shops and houses. They were doing it out of spite, out of anger, just to appease themselves. The actions of these rioters would ultimately result in a even greater economic crisis.

Let us take the death of Mike Duggan as an example: the rioters seek justice for this man, who is believed by many to be wrongfully killed. There are many conflicting views in this case; perhaps we will never know what actually went on that day he was killed, but let us assume Mike Duggan was really wronged in this case:
You seek justice for Mike Duggan, but when you get the justice you want through such means, how will you provide justice to those injured or killed in the riot? Apologies if this is rude, but I would really like to say this: Would you risk the lives of many just to save one life? Of course not! Then why can't you do it in this case; instead that in this case the one life is replaced by justice? 


I would like to say this to the rioters of England: Why are you doing this? Why are you rioting as such when you know that it will produce nothing good but even more trouble? Many of you are just creating more problems when solving a problem, and probably you do not even realize it yourself. I hope that you reflect on yourselves: remember your aim in mind. Do not let your heart rule your head.


Truly, I am sure many of the youths in England do not even know how the riot was started, or maybe even the aim of the riot. They are just joining the riot because it is fun, or because many of their friends are. This we call  "sheep thinking".

Foreign woman who insults Singaporeans

In a reply to MP Penny Low's apology for her actions, a foreign woman posted an extremely rude comment criticizing Singaporeans. She stated that we were moronic, incompetent, etc. Many Singaporeans are unhappy with this, and authorities are now looking into the matter.

Of course, this remark posted by the foreigner definitely went across the line. I feel insulted myself. However, in her comments she wrote about a few aspects that made me think, and I would like to talk about them.

Two main aspects:

1. She claims we are "incompetent" , because foreigners can come to Singapore and steal our jobs at anytime.
2. She said we have a lack of patriotism and loyalty. We don't want to serve NS. (She said it sarcastically.)

I shall now state my thoughts.

Singapore is filled with over 40% of foreigners. These foreigners are just as capable as we are, and the government makes Singapore attractive to these foreigners by allowing them almost as much benefits as us Singaporeans. The main reason why the Singapore government wants to do so is because these foreigners accept much less pay compared to us Singaporeans ourselves. As such, with the reduction in pay required, there will be more economic progress.

Now, suppose we take two workers. One is a local Singaporean. One is a foreigner, say perhaps, from India. Both have similar qualifications and similar capabilities. Who do you think is the preferred choice?
I say to you: it is the foreigner. The foreigner demands less pay compared to a Singaporean.

Does it make us incompetent? I think not. This foreigner, Rachelle Ann Beguia, please do think about this.

The next point. We have a lack of patriotism and loyalty to Singapore. Let me now state my opinion for this reason.

How can a person have a sense of loyalty and patriotism to Singapore? The most important thing is to feel at home in Singapore. If Singaporeans truly feel at home in Singapore, they will be loyal and patriotic.
However, how do we feel at home with over 40% of Singapore's population being foreigners? How do so many of Singaporeans feel at home, when they cannot get HDB flats, a house for themselves in Singapore, just because foreigners get them first? How to feel at home in Singapore when I cannot even find a place to live myself?

These two reasons she gave, was to support the claim that Singaporeans were not as good, or competent as foreign workers. However, primarily I feel this backfired - I hope my elaboration shows how these problems, in the end, are caused by foreigners.

Every country has foreigners. Foreigners are beneficial to all societies. However, in exceeding numbers, foreigners can actually have a negative impact on a country. 40% is definitely too much.

I urge the Singaporean government to reduce the number of foreigners in Singapore. Only then can we instill national pride, get jobs, and maybe also prevent another "Rachelle Ann Beguia" from coming to insult Singaporeans again.

NTU valedictorian Trinetta Chong

You might have seen, NTU valedictorian Trinetta Chong, uttered a vulgarity, which we all know as the "f-word". At the end of her speech, she said "We f*cking did it!"
Immediately, the Auditorium exploded into rapturous applause, from both the teachers and the students.

This issue has received both positive and negative remarks from Singaporeans. Some feel that the NTU grad should not have made such remarks about her, whereas some applaud her bravery for saying the "f-word" in front of such a large audience.

Now I begin with my stand.
Whether or not she should have said so depends on the audience she was trying to reach out to. We know in this situation that she was addressing her fellow batchmates, those of her age. She was one of them. She knew them best. Speaking to a crowd that were generally "tolerant" of such language, I feel that it was perfectly alright.

And if you watch the video closely, you would have realized that even many of the professors, many of them a  generation apart, clapped along with the many students, showing their approval of such language.

Finally, what Trinetta Chong said - emotions were high, and thus in a fit of excitement, she said the word. I feel that this is perfectly alright, again. It was her graduation, the almost biggest thing in her life, and I feel that she should say what she felt most at ease with. As she said in her speech, she had f*cking done it. She had graduated.

Finally, to all conservative people, if you are offended, do not worry: she has apologized. However, I do not feel her apology is necessary; she never meant to address a conservative crowd in the first place.

The Oslo Attacks

About a month ago, Anders Behring Breivik planted a bomb outside a government building, killing 8 people, and later shot and killed 69 people at a youth camp. The reason given for this was that he wanted to stop Muslims from coming to Europe.

In my opinion, this is simply another act of terrorism. Breivik is just another terrorist. The only thing that makes him stand out is that he is a "Christian terrorist". Most terrorists in the world are of Islamic belief, whereas he is opposed to Muslims. This makes him stand out.

However, this is a very dangerous thing. Before this incident, we only had Islamic terrorism. However, Breivik's actions could possibly become the "starting point" for "Christian terrorism" - a form of terrorism that is opposed to Islamic terrorism. If these two forms of terrorism go on, perhaps it might ultimately result in World War 3.

Perhaps I am thinking too far, but this is a point to consider.

Another debatable topic would be his penalty. Despite having killed 77 people altogether, he might just escape death penalty due to Norway's abolishment of the death penalty in peacetime. Many people say that an exception should be made to put him to death. However, I disagree with it. A law is a law. Norway would not be giving Breivik proper justice if they chose to put him to death.

I am sure that Norway will begin to work more on its security standards. The fact that Breivik managed to plant a bomb outside a government building shows the lack of security in Norway. To prevent such incidents from happening, all countries should tighten their security.

Lastly, to all people: do not be daunted by these acts of terrorism. Do not fear, do not cower. To do so is to show the terrorists that they have won. Their aim is "terror". We must stand strong, in retaliation to the terrorists. To stand strong, is to tell them this "You have failed. We are not afraid of you." 

MP Penny Low caught looking down at handphone when National Anthem was played

I am sure many people have heard of this incident. At the National Day Parade yesterday, when the National Anthem was being played, MP Penny Low was seen to be looking down at her handphone instead of standing at attention.


This is an utter disgrace to Singapore.


During the playing of the National Anthem, everyone is to stand at attention. We have been taught this since the beginning of primary school. Nobody is any exception to this case, especially the leaders of Singapore. Nothing is so important that it must be done even when the National Anthem is playing. Standing at attention when the National Anthem is playing is a respect to the nation. MP Penny Low's actions simply go to show her blatant disrespect for Singapore. As a leader of Singapore, she should supposedly be "more country-loving" then the common citizens of Singapore, yet if the common citizens of Singapore can stand at attention instead of checking their phones out when the National Anthem is played, I do not see why she could not.


Many citizens have complained about her actions online, criticizing her as being disrespectful to Singapore, some even calling for her resignation from her job as a politician. In view of all these events, MP Penny Low released a message on Facebook, stating this:


"I was so caught up in the wonderful NDP 2011 and felt so proud of being a Singaporean, that I wanted to capture that moment of pride, at the very tail end of the anthem, to share on FB with my residents. If in my enthusiasm i offended anyone, please accept my apologies. NDP is a time to unite not divide. Majulah Singapura!"


Of course, not many of us believe the excuse she gave. Many citizens see it as an attempt to save her skin. However, speaking the truth or not, the way she talks really infuriates me. Let us break it down this way:


She claims that she was so, so so proud of Singapore that she wanted to share this moment with her residents. We give her the benefit of doubt in this case, that she was really doing so, as she said. However, she does not know where her priorities lie! Better said, she failed to "Do the right thing at the right time." 


Let me provide you with an analogy: several workers are having a meeting with the boss in a conference room, with several other colleagues. Of course, the boss expects you to listen to him when he is talking. However, instead of listening to him, a worker is quietly doing some office work.
Do you think the worker is right? NO! Do you think he should have been doing work at that time? NO!
Now, lets say the worker claims "I was so caught up in doing my work, for the sake of the company, that I failed to concentrate on your talk."
Then, this worker still fails to get his priorities straight. So what if you truly are? Different times call for different actions! Especially for MP Penny Low, a POLITICIAN needs to really get her priorities right. If she cannot do the right thing at the right time, does she even have the capability of being a politician? Of being one of the country's leaders?


Next, I move on to the next sentence: "If in my enthusiasm i offended anyone, please accept my apologies. NDP is a time to unite not divide.". Enthusiasm is what we all should have in NDP: a pride for Singapore. Now, she is using this "pride", that she has, as an excuse for using her handphone. It is an atrocity, to even consider this enthusiasm as the root cause for her mistake. Does it mean that, just because I possess this enthusiasm, I will be so muddle headed as to commit such a mistake? Furthermore, does she expect us to feel bad for criticizing her? She is plainly saying "Why are you criticizing me? I did it because I was enthusiastic!" she tells us that she was more enthusiastic then us, because she was not doing the right thing at the right time. I am purely disgusted. She is insulting the enthusiasm that Singaporeans have on National Day. It can even be seen as a further disrespect to Singapore.


After that, she even says "NDP is a time to unite not divide." Now, this statement is trying to tell us "Stop criticizing me, you are also in the wrong for doing so." Excuse me? The last time I remembered, it was MP Penny Low at fault. Is she "criticizing us for criticizing her"? She is at fault now, so who is she to give lectures to others if she already deserves one?


To end it off, I say to all Singaporeans: this message from MP Penny Low, however it already seems to be very apologetic, is in truth extremely far from sincere. If she was sincere, she would not have given her "enthusiasm" as an excuse.


Leaders are to set an example for your people. If you can't even do that, how do we as citizens look up to you? Even worse, how will other countries look at us when they hear of this? I urge leaders to watch the way they act in public, and even more importantly, to the people: choose leaders who really love the country.

World Cup Qualifier

Recently, Singapore played Malaysia in 2 games of soccer, for the World Cup Qualifier. One was played in Singapore, in which Singapore won 5 -3, and the other in Malaysia, in which the score was 1-1. Thus overall Singapore won, and went into the next round.

However, there are arising issues about the game that was played at Malaysia. Firstly, it was shown that some Malaysian fans attempted to blind the goalkeeper by shining a laser into his eye.

Secondly, many who watched the match must agree that the referee was extremely biased; many times Malaysian players tackled Singaporean players, but they were only counted as a foul; whereas when Singaporean players tackled Malaysian players, they were instantly given a yellow card.

Thirdly, at the Malaysian stadium, Singaporean fans were called "Singaporean dogs" by Malaysian fans, and were thrown bottles at by them.

Even after the game, there were many disputes. For example, several Malaysian fans took a Singaporean flag and defiled it by writing the words "LOOSER" on it.

Then,  the Singapore website "Singapore Cars Online" , was hacked into by Malaysian hackers, and they told us to  "go to hell".

The Malaysian newspaper Sinar Harian even wrote an article, claiming that "Singaporean players act too much".
 

Now I shall briefly describe what I feel about this:
When I first saw this pictures, I was extremely angry, and I thought to myself; why doesn't Singapore just break of ties with Malaysia? Look how they call us dogs, defile our national flag and write badly about us! However, when I cooled down, I started to realize that I was thinking haphazardly. I shall now state what I realized after thinking it through carefully.


I shall firstly state that, these Malaysians who acted so extremely in this situation, does not represent the whole of Malaysia. I urge all Singaporeans not to hate the whole of Malaysia just because of these few black sheep. I am sure many Malaysians themselves are appalled with the fact that their fellow countrymen acted so rashly.

On another note, you can show these pictures to foreigners; people who are not from Singapore or Malaysia. Everyone will look down on Malaysia! Malaysia cheated (laser), failed to win, and now try to insult us! This is what we call "Sore losers"! Foreigners will look down on them for their lack of sportsmanship, but will instead respect Singapore for their forgiving side. When foreigners see Malaysia and Singapore working together, despite Malaysia's many insults to Singapore, they will say: "Wow, Singapore is truly forgiving!" "A model country, to learn from." Those who are encouraging Singapore to cut ties with Malaysia, I urge you to think about this.

I am sure many of you have asked the question: Why is it that only Malaysians do this? When playing against other countries, situations of these sorts have never arisen. Why is it that it only happens with Malaysia?

Perhaps some of you might remember a case that took place a while ago: two women were travelling to Johor Bahru, and in a fingerprint scan confusion, they were detained and forced to do squats while naked. In the end, she was only given a warning and sent back to Singapore. The Malaysian police did not have to go to such extremes measures, but they did. They attempted to humiliate and shame the Singapore women.

Some people may say it is due to jealousy, that we fared so much better than Malaysia after independence. They are partially correct.

This is the root of the problem:


The press in Malaysia.
I am sure many Malaysians felt that Singaporeans were playing with sportsmanship. However, as the press influenced them, they slowly believed that we were "cheating" and they felt that it was okay to blame us.

The root of the problem is the Malaysian press.
The Malaysian press, which of course is under the power of the Malaysian Government, prints articles that tell  Malaysians all the bad things about us. And probably, as most people say, it is jealousy.

I urge the Malaysians: Do not believe in everything you read in the newspapers or everything you hear in the news! Reason for yourselves what is true and what is not. Do not be led blindly by a certain mindset, try to see things from different perspectives.

Finally, I end off with this: What the Malaysian press is doing, is to hurt its reputation in the world. The world sees these issues the clearest; they know who is at fault. As we have the Chinese saying:  旁观者清. I hope that these few black sheep amongst Malaysians can see that all they are doing are hurting their reputation in the world.

Newspaper Article

http://www.scribd.com/doc/54832797/Newspaper-Article

Please go to the link above for the Newpaper article.
Sorry for the inconvenience caused.

Hwa Chong on STOMP

Recently, a picture has been taken of some Hwa Chong Institution students eating ice-cream on a bus, and posted on STOMP. The article was titled "Even students from Elite School can't follow no-eating rule on bus". It has attracted over 150 comments, mostly by students from Hwa Chong Institution.

I cannot help but remember this similar incident that took place just a while ago, about the SAF man letting his maid carry his backpack for him. That incident truly disgraced the SAF, and similarly this incident has disgraced Hwa Chong Institution. I agree with the STOMPer that these Hwa Chong students' actions were wrong, However, there are a few matters in which I feel that I need to point out.

Firstly, note that the actions of these Hwa Chong Institution students do not apply to all the students in the school. Personally, I have not seen before any Hwa Chong Institution students eating on the bus. These three students' actions do not reflect the true character, spirit and values of an average Hwa Chong student. I feel that people should not just generalize and say that elite-school students thus have a high IQ but a low EQ.

Secondly, I disagree with the STOMPer taking the picture of the Hwa Chong Institution students. Why is it that he took the picture of the students without even going up to tell them that what they were doing was wrong? Such shows that he never really bothered about wanting the students to change for the better; he just wanted to publicly disgrace the Hwa Chong students, or Hwa Chong itself.

Lastly, the fact that I dislike the most is that the STOMPer directing such actions against "students from Elite School". So what if they were students from elite schools? Personally, I have always felt that, whether elite school, average school or neighbourhood school, the students in the respective schools may have different levels of IQ, but not EQ. By stating "even students from elite schools", he is stating that, if he sees a neighbourhood school student eating on the bus, he will not care, but if it is an elite school student, he will take notice of it. That is wrong. The rule on the bus treats everyone equally, regardless of education standards. They will not ignore a student eating on the bus just because he is from a neighbourhood school.

Generally, I feel that the STOMPer should re-evaluate on his true aims of posting this picture on STOMP. He should also drop all his stereotypes and try to treat everyone equally. As to the Hwa Chong students, I hope they learn from this incident and never eat on the bus again.

Japan Earthquake

As we know, on Friday, 11 March 2011, the Japan earthquake took place. It was an extremely large scale earthquake, measuring 9.0 magnitude. It was additionally compounded with the tsunami, taking away many lives and leaving people missing.

In the large number of high magnitude earthquakes that is happening to the world as we progress into this century, many places have gone through such earthquakes already, such as one in New Zealand, or further back, Sichuan and Haiti.

All these turmoil, troubles and widespread devastation that these earthquake-victims have faced, as we have all seen on the news, have truly appeared to show the true personalities of people. For example, in previous earthquakes similar to this, there has been a large number of looting cases, crime rates increasing or disorder around. People may not want to work with rescue teams. However, we hear that in Japan, things are very orderly. People queue up for their daily food, and coordinate with the rescue workers. There is a simple explanation for this; education from young. The citizens of Japan have long been taught what to do in case of an earthquake; they act appropriately, behave well. There has also been little reports of cases of looting, showing the Japanese Spirit.

 In addition, we have definitely heard about the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant incident, in which the power plant ceased to function properly, and there was high levels of radiation within the power plant. Now the majority of workers at the power plant have left, leaving 50 workers in the power plant only, of which 20 of them are voluntary. Why do these workers choose to stay in the power plant? They know full well the consequences; they could potentially die within 2 weeks, and even if they live much longer than that, they would be permanently alienated from society, and will probably live their live forever in seclusion. Some have sent messages to their families saying "Take good care of the kids. I'm not coming back." Such messages, despite being short, conveys their willingness to sacrifice themselves for the sake of their nation, Japan.

However, this disaster does not just show the character of the earthquake-victims; it shows the character of people that have responded to it. Many people have donated large sums of money to help relief efforts, and it shows their generosity and humanitarianism. However, there are this group of people who have responded in an entirely different way. They refuse to donate to the relief efforts, saying "Japan is now receiving retribution due to their heinous crimes in World War II." Worse still, they encourage others not to help. I do not agree, however. Doing as such, to me, is just trying to take revenge on the Japanese. How does taking revenge on them make one any different from what they did in World War II? Also, Confucius one said "Before you embark on a journey for revenge, dig two graves." Truly, revenge gives one no benefit, except pleasure to see the other party suffer. Revenge might even be detrimental to themselves. And, even more plainly, haven't the Japanese received enough retribution from the nuclear bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki? I hope people who take such a stand will reconsider.

I earnestly wish for Japan to be able to get over such a tragic incident as soon as possible.

Argumentative Essay

Some people say that school uniform should be abolished. What are your views?
In all schools in Singapore, for primary and secondary schools, as well as college, students are required to wear the school uniform. However, over the years Singapore has been getting a lot of criticism from the students due to this. Students feel that the school uniform should be abolished as it takes away their rights to wear what they want, and should not be forced to wear school uniforms. However, I feel that the school uniform is extremely important in the education system of Singapore, it is here to stay.

The school uniform is important because it adds trustworthiness and comfort to others. For example, let us compare; imagine in your mind a teenager, with long hair and long beard, what would your thoughts be? You would probably not be as comfortable around this teenager as you are, even with the same teenager around, just with a school uniform, clean shaven beard and crew cut hair. This shows us that the school uniform is useful in presenting a studious and formal image to the world.

The school uniform also instills a sense of belonging to the school. Take for instance a student from a certain school wears the school uniform. He is bound to feel a sense that he belongs to the school. In this aspect, the school uniform has once again shown the advantages of making school uniform. When students wear the school uniform, regardless of poor or rich, Malay or Chinese, all will come together to study and play. This shows how important it is to have the school uniform system implemented.

The school uniform also helps to control the behavior of a student in public. As we know, many times when a student goes to another location directly from school, most of the time they are wearing school uniform. This school uniform upholds the pride of the school. When wearing it, students try their best to be role models outside, and show the world that they are proud to be in the school they are in. They show that the school they are in is capable of producing students with values, thus adding to the reputation of the school.

In general, I feel that the school uniform should be kept and retained as the speciality of Singapore’s education system. Even though there may be many problems and arguments about the school uniform, the merits outweigh the demerits. The school uniform is here to stay.

A personal Response to war

Task 1: Descriptive Setting

"Get down!" The scream of the commander was barely heard over the fusillade of gunshots, which suddenly appeared from a calm atmosphere. Used to the command, all threw themselves to the ground around the destroyed buildings. All around, the metal foils were one by one riddled with bullet holes, and crumpled to the ground. The familiar smell... the smell of fresh blood was everywhere. Falling to the ground, the smell of the fresh blood was ever stronger. The soldiers felt the cold and soft feeling of the soil. They cleared it of all other debris and made it comfortable, lest it become their permanent resting place, and their blood would soon soak through the soil.

Task 2: Diary Entry
Dear Diary,
We fought again today. The Germans fought brutally, spraying bullets everywhere they saw a shadow move. We fought back too, with our commander taking the lead. However, our commander got wounded in the arm from a bullet shot, but continued fighting bravely, calling on us to move forth and not give up. I truly admire his patriotic and loyal stand for his country, that he would fight to the death.
I was 17 when I joined this war, and now I'm 19. At such a young age, I have seen horrible things that would frighten a more mature man to death. One such horror took place earlier in today's war. Due to the rain, water had pilled up along the location we were fighting. It was so slippery, when fighting I fell into a puddle of blood. Real, fresh blood. I was so shocked I nearly screamed out loud. Such horrors I have endured for almost 3 years.
War is a crime against humanity. I have heard great success stories about certain soldiers risking their lives for the country, but generally, war is a crime. War is murder. War kills the exact citizens we are trying to protect. I am praying for this living hell to be over soon. I hope that, in the generation of my children, we will no longer need to endure such a horrible fate just for this statement "Dulce et Decorum Est Pro Patria Mori". Nobody would enjoy this kind of fearful, dog life.

SAF man lets maid carry backpack

Recently, there has been a big commotion over a picture taken, shown above. A SAF man let his maid carry his backpack while he uses his phone. Many people, when they saw the picture, expressed amusement and made remarks such as "may as well bring her to war too". Others expressed concerned as to whether our generation of NS men were getting too "wimpy", and questioned if discipline was slackening.

The actions of this SAF man was wrong, and has tarnished the reputation of the Singapore military. It gives foreigners a chance to poke fun at us, calling us "wimpy" and "soft". I am not surprised at these reactions. We know that reputations that have been built up over a long period of time is often tarnished by the acts of a small, tiny part of the organization. People do have the right to question the SAF over such an issue.

However, we should also note that this picture of the SAF man is not reflective of SAF as a whole. Just because part of it may be "wimpy" and "soft", it does not mean that all SAF is as such.

We have heard about the views of the SAF man going for counselling. Even though I have heard comments saying things like "SAF should not force the soldier to accept its ideals", I feel that SAF has done right. Personally, I think that when you are in an organization, you should adhere to its rules, ideals, and rituals. The SAF man should just take the counselling and never commit this mistake again. To cite an example would be Hwa Chong. When we are outside, in the public, we are in open view of all the world to see. We have to behave in an examplary way to show others how well-behaved Hwa Chong students are.

Personally, this matter is for the purpose of entertainment, and amusement. It should not be taken lightly. If Singaporeans would cease to view this SAF man as a representation of all SAF, it would be the SAF man that feels ashamed in the end, and not SAF. This would save SAF any embarrassment, with the SAF man knowing to change for the better himself.

Term 2

Hello,
All the blog posts above this post is for term 2.

Thank you for your attention :D

Movie Mississippi Burning

Recently, in a Language Arts lesson, we were allowed to watch a movie titled "Mississippi Burning". It was a movie, centered on the murders of 3 civil rights activists. When these 3 civil rights activists went missing, FBI agents are put in charge to investigate.

Even though we did not watch finish the whole movie, the first part made me understand and emphatize with people at that time. The FBI agents fully understand the risks of undertaking this mission, but they carry on with it. Once, the FBI agents were under attack by the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) in their motel. When Agent Alan Ward runs out of the motel, he sees a burning cross, put there by the Klan to intimidate them.

The FBI agents' are similar to Atticus. Atticus fully understands that defending Tom Robinson will result in being viewed as an enemy by the KKK, and thus come under their attack. Atticus came close to being attacked by the Cunninghams, but fortunately, he is highly esteemed by them, and they do not want to hurt him.

I feel that the civil rights activists, especially the white civil rights activists have extremely admirable traits. They support the rights of the blacks, even though they do not actually have anything to benefit from it.

Superstitions

I would like to discuss on the topic of superstitions today.

The definition of superstition, according to the Longman Dictionary is: a belief that some objects or actions are lucky or unlucky, or that they cause events to happen, based on old ideas of magic.

Firstly, let us start with the word "belief". A belief is just something people belief in, not proven to be true. Also, personally, I do not believe in many of the superstitions that I know. Some people have claimed in stories about superstitions such as getting a cut behind their ears for pointing their finger at the moon, but I question the beliefs that they have.

Next, let us move on to "lucky or unlucky". When you are lucky, something good befalls you, but when you are unlucky, something bad happens to you. I half agree with this statement. Almost all the superstitions I know of are unlucky. For example, an old Chinese Supersition goes like this: For a woman to strike an animal during their pregnancy period would cause the baby to look like the animal. That would be extremely horrible. I do not even know how an ant looks like, but I am sure it would be an ugly face. To avoid killing an animal for nine months would be extremely tough. I feel that one should live like as it is in a happy-go-lucky manner. Most of the superstitions are unlucky, and I feel that one would be extremely worried and pessimistic about life if they keep worrying about these superstitions.

On a lighter note, here are examples of superstitions that amuse me the most:

If you cut an apple in half and count the number of seeds inside, you will hence know the number of children you will have.

This is similar to going by the dice. If you take 2 apples and count the number of seeds in each, you will probably get a different number for each. What do you do then? Do you take the average?

If you dream of running, you will soon have a big change in your life.

Honestly, I do not aim to insult anybody, but personally the only dreams I can remember running in were to hand in homework to the staff room and to find a toilet. Fortunately in my dream, I was unable to find the toilet or I would have urinated in my pants.

Before traveling a person should, apparently, sit on their luggage.

Personally, I would not risk breaking my luggage before travelling.

Putting yourself in another person's shoes.

What does it mean to "put yourself in another person's shoes"? What personal qualities are necessary to be able to see things as someone else does?

Putting yourself in another person's shoes is to consider other people. No matter what thing we do, we should always consider the thoughts, actions and feelings of other people when we do it. We must always aim to find a win-win situation for everyone involved in the matter. When we are able to do so, we command the respect of others.

To be able to see things as someone else does is not difficult. Think of something that happened to you previously that is now happening to that person. That is the best way to understand and emphatize with the person. When in an argument with someone, try to see it from the person's point of view, and be flexible. That person may have his reasons for doing what he does. Respect the person; and you will be able to put yourself in his or her shoes.

Making a fair judgement

Describe an everyday situation in which one person might judge another incorrectly. What things can interfere with making a fair judgement?

In my opinion, making a fair judgement requires you to do 3 things: listen, consider, interpret.

Let us start with listening. When we are making a judgement, for example one that involves 2 parties, we must listen, and empathize with both parties. One must not base their judgement solely on the statement of one party. It is important to be impartial. We should keep in mind what background each party has, but do not let it affect our attitude towards that party. Also, it is important to dismiss whatever personal feelings you have regarding either party. This is essential in making a fair judgement.

Next, we need to consider the evidence. We need to confirm whether the 2 parties are telling the truth. If the evidence contradicts one party's statement, it is important to re-question the party about the discrepancy. Also, other factors need to be taken into account.

Lastly, making a fair judgement requires interpretation. If both parties statements have been verified, it is important to find out who is right and who is wrong.

These, I feel, are the most important steps in making a fair judgement.

My favourite character

We have gone through the story "To Kill A Mockingbird". Now, I would like to introduce my favourite character to you- Atticus Finch.

I am sure that all my classmates feel that Atticus is the most respectable, down-to-earth, polite character. The story shows all his aspects of his qualities, and portrays him as a loving, caring father.

Firstly, he is very polite to everyone. For example, he still greets Mrs Dubose extremely politely, despite her insults and disregards towards him. Such qualities are rare, and difficult to find. Many people would just ignore those who insult and disregard them, and even fall out with them. Thus such a trait of Atticus is very significant in the story; he possesses humility.

Secondly, he is loving, and caring to all, and with compassion. For example, in the courtroom, knowing Mayella Ewell would be hysterical and exasperated, he tried to calm her down. He also expresses the sympathy he feels for Mayella Ewell. Also, another illustration was that even though he was so good at shooting, he rarely ever shot, but when he does, it is because he really needs to, and not for fun.

Thirdly, he had a strong sense of what is right and wrong. Despite the outcry against him for defending a black man, Tom Robinson, he carries on his work, and ignores the insults thrown at him, such as "nigga-lover". He is also unbothered by the fact that a lynch mob might attack him.

Lastly, Atticus possesses this trait I admire the most; he dares to stand out from among others. It was, in a way, a scandal to defend a black man at that time. But Atticus stood firm, as he believed in the truth of the matter; Tom Robinson was innocent. In today's world, everyone wants to be like anyone else; following the trends, doing what others do. Atticus didn't; he stood out prominently and tried his best to defend Tom Robinson. That is why I admire him the most.

Future School

It seems that recently, the debate over Future School has sparked the interest of many involved in the programme itself. It all started when Dr. Hon held an assembly discussion regarding the Future School programme, describing the use of laptops in class. The usage of laptops in class have many strengths, as well as weaknesses.

Firstly, let us start by imagining; you have a science question. You have checked all the sources you have but you cannot figure out the answer to this question. You have asked your classmates but they all have the same problem. What would be the common solution among you and your classmates?

Check google! It gives you masses of sources in less than a second. Although some sources may not be reliable, as long as one possesses the skill to differentiate between reliable and non-reliable sources, it will become a breeze for you to find out the answer! Such technology right at our fingertips can really help us to improve.

Secondly, laptops are extremely welcome among all the students as it helps to enhance learning during lesson time itself. For example, some teachers use the Future School programme to their maximum benefit and productivity. For example, my IH teacher, Ms Yeo, asked us to do a project on google docs. This way, while we were doing our work on the google docs document, she could type in her feedback about our work on the google document. Such an instantaneous feedback would help us improve better, and faster as well.

Thirdly, there is another reason why laptops are extremely welcome: Who in the school does not enjoy the use of laptops over pen and paper? Would you rather complete a worksheet or an online quiz? Would you rather write an essay or type it out? Especially when one has to have constant corrections, typing just requires a little editing. It would be an extreme waste of time to rewrite a whole essay just due to a few mistakes.

However, nothing is perfect. With strengths come weaknesses. Firstly, the internet connection in the school is not very stable. At times, the internet does not work, and the online lesson is cancelled due to such lessons.

Also, during online lessons, even if the internet connection does work, the computers take very long to load. This takes up to ten minutes of the lesson, and thus leaves lesser time on work.

However, as we all know, the gist of the discussion was about students making use of the internet to do things that we are not supposed to do. Even though many precautions have been taken to prevent such actions, such as the placing of mirrors behind classrooms, some students are still taking the chance to go to various game websites.

Even with so many problems and weaknesses, the Future School programme's merits greatly outweigh its demerits. Thus I feel that the Future School programme should be continued, but it must be used with efficiency and control. For example, students could start up their computers immediately after the period before the online lesson is over, so that when the online lesson teacher comes in for the class, our computers are all fully prepared and ready.

Personal Response: to kill a mockingbird

What memories of your own childhood come to mind as you read about Scout's experiences?

I remember, when I was Scout's age, there would always be someone around with me. My parents did not like me to go outside and play as they felt it would be difficult to take care of me, and unsafe. The only times when I went outside were always with both my parents, and also there wasn't very much space for me to move around freely.

However, I did have a few similar experiences; the only time I was without an adult was at school. At that time, my old primary school had a container house beside the field. Few teachers ever used the room. We would often pretend it was a haunted house and try to enter it. It was very interesting as once, the door was left unlocked by a teacher accidentally, and the whole class was scolded for making a mess out of the tables and chairs in the room.

Looking back, I feel that no matter how childish these experiences may be, these will be some of the most joyful experiences I had, and they will last me for a lifetime. If I had the chance, I would want to become a child for a day, and be carefree, without worries, troubles and responsibilities.

Learning about prejudice

Before:
What do I already know about prejudice?
Prejudice is the act of judging someone without actually knowing them personally, such as believing in rumours about a party/group of people. As we know, in the 1800s, there used to be an extremely strong prejudice against blacks in America. The white people in America treated them as if they were the lower class, and also assumed them to be dangerous.
Also, we know that prejudice is wrong, and we should not be prejudiced against other people.

What do I want to learn about prejudice?
I would like to be able to detect cases of prejudice, which we know, comes in different forms. We can then be able to differentiate between what is the truth, and what is really just an opinion. Also,

I want to gain more in-depth knowledge about prejudice as my current knowledge of prejudice is quite basic. Also, I want to learn more historical examples of prejudice as I believe that would aid in my learning about prejudice.

After:
What did I learn about prejudice?
This lesson, we were grouped. We were tasked to produce a mindmap about prejudice. Also, we were asked to make a comic strip using toondoo. It was a very interesting means of teaching us about prejudice.

I learnt that to be prejudiced against someone is to "pre-judge" the person, without understanding who or how the person really is. Prejudice, is in fact, the untrue stereotyping of a certain group of people, to assume the whole group of people to be who they are not.
Prejudice is not something to be taken lightly. If it is not resolved properly, it can lead to serious problems, such as even genocides. All governments in the world acknowledge this fact. There are many examples we see from this, such as the holocaust as well as the Rwanda genocide.

When to use 3rd person and when to use 1st person

When we use the 3rd person in a story, it is usually when we need to illustrate the story from an omniscient view, such as a story where u need to know the thoughts and actions of each of the characters at different points in the story.

However, the 1st person point of view is usually used when the perspective, or point of view is not needed, or that the writer wants to limit it to that character only. This can very effectively help to create suspense and foreboding in the story.

For example, in the series of Sherlock Holmes, Holmes has an assistant by the name of John Watson. Most of the stories are told from the point of Watson. It has to be this way, for the fact that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wants to create suspense; he does not want put it in 1st person point of view, as it would reveal all that was going on in the story, and the story would lose its suspense.

Also, it cannot be from Sherlock Holmes point of view. If we were to write from the point of view of Sherlock Holmes, all that goes on in his head will be revealed to us. This removes the suspense and foreboding from the story.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's decision was undoubtedly a brilliant move and is part of what has made the Sherlock Holmes series so successfull.

Describing Setting

Description of the photo:

The cool afternoon sky was filled with light blue clouds, floating around fascinatedly. With easy splashes, the waves nudged the shore. The sound from the receding waves felt like paradise. The cool wind added all the more to the peaceful and serene atmosphere, the perfect location for a tropical holiday. The sweet-smelling trees stood, their bodies swaying to the wind, as if dancing a rhythm, in a synchronized manner.

Home Learning Comic

I chose this theme as I felt that Singaporean women always like to show off their wealth and ability.

The Golf Links

The golf links lie so near the mill

That almost every day

The labouring children can look out

And see the men at play.

- Sarah Norcliffe Cleghorn (1900s)

This poem may be very short, but it expresses the social problem during the time it was written: child labor. The first time I read it, I did not read it carefully, and thus did not understand. But when I started to think deeper, I realized what the poem meant.

Usually it would be the adults working and the children playing, such as in today's society, but in the 1900s child labor had not been prohibited. The weight of the problem is displayed in the poem. The irony of the situation; adults enjoying themself at golf while the children work hard at a mill, doing hard labor; the opposite of the usual norms of society. Sarah Norcliffe Cleghorn, seeing this, managed to capture it into an ironic poem, and capture the attentions of people everywhere.

This poem has made an impression on me because of the irony of the situation.

I learnt that I am extremely fortunate that I do not live in a time where child labor was still allowed. I feel that, as children, we should not work: our place is to study, or play, and eventually when we grow up we will all start working.

A child that works might not be able to take the strains of adult life. The poem has taught me a lot; I have learnt not to take this comfortable life for granted; I shall study hard.