Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Quiz...to stop the inspiration flow

1)Besides your lips, where is your favourite spot to get kissed?
-.- I don't get kissed. Just poked. Or anything similar.

2)How did you feel when you woke up this morning?
Dunno. Sore or something.

3)Who was the last person you took photo with?
Er…OMG it’s actually my primary school principal…

4)Would you considered to be spoiled?
Sort of…I don’t wash my own clothes! XD

5)Would you ever donate blood?
Probably...

7)Do you want someone dead?
Me. That would be cool.

8)What does your last text message says?
Er…to Sooraj I think…it said “Why send so late u gay”

9)What are you thinking of right now?
Everything. Something. Nothing.

10) Do you wish someone was with you right now?
Nah. I want to be left alone. As usual (:

11)What time did you go to sleep last night?
About 12 or maybe 11.59…

12)Where did you buy the T-shirt you're wearing now?
Mum bought it randomly…at some random place…

13)Anybody in your mind right now?
Me. Ego right.

14)Who was the last person who texted you?
Sooraj the gay. At around 11.50 something

15) Tag 10 person to do this quiz: Guess what I can’t bother so just putting random names to answer the next part of the quiz
1. Bryan
2. Candice
3. DJL
4. Jonathan Lau
5. KM
6. Ji Hyun
7. Nikki
8. Cash (you did this before...)
9. Sooraj
10. Jit Wu

16)Who is number2 having a relationship with? [Candice]
No.3 (DJL) Duh. And maybe Jonathan Tan. From 201

17)Number3 is a female or male? [DJL]
Neither. Genderless. XD

18)If number7 and number10 get together, will it be a good thing? [Nikki and Jit Wu]
Don’t actually want to think about it. It’ll just be Jit Wu poking Nikki slapping Jit Wu poking Nikki slapping Jit Wu. You get the idea

19)What is number1 studying about? [Bryan]
Now? Dunno. Exam stuff I think.

20)Number 4 is single? [Jonathan Lau]
He says he is. I got to agree. A playboy IS a playboy after all.
Sorry. Meant playgirl.

21)Anything impressive number5 has done for you? [KM]
Have sex with DJL EVERYDAY WITHOUT FAIL. They really can keep it up.

22)If number3 and number6 get together, what do you think will happen? [DJL+Ji Hyun]
They produce black+beige=???color babies

23)Describe number 9 [Sooraj]
Gay.

24)What will you do if number6 and number7 fight? [Nikki & Ji]
Nothing. I think it happens occasionally lol.

25)Do you like number8? [Cash]
Dunno. Can mock at her all day long and she occasionally gets pissed off. So I like to mock her.

Saturday, April 25, 2009

Essay time...

Should youths be encouraged to take part in competitive sports?

In recent years, it can be seen that there is an increasing trend to cultivate youth talents in the area of sporting. High-profile sporting competitions have also been held in order to bring renown to these talents, such as U-14 football matches, Commonwealth Youth Games, and most recently, the Youth Olympic Games, the youth equivalent of the prestigious Olympics games. However, is it necessary to push our world’s youths to enter such highly competitive events at such an early age?

Firstly, it is known that youths often have more pliable bodies and are much more ideal for training in specific sports, such as gymnastics, where sportspeople with highly flexible bodies are greatly valued. Therefore, it would probably be recommended to start the training of such children since young so that they will be able to achieve better results rather than wait till their developed bones have stiffened, creating difficulty for them to perform more elaborate stunts.
Secondly, youth sports is a good counteract to the growing issue of obesity that is soon running rampant in many countries. By introducing athletics into youth’s lives, exercise is now portrayed as a cool thing to do, thus reducing the number of overweight teenagers, who would be more eager to take up exercise.

Also, competitive sports can be character-building, as the young sportsperson would learn to overcome setbacks on the playing field, taking minor pains and aches in his or her stride, and emerge a much stronger person at the end of their training. Team sports, especially is a highly social activity, and an efficient team would be able to foster a strong sense of belonging and community in the children involved.
However, there are some harmful effects resulting from such training as well.

Firstly, the cost of maintaining the training of youths in competitive sports is very high, and can indeed put a strain on the pockets of parents unless the child is precocious enough to obtain the backing of sponsors willing to support the child.
Second, taking part in competitive sports at a young age puts the child at a high rick of injury or even death. In gymnastics, training is often extremely rigorous and if precautions are not taken, there is a high chance that the bones of the child could be twisted, or their muscles sprained. Minor injuries could be easy to heal, but more serious ones could deform the child permanently, affecting his entire life, stopping him from ever engaging in sports ever again, whether recreational or competitive.

Thirdly, exposing the youth to the competitive nature of sports at such a young age may not be beneficial to his mental health in the long run. This is because children should be thinking about fun and games at this age, and not the highly aggressive arena of sports. If they were to be cultivated to think in such a manner, it is possible that they will grow up to be assertive or even uncompromising people, only thinking about winning or achieving their own goals at all costs.

Lastly, parents who have kids that participate actively in competitive sports might become tuned to trying to work their children harder to do better, even if the child might not want to. Many parents push their children to specialize in one particular sport, at the expense of their general health and conditioning, often in the hope that the child would be offered an attractive college scholarship. They may try to motivate and coach their children to an unrealistic extent, calling for levels of devotion that add unbearable pressure that add onto the child’s life. Family life also suffers because of sports schedules, and pressure on one or both parents to support and transport the young athlete.

Therefore, I feel that there are more cons than pros for introducing youths to competitive sports. However, I remain supportive of getting extremely precocious sporting talents to join the sporting fraternity, as such people can indeed stand up to the test of grueling training, and emerge as winners in future sporting competitions.

Happening at school...

Darn it. My life has been totally screwed. TOTALLY.

Too lazy to type out everything again. So just reproducing what had happened from a letter to the Deputy Principal.

I arrived on the track at around 4.20 p.m., then began conversing with two or three other classmates (Jit Wu, Sooraj, and probably Bryan or Kaung Myat). Later, Daryl arrived at around 4.30 p.m., and I went over to discuss some matters concerning our school newsletter (We are part of the layout team in the Journalism Club). Then, as mentioned in my eyewitness account, we noticed a soccer ball at the end of the pitch, and Daryl went over to retrieve it, proceeding to dribble it at the area near the drains lining the field, while I watched on in vague interest, mind still thinking about the unfinished pages of the newsletter. I noticed that one of Daryl’s kicks went towards the wall, and, thinking that he probably wanted to allow it to rebound towards himself, paid no regard. All of a sudden, Jonathan came along and stuck out his leg, seeming to be intending to stop the wayward ball. Unfortunately, perhaps he had stuck out his leg too hard, and the ball rebounded upon his heel, causing it to head towards the girls who were sitting on the third step of the stairs overlooking the field. We could only watch in shock as the ball struck Edith on the right side of her face. The impact was rather loud, and most of my classmates came running over together with us as we inquired if Edith was alright. Hearing her reply in affirmative, we asked once again, but got the same response. However, we knew something was wrong when she said that she was feeling uncomfortable and could not participate in the Physical Education lesson.

So what happened after that? Let me recount thee ways.

First Mr. Cheong and Ms Mak wanted to get eyewitness accounts. Totally OK with me. So I just wrote, waited for them to discuss, then left.

Later I was going to ask Ms Seah a physics question, so I followed Mr. Cheong and J. Lau to the staff room. Ms Mak said we needed to meet Mr. Suresh at about 11 something. OK. I thought it was just the same as what we had just done. So just meet him. First screwed up decision I made. Should never have followed Mr. Cheong.

Next, we went to meet him. Next screwed up point: FORGOT TO GREET HIM DAMMIT. I ALWAYS GREET THE TEACHERS WHILE WALKING THEN DEPUTY PRINCIPAL I FORGOT DAMMIT.
Maybe because of that he began to screw us up big-time. Blahblahblah about irresponsibility and rash acts causing needless harm or something. So we went out feeling screwed up. Which was what he wanted, I think.

Point is, he was showing us a diagram Ms Mak Drew based on the eyewitness accounts (I think).
I wasn’t half-freaking there. So cool of Mr. Suresh to be scolding us for about half an hour.

Fortunately, it turned out that Edith was relatively OK, just felt nauseous and entered the hospital twice…

Saturday, April 4, 2009

Essay time...

A heated argument

I had never seen such a pair of pig-headed fools in my life. Ten-years of friendship-ever since primary one-and they were ready to sacrifice it for an absolutely silly matter. Both Abraham and Grant were my best friends, and the three of us formed a clique jocularly named the “Three Musketeers” by others. So when the two of them quarreled, the person really left in the lurch was me. It looked as if I was to lose both of my friends at one go and that would have been a great loss for me. The reason for their dispute was that both wanted to escort a girl to the prom, and each wanted the other to give way.

The quarrel took place right before me, and just on the day after Abraham’s birthday. Grant announced that he was going to take Lily, the most popular girl in our class, to the prom, when Abraham said that he thought of doing the same. Grant said, in a level voice, that since he had mentioned the idea first, Abraham should back down. Abraham protested mildly that he had, in fact though of it earlier and Grant had merely spoke before he did. Grant started to get a little mad, and let out a rare swear word. Of course, things began to go downhill from there, and both started shouting in each other’s faces, while I could only watch the two go teeth and nails on each other’s faces. Then, Abraham left the room abruptly. Staring after him, Grant told me many terrible things about Abraham, and then stalked off in a huff. Later, Abraham came and told me all sorts of unbelievable things about Grant as well. I was stuck in between.

Life became miserable for me as I ran between both of them, trying to be the mediator and make them come to a truce. Neither would, and it was obvious that a fight would soon erupt unless one withdrew. I proposed all sorts of solutions. My suggestion for both to give up the idea was met with furious glares from both guys. I asked them to just ask Lily who she would prefer, and the loser would have to bow out like a gentleman. Both men refused to risk this and were even mad at me for even making the suggestion. No matter how many times I reminded both friends that they were just asking a girl out for the prom and not proposing marriage, they just stuck to their sullen, sulking faces. At this point, I could only throw up my hands and leave the rest to providence.

However, a week later, the most unexpected news arrived. We all came to know that another guy, Walter, had asked the girl in question, and she had agreed readily. This time, it was the two rivals who were left in the lurch. The really infuriating thing was that both of them knew that they would have been a much better choice than Walter, who was just the least manly person we could think of. Still, there was nothing much anyone could do about it. I finally had a chance to get both Grant and Abraham to talk face to face. They could only stare at each other numbly. Then all of a sudden, both muttered, “I’m sorry…” at the same time. Immediately, I started to laugh. Soon after, they saw the funny side and began laughing heartily as well, finally resolving the heated but foolish argument.

Essay time...

Should celebrities be paid so much?

It is known all over the world that many celebrities receive millions of dollars, and that these popular figures are often people grabbing the headlines whatever they do, whether it be their achievements in their field, or perhaps some shameful act that has happened in their private lives. Whenever such reports appear in the papers, it is often quickly followed by articles exploring the essentiality of the high salaries that such people are getting. Should celebrities be paid so much?

A celebrity is a widely-recognized or notable person who commands a high degree of public and media attention. Therefore, the acts of such people are often closely followed by reporters or photographers, who are known by the more popular name, paparazzi. Therefore, a fact not known by the public is the stress that most celebrities would face when they are followed almost everyday by these ubiquitous correspondents. Also, the success of a celebrity may leave as suddenly as it comes. He is like a new toy to a child and when people tire of him, he falls by the wayside. Therefore, celebrities must always keep at the top of their standards, constantly trying to achieve an even higher standard of acting or singing in order to keep their place in the entertainment world. It can be said that their highly demanding job rationalizes their high pay.

Also, it must be made known that some celebrities do actually justify their pay by using it to help the world. An example could be that of Jet Li. Following a harrowing escape from the Boxing Day Tsunami in 2004, the Chinese kung fu movie actor used 500 thousand Yuan to set up a charity organization called the One Foundation, a non-government organization which has raised more than 20 million dollars so far. Li has also helped out in the recent Sichuan earthquake as a voluntary worker, showing that there are celebrities who channel their wealth to a better cause.

However, there are also many celebrities who have tarnished the image of celebrities, who are supposed to be a role model for the public. Such people would include Lindsay Lohan, whose life as a young and upcoming socialite has got her into trouble with the law, mostly due to driving under the influence. There is also the case of Amy Winehouse, whose life has now been wasted due to drugs, and Britney Spears, who has recently been involved in a series of high-profile lawsuits with her husband over the custody of her child, and allegations about her sanity. All these celebrities have started to lead such wasteful lives, probably due to the large amounts of cash that they have at their disposal, which has resulted in their splurging on drugs and other harmful chemicals.

Another consequence of the high pay that celebrities receive would be that of a haughty attitude, bred due to the fact that some celebrities believe that they are number one, and should be respected everywhere that they go just because of the money that they own. An example can be found in Paris Hilton, who was recently spotted to be leaving a restaurant in a huff after kicking up a fuss at being denied a table. This shows that earning so much money can indeed give rise to an attitude that can cause celebrities to be rather disliked, even hated.
All in all, I feel that the disadvantages of allowing celebrities to earn so much money outweigh the advantages, and we should not let celebrities earn so much money, as I feel that they are more likely to spend it on drugs, drinks and other addictive substances, rather than help others with the cash they have.

Essay time...

Great Expectations
Great Expectations is a book written by the famous 19th century author Charles Dickens, and is now as famous as its writer as an important book used in many English lessons all around the world. This is because of its many moral lessons taught throughout the book, and is ideal as a literature material.
Great Expectations is written in a semi-autobiographical style, and is the story of the orphan Pip, writing his life from his early days of childhood until adulthood. The story can also be considered semi-autobiographical of Dickens, like much of his work, drawing on his experiences of life and people. The story is divided into three phases of Pip's life expectations.

The first part of the story talks about the humble beginnings of the protagonist, Philip Pirrip, also known as Pip. He is satisfied with his life, even helping a convict, until he is hired by the wealthy Miss Havisham, falling in love with her beautiful adopted daughter, Estella, and thereafter aspiring to leave his simple life and to become a gentleman. Understanding from a lawyer that he has been left a huge fortune, Pip leaves the town for his new future. From these chapters, we see the powerful draw of money and power, such that it is enough for Pip to turn his back on his sister and her kindly husband, Joe Gargery, whom he has depended on almost his entire life up till then, whether it being his bringing up or even when he grows up and finds a job, relying on Gargery to train him as an apprentice. Readers can see that Pip is a representation of the common English peasant child, happy to live his common live but ready to leave that life behind him once the chance to experience a much better one comes along.

The second part of the story discusses Pip’s rise into aristocracy with his newfound fortune. Often living beyond his allowance, he becomes embroiled in rivalry with other men for the love of Estella, and when Joe Gargery pays a visit, Pip is embarrassed to the point of almost hatred at Gargery’s unlearned ways, after living as a “high-class” person for such a long time. These chapters show us the power that money and power can give us, but also the moral values that are given up together with it. It proves that money can and does corrupt the normal person; able to cause him to lose his original identity, as shown when Pip is infuriated at his former guardian, despite the care shown to him in the past by this very person. We learn a moral lesson from the second part of the story, which is to beware of the dangers that power and money can throw us into.

In the last part of the story, Pip’s expectations are changed drastically as he learns from his lawyer that his benefactor is not Miss Havisham but Magwitch, an escaped convict whom we saved many years ago. He learns startling truths that cast into doubt the values that he once embraced so eagerly, and finds that he cannot regain many of the important things that he had cast aside so carelessly. He helps Magwitch escapes, but the convict dies and Pip falls ill. Despite Pip’s unkindness to him in the past, he cures Pip and even clears his debts. In this part of the book, we see the embodiment of kindness and good within Joe Gargery, as he helps his former young charge once again, forgetting all the meanness that Pip had shown to him as a proud, aristocratic young man. Also, we see that Pip still retains some of the sympathy that he had grown up with as a child, crossing countries in order to repay his benefactor and save his life. We understand the uncovering of his benefactor has changed him, and he learns it is only right to give after receiving, just as Magwitch did many years ago.

Essay time...

Heh feeling writish so wrote these. LOL

Singapore’s efforts in the Green movement


Lately, the world’s leaders have been caught up in a very important debate, or more accurately, a movement, which is that of preventing the worsening of global warming, the increase in the average temperature of the Earth's near-surface air and the oceans. It has become a real threat in recent years, and thus the rise of green politics, a political ideology which places a high importance on ecological and environmental goals, and on achieving these goals through broad-based, grassroots, and participatory democracy. Singapore is one of the countries that has actively participated in green politics, and this essay will discuss about what its governing body has done to ensure that Singapore maintains is healthy image as a clean and green country.

Compared to other countries in the region, Singapore has a head start in the race towards "greenness". The country already prides itself on being a tidy, efficient, "clean and green" metropolis — thanks largely to a government that uses self-sponsored media campaigns to shape social behaviour. In most other countries, the green crusade starts from the ground up, by way of grassroots consumer groups that exert pressure on politicians to adopt more environmentally responsible policies and companies to produce more environmentally friendly goods. Singapore’s own green effort, by contrast, has the distinction of being almost entirely government-driven. The changes have been initiated at the top, with the hope they will trickle down to the lowest rungs of consumer society.

The main focus of the green movement in Singapore would be that of economics, ranching into areas such as transportation, trade and industry. In terms of transportation, it can be seen that Singapore it doing more to keep cars off the road through measures such as electronic Road Pricing (ERP) charges and the implementation of the Certificate Of Entitlement (COE). Also, the have been the promotion of hybrid cars and public transport, which means that more people will be transported while producing less greenhouse gases.

Singapore has worked hard to maintain its name as a Garden City, and at the same time aiding the world in the bid against global warming. It is well known that forests are environmental buffers. Some forests intercept moisture from clouds, increasing the availability of water. Such watershed forests protect soil cover with their roots, preventing soil erosion. That is why many forested areas of Singapore have been listed as protected, so that Singaporeans can live and breathe better, despite their usually hectic lives. Also, the government has recently, spent around four billion in revamping Orchard Road so that it contains more plants, in an effort to make the shopping haven a more environmentally place.

There has also been a slew of movements in Singapore to promote the green movement. 1990 saw the launch of the government’s "Clean and Green Week...Green for Life" public-education programme. The event was held from November 4 to 10, and is intended to be an annual event. The Ministry of the Environment spent $650,000 over a one-month period to promote the campaign on television, radio and in newspapers. The account was put out for tender in June 1990, with Ogilvy & Mather Public Relations winning it in August. The campaign was a natural outgrowth of Tree Planting Day, an annual event initiated by Lee Kwan Yew in the early 1970s. Another early initiative was the government’s clean rivers project (the much needed clean-up of the Singapore River and Kallang Basin), begun in 1977 and completed a decade later.

Clean and Green Week was a daily series of activities and promotions, variously targeted at schools, consumer groups and the business community. Major programmes included tree-planting in housing estates, a "Care for the Environment" exhibition at Marina Square, a "Ride and Walk" programme for the business sector, encouraging participants to leave their cars at home for a day and use public transport to get to work and "Adopt-a-Beach-and-Park" for children.

To spread the word, O&M came up with print ads, a TV spot, outdoor posters, taxi-top ads and a wide variety of collateral such as a Clean and Green Week colouring book for children, sponsored by Shell and the Ministry of the Environment. About 200,000 copies of the colouring book were printed and distributed to children in primary grades three, four and five. Much of the promotional material featured an official mascot, a cartoon frog named Captain Green.

Though both the Singapore government and the private sector have taken great strides in spreading the green message, the country still has a long way to go before it meets David Bellamy’s vision of a "squeaky green" place. For instance, Singapore still has no large-scale recycling programmes for beverage cans (which are still tin, not aluminium) or newspapers. Styrofoam containers and non-biodegradable plastic bags are still the order of the day in shops and hawker centres. The country remains a throwaway society even though it tends to throw things into bins rather than onto the pavement.