It's Tuesday Somewhere

2011-08-19T18:04:00.001-07:00

Money.
The very word conjures up wonderful pictures of riches and luxury. True, money is a good thing to have. It can bring you a luxurious and extravagant lifestyle. It can make your life wonderful. But there is always a flipside to the issue. So today in this post, I will be blogging about the positive effects about having money, and the negative effects of having money, and also touch on money related issues like greed and how money is not everything, and there are more important things than money in this world. So sit back, relax, and erm..... let the blogging begin!

In our modern and competitive society, everyone is materialistic and money faced as they face hectic lifestyles in order to earn that little money to ensure their survival. Everyone hopes to strike it rich and be able to live the life. Of course, I am sure everyone wants to be rich. When we are rich, we are able to do most of the things we want to do in life and accomplish many things which would not have been possible without money. Also, families which are poor are often the ones who needs money the most. Money can also be used positively by being donated to the needy as they are the ones who need it the most. Though donating a small sum may not seem like a very big effort, I am sure that the money will go a long way in helping the needy.

Money can give you a good life, but i think that money can also be a bad thing. Firstly, people who are desperate for money might resort to breaking the law and using underhand methods to get more money. They may resort to minor crimes like stealing or even serious and major crimes like kidnapping to get a ransom. As the saying goes, "money is the root of all evil". I find this saying rather true. For one, money motivates and encourages a person's greed. As time passes, he might become more desperate for money and resort to stealing to get money or when he finds a wallet or a large sum of money on the road, he will just pocket it out of momentary greed and not return it to the nearest police station. I feel that the fact that people are all desperate for money is largely due to the competitive society. When people compete for a job and a steady income, there will be those which are relegated and "kicked out" of the job interviews. When a person cannot find enough money to carry on with his life, he becomes desperate and will resort to other measures to get money. Though there is no way to actually solve this problem, there are ways to alleviate the issue like having societies that help the needy.

Thirdly, I feel that although money may seem to give you everything, it actually cannot give you everything. When you ever become an extremely rich person, it would soon come to you that money cannot buy everything, and it might seem meaningless if you cannot find people to share it with. In my opinion, it is still the care and loving relationship with your family that matters. If you have a united and warm family, I think that that is truly then you are the richest person in the world. To end off, I think that money cannot buy happiness in this world. Your family and friends are still the best assets you can have.

What is your perception of money? Leave you comments behind!

My Views on Singapore's Judicial system

2011-08-16T18:10:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone. Today I will be blogging about the current judicial system of Singapore. So basically, a judicial system is a law system where justice is used. To put it even more simply, it is basically how the judges in court rule and give out sentences. I feel that the current judicial system is rather acceptable, though other countries view Singapore's judicial system as too harsh and brutal, where even trafficking drugs result in a death sentence, and graffiti on public property is punishable by caning. However, I do not agree with their views on why such punishments are "too harsh" when these crimes itself are unacceptable in the first place. I will be elaborating further in this post.

Firstly, I would like to point out that only with such grave punishments meted out, the perpetrators of law will then think twice about committing crimes when he looks at the consequences of being caught red handed and sent to jail. Such punishments act as a form of deterrence to the people who want to commit crimes, like drug trafficking or vandalism. I feel that Singapore is a rather safe place to live in. Crime rates are comparatively low as compared to the other countries. Even when crimes are actually committed, they are minor crimes like vandalism which do not actually endanger human life while in other countries, there are serious

cases like kidnapping and murder incidents. The reason for this safety, in my opinion, are due to two factors, namely the fact that there is nowhere to escape to in attempt to avoid the arrest of the police, and that people are all afraid of the cruel sentences, especially the life imprisonment and death row. Hence, I would in fact agree that Singapore's judicial system is rather effective, even though there are objections to it due to the fact that these punishments are inhumane. However, I feel that once again, crimes like murder and kidnapping are inhumane in the first place. There is no need to show any mercy to these perpetrators of law.

Thus, back to the question whether I agree with the current judicial system. I still stand firm in my belief that this current system is effective. As long as people abide by the law and do their duty as a citizen and resident of the country, there would be no need for such harsh and so called "inhumane" punishments.

Any comments on this matter? Please respond!

Do Computers Benefit us?

2011-08-12T21:49:00.000-07:00

Most of us, the teenagers, who live in developed nations have a computer and we would spend most of our time on the computer as it keeps us entertained while we have nothing to do, allows us to do our research easily and store large amount of data without using much space. Surely there are more benefits that the computers can bring us but I would just elaborate more on these 3 benefits.

Firstly, the computer gives us entertainment anytime we want. We can just switch on the computer and search for any songs to listen to, for example, pop music, rock music, hill songs and many more. All we have to do is just to type the name of the songs we want. We also have access to videos to watch if we are bored and have nothing to do, we could also catch up on movies or television programmes we missed and watched them using a computer. We can also watch the movies that we like again and again without limit at all. Furthermore, we can play games when we have nothing to do. There are many different types of games on the internet that we could play using computer such as first person shooting games, role-playing games and so on. With the computer, we can play the games with good graphics. Hence, one of the benefits of the computer is the entertainment we can find in it.

Secondly, the computer has provided convenience to our lives. It allows us to gain access to information easily with the help of search engines like Google or Yahoo. With just a few words, we have more than hundred and thousand of links to choose from to find information for research or personal uses, enabling us to find what we need in a shorter time than to go to a library and browse through books for information. The computer has also allowed us to have easier communication with the use of Internet, instant messaging programs like window live messenger and social networking sites, such as Facebook. Through these 3 things, we are able to chat online with friends even if they are in another country or webcam with them, allowing friends to keep in touch with one another at the same time. We can also shop online and buy stuffs that shops do not sell. Hence, computer allows us to do everything from home, allowing us to have easy access to everything.

Lastly, we can store large amount of data without using much space. This can be a benefit not just to humans but also to the environment as it saves more trees to be cut down since we use less paper to store data or write down the information on it. Instead, we store the information in our computer and view it online anytime we want. This information can also be shared easily online and hence saving more papers since printing of information is not needed. By saving trees we are also saving ourselves in a way as trees are known to take in greenhouse gases, controlling the amount of the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Hence, computer allows us to store information or data without using much space, saving the environment and helping us at the same time.

In conclusion, computers have brought us much benefit in our life, not just the three benefits that I have elaborated but many more like keeping up to date with current events and many more. Computers are just of the many things that we mankind cannot live without.

Mercy - Should it be allowed?

2011-08-11T18:15:00.000-07:00

Mercy.

What comes to your mind when you see this very word? For me, it means to have compassion and forgiveness, and maybe a tinge of leniency as well. To have mercy on someone basically means to pardon his crime, or whatever he has done wrong. So, the main topic for today is whether the law should allow mercy. In my opinion, I still feel that mercy is not the way to go in law, and it should not be implemented nor encouraged in the field of law. There are a few reasons to why I disagree with the establishment of mercy in Law, which will be further elaborated on in this blog post.

The strict system of law only revolving around "evidence" has been in place for a long, long, LONG time. Be it in our modern courts or centuries ago, the judging is all based on evidence, hard evidence. When the sentence is ruled out after analysing the evidence and deducing the person in the wrong, the person will be punished accordingly. However, in this case, if mercy was used, the person who committed the crime would be pardoned and might just take a smaller punishment for his crime. Besides, mercy has no strict regulations nor limits and if the judge was lenient on the person, he would get away with his seemingly serious crime with light punishments. That person would only be further encouraged, when he is out of jail, to once again commit crime again, as he would only think again that he would be let off easily when he gets caught.

Secondly, this might also raise issues about fairness and equality. Since mercy cannot be measured, some judges may be more lenient on some people compared to others. People might be unhappy and feel that the judges are incompetent and fail to uphold equality and be fair to everyone and give the right amount of punishment the perpetrator deserves accordingly. Upon this, the law would have failed to give the right amount of punishment to each person, when he spares the person of the punishment he was supposed to get. The other party who was the victim might not get his justice and be on the losing end when the offender is not properly and rightly punished.

However, mercy may not be all that bad, if we view it in a different light. Firstly, if there was an offender on a death sentence, his death would be inevitable and if he was a young man, his future would be gone and his life wasted at such a young age. However, if mercy was shown by the judge and he is let off and might be just jailed for 20 years, he still has his remaining life to prove himself and carve a career and live his life. And if need be, he might still contribute to the society and can even choose to go on to educate young crime offenders and teach them not no go onto the wrong path and ruin their future. This way, by sparing a person's life, it benefits many others.

However, showing mercy is easier said than done. For the law to allow mercy means that people receive different treatment in accord to the crimes. They forgo their professionalism and this might also ruin their reputation for being unfair. Thus, I feel that it is not realistic to introduce mercy in our laws as it will only lead to further complications and them being worse than the current situation.

What do you think?
Leave your interesting and constructive comments on this post!

Home Learning Assignment - Task 2

2010-05-26T00:16:00.000-07:00

Task 2

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

Rainbow Death

Hubert Wilson

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

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

1. Point of View

I feel that the poem is written from the point of view of someone who has suffered the devastating effects of coming into contact with Agent Orange. This is evident from how the poet states "Execrable effects of agent orange spray!" to end off his poem. The poet also very clearly describes the side effects of Agent Orange, and states that "America did not foresee" the harmful side effects of Agent Orange. This suggests that he is probably a soldier and fought in the Vietnam War, and had most probably first handedly witnessed the effects of Agent Orange.

2. Situation and Setting

The poem is set after Agent Orange was used. It might have been set several years after the Vietnam war, when not only the immediate effects but the long term effects of Agent Orange were witnessed. The harmful long term effects of Agent Orange are witnessed on the future generations of the Vietnamese like "birth defects" and even "prematurely dead". It could also probably be that "America did not foresee" these effects on the Vietnamese children and tried to hide the facts and truth from other people, as seen from "All the deceit continues to spread", which most likely implies that America had been hiding the truth about the side effects of Agent Orange from the public, and this was still ongoing at the time when the poet was still writing the poem.

3. Language/ Diction

The title of the poem "Rainbow death" is rather ironic. When we see the word "rainbow", we normally think of rich and vibrant colours or have positive thoughts. However, this is contrasted by "death", something negative and ominous. I also feel that the word "Rainbow" is a reference to the rainbow herbicides, which killed and harmed many millions of people. Maybe the poet chose such an oxymoron to be the title for the poem because he wanted the readers to see a contrast between the aims of the Americans in using Agent Orange and the effect of using Agent Orange. The poet also uses the word "potpourri" to symbolise the different mixture of herbicides used in the war, like Agent green, Agent pink, Agent purple. There is also alliteration in the poem, as seen from "thinking twice?", the letter "t" starting in both words. The "t" sound is a harsh tone which probably shows the poet is mocking America for using Agent Orange.

4. Personal Response

This poem leaves the readers rather disturbed, as the poet keeps putting in images of death and disaster throughout his poem. Phrases and words like "Rainbow Death", "Toll on the innocent and unborn", Generations untold WILL pay", conjure images of imminent deaths and disasters. The poet also questions America mockingly with "thinking twice?" and sympathises with the Vietnamese. The readers have to have at least some prior knowledge on the Vietnamese war before being able to understand the poem.

Home Learning Assignment - Task 1

2010-05-25T22:33:00.000-07:00

Task 1

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

Rainbow Death
Hubert Wilson

After researching on the internet, I found out that this poem was basically talking about "Rainbow Herbicides", which was used in the Herbicidal Warfare Programme. Rainbow Herbicides caused tremendous suffering to the victims of it, and even the people who used or even just came into contact with the Rainbow Herbicides. The most prominent and commonly used Rainbow herbicide was the "Agent Orange", which is what the poet is mainly talking about.

Agent Orange is the code name for a herbicide and highly toxic defoliant(chemical sprayed or dusted on plants to cause its leaves to fall off) used by the U.S. military in its Herbicidal Warfare program during the Vietnam War. The main aim of using Agent Orange was to reduce the dense jungle foliage so that Vietnamese troops could not use it for cover. It was also to destroy the Vietnamese people's crops so that they did not have food.

From 1962 to 1971, Agent Orange was the most widely used among the herbicides, which have caused numerous health problems for the millions of people who have been exposed to it. 4.8 million Vietnamese people were exposed to Agent Orange, resulting in 400,000 deaths and disabilities, and 500,000 children born with birth defects.

Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agent_Orange
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnam_War
http://www.warpoetry.co.uk/2010warpoetry.html

Widow builds children a life-size cardboard cut-out of their dead father

2010-05-03T01:50:00.000-07:00

Hi guys.

I saw this article in the news recently which i thought interesting. It is about this British family whose father had passed away weeks after being diagnosed with not one, but two brain tumours in his head. Paul Challis, the father, had passed away at the young age of just 38. His wife and two children could not bear the fact that their father had died, and the mother decided to make a cardboard figure resembling their father, to keep him close to their hearts.

You can read the full article here:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/7651312/Widow-builds-children-a-life-size-cardboard-cut-out-of-their-dead-father.html

After reading this article, I had some thoughts about it. To me, it was just plain creepy. Why would they want a cardboard figure of a dead person for? Was the family being realistic? I feel that the family should just learn to let go and deal with the grief, and not use a cardboard figure to replace their father. The family have to face the music and accept the fact that their father is gone. All human beings die someday. The family should just accept it. The two children might not learn the proper way of dealing with grief, since they might just rely on the presence of their "living" father.

However, I also feel that it might just be the family's way of dealing with the grief of losing their beloved father. Well, a dead person is a dead person. They might as well just live with it. As the article quoted, "Telling the children was hard, they wanted to know why doctors couldn't make him better. "Molly, one of their children even asked, "can't we go on bike rides anymore? That's sad." This figure might just hinder the children accepting the fact that their father is dead.

What do you guys think? I really need comments!

5 months and counting...

2010-05-02T06:09:00.000-07:00

Hi people.

It has been five months into the year 2010. It is definitely a different experience from my secondary one life. It has been much more stressful, with much more homework and commitments. However, it also means an additional one more year to our ages, and we should be more mature in our thoughts. I shall now talk about the future class program that I have experienced for these few months. The future class program basically involves the use of computers to aid our learning, through the just-in-time-teaching method. I have seen people misusing the computer for other purposes. They use the computers for non-educational purposes like playing games and surfing the internet. I do not really feel that this future school program is actually beneficial. It is actually harming us, instead of doing us good. Also, sometimes we do not use the computer at all for the whole day and yet we carry the extra weight around. I feel that we students are still not at the age where we can learn to control ourselves and are disciplined enough to actually stay away from playing computer games during school. Maybe we can wait till we are older and more matured and then start using computers.

The June holidays are also barely a month away. I am looking forward to a break from the hectic school life. During the June holidays, I will devote half my time to doing homework, revision, ace and projects. A quarter or more of my time will be spent on other commitments like Co-curricular activities, and some enrichment lessons and sports like swimming and cycling, and some leisure time of my own to play computer games and stuff. I would also be going overseas to Hong Kong for a week and I am absolutely looking forward to it! This week would also probably be the best time to catch up with my family and better our relationships with each other.

What do all of you do during the holidays? Share your plans with me!

Being Normal

2010-04-27T01:40:00.000-07:00

I got inspired to write on this topic because of today's sexuality education talk on homosexuality...

So, what does being normal mean to you? To me, being normal is just being myself. I think that people see being normal as "fitting in" with the people around you, and their actions. Being "normal" is just not to stick out of the crowd and be different. When you do things differently or act differently from others, you are "abnormal" as you do not fit with the crowd. When you do not be in the majority, people will start picking on you. However, usually, you are being called "out of the norm" when you possess a certain quality that most, or all the rest of the people do not have. Hence, they get jealous or feel that you are a thorn in the neck, and want to "remove" you. These people feel that you are straying from the so-called acceptable path and think that it is within their right to chastise you for being a different person from them.

Also, in our society nowadays, certain gangster groups require their "new members" to go through a certain test. Only then can they be considered a member of their gang. This is an example of the things that you have to do to "fit in" with the majority. Otherwise, you are considered as different and atypical.

The definition of being "normal" can change with time. An example would be about fashion. 20 years old, people dressed very differently from us now. If one day someone dressed in an old-fashioned manner in the streets, in a "twenty-years-ago' manner, people would look at him, thinking of him as atypical and weird. Hence, there is no fixed definition of being normal and it all depends on the majority. However, I feel that as long as you are righteous and moral, being yourself is fine. Just do not be ridiculous. Be happy being yourself!

Determination

2010-04-17T07:12:00.000-07:00

I saw this piece of news in the papers recently. There was this boy named Jordan Romero who attempts to climb Mount Everest at the age of 13. If he suceeds, he will be the youngest boy to scale Mount Everest.

Initially, I was surprised when I first read this piece of news. How was a 13 year old boy going to scale a mountain 8000 metres high? He is of the same age as us. But as I reflected on this matter, I felt that this boy possessed a great deal of both courage and determination. Firstly, having the thought of climbing the highest mountain in the world already shows his courage. Not many people will even think of conquering a mountain like Mount Everest. There are also many dangers faced when climbing a mountain. Altitude sickness, glare from the Sun, and most importantly, the cold, are just some of the problems faced. To overcome these obstacles, one requires a lot of determination.

I feel that this can also be related to life. People always tell us to "never give up" despite the numerous obstacles. I think that life is just like climbing a mountain. You have a goal in life (to reach the summit), for example you aim to be a boss of a certain company. You will have to put in a lot of hard work to achieve that position(just like climbing up a mountain requires a lot of effort). When you finally reach the top of the mountain, you would have achieved your goal. When you do, you will be rewarded. However, the process may be challenging. You will have to overcome the odds and strive for the best. What I want to say is that we should always be determined in whatever we do. Without determination, you will lose all your drive for success.

"Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” - Winston Churchill

I find this quote very true. As many people say, failure is the mother of success. A failure won't kill you. You can still keep trying. That is determination. However, after you succeed, do not be complacent. It does not mean that you are forever successful. Also do not forget people who have helped you to achieve success.

Hence, I urge everyone of you to keep trying and never give up! Bye!

Communication Breakdown

2010-04-17T04:24:00.000-07:00

Well, its been some time since my last post. In this post, I will be talking about the CIP activity that I went for last week at the science centre. I and 4 other people from my CCA were supposed to be facilitators for an Infocomm programme at the science centre. However, when we arrived to register, the event organisers told us that they did not have our particulars! At that point of time, it was like we were being led on a wild goose chase. But how could it be? We started to call up our CCA chairman. He told us that he had already informed our CCA teacher-in-charge to email our names and particulars to the event organisers. We made another call to our teacher in charge. But in the end, she told us that she was not informed of this! There must have been some miscommunication in between the process of informing people. In the end, we headed home empty-handed.

What I want to say is that communication breakdown can be disastrous, just like what happened to me.

Firstly, Communication is a very powerful and important tool. It allows us to express our feelings and convey meanings to other people. There are also many ways to communicate, other than verbally. Facial expressions like smiling, frowning, crying all convey certain meanings and messeges to others. Gestures and actions are also a form of communication. You can touch someone, hold him, embrace or even pat him on the back. They all convey meanings. Even emailing or instant messaging someone is communication. Even the SMB we check everyday. As long as there is a display or exchange of information, it is communication.

Communication is important in our lives. This year, our School has introduced a new subject, OC (Oral Communication). This subject is to encourage us to speak up more often. As we speak and contribute to the discussions during our lessons, we will be assessed and given marks.

However, if this communication breaks down, (like what happened to me), it is disastrous. There are several reasons why communication breaks down.

Sometimes, people tend to just hear what others are saying, and not listen. They may miss out important information, and misinterpret intentions, or not hear what they are saying at all. This is just like what happened in my case...

Having good communication can maximise effectiveness. Like when we are doing group work. For example...

A : We have to do the presentation tomorrow. We have to finish this part today. Do this part of the powerpoint ok?
A : Hey? Are you listening?
B : Yea... Yea....

*The next day...*

A: Why didn't you do this part?!?
B: You didn't tell me to do it!
A: I did! Now what! Its due today!

This can happen sometimes. Fairly simple misunderstandings, if not detected can cause problems, and affect the productivity of a team. Hence, make sure you get the message across to the other party. This is extremely important.

There are other reasons for other situations.

Information Overload: Managers are surrounded with a pool of information. It is essential to control this information flow else the information is likely to be misinterpreted or forgotten or overlooked. As a result communication is less effective.
Inattention: At times we just not listen, but only hear. For example a traveler may pay attention to one “NO PARKING” sign, but if such sign is put all over the city, he no longer listens to it. Thus, repetitive messages should be ignored for effective communication. Similarly if a superior is engrossed in his paper work and his subordinate explains him his problem, the superior may not get what he is saying and it leads to disappointment of subordinate.
Time Pressures: Often in organization the targets have to be achieved within a specified time period, the failure of which has adverse consequences. In a haste to meet deadlines, the formal channels of communication are shortened, or messages are partially given, i.e., not completely transferred. Thus sufficient time should be given for effective communication.
Distraction/Noise: Communication is also affected a lot by noise to distractions. Physical distractions are also there such as, poor lightning, uncomfortable sitting, unhygienic room also affects communication in a meeting. Similarly use of loud speakers interferes with communication.
Emotions: Emotional state at a particular point of time also affects communication. If the receiver feels that communicator is angry he interprets that the information being sent is very bad. While he takes it differently if the communicator is happy and jovial (in that case the message is interpreted to be good and interesting).
Poor retention: Human memory cannot function beyond a limit. One cant always retain what is being told specially if he is not interested or not attentive. This leads to communication breakdown.

http://www.managementstudyguide.com/communication_barriers.htm

Home Learning Assignment - Visual

2010-03-01T21:26:00.000-08:00

Please Click On Image For Enlarged View.

Map Of Maycomb, Alabama

(Reference: http://www.enotes.com/images/enotes/9061/large.jpg)

P.S. I will hand up the hard copy on Wednesday.

Home Learnig Assignment -Intrapersonal

2010-03-01T02:21:00.000-08:00

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

If I was able to be friends with a character in the novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, I would choose to befriend Atticus Finch. This is because Atticus possesses many good qualities and morals. I also strongly agree with his beliefs and thinking. What he does is also commendable.

Firstly, the most significant quality about Atticus would be that he is courageous. To be courageous means to say or do what you believe is right, depite the strong disapproval from other people. This is what Atticus displayed, by fighting for a black man by the name of Tom Robinson. Tom Robinson had not commited any crime but had been accused of raping a white woman by the name of Mayella Ewell. Even though the jury knew that Tom Robinson was innocent, he still sentenced Tom to death. Though people discriminated against blacks at that time, Atticus however chose to be different, and stayed in the minority, as he believed that justice and morality was of utmost importance. Though at that time, in the courts of Maycomb, "when it's a white man's word against a black man's, the white man always wins", and although Atticus knew he was definitely going to lose the court case, he however still perservered and fought to the best he could. From this, we can see Atticus's bravery and courage, daring to stand up for a black man, despite insults from the citizens of Maycomb, like from Mrs Dubose when she said that Atticus was "no better than the niggers and thrash he works[ed] for". Thus, we can see that Atticus is a man of conscience, and will stand up for what he thinks is right, even at the cost of his reputation.

Next, Atticus is also humble. This can be seen from the incident where Atticus shoots and kills the mad dog Tim Johnson who was raving on the streets. Although Mr Heck Tate was supposed to shoot the dog, he actually handed the gun to Atticus, as he had the reputation of "One-Shot Finch", which was that he could kill anything with just one shot, he was extremely accurate. The Finch children are surprised that Atticus had such a talent, yet Atticus had never boasted about it to his children. He had also protested when Mr Heck Tate tried to give him the gun. This shows that he was a humble man.

Lastly, Atticus is very generous. Atticus had told Walter Cunningham not to worry about repaying him the things that he had borrowed, where he said that "let that be the least of your worries". Atticus would help a friend in need and not worry about the consequences or think about when Walter would repay him. This makes Atticus a good friend to haveashe would help you when you are in need.

Hence, I would befriend Atticus as he is a man of values and he is generous, humble and helpful.

Multiple IntelligienceTest

2010-02-28T17:31:00.000-08:00

(click for enlarged and clearer picture)

Above are my results for the Multiple Intelligience Test. I am more of a visual person. I am also equally interpersonal as I am Intrapersonal.

A multiple intelligence test is basically a set of 40 questions designed to test and evaluate your 8 aspects of intelligence(Musical, Intrapersonal, Interpersonal, Visual, Naturalistic, Kinesthetic, Linguistic, Logical), and see which kinds of intelligence you are more inclined towards.

I feel that the multiple intelligence test is not accurate. I have done this test twice(as I did not save the picture the first time), and both times the results were different. It is not accurate as people will generally be inclined to alter and fake their results and become the perfect scorer in all intelligience aspects. This is basically due to pride. How well one will score in this intelligence quiz is totally based on his/her pride. People with a high ego will generally do better in the quiz, and people who lack confidence and self esteem will do poorly in the test.

Many companies also get their employees to take the multiple intelligience test, and then sort them to different departments based on their results, supposedly to maximise productivity. however, this may not be the best solution as this quiz is not accurate. Instead of increasing efficiency, it instead decreases efficiency. This creates a negative effect which is not good for the company. (this is just my thoughts)

To sum it up, I feel that the multiple intelligience test is not accurate and may not be a good choice of evaluating a person's talent. In fact, looking at one's past record and achievements will be a better choice.

Integrity

2010-02-28T05:07:00.001-08:00

What is integrity? To me, integrity is being honest and and truthful in whatever you do. It is also to be straightforward and not cheating. I personally feel that integrity is a very important core value that everyone should have and uphold.

Integrity also determines one's character. A person who has integrity also has an unblemished character in every area of his or her life. Integrity plays a fundamental role in building and shaping one's character. And one of the best ways to develop your character is by consistently being honest and truthful in all that you do.

Having integrity is also beneficial. If you speak the truth all the time, and be honest in whatever you do, people will naturally believe in and trust you. In contrary, if you are dishonest, lie and cheat all the time, you will find that people have a negative impression of you and will not entrust you with anything. You will also find that you will lose all your friends as they do not trust you. Also, if you are hiding things all the time, you will also find your conscience bugging you. It is not a nice feeling to hide things from other people. You will not feel at ease in front of the people you are blanketing the truth from and be in fear all the time, afraid of blowing your cover. If you do not hide anything, you have a clear conscience and feel proud about it.

For example, it is easy to make promises but often very hard to keep them. But every time you keep a promise that you have made, it is an act of integrity, which in turn strengthens your character. As you act with integrity in everything you do, you will find that your life will be more enjoyable and vibrant. You will become an outstanding person as well as a success in everything you do.

I believe that to be honest with others, you must first be honest with yourself. You have to be true to yourself. You have to be true to the very best that is in you. Only a person who is consistently living a life with the highest values and virtues is a person truly living a life of integrity. If you are always honest and true to yourself you cannot be false to anyone else.

Though it may be hard to uphold integrity, but as long as you perservere, you will find that integrity is a very easy moral to adhere to - it becomes something like a habit. So be honest, act with integrity, and you will find that your life will become better, and the world will be a better place for you.

Changes

2010-02-27T21:35:00.000-08:00

Hi guys, I will be posting today the changes to my blog this year, as compared to last year.

1. New Blog Title
The blog title for last year was "Bryan's Blog". I felt that it was too boring and
plain so I changed it to "Its Tuesday Somewhere. Sounds more inspiring :)

2. New Widgets at the sidebar
I have added two new widgets for fun and recreation, in case you are bored after
reading my blog(which I do not hope is the case).

3. Hit Counter
To count blog traffic.

4. An image with every post
I hope to include an image with every post so that it helps to bring out the idea
of my post better.

5. New Blog Skin
I have decided to use a new blog skin. I prefer less fancy and more simple blog
skins, hence I chose to stick with the default blog skins.

6. New Target-At least one post a week
I will try to post at least once a week so that my blog will not be so "dead" and
lack readership.

7. More followers
I will need more readership this year and have more comments and interaction.

That's all for the changes so far! I hope to improve on my blog so if you have any suggestions please comment!

Procrastination

2010-02-27T05:55:00.000-08:00

"Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today."

After doing the comprehension assignment on procrastination, I feel inspired to blog about this issue. So, is procrastination good or bad? I shall be elaborating on this matter and making a conclusion.

Procrastination is the action of putting off or delaying or an assignment or work to a later time. A major cause for procrastination is distraction. In our information-rich and technology-driven world, it is more difficult than ever to avoid distractions. Even sitting in front of a blank computer screen can lead even the most disciplined person to be distracted and result in him to surf the web for music, news, or entertainment. Today, in our technologically advanced society, people tend to listen to MP3s or even view movies on their computers while they work. Online messengers like MSN messenger are powerful tools of distraction, with computers constantly signaling the arrival of new messages from your online friends. This is a main cause for procrastination.

Now that I have briefly explained what is procrastination and what causes it, I shall move on to the upsides and the downsides of it.

Why procrastination is GOOD
1. It generates more ideas, after you give your thoughts time to "ferment", and settle.
2. Wallet friendly. Prevents impulsive buying of things that you do not really need, as time is given to consider the usefulness of this object.

Why procrastination is BAD
1. A feeling that a job has been left undone is bad for our morale
2. Unfinished jobs leave a lot of clutter around which affects our efficiency.
3. Putting things off means accumulating jobs and urgency could crop up on the same day.
4. Procrastination when it comes to the notice of other people maybe branded as laziness and lack of interest in the job.
5. The job becomes more unpleasant the more you postpone it.

Now for the conclusion.

"There are a million ways to lose a work day, but not even a single way to get one back." ~Tom DeMarco and Timothy Lister

I agree with this quote. You can waste all the time in the world. But you can never get it back. Hence, use your time wisely. Do not procrastinate, though it may seem enticing. It really only results in work not being done and losing out in the end.

Sources
http://www.articlesbase.com/motivational-articles/the-5-bad-effects-of-procrastination-53456.html
http://www.spitefulcritic.com/2009/10/good-things-come-to-those-who-wait-7-reasons-why-procrastination-is-good-for-you/

Bizarre Wierd Names

2010-02-27T00:46:00.000-08:00

I guess the title should explain itself. Below is a list of the wierdest names you can find in Britain. Or Even the whole world. This is not counted as a blog post though. Happy Laughing :)

Britain’s bizarre names

Barb Dwyer

Pearl Button

Hazel Nutt

Ray Gunn

Helen Back

Stan Still

Jo King

Lee King

Terry Bull

Mary Christmas

Max Power

Paige Turner

Sonny Day

Tim Burr

Teresa Green

Will Power

Anna Sasin

Chris Cross

Doug Hole

Justin Case

Barry Cade

Chinese New Year

2010-02-15T01:38:00.000-08:00

The Chinese New Year is here! To many of us, it is a festive season where we visit and reunite with our relatives and get "hong-paos", or "ang-pows", which are red packets. Red packets symbolise luck and prosperity. It is also a symbol of wealth. We will also have to attend dinners with our family members and relatives. It is customary to do this every year.

I feel that the Chinese New Year has become more of a habit than a tradition, or custom. For example, people, especially children(as they are the ones who receive red packets) take the receiving of red packets for granted. Every year, Chinese New Year to the children is more money to buy their favourite toys and sweets. Children care more about the money in the red packets, than the meaning behind it. This is negative, as these children will grow up, thinking that red packets are equivalent to money, and learn nothing about why red packets are given in the first place. Also, just yesterday, I visited my aunt's house. It was a family gathering at my aunt's house and many of my relatives were at my aunt's house. Many red packets were given out. As I walked around the house, I saw my two cousins hiding in the corner below the staircase. As I walked over to join them, I found out to my dismay that they were opening their red packets. Red Packets were meant to be opened at home, and not at a relative's house. I was angry and snapped at them. However, my two mischievous cousins did not repent. They even retorted and one of them said "aiyoh, why 2nd uncle give so little ang-pow money? Only four dollars, so stingy!". I fumed at them and told them that it was not the money that mattered, but the sincerity. This is why parents should educate their children and make sure that they are less concerned with the money in the red packets. But instead understand more about Chinese culture. I wonder if the meaning behind giving red packets will fade away, and people will be more concerned with the monetary value in the red packets?

Any ideas on this matter? Please comment!

Multi-Tasking

2010-02-01T03:34:00.000-08:00

It has been a month weeks since the start of school. Secondary two life has indeed been stressful. There is a lot of homework everyday, and everyone has much more commitments and hence have little time for themselves. People tend to multitask, as they think this saves time. However, recent studies have proven that it is all not that good.

Firstly... Some brief history about the word "multitasking itself. "Multi-tasking" was a phrase first minted (in Silicon Valley) to describe computers that could run more than one program at a time. But in the 21st century, we've all become human multitaskers. There has been lot of controversy about multi-tasking and whether it increases or decreases productivity. There are pros and cons to multi-tasking. On one hand, it allows us to do more things at once and save time. Also, it can prevent boredom. On the other hand, multi-tasking can make us feel overwhelmed and may result in a poor quality of work. Hence, to make the most out of multitasking, I feel that it is important to learn to multi-task in a way that it reaps more benefits instead of losses.

There are many benefits to multi-tasking. We are able to do many things and include many activities in one day. This can make our lives feel more well-rounded and richer in experience. In a stressful and hectic world like this, multi-tasking is often the only way to get everything done.

Unfortunately, these benefits do not come without losses. Multi-tasking divides our attention and when we multi-task, work produced is often of poor quality and standard. To add on to that, we waste time instead of save time when we switch between tasks and have to keep reminding ourselves where we stopped. In many cases, tasks simply don’t get finished at all because we try to do everything at once and end up not accomplishing anything at all.

I feel that the key to making the most out of multi-tasking is to prioritise our work. Assignments that are of high importance and should be of high quality should be given sole attention. Assignments of lower importance and of short duration can be done together. This way, we will be able to save time and at the same time produce work of good quality.

What are your views on this? Please comment.

Sources:

2010

2010-01-19T00:30:00.000-08:00

Hi guys! It has been a long time since my last blog post. It is now my second year in Hwa Chong. It has already been a week since the start of school. Here I am, writing the first blog post of the year.

There have been many changes this year. First up, there is an addition of two new subjects – Oral Communication (OC), and Independent studies (IS). Oral communication is designed to train communication skills and prompt you to speak up. For independent studies, well, the name describes itself - independent studying. With two new subjects, this means that my workload is increased and I will have to work harder. Or doubly hard. Or triply hard.

Class 2o1 is now a future class, which means that we have to bring laptops to school to use for studying. Teachers will post up assignments on online platforms, and we students will do the work required. Our classroom is now equipped with larger tables and chairs (yay), which hopefully makes our learning more comfortable and conducive.

The new year also means that I am no longer a junior of this school. I will now have to set a good example for the new batch of secondary ones, which sadly means no more fooling around. Going on to secondary two also means that I will have less time for my own activities and I will have to devote more time to studying.

The road ahead is a long one. There will be many more challenges ahead, and I will have to overcome them. Happy 2o1-0!