Road Not Taken - Personal Response

    I personally feel that this poem is quite difficult to understand and is confusing, and people will have misconceptions as they read the poem. I think that the poem is more about the choice in life, which way we should choose the right path in life. Some paths are different from others, for example, the path the poet took was less travelled by then the one he did not take, but it will take some time to understand whether one had chose the correct choice. Also, it is mostly unable to be redone, as the poet had said that he doubted that he will ever come back to the same place.  

Making someone happy - Recount

    "Weihan, go and study. Stop playing computer games." My father's voice erupted my train of thoughts. I looked up from the computer screen and saw my father looming above me.

    "One more level! Please, Dad!" I cried. I was so close to leveling up! 

    "No!" My father's voice was firm. It was definitely important to get a good result for my PSLE examinations, but I was unwilling to leave my computer and start studying. Having no choice but to return to my room to study, I switched off the computer and left, dejected. 

     In my room, I stared blankly at all the books for the subjects. Where should I start from? It was so hard to choose which subject I should start from. I couldn't concentrate, still thinking about my computer game. Just then, I heard my parents arguing. "You can't just make him study. He will not be able to concentrate. Let him have some break and games for some time!" My mother was saying. 

     "No. I am doing it for him. And if he is tired he can rest for a while! I didn't have computers in the past when I am studying." My father was as usual, firm and determined.  

     "Alright, for my parents and for myself, time to study!" After listening to my parents, I decided that I will need a better education in Secondary school. It will surely lead to having better opportunities in the future, and thus being filial to my parents by making their life better. Examinations were more important than computer games anyway.

     Thus, I started to study. Days after days, I read through all my books and remember every formula for maths. Completely different from my classmates, who continued to play computer games and discussing about computer games. Many did not study at all, and I had to avoid the temptation of getting addicted to playing computer games again. 

     Finally, my hard work paid off. I was confident in all the examinations, and I was able to answer almost all the questions. Compared to many of my classmates, I would say that I did well. At the day of the result-announcing, I was surprised to see my name on the above 250 T-score. Wow! I was able to get above 250! I was excited. I rushed home and showed my results to my father. He was very happy. But, more importantly, I can have a better education and can make my parents even more happy in the future if I work hard! The sacrifice of computer games really paid off. It even made my father happy, but it will be more important for me than my father.

Character development or academic excellence

     Education is very important in our life. In schools, the two main part of education are character development and academic excellence. In Hwa Chong, academic excellence will be including our daily subjects, such as Language Arts, Maths, Science and Chinese. On the other hand, character development might refer to Arts, and other lessons that build our character. Currently, there is an emphasis on academic excellence. However, I have to agree that schools should be placed more emphasis on character development than academic excellence. Firstly, it will affect our relationship with others. Secondly, we will be healthier. However, without academic excellence, our life will be harsher. 

     Firstly, character development is important as it affects how well we can communicate, and more importantly, have a good relationship with others. We have AAT lessons, they help to improve our thinking. With the help of the AAT tools such as the Habits of Mind and the use of Socratic Questioning, we will be able to understand ourselves, and understand others better. This allows us to communicate with others. For example, Steve Jobs was the former Chief Executive Officer of the Apple company. He was able to understand the customers, know what they want. He was also able to communicate well with people, thus able to promote his products. He did not succeed in his studies, showing that academic excellence is not as important as character development. This also showed that it is important to be able to communicate well, and by having more emphasis on character development, it will be easier to succeed in the future.

      Secondly, character development will improve our health. Singapore is a fast-paced country, everyday we are rushed and stressed, thus leading us to be ill easily. Character development will be important. PE, Music and Art, they develop our character. Sports can keep us more healthy, as we need to exercise for a period of time per week. Music and art, if we can appreciate them after lessons, we will be able to relax ourselves, being less stressed. Illness is mostly because of our mind, if we are in a better state, we will be less likely to fall ill. Thus, character development will improve our health and more emphasis should be placed on it.

      However, we need some academic excellence so that we can achieve things. Teachers need to have knowledge to teach, we will need some maths in the future, be it being checking for errors in receipts, or being a scientist. It is important to have academic excellence so that we can achieve better results. 

      Even though academic excellence is important, there are many examples of people who did not have academic excellence, but was able to achieve great results. Steve Jobs, Bill Gates and even Albert Einstein, they did not complete their education but that did not stop them from succeeding. It is more important to have a    resilient heart, to never give up and give in to failure. IQ can get us a job. But it is necessary to have EQ to get a promotion. We might need academic excellence to make a step forward, but it is even more important to have character development to take more steps forward. We might not have the step forward for academic excellence, but we will need character development to pull us through. Thus, schools should place more emphasis on character development than academic excellence.

The Ideal School - Expository Writing

    An ideal school, one that will be the perfect for developing us students, the one which we will be most comfortable in studying in and one that allow us to explore and find out our weaknesses and strengths. Who will not want to study in such a school? To me, an ideal school will need to have good teachers, peers who are good influence and have facilities for learning in perfect condition.

     Firstly, for students to learn, we need to have teachers that teach us. Teachers should be friendly, should be willing to pass the knowledge to us, and should be able to engage us into the lessons by making them more interesting. Nikos Kazantzakis, a Greek writer and philosopher of the 20th century, said, "Ideal teachers are those who use themselves as bridges over which they invite their students to cross, then having facilitated their crossing, joyfully collapse, encouraging them to create bridges of their own." This showed that teachers also need to be able to help us students study well and be a use for the society. Thus, teachers are important in our life as they play an important role in teaching us.

     Secondly, we need to have ideal peers. There is a Chinese saying that "进朱者赤，进墨者黑”, which means that good friends have good influence and bad friends have bad influence. Nobody will want to have friends that are bad influence. Most students stray for the rightful road because of friends with bad influence, they might convince us to smoke, drink alcohol and even take drugs! This will cause a dent in our life, our life will change because of our friends. We should make a good choice and choose the right friend. Thus, friends and classmates will make a different, and in an ideal school, they will be as important as our teachers.

      Thirdly, an ideal school should have excellent facilities. An ideal school will definitely not have just 4 classrooms for 5,000 students! Also, other facilities might include the lighting, the ventilation and other support facilities such as rooms for science experiments and rooms for computer lessons.  Also, technology can be added to allow the school to have better facilities, just like the Future School @ HCI, where we use computers to help in our learning. This helps in the future, since the technology in the world is getting better, we will need to use technology in the future. Therefore, facilities can make a difference in our life and an ideal school will need to have excellent facilities, which should be in good working condition for us to use.

      In conclusion, an ideal school will need to be a place where we can not only study well, but also a place where we can make good friends that can affect our future. Although having excellent facilities might not be as important as good friends or good teachers, it can affect as in the future. Therefore, an ideal school should have good teachers and friends, as well as good facilities.

In-Class online lesson #12 - Logic and Decision-Making

Step 2:

     A common theme among the scrolls within the three caskets is judgement based on appearance. For the scroll within gold casket, it appeared that the Prince of Morocco judged the gold casket just by its appearance, thinking that Portia was worthy, just like the gold casket.  However, the scroll stated that the golden casket is a symbol of hollowness and treachery of wealth, and was a misjudgment of what the Prince of Morocco feel of the golden casket. This is showed by "All that glisters is not gold", showing that appearances might lie and we should not judge anyone or anything just by their appearance.
 
    For the silver casket, the scroll is written about the difference between appearance and reality, where the Prince of Arragon is depicted as a fool, "I will ever be your head", which showed that he is a fool. Also,the scroll showed "Silvered o'er", which means silver-haired and therefore appearing wise, but this is not the case,  as the casket was not the correct one. This showed another misjudgment just like the Prince of Morocco.

    Lastly, the lead casket's scroll was written, "You that choose not by the view". This showed that Bassanio chose not just according to the appearance, but actually chose after more thinking and was thus about the choose the correct casket, the lead one, and was able to win Portia.


Step 3:
     I stared hard at the four witness. As the detective of a small city of a small country, somewhere on Earth, I was in charge of such murder cases. The most recent one, and one of the most easiest one, was in my hand. The master of the Talelaki Mansion was murdered, and the only three people in the mansion were the maid, the butler and his wife, which was also the mistress of the mansion. The last witness was my best friend, George, and he was the most honest person I had ever seen. He was outside the mansion, going for a patrol, and saw the murderer, who dressed in black and carried a bloody weapon out of the mansion. However, the three other witnesses gave contradictory statements.
 
    The maid had said that she saw someone huge rushing past her, someone of the size of the butler. The butler, on the other hand, said that he saw the mistress came out of the master's room, where he was killed. Lastly, the mistress said that she saw both the maid and the butler rushing out of her husband's room and breaking through the window, and escaped. However, George said that he saw one person jumping out of the windows in the first storey.

     I digested what I had heard. George's statement meant that the mistress was not saying the truth, while it is possible for both the maid and the butler to be saying the truth. Hmm... If it were someone who broke in, that is not possible. I personally checked the windows and the doors, there was no signs of forced entry. It is the work of an insider. If the butler was the murderer, then the maid was stating the truth. There is no possibility of the maid being the murderer. If the two had worker together, then only the mistress is correct, but it is contradictory to what George had said. No, I trusted my friend, he is very honest. Why would the mistress lie? If the mistress was the murderer, then both my friend and the butler was stating the truth. The maid saw the butler rushing by her, but it might not be from the room of the butler. Yes, the mistress must be the murderer!
 
      "You are the murderer, Madam!" I pointed to the mistress of the mansion, and the mistress cursed before she could stop herself. Aha! 

Blog - Writing Prompt #17 - Character Illustration

      The room could be said to be filled with creepy and eerie insects. The bed, was in such a weird shape, in the shape of a cockroach. A cockroach, overturned, to be more exact. The table, was a butterfly. There was even flowers on the table legs, so real that it was thought to be a real gigantic butterfly. On this "butterfly" were pictures of insects, ranging from dragonflies to moths. No space left for anything else, just filled with insect pictures. The chairs were shapes of ladybirds, round and cute. On the caterpillar drawer, which was long and creepy with the amount of "legs". On top was a beautiful statue of a caterpillar, looking huge and big and strong. The wall was like a garden of flowers, and of course, bees flying here and there... The jars on the table could not be missed too. Filled with crawling cockroaches was one (freaky!), the other one with red ants. The last one contained houseflies. 

       'Lovely' posters of the cross-section of the exoskeleton of insects. Also, paintings and drawings of one thousand and one insects was filled on the walls, covering almost everywhere except for the awesome bees on the wall. Awards for the Spelling Bee Contest could be spotted easily, in the cupboard of a dragonfly. Even the lamp, on the floor, was a mosquito. Its abdomen was spilling light, it was creepy. Who knows who lives here?

Book Review

   Book review topic on: Jake Ransom and the Skull King's Shadow

      A fiction book I read recently is titled "Jake Ransom and the Skull King's Shadow". This book is aboutthe adventure of Jake and his sister, Kady, travelling across time into a different world populated by lost civilizations such as the Mayans and Romans. As they enter Calypsos, they find monsters like grackyls, monsters that work for the Skull King, also known as Kalverum Rex. Kalverum Rex, an evil alchemist, was the previous Magister, but turned evil and killed another Magister. He was banished, but, he built an army and was able to sneak his army into Calypsos from the help of a betraying Magister. As the story continues, Jake and Kady need to plan on how to return back to their own time and home, but before that, they need to defeat the Skull King, who seems to want both of them, dead or alive.

Reflections:

      This adventure showed much determination and resilience from Jake, as the main character. He was determined in defeating the Skull King and thinking of ways for them to escape back to their own time. He needed to race against time in the last few chapters, as the Skull King had attacked the city, and he needed help from the Ur, another lost civilization. 

       Also, he showed excellent courage, as he was willing to "sacrifice" himself by tricking the Skull King that he had surrendered. However, this was actually a plan, to activate the shield again and push the Skull King's army out. Lastly, he showed great potential as a leader, he was able to lead his friends to defeat the Skull King, and this was done through trust and teamwork. I feel that we should all learn from his characteristics, since it showed his abilities to survive in harsh conditions and to think calmly in dire situations. Thus, I feel that it is important for us to learn from him, both his mistakes and characteristics in the story. 

Link on Goodreads.com - http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5278010-jake-ransom-and-the-skull-king-s-shadow

Blog-Writing Prompt #15 - Forgiven Iran attacker will not be blinded

     Ameneh Bahrami, an Iranian woman who was blinded and disfigured when acid was thrown in her face seven years ago, decided to pardon her attacker just before his sentence was to be carried out. If I were Ameneh Behrami, would I had shown mercy to my attacker, or would I have insisted on eye-for-an-eye justice? I feel that since I am blinded and disfigured, I should not show mercy to my attacker.

   

      Firstly, I feel that by throwing acid in his face, it will allow the people of Iran to understand that for whatever they do, it will have an impact. As the Tehran's deputy public prosecutor, Mahmoud Salarkia, had said, "If this sentence is properly publicised in the media, it will stop the repetition of such incidents," I feel that such will discourage people from being rash and doing things without caring about the consequences. Thus, I feel that I should insist on an eye-for-an-eye justice in order to allow the people of the country to be more disciplined and be more careful.

      Secondly, the Qisas principle of sharia law, which means "retaliation" as an Islamic term, follows the principle of an eye for an eye. For that, I should also throw a bucket of acid in his face. I underwent 17 surgeries in Spain, but remains badly disfigured and blind in both eyes. Such an accident happened, just because he was rash and threw acid in my face. I feel that such was a cruel act and should not be pardoned. Thus, I feel that I should not show mercy to my attacker and follow the principle of an eye for an eye. After all, he was taught the same principle, and should know the consequences for such an act.

       However, human rights advocates have strongly criticized the punishment. They feel that it is too cruel. Is it right to just follow the Qisas principle and follow the principle of an eye for an eye? I think that it is better to show mercy than justice, and thus it might be better to forgive him. However, I think that such an act should not be pardoned, as this is too much.

       In conclusion, I feel that I should insist on an eye-for-an-eye justice. I feel that since I am blinded and disfigured, I should not show mercy to my attacker.This is to ensure more discipline in my country, so that we will have a better and safer place to live in. Thus, I should throw acid in my attacker's face.   

Reflections:
     I feel that although in this case, the attacker was too much and went on to throw a bucket of acid in her face, I feel that mercy is sometime more important than justice. Imagine a place where justice overrule mercy, and everyone just goes on about justice. Nobody cares about mercy, they just want vengeance if others do something wrong to oneself. Such a case will cause everyone on Earth to be hateful and suspicious of one another, not a single person will trust the person next to him! This is surely not what a world aims to be! Thus, I feel that sometimes, mercy is much more important than justice, and it is also important to forgive than to keep remembering the wrongs of others.
   
     Therefore, we should learn to forgive others if the mistake is not that huge. I feel that teaching the person of what he or her had done wrong is much more important, this way, nobody will be unhappy about it.

Blog - Writing Prompt #13 - Narrative dialogue between two characters

A: Captain, there seems to be a problem!

B: There had always been a problem with your intelligence, John.

A: Not that kind of small issue, sir! BIG BIG issues!

B: Your big issues are often small for me. So, what's wrong?

A: The spaceship's losing control! We will be crashing down towards the small planet they call Earth!

B: WHAT??? WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY EARLIER, YOU DUMB AND STUPID IDIOT?

A: Terribly sorry, but sir, you were saying that my big issues are often small for you...
B: That's out of point! Anyway, WHO'S DEALING WITH THIS PROBLEM?

A: Sir, our men are taking care of it, it seemed that there is some leak and the engine seems to not to be working well...

B: Well, you ARE my second-in-command! You take care of this mess! I do not want to crash on some planets without knowing who lives there. I believe there is oxygen in this planet of yours?

A: True, sir! This planet has got oxygen! Our air detector detects large quality of oxygen!

B: Good! Let me see, where this small planet is....

A: There! The planet over there!

B: Hmmmm.... It does seem like a small one, compare to our Planet Zow. I would bet 70 bucks that ours is at least eight times bigger!

A: You are right, sire. 

B: Of course I am, you fool! Now you go back in there and take care of the mess!

A: But...

B: But nothing! You useless fool! Hurry up or we are seriously going to crash and die!

A: Yes sir! Right away!

Blog-Writing Prompt #10 - Premature opinion about Strauss-Kahn's Innocence

      Recently, IMF director Dominique Strauss-Kahn was recently arrested on rape charge, and many people in the media judged him guilty even before the case got to trial. Was it fair for the media to form a premature opinion about Strauss-Kahn's innocence? I feel that it is not very fair to do so, firstly because the victim might not be stating the truth, and that they are in no position to judge him. However, as an important person, I think that he should not be caught doing this as it would damage the reputation.
 
      Firstly, the victim might not be stating the truth, and is just trying to cause trouble for Strauss-Kahn, or she might just want the attention. As shown in the Time magazine, 'The Manhattan district attorney's office was reported to have new information that undermined the accuser's credibility, including evidence that not long after the alleged assault, she called a boyfriend in an immigration jail in Arizona and told him, in words roughly translated from her native Fulani language, "Don't worry, this guy has a lot of money. I know what I'm doing."'
This causes some suspicion on her statement, that Strauss-Kahn had tried to rape her. The New York Times aso shown that she repeatedly lied to the police since making her first statement. With so many errors in her statements, who is going to believe that what she said is the truth? Thus, I feel that premature opinion about Strauss-Kahn's innocence is not fair.
 
       Secondly, they are in no position to judge Strauss-Kahn. Strauss-Kahn can only be convicted of rape in court, and without the court convicting him, we cannot know if he is innocent or not. Thus, it is very ridiculous that the media is making such a big fuss before Strauss-Kahn is even convicted, and I feel that it is extremely unfair for him.
 
       However, I also feel that Strauss-Kahn should b more careful, as he is an important person. Thus, he should try hard not to let such scandals affect him life, the fact that he was arrested on rape charge showed that he is unable to prove that he is innocent, and this should not be the case, since it will affect his reputation. However, this cannot be easily done, as Strauss-Kahn is not psychic and cannot predict what will happen to him. Thus, I feel that this case is unfair for Strauss-Kahn.
     
        In conclusion, I feel that the media and everyone who feels that Strauss-Kahn should be convicted of rape should not make a premature opinion about his innocence, as it is unfair to him and even if they are right, Strauss-Kahn is still human, and to err is human. We all make mistakes and we should not be making premature opinions about him. If the media wants to make opinions of Strauss-Kahn, I feel that they will need evidences to prove it.

In-Class online lesson #11 - Speeches and Public Speaking

   Theme: Prejudice

Speech topic: Can prejudice be prevented?

   

      Good Afternoon. Today, my speech will be about prejudice. Do we know anyone who had used any racist slurs before? What about prejudice remarks? I am quite sure the answer is yes. We had seen many people being prejudice towards others, in our school, in our nation. Why is there prejudice? Some people say it is because "bad people exists", but it is actually because people are judging people before having enough knowledge! So, I ask. Can prejudice be prevented? My answer is no, prejudice cannot be prevented.  

     

       Firstly, we need to understand what prejudice is. Prejudice is most commonly used to refer to judging of people based on their personal characteristics. We all like to judge people, some because they want to feel better about themselves, some because they are jealous of one another. This trait is hard to get rid of, because we humans like to be the best.Therefore, as we try to show that we are better than others, prejudice occurs. Thus, prejudice cannot be prevented.

       Secondly, there are many people who are not educated yet. This amount is about 15% of the total number of people in the world. Our world is big and our people is many. Even though the uneducated rate is decreasing, there will still be people in the world that never goes to school. These people will not learn about respect or prejudice, and will then be more likely to judge people based on their physical appearance, leading to prejudice. Therefore, even though we can reduce prejudice, I believe that it is impossible to remove prejudice. 

       I had asked if prejudice can be prevented. Now, I will state again, that prejudice cannot be removed, and it will remain in our life. In conclusion, I feel that although we cannot prevent prejudice, we can work hard to reduce the rate of prejudice. By doing so, our world will become a better and safer place to live in. It will be hard, but it is possible. Thank you. 

Blog - Writing Prompt #12 - Casey Anthony

       Recently, a mother named Casey Anthony was acquitted of murdering her two-year-old daughter Caylee, even though he didn’t report the little girl’s disappearance for over a month, and circumstantial evidence pointed to other suspicious behaviour. She was vilified both in the media and online; after the verdict was announced, the “I hate Casey Anthony” Facebook page received almost 39,000 “likes”. Should the general public show mercy by accepting the court decision and leaving her alone? I think that the general public should do so and leave her alone.
      
       Firstly, the court had already decided that Casey Anthony was innocent. She did not find out that her daughter was missing, this was because she had mental problems. The court had accepted this fact, thus she was acquitted of murdering her two-year-old daughter Caylee. What more do the public want? Why will it be fair for Casey Anthony if she is judged by the public for what she did not do? I think that this is unfair for her, thus, the public should show mercy by accepting the court decision and leaving her alone. 


       Secondly, even if she was guilty, how does it affect us? This case is in Orlando, somewhere in the United States. It does not affect us, since the majority of the human population do not live in it. Why should we not leave her alone and instead, create a “I hate Casey Anthony” Facebook page? I feel that all this is unnecessary, we do not have evidences to prove that she is guilty of murdering her daughter. Thus, it is silly for the public to do so, and we should leave her alone and not bother her.


       However, if she were to be guilty, it will be going against the human's rights, it is inhuman to murder one's daughter, no matter what reason she gives. However, we do not have evidence to show that she was guilty of murdering her daughter, thus, I feel that this is unfair for her if the public assumes this. Thus, I feel that the public should show some mercy and leave her alone.


       In conclusion, I feel that we should not judge others based on what we think. Such will be unfair for the person, and it is not right to do so. Thus, I conclude that we should all leave Casey Anthony alone and give her the benefit of doubt, and show some mercy.

Blog-Writing Prompt #6 - Negative consequences of Apple not allowing the full iTunes Music Store in Singapore

      Apple has only allowed the App Store in Singapore, but not the full iTunes Music Store, which means that iPhone owners can buy apps but not music, movies, or books through Apple. Their reason is rampant piracy throughout Asia. However, by doing so, they had created some negative consequences. These includes losing many potential customers, causing more piracy and causing less people will trust Apple and it's product any more.

     Firstly, Apple will lose many customers, since Asia has a huge population of about 3,880,000,000. This is more than half of the world's population. When Apple does not allow the full iTunes Music Store in Asia, this will reduce the amount of people buying the Apple's product from the iTunes Music Store. This thus reduces Apple's income from the sale of music, movies and books because people from Asia countries are unable to purchase them. Therefore, this is an negative impact on Apple when they do not allow the iTunes Music Store in Asia.

     Secondly, piracy of music, movies and books of iTunes Music Store will increase instead of deceasing. An comment on Apple not setting up a iTunes Music Store in Asia was that she "can't even buy a single song from the iTunes Store, and since original CDs and DVDs are too expensive, the only solution seems to be piracy". This shows that iTunes Music Store not set up in Asia will cause the people to not be able to purchase songs through the iTunes, and thus resort to piracy because original CDs and DVDs were too expensive. Thus, another negative consequence is that piracy will increase.

      Thirdly, more Apple's customers would not trust Apple any more. Nobody would like to buy Apple products if they are deprived of new products by Apple. Comments state that Apple is racist and only allows Americans to buy music, movies and books in the iTunes Music Store. This thus makes customers of Apple angry, and nobody would want to trust Apple in providing good services any more. This shows that less people will trust Apple and is thus a negative impact on Apple.

      In conclusion, I feel that Apple not setting up a iTunes Music Store is causing a negative impact on itself, and thus it would be better if it allows a iTunes Music Store to be set up in Asia.

Blog - Writing Prompt #5 - Descriptive Narrative prose(Without adjectives or adverbs)

     I glanced outside. There were trees, grass and flowers. I strolled outside. The breeze blew against me and I breathed in. The scent gave me a sense of elation. I loved the nature. Why must man cut down the trees? Why must man destroy nature? Sadness filled me as I thought about the men who came and cut down the trees in front of my house.
     I had just seen men coming here and cutting down some trees. This was one of last place that had scenery. The scientists had said that time is ending. I would agree. The air is filled with carbon dioxide. I filled like choking on the air. Oxygen was low.

     I walked towards the trees, grass and flowers. I touched the tree trunk, the grass and the flower. I hoped that nature will give everyone a sense of elation. I hoped that everyone will appreciate nature. I hoped for Planet Earth. Please stay alive.......

In-Class online lesson #10 - Shakespeare in the News

    A present-day conflict is the "New Australian Law to pass for burqa ban"

      It was a beautiful Sunday. But not so perfect after the Australians's most populous state New South Wales giving the police the power to ask Muslim women to life their veils! This morning, when I was going shopping with my wife in New South Wales. Two more days and we will be leaving to go back to our country. However, just as we reach the shopping mall, a policeman stop us, asking my wife to lift her veil! My wife refused, politely. However, the policeman refused to back down and told my wife angrily that she can be fined up to $55000 or having to spend a whole year inside prison! Of course there was a fuss. I was so angry! What is this! These people do not accept our culture!

       The New South Wales officials say that the law is implemented so that more authority for the police can be assure. I think that it is culturally insensitive! This law harms the basic rights of immigrants Muslims and us, tourists! Although this law does not ban anything directly, chances of burqa clad women being mistreated by police will definitely increase! Thus, I feel that such a rule is insensitive and Australia should make away such a rule!

Reflections:
   I feel that we should not have such a law, although it will mean more authority for the police, reducing crime. However, I feel that it is being insensitive to other people's culture. I think that it is important to respect others, and not create such a law that will anger those of that culture. In the history of Singapore, the Maria Hertogh Riot, was because of religious insensitive, thus leading to anger in the Muslims and such an unhappy situation ended with several deaths and even more injuries. It was such a horrifying experience that the Singapore government used Social Studies to educate the students about the troubles if we do not be sensitive about such topics. Thus, I think that maintaining sensitivity and thus not setting up such a law is better, since religion is a sensitive topic and the Australian government should be more careful and not have such a law.  

Blog-Writing Prompt #7 - If Antonio should loan Bassanio the money

     In Act I Scene I, Bassanio tried to borrow some money from Antonio. If I were Antonio, should I loan him the money? The three main points are that he still owes me money, he spends beyond his means and that he seems to recognise his past mistakes and more determined to live more wisely.

     Firstly, Bassanio still owes me money. However, he still tries to borrow some money from me to marry Portia. This is supported by Bassanio saying, "To you, Antonio, I owe the most, in money and in love", showing that I had lent him much money already. Also, he is a risk-taker and might not be able to return me my money, as showed that "In my school-days, when I had lost one shaft, I shot his fellow of the self-same flight, The self-same way with more advised watch", and he might lose both shafts, which represent my money. Therefore, if I lend Bassanio money, he might not be able to return me.
   
      Secondly, Bassanio spends beyond his means. This is showed when Bassanio says, "How much I have disabled mine estate", showing that he spends beyond what he had and thus caused himself to have debts. Thus, this makes me hard to lend Bassanio money, since it will be unlikely that he will be able to return me my money, and he might just spend the loaned money on parties and spend all of it.

      However, Bassanio seems to recognise his past mistakes and more determined to live more wisely. This can be showed in Act 1 Scene 1, where Bassanio says that "And from your love I have a warranty
To unburden all my plots and purposes How to get clear of all the debts I owe." This showed that he wants to clear all the debts he owe and thus shows that he is now more determined to live more wisely. However, I do not know if he will really do so, or it is just an empty promise.

       Therefore, in conclusion, I feel that I should not lend Bassanio money, since there is much risk in lending him money, and he might not return me my money. Even if he is my friend and I will help him with all I can, I think that not lending him is a better way of helping him since he will know how important money is and will thus not spend beyond his means.

Blog-Writing Prompt #4B - Gender Imbalance

     What will be the effect on Asian society by such a large gender imbalance if this trend continues? Firstly, the treatment towards women might change. Secondly, the growth of a country will be hindered by gender imbalance. Lastly, the population of the country will decrease.

     Firstly, the treatment towards woman might change. Beijing-based science journalist Mara Hvistendah stated that some men pay traffickers for abducted brides. In recent years, thousands of women from Vietnam have been smuggled into China to work as prostitutes or to be sold into marriage. Vietnam also provides a source of mail-order brides for bachelors in Taiwan and South Korea. As gender imbalance occurs, more men would be unable to find a wife. This will thus cause discomfort and some will pay traffickers to abduct brides. Also, many Vietnam women will be smuggled into countries for prostitution or for marriage. This means that the treatment of woman will change, because of gender imbalance.

     Secondly,  the growth of a country will be hindered by gender imbalance. A Radio Free Europe commentary stated that, "political and social stability in both countries (China and India) could suffer. It is feared that the millions of reckless young men could begin venting their frustrations through violence, crime and political extremism." This showed that chaos will begin to erupt when gender imbalance occurs too seriously and young men starts to show their unhappiness by creating trouble. This will thus cause political and social challenges, causing the country to develop slower.
 
     Lastly, the population of the country will decrease. The result of China's one child policy caused China to have 32 million more males than females under the age of 20. As China's gender imbalance continues, less males will be able to find a wife. This will thus decrease the birth rate and finally causing the country to have a declining birth rate.
 
      In conclusion, gender imbalance will cause many problems to rise and this will cause insecurity in many countries will serious gender imbalance. Therefore, it will be important to keep the sex-ratio equal. This is what countries should do in order to create security and peace in the country.

Expert Circles

EXPERT CIRCLE 1

Topic 1:

Shakespeare's authorship was first questioned in the middle of the 19th century, when adulation of Shakespeare as the greatest writer of all time had become widespread. Shakespeare's biography, particularly his humble origins and obscure life, seemed incompatible with his poetic eminence and his reputation for genius, arousing suspicion that Shakespeare might not have written the works attributed to him.The controversy has since spawned a vast body of literature, and more than 70 authorship candidates have been proposed, including Francis Bacon, the 6th Earl of Derby, Christopher Marlowe, and the 17th Earl of Oxford.
Supporters of alternative candidates argue that theirs is the more plausible author, and that William Shakespeare lacked the education, aristocratic sensibility, or familiarity with the royal court that they say is apparent in the works.

There are 70 over candidates and four main candidates were  Francis Bacon, Derby, Malowe and Oxford.

Francis Bacon is the most likely candidate because he was a politician and he knows the court.

Topic 2:

Queen Elizabeth I
Born: 7 September 1533
Greenwich Palace

Became Queen: 17 November 1558

Coronation: 15 January 1559
Westminster Abbey

Died: 24 March 1603
Richmond Palace

Buried: 28 April 1603
Westminster Abbey

QN1) Queen Elizabeth I: Shakespeare's Patron
The poet was throughout his life greatly indebted to the patronage and support of royal and noble personages; his royal patrons were Queen Elizabeth and King James I, both of whom gr0eatly loved the drama. Employer- employee relationship.
Shakespeare was ardently attracted to Elizabeth and her Court, and proved a faithful servant to his royal mistress

QN2)  Elizabeth I was the queen of England from 1558 to 1603
She became queen at the age of 25
She died on 24 march 1603 (aged 69)
She was a Protestant. This caused her much trouble with other country because of her strong belief.
She had more power than a modern prime minister or president. Often disagreed with the parliament.

QN3) ALLIANCE
ENGLAND + NETHERLANDS

August 14, 1585 – Queen Elizabeth issues a declaration taking the Netherlands under her protection

·         December 8, 1585 – Robert Dudley, 1st earl of Leicester (close friend of Elizabeth) leads the English army to fight The Spanish Forces who are occupying the Netherlands.

·         In return, Netherlands helped fight the Spanish Armanda when the English fleet was in peril.

 

CONFLICTS

Conflict between ENGLAND and SPAIN.
Protestant and Catholic respectively.

·         Triumph of England’s new Protestant church angered the King of Spain, Philip II.

·         Competition in trade Angle-Spanish War from 1585-1604

·         Elizabeth rejected Philip 11’s hand in marriage and cause severe blow to his pride of country

England and Scotland Conflicts.
Protestant and Catholic respectively.

·         Elizabeth cancelled a meeting with Mary, Queen of Scots because of Mary’s continued attacks of French Protestants. Mary was imprisoned by Elizabeth.

·         Many protestants wanted to replace Queen Elizabeth with Queen Mary, by an assassination plan. But it was foiled and Mary was executed, on 8 February.

IRELAND AND ENGLAND CONFLICTS, previously Catholic, had conflicts with Hugh O’Neill’s ambition to control Ireland and england’s advance on Ireland.

·         Ireland + spain, lost. Irish commanders received good terms from the new King, James I.

·         Elizabeth tried to eliminate Ireland’s Catholic churches but Ireland resisted, main religion changed into Protestant.

QN4) Portia:
Lead female in Merchant of Venice play.
Heroine who saves the day.
Independent woman.
Strong headed woman

Elizabeth:
Same as Portia.
Tribute paid to Elizabeth who was a patron of Shakespeare’s work
Famous of the defeat of the Spanish Armada
Strong woman like Portia
Gave England Identity

Topic 3: 



1. There was virtually no hygiene back in the Elizabethan era. Only rich people had soap, used perfume, bathed once every few weeks, and used something that was similar to a modern-day toilet (it’s just a hole in the wood with no flushing). Poor people fling their waste out of their windows. Women covered their body in white powder to make their skin look lighter. Hair was styled with lard and lead powder, and rich people who feasted on sugary sweets had rotten teeth.


2. There are things such as blood sports, such as bear-baiting and bull-baiting. Team sports were also available, like football (similar to American football) and soccer, but these sports were extremely violent as there were few rules. Individual activities consisted of fencing, in which a person had a risk of dying, and hawk-training, where gentlemen train hawks to hunt other birds. Other activities include a game called BOWLS (which is similar to modern-day bowling but much crappier) and of course, there were theatre plays to watch in the open-roof theatres.


3. The rich had numeral country mansions and tudor manors were remodelled for the rich to live in. The poor lived in mud houses within the towns and cities. The rich lived in the west, while the poor lived in the east, where modern fleet streets are.


4. Rich peoples’ diet consisted of sugary sweets, bread and meat, while poor peoples’ diet consisted of bread, cheese and fish. The thing about their diets is that it had almost no fruits and vegetables, therefore scurvy was rampant.



5. Bright colours, elaborate trimmings and excessive padding was the most notable thing in clothing during the Elizabethan era. Padding was so full that all outward semblance to the human form was completely lost, both in men and women.


Topic 4: 

1.Venice in the 14th and 15th century was fighting and acquiring islands and various territories on the way to the Middle East.
During the 16th century, Venice became one of the most important musical centers of Europe, marked by a characteristic style of composition 
The dominant religion in Venice was Roman Catholicism. Jews were evicted from England in the 1290s and were forced out of many countries in Europe in the 15th and 16th century. They were allowed in only certain countries like Venice because they had value and were beneficial to the country. Jews were discriminated by the Christians in the 16th century in Europe, especially in England and Venice. Christians saw Jews as a threat to Christianity and that they were inferior and were excluded from society. In Venice, Jews were restricted from working in certain sectors like in manufacturing. They were not allowed to be bankers, lawyers, doctors or merchants and could only be moneylenders, which were important to the Venetian economy. However, in 1516, there was a set up of a Jewish ghetto in Venice where several thousands of Jews were crammed into the small walled area and were restricted from moving to other parts of the city.

2. Venice became the first and the biggest trading power in the world, before the great expeditions during the fifteenth and the sixteenth century. Venice was also a centre for Renaissance culture in the 15th and 16th century. Architecture, art, music and literature flourished in Venice.

3. The personal travels to Venice allowed Shakespeare to gain a better understanding of life in Venice. Also, The Merchant of Venice had to be set in a place where Jews were allowed, since Jews were not allowed to live in other places of Europe. 


Topic 5:


1. The dominant religion in England during the 15th century were the Christians. The dominant religion in England during the 16th century were the Catholics during 1529-1559, and later the 3. Christians during Queen Elizabeth I era. The dominant religion in Venice in both 15th and 16th century were the Jews.


2. Jews tried to exterminate the Christians which sparked off a bad start. Unhappiness caused among both religions.


3. Many countries banned Jews in Europe during the 15th and 16th century. In countries that did not ban Jews from their country, the Jews were heavily discriminated and they had many restrictions. They were only limited to jobs, land ownership and residential areas that made them seem inferior from the other citizens.


Topic 6:

1.Open Air Theatres with no electricity or lighting


2. No electricity or lighting or sound amplification


3.People with a good memory and coordination for stunts partook in the plays. The general public could watch them.


4.”Queen Elizabeth” liked plays but the authorities did not.


5.Golden Globe theatre was a lot less developed than modern days theatres and the stages were usually bare with little technology

Blog-Writing Prompt #4 - Paragraph of narrative in sentences of seven or fewer words

    Darkness engulfed the day. The grandfather clock stroked twelve times. It was midnight. Everyone was asleep, except for one person. He, was talented at picking locks. Skilled, he picked the window lock. The window was unlocked easily! Before entering, he glanced around. He saw no signs of anyone awake. "I am lucky!" He entered through the window. Then, he began tiptoeing to the drawers. He opened the drawers and grabbed everything! Then, he placed valuables into his pocket. Just then, someone woke up! "Who is there?" The thief got a shock! He cursed under his breath. He needs to find a hiding place!

Online Lesson #9 - War poem

War poem on Spainish Civil War (1936-1939)

Life makes a sudden change
Destiny bonds us together
But fate changed it all

17 July the dread
Fate turned
Destiny changed
Life Gone

Republicans and Nationalists
Which is good and which is bad
I don't know
But war had changed my life and fate and destiny
And I would never forget it

They damaged our houses
They killed our people
They claimed it was for a better good
But all I saw was terror
Bodies piling on the floor
Blood spilling on the ground

Blog-Writing Prompt #3 - Would the world be different if human beings were not inherently optimistic?

    The world will be different if human beings were not inherently optimistic. Firstly optimism improve human beings' health. Secondly, human beings are more likely to achieve success with optimism. Lastly, human beings will be more happier with optimism.
    Firstly, being optimism improves human beings' health. When one's mind is optimistic, our physical health is improved. A study of cancer patients showed that pessimistic patients under the age of 60 were more likely to die within 8 moths than optimistic patients of the same initial health, status and age. This showed that those who were optimistic would be more willing to continue living than those who are pessimistic. Therefore, it showed that the world would be different.
    Secondly, human beings are more likely to achieve success with optimism instead of pessimism. An example will be Donald Trump. He is the Chairman and CEO of The Trump Organisation, a real-estate developer based in the United States. Although he had been bankrupt many times, he was still optimistic and turned  his failures into success. This showed that with the help of optimism, human beings can continue to work harder to achieve success even after failures. Therefore, if human beings were not inherently optimistic, they would not be able to try harder for success after failure, thus turning the world into a place where people are "born to be losers" and do not try to achieve success after failure.
   Lastly, people are more happy with optimism. When one is optimism, he thinks positively. They see negative events as minor setbacks that can be easily overcome, and view positive events as evidence of further good things. By believing themselves, they create more positive events in their life. Thus, they become happier than pessimistic people since pessimistic people have more stress than optimistic people. If human beings are not optimistic, the world will become a place of sadness, where everyone is unhappy with even a small thing.
     In conclusion, I think that optimism is very important in our life, since it helps us to have a positive mindset and reduce our stress, as well as giving us a better life. Therefore, without optimism, the world will transform into a negative and sad place.

Blog Prompt #2 - 100 words sentence without punctuation

   It was chaotic as people was pushing and shouting at each other when another person had bought what he wanted which caused him to be angry and thus wanting to attack each other but luckily there is enough for almost everyone and those who were unable to buy something at first rushed towards the stalls behind where more things like pears and oranges were sold and this created excitement in the people and they rushed towards those stalls with more things to prevent the things from being sold out but this is quite impossible because there is too much people and those in front are able to buy more things easily because they can see better than those at the back and finally when the day is over everyone but those who came late and could not buy anything went home happily including the stallholders since they were successful as selling everything they had to sell.

Online Lesson #9 - War Poetry

Passage A

1. Sandburg is describing the cannons on board of the war ships.

2. The "jackies"refer to the sailors on board the war ships. They are singing "war chanties" because they ae happy and wants to increase their morale.

3. In line 11, the oblong vaults mean graves, therefore the shovels will be used to create these oblong vaults. This shows and represents death of the sailors in a war. By stating "The shovel is brother to the gun", it shows a relationship between the shovel and the gun, also stating that death is related to war, since the shovel is representing the oblong vaults and the gun represents the war. 

Passage B

4. It shows that the normal citizens are supposed to obey and follow the soldiers. However, although it seems that the citizens are commanding the soldiers in stanza 1, I think that there is some irony inside.
5. It shows that the citizens have to rebuild what is being destroyed by the soldiers. It creates a feeling that it is very hard to rebuild what is destroyed. The persona feels angry at the soldiers for destroying the buildings, thus the irony in stanza 1. However, the persona has a sense of sympathy for the citizens, since stanza 2 shows the hard work of the citizens.
6. I think that it is harder to build a society again. A society can be destroyed easily, and there is little time needed to do so. For example, when Thaksin Shinawatra, the former prime minister of Thailand, was convicted of corruption, anger erupted among his supporters and started riots. This created disorder in the society, and it was done easily. However, to control and stop the riots, it took a long time and even caused deaths. Therefore, it is hard to rebuild a good society again after it is destroyed.

Passage C

7. In line 1, the "drum of hoofs" represent horses, which are used for transport in the past. The "beat of shod feet" represents the foot soldiers, who travelled by walking. Now, horses are no longer used for transport. Instead, tanks are used, therefore creating "hum of motors"- the engine and the "thread of rubber tires" - the wheels. It represents how the future wars would be, when technology are progressing, getting better and better.
8. One "king" was has been "kicked under the dust" is Thaksin Shinawatra, the former prime minister of Thailand, for corruption. He is considered a "King" because a king holds an important position in a country, and as the prime minister before being convicted of corruption, he held power and status in Thailand.

Blog-Writing Prompt #1 - Do you think that same-sex marriage will ever become legal in Singapore?

    I think that same-sex marriage in Singapore will not become legal in Singapore. This is because of law not accepting same-sex marriage, the low fertility rate of Singapore and their rights.

     The law in Singapore does not accept same-sex marriage. Section 377A of the Penal Code of Singapore is the main remaining piece of legislation which criminalises sex between mutually consenting adult men. Section 377A ("Outrages on decency") states that any male person who, in public or private, commits, or abets the commission of, or procures or attempts to procure the commission by any male person of, any act of gross indecency with another male person, shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to 2 years. This shows that lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) is not encouraged in Singapore. Therefore, I think that the government will not want same-sex marriage to be legal in Singapore, since there is a part of law that discourages LGBT. 

     Also, Singapore's fertility rate is very low, at a record low of 1.16. As the low population of Singapore will cause a negative effect, such as affecting Singapore economically and not being able to support the aging population which is increasing because of low birth rates. Therefore, the government will want more adults to give birth to babies, increasing the birth rate. If same-sex marriage is legalised in Singapore, the birth rate will decrease even more, and that is not what the government wants. Therefore, the government will not allow same-sex marriage to become legal in Singapore.

     Lastly, legal and immigration rights are not awarded to binational same-sex couples, where one is a Singaporean or Singapore Permanent Resident. Dependent visas, issued for heterosexual spouses, as well as tax rights, wills, and spousal insurance benefits are not included for same-sex couples too. Also, thee is no recognition of same-sex couples in most areas of concern such as hospital visitation and Central Provident Fund (CPF) benefits. Since Singapore does not change its policies frequently and unnecessarily, I do not think  that same-sex marriage will become legal in Singapore.

     In conclusion, I do not believe that same-sex marriage will be accepted and legalised in Singapore, since the government does not encourage same-sex marriage and that even Singapore's law is discouraging such marriages. 

In-Class Online lesson #8 - War: Living Hell

Diary of Civilian of the World War 2 - Japanese Occupation

Dear Diary,

                  Yesterday was a disaster for me. The Kempeitai, who had treated us civilians badly, beat me today. It was some days after my resources had been finished. During these days, resources were scare. The price of these necessaries soared and I had difficulties paying for necessaries. The value of banana money issued by the Japanese dropped, since the authorities would print more whenever they needed money.  This caused the food quality to decrease greatly. We had to be satisfied with staple food like sweet potatoes and tapioca. 

                  Yesterday, I was queuing up to buy some sweet potatoes. Just then, the Kempeitai came. Everyone started to bow to them. However, I did not spot them as I was busy choosing sweet potatoes. Immediately, they walked towards me. Finally, I spotted them and managed a small bow. However, it was too late as they started to pull me and beat me. Finally after I was rolling on the floor groaning in pain, they left with smug grins over their faces. I was angered, but could not do anything at all.

                   The Japanese Occupation caused great damage to the people of Singapore. We suffered loss of people, and many of my relatives were killed. Everyday, I wished that a miracle would happen and I would be saved from this nightmare. Also, we were too reliable on the British, which I believed that they surrendered    so easily. Singapore, in the future, is going to need to work hard to build up a solid defence, too protect Singapore from enemies. I hope that my children would e able to learn from the previous generation's mistake, and strive hard to make Singapore a better place in the future. 

                  That's all for now. I think I will go to sleep. Such a rotten day it was yesterday, and I had still not recovered from the wounds given to me by the Kempeitai. Hope I live through this horrible war.

Blog - Writing Prompt #17b - Home-Based Learning

    I think that the most interesting thing I have learned is learning how to use a Mathematics Software called Geogebra. In Geogebra, we can learn more on algebra and tables. Also, because it is easy to use and we can accomplish many things such as creation of shapes and even objects. In the Maths Home-Based Learning, we could explore the different kinds of tools in it. We created kinds of triangles and also an object based on what we learned. 

    Through Geogebra, I learned many things, one of it being constructing shapes easily using the software. I think that it s very interesting and I would like to explore more tools of Geogebra.

Home-based Learning Online Lesson Task 2

Selection - "Rainbow Death" by Hubert Wilson

                 Difficulty Rating: **

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!

Task 2:

1. Whose Point of View

Statement: The poet wrote this poem in the Point of View of a war veteran. 

Evidence: The poet is recounting what happened during the war. This is supported by "Reflective about all the illness, birth defects ad prematurely death". 

Elaboration: This showed that the poet reflected upon the war, how the deceit caused by Agent Orange continued to worsen.  

2. Situation and Setting

Statement: The situation is that the war created chaos in the people's life, deforming and taking away the life of many people . It took place in Vietnam.

Evidence: The poem suggests "Toll on the innocent and unborn".

Elaboration: It showed that the impact of the war not only affected the soldiers who were fighting the war, but also innocent peoples that did not take part in the war.

3. Language/Diction

Statement: The last word of the odd sentence rhymes with the next sentence. There is also personification.  

Evidence: This includes "unborn", the last word of the 5th sentence and "mourn" of the 6th sentence, "astray" and "pay" in the 9th and 10th sentence. For personification, it is supported by "America led astray" and "America did not foresee".

Elaboration: The personification showed America being compared with humans, being led astray and not foreseeing.   

4. Personal Response

Statement: I feel that the war was cruel and the effect of war was disastrous.

Evidence: The war caused "illness, birth defects and prematurely dead" and "execrable effects of agent orange spray".  

Elaboration: This showed that the agent orange caused extremely unpleasant effects of the people during the war.