Winter Council Retreat 2010

Hi to all those who read my blog. For this year's ProEd Winter Council Retreat, we went to Kuala Lumpur for a "holiday" with all my fellow councillors from two other consortiums, Ortus and ISpark. It was very enjoyable as we had gone there as a group and I have many experiences to share with you. It was definitely worth the while.

We took different coaches there with differing consortiums in different coaches. The bus took about 5 hours to reach Kuala Lumpur, and thus most of the councillors who brought there own deck of cards or PSPs were satisfying their desire to play while others were either sleeping or chatting to each other, taking advantage of the long hours to understand one another more in depth.

Our first stop in Kuala Lumpur was the High 5 Bread Town. In there, we gained more knowledge of the rich history of the development of bread and the making of bread. High 5 Bread was actually a small company with only a few workers, but now, with their far vision and deisre, they have evolved into the primary competitor to most outstanding bread companies such as Gardenia. Now, I understand the hard work that is needed to make such few loaves of bread. After the entire tour around the High 5 Bread Town, they gave us different products to try out such as their White Meal bread and their chocolate bread. It was really a place worthwhile to go.

After that, we were on the coach again, ready to head out to other places such as The Prime Minister's Office, Prime Minister's Residence, Putrajaya Lake and the Putra Mosque. We caught sight of the stellar architecture that made up most of these prominent places. We had taken a few pictures as our souvenirs. Then as we got back on the bus again, our friendly Malaysian tour guide then explained to us that the Prime Minister only had the power of pardon and did not have the power to rule the nation, which most Prime Ministers had. He was only a religious leader of the nation!!

As for the next day, we went to the Petronas Twin Towers and the KLCC. When I was told that the mordern day SpiderMan had climed up this majestic-looking twin towers, I was aghast. How could he even climb this towering towers without safety ropes or any other safety precautions??After taking some pictures of these two splendid towers, we headed into KLCC for a cool blast of air-conditioning and some window-shopping with some of my other friends.

Later on, we moved on to the Forest Research Institute of Malysia and we were given a presentation on the flora and fauna that could be found in this 150 acres of land and our very hospitable guide led us through a long nature trail through the forest, so that we would be able to witness the different kinds of trees that they housed in the forest of FRIM. We then headed back to our hotel for the planning for upcoming activities and programmes for the year 2010.

On the last day of this Winter Council Retreat, we went to the largest shopping mall in Kuala Lumpur, the Mid-Valley Mega Mall for some last minute shopping and to havew our own lunch. Then, we headed back to Singapore, joyous but fatigued. Looking back at all the photos taken at Kuala Lumpur and the fond memories there, I had learnt and experienced more about their culture and their political system. Not only that, but I had made more friends that both of us would be able help out each other in the future.

“An optimist is a person who sees a green light everywhere, while a pessimist sees only the red stoplight... The truly wise person is color-blind.”--Albert SchweitzerHi to all those who read my blog. For this year's ProEd Winter Council Retreat, we went to Kuala Lumpur for a "holiday" with all my fellow councillors from two other consortiums, Ortus and ISpark. It was very enjoyable as we had gone there as a group and I have many experiences to share with you. It was definitely worth the while.

We took different coaches there with differing consortiums in different coaches. The bus took about 5 hours to reach Kuala Lumpur, and thus most of the councillors who brought there own deck of cards or PSPs were satisfying their desire to play while others were either sleeping or chatting to each other, taking advantage of the long hours to understand one another more in depth.

Our first stop in Kuala Lumpur was the High 5 Bread Town. In there, we gained more knowledge of the rich history of the development of bread and the making of bread. High 5 Bread was actually a small company with only a few workers, but now, with their far vision and deisre, they have evolved into the primary competitor to most outstanding bread companies such as Gardenia. Now, I understand the hard work that is needed to make such few loaves of bread. After the entire tour around the High 5 Bread Town, they gave us different products to try out such as their White Meal bread and their chocolate bread. It was really a place worthwhile to go.

After that, we were on the coach again, ready to head out to other places such as The Prime Minister's Office, Prime Minister's Residence, Putrajaya Lake and the Putra Mosque. We caught sight of the stellar architecture that made up most of these prominent places. We had taken a few pictures as our souvenirs. Then as we got back on the bus again, our friendly Malaysian tour guide then explained to us that the Prime Minister only had the power of pardon and did not have the power to rule the nation, which most Prime Ministers had. He was only a religious leader of the nation!!

As for the next day, we went to the Petronas Twin Towers and the KLCC. When I was told that the mordern day SpiderMan had climed up this majestic-looking twin towers, I was aghast. How could he even climb this towering towers without safety ropes or any other safety precautions??After taking some pictures of these two splendid towers, we headed into KLCC for a cool blast of air-conditioning and some window-shopping with some of my other friends.

Later on, we moved on to the Forest Research Institute of Malysia and we were given a presentation on the flora and fauna that could be found in this 150 acres of land and our very hospitable guide led us through a long nature trail through the forest, so that we would be able to witness the different kinds of trees that they housed in the forest of FRIM. We then headed back to our hotel for the planning for upcoming activities and programmes for the year 2010.

On the last day of this Winter Council Retreat, we went to the largest shopping mall in Kuala Lumpur, the Mid-Valley Mega Mall for some last minute shopping and to havew our own lunch. Then, we headed back to Singapore, joyous but fatigued. Looking back at all the photos taken at Kuala Lumpur and the fond memories there, I had learnt and experienced more about their culture and their political system. Not only that, but I had made more friends that both of us would be able help out each other in the future.

“An optimist is a person who sees a green light everywhere, while a pessimist sees only the red stoplight... The truly wise person is color-blind.”--Albert SchweitzerHi to all those who read my blog. For this year's ProEd Winter Council Retreat, we went to Kuala Lumpur for a "holiday" with all my fellow councillors from two other consortiums, Ortus and ISpark. It was very enjoyable as we had gone there as a group and I have many experiences to share with you. It was definitely worth the while.

We took different coaches there with differing consortiums in different coaches. The bus took about 5 hours to reach Kuala Lumpur, and thus most of the councillors who brought there own deck of cards or PSPs were satisfying their desire to play while others were either sleeping or chatting to each other, taking advantage of the long hours to understand one another more in depth.


Our first stop in Kuala Lumpur was the High 5 Bread Town. In there, we gained more knowledge of the rich history of the development of bread and the making of bread. High 5 Bread was actually a small company with only a few workers, but now, with their far vision and deisre, they have evolved into the primary competitor to most outstanding bread companies such as Gardenia. Now, I understand the hard work that is needed to make such few loaves of bread. After the entire tour around the High 5 Bread Town, they gave us different products to try out such as their White Meal bread and their chocolate bread. It was really a place worthwhile to go.

After that, we were on the coach again, ready to head out to other places such as The Prime Minister's Office, Prime Minister's Residence, Putrajaya Lake and the Putra Mosque. We caught sight of the stellar architecture that made up most of these prominent places. We had taken a few pictures as our souvenirs. Then as we got back on the bus again, our friendly Malaysian tour guide then explained to us that the Prime Minister only had the power of pardon and did not have the power to rule the nation, which most Prime Ministers had. He was only a religious leader of the nation!!

As for the next day, we went to the Petronas Twin Towers and the KLCC. When I was told that the mordern day SpiderMan had climed up this majestic-looking twin towers, I was aghast. How could he even climb this towering towers without safety ropes or any other safety precautions??After taking some pictures of these two splendid towers, we headed into KLCC for a cool blast of air-conditioning and some window-shopping with some of my other friends.

Later on, we moved on to the Forest Research Institute of Malysia and we were given a presentation on the flora and fauna that could be found in this 150 acres of land and our very hospitable guide led us through a long nature trail through the forest, so that we would be able to witness the different kinds of trees that they housed in the forest of FRIM. We then headed back to our hotel for the planning for upcoming activities and programmes for the year 2010.

On the last day of this Winter Council Retreat, we went to the largest shopping mall in Kuala Lumpur, the Mid-Valley Mega Mall for some last minute shopping and to havew our own lunch. Then, we headed back to Singapore, joyous but fatigued. Looking back at all the photos taken at Kuala Lumpur and the fond memories there, I had learnt and experienced more about their culture and their political system. Not only that, but I had made more friends that both of us would be able help out each other in the future.

“An optimist is a person who sees a green light everywhere, while a pessimist sees only the red stoplight... The truly wise person is color-blind.”--Albert Schweitzer

Poem for Chinese New Year!

Sorry for the late posting of all my posts on my blog. Here I have a refined version of my poem for Chinese New Year. Please enjoy:



Red and a sea of red
Is all I see.
Then 'Boom' and
Firecrackers pop.
The sounds reverberate
Like numerous drums playing altogether.


I look around,
Still, a sea of red
Is all I see.
Silky, traditional,
Buttoned-down collars all around


In Chinatown,
Shoppers and vendors haggle prices
Which happen simultaneously.
The noise pollution.
I can't think.
The food is all so appetising,
But I can only stare and drool.
My parents buy the food,
But say,
"Ah boy, these are for the visitors!"


Visitors arrive,
They gorge on the delicacies,
Bite after bite.
I can only stare and drool.
But I benefit too as
Notes appear in red packets.


I saunter out,
quite dissatisfied with the food prohibitions but,
All around me,
Still a sea of red
is all I can see.



Thank you for taking the time to read this poem.


Ong Sean

Michael Jackson- The sudden death of ‘PETER PAN’

Michael Jackson, 50, who went from a wonder boy to a global pop superstar to a sad figure haunted by lawsuits, paparazzi and a few failures in plastic surgery, died in a Los Angeles hospital.

There is 1 thing reminded me of Michael Jackson. Not his song-Thriller nor his prominent Moon Walker-but it is his paradise, it is his NEVERLAND. I have been to Disneyworld in Orlando, Florida a few times and that is the best Disneyland in the world, I have to admit. But there is one amusement park which I long to visit-Neverland of late Michael Jackson. I hope that it will soon be opened to public to so that we will be able to mesmerize our King of Pop.

Here is a video on Neverland:



Neverland Valley Ranch (formerly the Sycamore Valley Ranch) is a developed property in Santa Barbara County, California, most famous for being a home of American entertainer Michael Jackson from 1988 to 2005. It is named after Neverland, the fantasy island in the story of Peter Pan, a boy who never grows up. It was Jackson's home and private amusement park and contained, among other things, a floral clock, numerous statues of children, and a zoo.

During his residency there, Jackson brought groups of children and their families to the facility as day visitors. He also hosted various children overnight, a practice which came under scrutiny when Jackson was accused of sexual misconduct with minors at the ranch, first in 1993 and again in 2003.

Here is a video on Michael Jackson’s Memorial Service



MJ was being accused for his immoral act on teens and I always wondered how his children judged this renowned singer. I even despised him and ‘boycotted’ his songs although he is mum’s idol. On his Memorial Day, mum spent the whole day in front of CNN to watch in tears. I joined her when MJ’s daughter, Paris Jackson, made her testimonial. “Ever since I was born, daddy has been the best father you could ever imagine,” she said. “And I just want to say that I love him so much.” It was an impromptu and unscripted speech and voiced from the bottom of her heart dedicated to her late father. I was touched.

No matter how ‘plastic’ and how immoral MJ was, he is forever the best father to his kids, he is forever Peter Pan –never grows up nor dies-in our heart.

A National Day CIP

Our school organized a Community Involvement Project(CIP) for the entire Secondary 1 cohort yesterday. It was done on a large scale, about 500 students went to Taman Jurong to collect newspapers and at the same time sold them to a specific ‘karang guni’ so that we would be able to donate the money for charity.

At 7.15 a.m., we gathered in school, eagerly anticipating for the bus to arrive at 9 to bring us to the Taman Jurong housing estate. This is my second CIP with my peers. At 7.15 we arrived at the terraces to watch the march-in of the Uniform Groups which include Scouts, St Johns Ambulance Brigade, National Cadet Corps and National Police Cadet Corps. They marched in with such dignity, self-pride that I too unknowingly, truly respected them. They marched an entire circle around half of the tracks in such a neat arrangement. Later at 9, the march-in and the celebration for National Day ended.

Then, our only ideal mode of transport arrived, a school bus. We all waited for the bus designated to our class to arrive. When it finally came, we were all drenched in sweat as beads of salty sweat trickled down our faces. We all piled up the bus in a chaotic manner.

Unknowingly, the small trickles of sweat were only just the beginning…

Once we reached Taman Jurong, we split up into our already designated groups. I was with Jarel, Brendan, Fabian and Aloysius. Jarel then shouted,” Let’s go!” We went in search of Block 349, the “lucky number” that we had been assigned to. He also said in a soft yet commanding voice,” We have 11 floors to cover, so we need to split up into twos so that each level there are two people doing it. Fabian and I will be doing the even floors, while Brendan and Sean will be covering the odd numbers. Aloysius, you shall guard our bags and the newspaper s that we will be carrying down. Any final questions?” Nobody muttered a sound. This was the start of my CIP.

We took the lift all the way up to the last floor, the 11th floor. We decided to finish level by level by using the stairs. Thus, we attacked the first two units to our right of the lift. On our first attempt at collecting newspapers, I could say that we did extremely well. The first unit that we had knocked was a middle-aged lady and she was very hospitable. She opened the doors with a broad welcoming smile while opening the locked gates and even offered us a glass of water, but we gratefully declined. Then she led us into the house where she stored the newspapers. Brendan and I were both flabbergasted at the stack of newspapers. It was two stacks and each stack was as tall as half the height of a normal bedroom door. We slowly and painfully carried the newspapers out. Although our backs were aching and our foreheads were full of sweat, we continued to working diligently. Our cheeks were both red, we thanked the auntie profusely and said that she was of a great help to us. She simply smiled and closed the door after biding us good luck and goodbye. Brendan and I had the same thoughts. If this was just one apartment, what about the other 25 units of the block? I could literally say that we were both going to be knackered after this CIP. At last after repetitive times of going down the stairs and carrying the entire stack of newspapers down for Aloysius to stack up, we finished the CIP. It was definitely a good warming up for me before my squash competition the next day.

This again made my Pre-National Day more meaningful and memorable. Like my dad always emphasizes to me to add-value to my life and enjoy every moments in Hwa Chong. I did a few CIP activities and met all sorts of people from all walks of lives. The next CIP I may want to do is to step into boys’ homes or orphanages so that I will be able to appreciate with what I have and contribute with what I own to those who are under-privileged of my same age group. Anyone who wants to join me, let me know. We can initiate our own CIP to the homes.

Thank You!

Indonesia Bombing---Mixed Feelings

The 2003 Marriott Hotel bombing occurred on 5 August 2003 in Mega Kuningan, South Jakarta, Indonesia. A suicide bomber detonated a car bomb outside the lobby of the JW Marriott Hotel, killing twelve people and injuring 150. All those killed were Indonesians with the exception of one Dutch businessman, one Danish, and two Chinese tourists. The hotel was viewed as a Western symbol, and had been used by the United States embassy for various events.

Another similar bombing, which is the 2004 Australian embassy bombing also took place on 9 September 2004 in Jakarta, Indonesia. It also occured at Mega Kuningan.

A one-tonne car bomb, which was packed into a small Daihatsu delivery van, exploded outside the Australian embassy at Kuningan District, South Jakarta, at about 10:30 local time (03:30 UTC), killing 9 people including the suicide bomber, and wounding over 150 others.

Ritz and JW Marriot are just milestones away from ‘my dungeon’.I was shocked to hear my mum breaking this tragic and barbaric bombing news to me after school dismissal. Immediately, tears were flowing down my cheeks as I asked if everyone at home was safe as our home is also at Mega Kuningan which is about 300 m away from JW Marriot.

I was told by mum it is forever unsafe for us Chinese, to walk on the streets of Indonesia. At the entrance of every hotel or even the shopping centres, there are security guards carrying scanning gadgets to search our vehicles. So I simply don’t understand how the terrorists managed to smuggle in bombs to blast the highly secured twin hotels!

The suicide bombing of the Australian Embassy occurred during my September Holiday in 2004, just as I was in Jakarta, eating my brunch joyously. I remembered vividly that it was at 10.30am while I was having my brunch alone in the vast dining hall. I heard a thunderous blast nearby, followed by the shaking of window panels and I also could see the wobbling of the chandelier lights in the hall. Our house maids ran to me nervously to make sure that I wasn’t frightened from the blasts. Immediately ,mum called from office, asking me to stay put at where I was and watch CNN to get myself updated with the situation while she was held up in Notary office located at Mega Kuningan Barat. At the age of 8 at that time, I was extremely terrified and burst into tears. But now, I am already 13. I felt differently, so raged with anger. I simply despise this kind of barbaric acts as it is simply inhumane.

However, in 2009, there is a similar bombing at the twin hotels, JW Marriott and Ritz Carlton, which are both very prestigious hotels to live in. On 17/7/09, the two suicide bombers entered both of the hotels at the same time and the bombs went off almost simultaneously at 7.30 a.m. The two suicide bombers dressed as hotel guests and just walked into the hotels, but in the first place, how did they enter the hotel with a metal device, when there are scanners at the entrance of the hotels.

The blasts at the neighboring Ritz-Carlton and Marriott hotels blew out windows and scattered debris and glass across the street.International hotels, which by their nature must be open and accessible for visitors and guests, make attractive targets for terror attacks. Complete security is virtually impossible, despite security barriers, metal detectors and high-tech surveillance gear.Anyway, latest reports in Indonesian capital Jakarta say that the death toll in two bomb blasts at luxury hotels on Friday has gone up from nine to twelve, while the injured list is still pegged at 50.

Don't the attackers know that by doing so, it not only ruins the economy of poor Indonesia but also keeps foreigners who want to travel to Indonesia away? Does Indonsia forever have to be living in poverty and insecurity? I am fuming but sad by the ‘terrorists’ acts and the terrorists who tried to destroy my home, my dungeon!!!

I simply don’t understand why Jakarta is always the target for multiple terrorist attacks. On the other hand, it also explained why Indonesians find Singapore a safe haven to land in.

This is a video about the bombing of the JW Marriot and the Ritz Carlton. Please take a look:

Cosmetic Surgery--Should I go or not go?

“It is just as acceptable for adolescents to undergo cosmetic surgery, as it is for adults. They have the right to decide what they want to look like, and how they want to achieve that look.”

As this is the debate topic for tomorrow's panel discussion, I might as well write a blog post on it.

As for my opinion, I disagree that it is acceptable for adolescents to go for surgery. Adolescents are also going through the period in which he goes through maturity and puberty, they all want to look nice and handsome so that they will be able to fit into the gang.This is also known as peer pressure. As other students look handsome, they feel that they are left out, and thus, wanting to follow them and be friends with them, they do not mind risking their lives and their parents' hard-earned money to look nice. Well. adolescents are also known for their rashness. They do not think twice before doing a task and just go straight into it. They do not consider their parents' feelings on wasting their money or their own feelings or even their friends' feelings before going for cosmetic surgery to change their looks and appearances, to look like a completely different person.

Not only that, but people who go for cosmetic surgeries are taking a gamble---to look better or to look worse. In fact, adolescents are risk-takers and they will do anything just to get what they desire for. Adolescents are also very stuuborn and they do not listen to their parents, and do the contrary of what their parents wish for them to do--- which is studying and make normal friends. The teenagers are always trying to defy their parents by going against their wishes as they tgink that they can handle themselves as adults. They think that they are able to make the right choices and desicions and need not follow what their parents want them to do. they are probably afraid that their classmates will laugh at them or mock them when they know that he or she is a goody-two-shoes and follow what their parents want them to do. This is also peer pressure as I had mentioned above.

However, if the adults can do it, why can't adolescents, besides, adults should set a good role model for their children,so if they do it, their children will follow in tow, and thus, it will be a vicious cycle that their family will be doing it too. Not only that, but adolescents are old enough to have their own thoughts, their own views and their own perspective of things. They need not follow what their parents want them to do. Adolescents are also matured enough to know what their dreams are and what they need and want. If they want to undergo surgery and risk their facial appearance to follow or even look like Michael Jackson, who needs to wear a mask to cover his cheekbones, then let them go ahead. As adolescents like to look nice to attract girls or for other motives, they always want to achieve that kind of look that girls will just gawp in shock and follow him wherever he goes.

Anyway, I still think that adolescents should not go for the cosmetic surgeries as they will not only risk their lives but also waste their parents' money.

Here is a short video on the risks of doing cosmetic surgeries. Take a look of the video from 23 seconds onwards:

Lesson 5 on IT Home Eleaerning--Blog Entry

The casino being built in Singapore is supposed to be a money-maker and job creator. However, many people have spoken against it. Talk to a parent or adult and get their view on the casino. Listen to the NPR and YouTube offerings and choose one that substantiates your viewpoint and include a quote from it as well. Your blog entry has to be at least 200 words and you must either support the casino or condemn its construction and ultimately the hardships it will cause in Singapore.

By creating the casino, a money-maker and a job creator, I think it would be helpful in Singapore after a careful decision by the government.

After interviewing my father for his views, he said that by building the casino, it would create many job opportunities for the citizens of Singapore and boost our Gross Domestic Product( a rate on how the country is doing on their economy) thus, boost our economy as there is much more cash. Also, the workers in the casino will be able to receive a stable income from the casino, thus, there is a sense of stability for their families. By building the casino, it would also promote tourism and thus, more tourism and more cash flowing in to the government. Tourists from Indonesia had to go to Genting to gamble, but now they can come to Singapore to gamble and tourists from Las Vegas or LA will also think that the casino in Singapore is newly-opened, and thus, they would probably come to Singapore too as they are also probably sick of their casinos in LV or LA. Not only that, but he also said that more tourist will look forward coming to Singapore for a tour and go to the casino for a spin of luck. This will create more money from the casino, and thus, the government will get all the money, reducing our loads on the taxes and the ERP. I totally agree with my father that it is good to build the casino in Singapore.

However, on the other hand, by building the casino, it will also cause some harm to Singaporeans. A quote from the National Council and Problem Gambling said,"20 years ago, only just a handful of women were gambling, but now, almost half are female." What does this show? This shows they there are more gambling addicts in the entire world. Not only that, psychologist Paul Goods from Atlanta even said," Women gamble to escape their routine everyday lives." Women and men are getting more addicted to gambling and this is a problem which will be happening in Singapore. More men will get addicted to the casino and they will have a broken family, ruining their family because of a man’s foolishness to gamble for once and get addicted forever.

Based on the points that I have written above, I think that by building the casino, it will be helpful to the Singapore’s economy.

My favourite poet Elearning Lesson 2

"In what country did your poems first become famous in?" A boy from an elementary school during the 20 th century once asked Robert Frost upon seeing him. " England." He answers, full of pride and respect. However, now his poems are not only famous in England, but all around the world.

My favourite poet is Robert Frost because he grasps the literary techniques and uses the figurative language very well, such as symbolism and personification. Although he does not use them too often, but there is a large impact on the readers when they read his poems which ae full of figurative languages. Some examples are that in the poem " Birches" by Robert Frost, Frost portrays the images of a child growing to adulthood through the symbolism of aging birch trees. Through these images readers are able to see the reality of the real world compared to their carefree childhood. The image of life through tribulation is the main focal point of the poem and the second point of the poem is if one could revert back to the simpler times of childhood.

This is a quote from a website called www.123helpme.com/preview.asp?id=52640. They said that "The language of the poem is entirely arranged through images, although it contains some diction it lacks sound devices, metaphors, and similes compared to other published works by Frost."

After having done research on Robert Frost, I think that his works can be compared to those who have published various famous poems such as Elizabeth Bishop, Elizabeth Barrett Browning and much much more poets. Robert Frosts has published many poems and they have received good claims about them such as the poem on "The Road Not Taken". He has a good grasp of English and is able to use them to his advantage and this is what I like about him.

He has published a lot of poems but I am going to share with you three of those that he had written, they are Birches, A Patch Of Old Snow and An Old Man's Winter Night.

Here are some of his background and important events that he had been to.

Robert frost moved to Massachusetts after his father died of tuberculosis. He shortly attended collage but dropped out and married, Eleanor White. He then took up collage at Harvard but again dropped out before receiving a degree.

His first book established Frost as an author and was representative of his lifelong poetic style: sparse and technically precise, yet evocative in the use of simple and earthy imagery.

In 1961, at the inauguration of President John F. Kennedy, Frost became the first poet to read a poem—"The Gift Outright"—at a presidential inauguration.

Frost's poetry mainly reflects life in rural New England, and the language he used was the uncomplicated speech of that region. Frost’s work has lots of emotion, with dramatic shifts from humorous to tragic.

He ended his poems with, “And miles to go before I sleep” to indicate Frost's philosophy of continual and productive work—whether it be work on his New England farm, or the written work required to create his poetry.

Cites:

http://library.thinkquest.org/CR0215687/robertfrost.htm

IT Home Learning: Lesson1

The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

1)The figurative usage of language in this poem includes symbolism and hyperbole. The words in which symbolism is used are "Two roads diverged" while the words in which hyperbole is used are " ages and ages" as it is an exaggeration.

The poet chose to use symbolism and hyperbole is beacause by using the hyperbole, it represents that it is unreaslistic and he is immortal and since this entire story tells the stopry of how he would heve liked it to happen, thus by using the symbolism. it would mean the different desicions that we must make in life or maybe even him wanting to make a different decision in life to probably a much improved way of living if he had taken the other path.

2)I like this poem because he tells the story or the poem in a way which he wanted and not how it actually happened, thus, it creates a sense of desire and longingness to want to know his side of the story. Not only that, but in the last stanza, it turned out to be a twist and he created a delibrate personal myth by creatig a persona in front of us. "A sigh", it could be regret or relief which is ambiguous and the last word " difference" is it positive or negative which makes me wonder. "Two roads diverged in a wood, and I -- I took the one less travelled by, And that has made all the difference." With the punctuiation, it creates a sense of hesitation and suggests a moment of uncertainty, momentarily pausing as if he is contemplating what to say just before he lies

Thank You.

Experience working in a restaurant

I had a very different holiday this time. I was forced by my parents to go to work in the restaurants instead of staying home playing my favourite Dota and watching Dvds. I was reluctant to work at first because I had certain degree of pride in me that I could not bring myself down to be humble enough to serve people. But now, I have equipped myself with this valuable experience in these two restaurants which I promised my mum that I will definitely want to work in there again in next vacations. Let me share with you how I spent my days in these 2 restaurants working as an illegal underage waiter!

20^th June,2009—

I entered the restaurant which is located in the heart of red light district in southern tip of Malaysia. That morning, I saw more than half of the restaurant packed with customers. It seemed to be a rush hour and a busy lunchtime. The tables were full of dishes and people sitting around joyously, eating the food while chatting away happily, and seemed oblivious to the noisy surroundings. The waitresses and waiters holding trays each full of sweet potato porridge and side dishes, rushing here and there to meet the customers’ satisfaction and requests. I saw my mum busily doing her networking with the customers around and wasting no time, she assigned one of the senior and experienced waiters to teach me how to serve. I saw my friend as he waved to me with a dirty palm. Then I realised that he was working in here too. I was delighted to see him and he taught me how to take orders and basic serving manners and clearing the tables for next customers.

After a hectic day of serving customers, I then realised the importance of teamwork and how hard it is to be a waiter. The importance of teamwork cannot be emphasized more. When the customers leave the tables and it is time for us to keep the dishes and clean the table, we must always do it in duos or even trios as the customers who are queueing outside needs to be satisfied. We must also lay out the table with chopsticks and wet towels, menus and appetizers before we can lead the customers to be seated .

During rest time, my friend and I sat down to rest but the others waiters and waitresses still continued their jobs and ignored their rest time. After the restaurant closed after midnight, my friend and I walked home together. I asked him,” How much is your pay per month?” and he answered ,” 1000++” I was so shocked. This was in Ringgit! It was about S$400++.Even though their pay is so meager, they still respect their job and try to make the most out of it by slogging their guts out until about 3 am per day. They do not have the mentality that we have that is” Pay less, Work less” .They have free accommodation and food served to them every 3 hour. What can they do with this amount of money? I really wonder…

21^st June 2009 Sunday-Father’s Day.

I put on restaurant ‘s uniform early morning at 10am. I was told by my parents that I needed to go to the 2^nd restaurant which is double the size of the first one to help up today. It consisted of 28 tables and it was a Sunday, also Father’s Day. We expected big crowds to turn up at the restaurant to celebrate Father’s day.

As it was only busy during lunchtime and dinnertime, thus we could sit down and slack from about 3 pm to 5.30 pm. Other than that, we had to make our leg muscles work and hold up trays with one hand while serving with the other. Not only that, but we also had to clean up the rubbish and dishes after every customer leave, making our hands dirty. However, this is part and parcel of the life of a waiter in our restaurant.

Also if customer does not want the towels and peanuts, we have to tell the cashier and she will then have to take note and not to charge the amount in the bill. If we do not and we pass the bill to the customer with the money for the peanuts and towels included in the bill, we will be admonished and the only thing that we can do is to humble ourselves down and apologise, which a person full of pride will never do, like me. However hard I forced myself not to do it, I still had to do it as I did not want to lose this customer. This was what I had to do on the second day that I was working as I met a drunkard. Wonder what happened to me…

Never judge a book by its cover is a phrase that I have learnt in this holiday. Those staff, be it the waiters or chefs, are mostly transmigrates, this means that they are people from other states of Malaysia, and Burmese. They leave their hometowns and families to come to JB to find a living. They are either below 20 or early 20s with very little education and simple background .However young they are or where they come from, they are able to speak perfect Mandarin and they are full of life experiences and are unselfish to share with me. From them, I can see that they respect their jobs so much that some slog their guts out and work to their fullest capacity. Their loyalty and diligence is really an asset to the restaurant and these are virtues that we have to instill in ourselves. Some even work 2 shifts in order to make their ends meet. With the meager salary, they spend little on their necessities and send the rest of their pay back to support their families. I take my hats off to them! Of course, there are some black sheeps too. Due to their ignorance, they spend their hard earned money in inappropriate ways.

These are what I have learnt through these two days of training. I thank my parents for this valuable opportunity for learning what life is out of the box and books. I treasure everyone I met in the restaurants, including the ‘frontline’ waiters and waitresses and the ‘backstage’ chefs and assistants chefs and most importantly, the customers. They add spices to my routine life. Thanks for making my Father’s Day so meaningful and educational.

Book Review on Nothing But The Truth

Q1)New Ideas of Myself
Book Read: Nothing but The Truth by AVI

After reading the book, I realized one important character that all of us must have, that is to stand up for your own rights when others think that you are in the wrong and stop doing something that you feel is right.

People are always against somebody who feels that whatever he does is right. People always think that the person who does whatever he think is correct as stubborn and thus, they stereotype him and they have a bad impression about him, thinking that he is one who does not listen to other people’s opinion. In reality, he has a character of standing up for his own rights and voicing out his own opinion.

With the example given above, that is why in real life, people who stand up for their own rights is getting lesser and lesser as most people think that by standing up for your own rights is an absolute waste of energy, effort and time. Therefore, most people prefer to listen to other people’s advice and follow as they do not need to waste their time voicing out their own opinion.

We must be able to stand up for what we think is correct and not let others control over what we can do and what we cannot do. We must voice out our opinion so that others would not think that we are weaklings and thus, think that they are able to control what we do and our thoughts of what is correct and what is incorrect.

By being able to stand up for your own rights, when you grow up, your boss will start to like you as he thinks that you are one who comes out with your own ideas instead of other workers who just follow what he says. He will think that you are capable and a born thinker and leader and thus have a good impression on you.


Q2)Two characters in the book
Book Read: Nothing but The Truth by AVI

The two characters in the book that I am about to compare is the two main characters that are described very well in the book, they are Miss Narwin and Philip Malloy.

Miss Narwin is a homeroom teacher who teaches in Harrison High School. She teaches Philip Malloy.

Miss Narwin is also being too strong-headed against Philip. She is always against Philip, such that every time when she hears humming in the class room during the national anthem, she will always pinpoint Philip as the person who was humming and he is always her main target. When there is humming in the class, she would ask,” Philip, is that you singing again?” without even getting enough evidence to pinpoint Philip as her main target.

When Philip is humming or even singing the national anthem, she will ask him if he was singing and when Philip continues singing without heeding the advice of his teacher, Miss Narwin will lose her temper and she will scold him and ask him to get out of this classroom to meet the principal in his office so that the principal would be able to deal with Philip without her needing to waste her time to berate Philip.

Philip is a boy who stands up for his own rights and says that by humming “ The Star-Spangled Banner”, their national anthem is to show his patriotism towards the country and show his loyalty towards his country. He does not follow what other people says and voices out his own opinion to let others reflect upon.

Philip is also a boy who does not want to let others control over him on what is correct and what is incorrect. When it was the last straw for Miss Narwin who knew that it was Philip who was humming, she scolded him and asked him to stop humming. However, Philip did not want others to control over what he can do and what he cannot do, thus he voiced out his own views and said that America was a free country and that he could say anything that he wanted.




Q3)Radio Announcement
Book Read: Nothing but The Truth by AVI
Are you timid and you do not have the courage to speak up? Then read Nothing But The Truth! It is a story that will allow you to stand up for your own rights and learn the true meaning of courage. Buy it now at any book store nearby!



Q4)Title
Book Read: Nothing But The Truth by AVI
I think that the title” Nothing But The Truth” is a good title because this book is all about the reality and the truth when Philip was being dismissed from school for two days for breaking the school rule which said to maintain respectful silence when the national anthem in school was being played.

Philip Malloy was only humming to the national anthem to show his patriotism and his loyalty towards his country, America. He was trying to show that America is his country and that he would not pledged loyalty to any other country by humming “ The Star- Spangled Banner”. Miss Narwin, his homeroom teacher then said that they should abide by the school rules and thus, requested for Philip Malloy to get out of the class room and go to the Principal’s office to let the principal deal with it.

The truth is that Philip was only trying to show his patriotism towards America to pledge loyalty and not trying to go against Miss Narwin or to try to break the school rules. Thus, when it was the last straw for Miss Narwin and she could not take it anymore of Philip’s singing, her anger rose and she asked of Philip to get out of the class. However, Philip voiced out his opinion of Miss Narwin and stood up for his own rights, saying that in America, it was a free country and that he could say anything that he wanted to say. He also said that it was not wrong of him to hum the National Anthem, “ The Star- Spangled Banner” during class as it was a free country.

His parents also said that they had been training him since young to sing the National Anthem as his whole neighbourhood has been doing since young. They are very supportive of him and with the reporters and the whole of America behind to support him, he believes that he is correct in singing the National Anthem.

Book Review on The Little Prince

Q1)New Ideas of Myself
Book Read: The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery

After I had read the entire book in one seating, I realized that we people are always too busy to care about others or even about ourselves. In the novel, the little prince visits six other planets and the narrow-minded world of grown-ups. On the first six planets the little prince visits, he meets a king, a vain man, a drunkard, a businessman, a lamplighter, and a geographer, all of whom live alone on their own planet and are overly consumed by their chosen occupations. Such strange behavior both amuses and perturbs the little prince. He does not understand their need to order people around, to be admired, and to own everything. With the exception of the lamplighter, whose dogged faithfulness he admires, the little prince does not think much of the adults he visits, and he does not learn anything useful. However, he learns from the geographer that flowers do not last forever, and he begins to miss the rose he has left behind.

From the book, it can be seen that people are always too busy and occupied with their own jobs and the things that they are going to do later on. We are always too overly stressed with our jobs and we do not take any time off to rest and relax or even stay at home to sleep. This accurately draws an image of what people are: Running here and there to get a business deal sealed, run to the train station to catch the train or even work overtime so that your boss will be happy.
I learnt to put my mind at ease sometimes after I had accomplished something or had done something very stressful. I will either read a book or catch the movie in the cinema. These few actions that I had just brought up are stress-relievers and I will be able to temporarily put my mind at ease and forget all my holiday homework so that I will be able to enjoy that moment.

Q2) Compare two characters in the book
Book Read : The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery

The two characters in this book that I have chosen are the fox and the rose of the little prince on his planet. Although the rose appears only in a couple of chapters, she is crucial to the novel as a whole because her melodramatic, proud nature is what causes the prince to leave his planet and begin his explorations. Also, the prince’s memory of his rose is what prompts his desire to return. As a character who gains significance because of how much time and effort the prince has invested in caring for her, the rose embodies the fox’s statement that love comes from investing in other people. Although the rose is, for the most part, vain and naïve, the prince still loves her deeply because of the time he has spent watering and caring for her.

Much has been written comparing the little prince’s relationship with his rose to the relationship between Antoine de Saint- Exupéry and his wife, but the rose can also be read as a symbol of universal love. In literature, the rose has long served as a symbol of the beloved, and Saint- Exupéry takes that image in good stride, giving the prince’s flower rose human characteristics, both good and bad. It is because of the rose that the prince learns that what is most essential to him is invisible, that time away from one’s beloved causes a person to better appreciate that love that was experienced between both of them, and that love engenders responsibility—all of which are broad morals that obviously extend beyond the author’s personal history.

The fox appears quite suddenly and inexplicably in Chapter XXI when the prince finds out that his rose was lying and that his rose was not the only one of its kind while the prince is mourning the ordinariness of his rose after having come across the rose garden full of grown roses together. When the fox immediately sets about establishing a friendship between himself and the prince, it seems that instruction is the fox’s sole purpose. Yet when he begs the little prince to tame him, the fox appears to be the little prince’s pupil as well as his instructor. In his lessons about taming, the fox argues for the importance of ceremonies and rituals, showing that such tools are important even outside the strict world of grown-ups.


Q3) Make a radio announcement for this book
Book Read: The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint- Exupery

Sarah: Hey, what book are you reading? You look so engrossed in that book.
John:*silence*
Sarah: Are you going to answer me?
John: Yes, yes. Oh, there you are, I was just reading The Little Prince.
Sarah: Oh!From the looks of your face,it must be an intriguing book to read? Who is the author? What is the storyline?
John: Should I tell you the storyline? Buy it and read it for yourself!
John and Sarah: Buy The Little Prince today and you shall enjoy 20% discount off the actual price!

Q4) The Title
Book Read: The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint- Exupery

After reading this book, I feel that the title “ The Little Prince” is a good one and it is very significant in the course of the entire story.

Just by looking at the title, you will be able to infer that The Little Prince is either very small and tiny in terms of physical size or his knowledge of the world is tiny or little. However, after finishing the book, you will be able to understand that The Little Prince comes from a very tiny planet not from Earth and thus, his knowledge and experience of Earth is still very little as on his planet, there are only a few volcanoes, a sheep and a rose. On his planet, he is the only human there and thus, he is not able to share his experiences and thoughts with anyone else. Thus, the knowledge of anything is still very little as there is no discussion between him and any one on his planet. Therefore, he comes to the planet Earth, to find people to talk to and to share his thoughts and ideas of Earth to. He also travels across different planets on his way to Earth so as to find out more about humans and what they do. He finds out that humans are very weird and they are overly stressed, such that they do not even have any time to rest. He also realizes that his beloved rose on his planet lied to him that she was the only rose in the galaxy, but after coming to Earth, he then realizes that his rose is not special and that there are many roses on Earth, thus showing that his knowledge of Earth is still very limited. He also realizes that humans make very good companions such as him and the narrator. They understand each other’s character and personality very well that the narrator does not want his friend to leave to return to his planet.

Having fun Vs Studying

Will having fun make you happier than studying?

I have been pondering over this question for the past few days. Am I really having fun when I play computer games, loiter in shopping centres aimlessly or even go to the cinemas? By doing the above activities, do they really make me happier than studying?? I think none of us will enjoy this- studying for the sake of examinations. This happened to all of us for the past 6 years in primary school and I believe we still have another 6 years in IP and another 3 to 4 years for our basic degrees or tertiary studies to come. All these studies come with targets and that is to achieve our certificates. We not only face peer pressures but also have to meet our own expectations. This makes studying less fun if we under-performed.

On the contrary, studying for the sake of our hobbies and at the same time having fun with our good friends, will be totally different. Like for me, I love golfing. You may be wondering what kind of “studies” I have to go through as a golfer? Well, there are books and theories for us to cover in the talent squad. I have to learn and memorize the basic etiquette of being a golfer, the rules and regulations on the greens, the difference in calculations of strokes, etc. I also have to practice hard in the golf range in order to be consistent in every golf ball I hit and get used to all the golf clubs that I own. Theories and practical are both equally important in playing golf and I have to sit for tests too in order to promote to another level. I have gone through tough training since young. I sit for tests in every golf camp in order to play well and maintain in the squad. But it never brings me boredom or stress, instead I enjoy every lesson, every stroke and every games that I have with my golf buddies and coaches. There are more things for me to master in golf which I am eager to go for it if time permits. I intend to study about the sports psychology in order to control my mood swing during competition. My bosom golfing buddy plays well in golf .He is almost a single –handicapper in golf and he is of the same age as me. He always corrects my strokes and tells me which direction the wind is blowing from and how I should angle my clubs and towards which direction should my ball land in. All these are strategies in golf and lessons to study in life. But it never bores me, instead I have fun with my peers through all these studying and discussions. So I think I can have fun too while studying something that I enjoy most.

Susan Boyle Vs Diversity!

I followed through the Britains got Talent! This is because I simply enjoy Les Miserables song- I dreamt a dream- and I supported Susan Boyle. I admire her courage and confidence to pursue her dream. She isn’t glamorous nor has elegance or beauty but she has an angelic vocal and admirable courage that causes her to become my idol. She turned out to be 2nd despite her improved stage performance and outfits. She lost to a dancing troupe-Diversity. I should say I had to take my hat off to this united dancing group. Not only did their unique and stylist chorography win the judges’ and audiences’ applause but also the team work that made them win champion! I kept repeating the two You Tube video to analyze the reasons for Susan’s defeat. However I can only conclude that although Susan didn’t win the title, she gained a lot of supporters’ hearts especially brought pride to her little ‘kampong’-Blackburn, Scotland.



I had learnt some lessons through this issue too-

Susan Boyle- Her relatives and friends and supporters in Scotland shared with the news reporters that they didn’t even call to vote for her as they thought she was the definite winner, surely the title would be win by her! In real life, there isn’t anything for sure that you will win. You put in your best in everything you do and hope that you will gain glory, but in actual fact, luck plays a part too! I had a very sour experience during my Inter-school Tennis competition when I was in Primary 4.I was leading 5-1 during the match with a so-called greenhorn, according to my personal coach. Thinking that I would bring pride to my beloved primary school and win the match and get them into semi-final, I started to play recklessly and this greenhorn, a neighbourhood school player, had a very strong fighting –spirit in him that he turned the table around and defeated me by 5-6!
I think Susan would have a bad night, like me, before. Life moves on and I learnt an ‘expensive’ lesson - never be too complacent in life! Blessing in disguise, I picked up golf and I got to meet lots of young and adult golfers from all walks of life, sharing the same hobby and most importantly, get exposed to lots of scenic courses.

So Susan Boyle, although she had lost the competition and did not have the chance to perform in front of the Queen of England at the Royal Variety Show, I believe she has already made her name. The next stage will be Broadway! She will be earning cold, hard cash in Broadway or London theatres.

Winning team Diversity are a 10members dance troupe aged 12-25. Their act won praise throughout the competition. TEAMWORK and UNITY helped them to win the title. It also reminds me of our class-1P1. We are ranked 2nd among all the 15 classes in Term 2 announced by Mrs Giam. This is due to all of our teachers’ contributions and our hard work. Lets continue to strive harder and live the 1P1 spirit!

Emotions in our world...

If I could eliminate one emotion from our world, which one would I eliminate? I have been pondering over this question for a few days already, and yet I still can’t make up my indecisive mind. However, only today then I knew which emotion to eliminate after we received our results…

I would remove jealousy. This is because jealousy can cause as much unhappiness as anger and also as much pain as torture. However, it would also be able to cause joyousness among those who are causing pain to others. It is both beneficial and a pain in our neck to us.

Let me give you an example: Students X and Y are rivals. Both of them want to outwit each other in terms of both academics and sports. On that fateful Friday, May 29, 2009, they both received their results. Normally, they would both ask each other what the score of his opponent was. They would say it at the same time and either of them would be jealous.

Jealousy can cause many side effects, such as killing himself/ herself, being more hardworking and study harder and much more. However, if you list down all the side effects, you will be able to see that there are more negative side effects than positive ones. By being jealous of someone, you will try to take revenge for whatever he has done to you. Anger will also rise in you and you will not be able to do anything to stop it. It is uncontrollable and you will feel like beating him up. This is an example of a negative side effect of jealousy.

Now, a positive side effect of jealousy is that when we are jealous, it will motivate us, make us strive harder to achieve better results.

These are the two reasons why I want to eliminate jealousy because it is a pain in our neck and also it will make Singapore constantly in a competitive environment.

Mum's Favorites Reads

Although my mum isn’t a vivacious reader, she always carries 2 books with her, either in her car or her handbag. This is to kill time while she is caught in traffic jams or waiting for my dismisal. You must be curious what kind of books she reads/do?

1. When do the good things start by Abrahim J Twerski,Rabbi,M.D.
2. Her all time favourite-Advanced Sudoku.

She told me ‘The snoopy therapy book’ –When do the Good Things start-used the poignant insights of Charlie Brown and the Peanuts gang, to outlines a practical program for coping with life’s problems by overcoming low self –esteem, building confidence, and getting rid of guilt. Mum told me this book helps her to overcome the grief over the loss of her beloved father aka my beloved grandfather. She told me that the therapeutic words are simple and easily digested. She learnt that if we wish to have the good things in our life, then we should focus on the things we want and NOT on the things we do not want. Our thoughts throughout the day have been on stressful situations and negative emotions at work and at home. It is little wonder that many of us don’t seem to move ahead and the stressful situations and negative emotions continue to engulf us. It comes down to this-what we focus on expands! When was the last time we had time-out to reflect and contemplate on our future and how we want our future to turn out to be? So mum’s philosophy about life :

Think rich and you will be rich. You will find an abundance of happiness, love and wealth in your life!

Another book she cant leave without is Advanced Sudoku! Mum, without fail, will do her Sudoku before she sleeps. It seems like it is her ‘daily bread’. Be it, successfully attempt or with mistakes, she will close the book after an exercise and move on the next day.

That is my mum!

Les Miserables By Victor Hugo

I watched Les Miserables when I was in Lower Primary when I visited my Aunty in NYC. Last month my friend sent me a you tube –Susan Boyle, I Dreamt A Dream-that I started to crave for Les Miserables again. So last weekends, Mum managed to get the DVD from HMV and I have been spending my nights in watching this DVD continuously.

Now I am going to introduce to you, my dearest friends, this Worldclass Musical Play which I am so fond of -Les Miserables by Victor Hugo. And I really hope to watch it LIVE again.

Here are some research that I gathered from internet:

Victor Hugo (1802-1885), novelist, poet, and dramatist, is one of the most important of French Romantic writers. Among his best-known works are The Hunchback of Notre Dame(1831) and Les Misérables(1862).

Les Miserables focuses on the struggles of ex-convict Jean Valjean and his experience of redemption. It examines the nature of law and grace, and expounds upon the history of France, architecture of Paris, politics, moral philosophy, antimonarchism, justice, religion, and the types and nature of romantic and familial love. The story is historical fiction because it contains factual, historic events, including the Paris Uprising of 1832 (often mistaken for the much earlier French Revolution).

Jean Valjean, released on parole after 19 years on the chain gang, finds that the yellow ticket-of-leave he must, by law, display condemns him to be an outcast. Only the saintly Bishop of Digne treats him kindly and Valjean, embittered by years of hardship, repays him by stealing some silver. Valjean is caught and brought back by police, and is astonished when the Bishop lies to the police to save him, also giving him two precious candlesticks. Valjean decides to start his life anew.

The most important theme the novel examines is that of transformation, in the individual and in society. Jean Valjean, the chief protagonist, is transformed from a misanthropic and potentially violent ex-convict to a man capable of heroic love and self-sacrifice. The force that transforms him is love. The Bishop of Digne offers Valjean unconditional love, trusting the former criminal with his life and giving him all that he can. Valjean finds inspiration for an entirely new life from this example. He learns to put another person first when he raises...

I may not be a good performer but I am trying to be a cultured appreciator!