Outlast

THN (The Happy Newspaper)

2010-08-19T05:44:00.001-07:00

THN will tell us real news which have been exaggerated, understated or sarcasticisized. There might be made up speech by made up/real people. It also has a tinge of humour to it. So...
(Disclaimer: For fun, hope no harm done)

News: Tests over! Now ACE?!

After the recent test week, tests are now over. However, now is time to spam ACE. After the 5 day-long test week, now is a 1 day long ACE spamming. Many people found out that the ACE deadline is tomorrow only recently. There have been several feedback:
Student A---"What? I haven't even started on ACE yet!"
" B---"Woah, you must be joking..." (carries on to play halo)
Student C---"Lucky 'cheong' ace finish liao, June Holidays already do" (carries on to do some more ACE)
Teacher A---"No one hand up ACE yet... This week my inbox would be spammed." ( :( )

However after the smb message was posted:

Dear Boys,
It has come to my notice that some of you have not been able to hand in Term 3 ACE work on time for your teachers to grade. As such they will not be able to key in ACE marks for you next Monday. As this is the first year we're running the new ACE system, it has been decided that you will be allowed to submit ACE work to teachers, for subjects you've opted for this term, till next Friday (27 Aug 2010, 1330).

Your teachers will grade your work and only key in your marks in term 4.

Please do not impose on your teachers to mark what you submit after the deadlines they have set this term so as to get the marks entered next Monday.

Your submissions by next Friday will not be considered for exemption and will only be entered in Term 4. You can only submit ACE for subjects you have opted for Term 3.

Many people started to slack.

Student A: "Phew, mass halo time!"
Student B: "I told you it was a joke" (continues to play halo) "Yeah fuel rod gun"
Student C: "Zzzz... make me do all for nothing, time to relax!" (runs to do homework)
Teacher A: "Yeah, now got one more week to receive the spam mail"

Therefore, we can conclude that having the ACE deadline after tests is bad. :)

Acronym

2010-08-02T05:34:00.000-07:00

I luv acronyms. You can form them in to some funny (or lame) phrase. For example, waka-waka. (Woah Apple Kick Apple, Wee Ain't Kicking Atrocious/Awesome.) And you can poke (Play On King's Elephant)fun with people acronym, like LA, language arts can become (Lol, Apple). Acronyms can also come from a random (Radio animation nonsense? Don't Overestimate eM') word. Sometimes, when i am reading through a book or getting bored, i think of a random word and form an acronym. ACRONYM. (Arcane Capturing Rod OF Never Yielding Mystery). :D

Maths ACE

2010-07-31T01:24:00.000-07:00

Image courtesy:http://ranfurly13.wikispaces.com/file/view/maths.jpg/124436059/maths.jpg

Yippee! Finally completed my Maths ACE. I took 3 days to do a flash and a website. Quite fast. :)
For the flash, i was quite frustrated halfway as something went wrong in the project, causing this problem-when I was copying something into a frame, it copied to the other frames too. To make matters worse, I only hae one layer (meaning everything is in one slideshow, like a powerpoint). This makes it hard to configure. I solved it in the end by changing the frames to keyframes and everything worked fine! I was elated then. :)
Next, I did my website. I did not want to start from scratch so I took my previous IS assignment a year before on my portfoilio. I did not need to quote it after all I did it and I was the one who copyrighted it. Yeah! Then sourcing the information was quick too. Here is the link: http://www2.hci.edu.sg/y09hci0015/mathsgoldenhome.html

Whitewater Rafting @Kampar River

2010-06-28T04:02:00.000-07:00

The one in the yellow helmet is me.

Yup, you got that right. During one of the days in my 2010 June holidays trip, I went whitewater rafting. So what is whitewater rafting? Why is it called whitewater? Whitewater is when the water currents splash against each other, causing this "white" colour. The boat is not a raft as what I previously thought, it is like a tug boat. At first, I was afraid that I will get seasick (though this is not in the sea), for I have motion sickness (carsickness, airsickness and seasickness) To my journey to Kampar River, I had carsickness, for the road was winding as it was heading to the countryside. As I journeyed my way down to the river, I was shocked. The river was bumpy, had ravines and is rocky too. (due to the low tide) However, before we began, our instructor teach us (our group and another group) on the safety precautions we had to take. We were each issued a helmet, lifejacket and an oar.

After wearing them on, we started. The first ravine was a double drop, and we got ourselves wet. But that was the least of our troubles, we were almost flung out of the boat, I slipped and fall forward, and so did my brother. Luckily, our helmet prevented us from getting hurt. We continued rafting and rafting. Sometimes, our boat would get stuck against the rock, and we all had to shift to one side and start moving about. After a few more ravines and some rafting, we were told to get off the boat. Then, we had to lie back and float along with the current. It was frightening at first, but soon, it was quite fun lying back, knowing you cannot touch the ground. Luckily, the lifejacket kept us buoyant. Then, our guides "parked" our boats along the seabanks, and we rest along the river. My brother and I was splashing about the water, swimming with our lifejackets and trying to swim against the current. My parents were sieving the sand hoping to find tin (there was an ex-tin mining area, but was closed due to its low value). To their amazement, they did find lots of tin. Shiny... Looks like silver. Maybe they are...

Soon, we boarded our boat and started rafting to the end. Sighs... Our trip had ended. Luckily, we had some delicious food from the hotel to end our journey! Mmmmhmm, lunch... Western with BBQ and tomato sauce :D

Rainbow Death

2010-06-28T03:36:00.000-07:00

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!
Hubert Wilson

Background information:

"Rumors persist of still another more toxic color coded herbicide at the end of this deadly rainbow!

I am a Vietnam War veteran (as are my four brothers) who served in the USAF Security Service. I, along with a dozen or so intelligence school grads, prepped for about 14 months at Kelly AFB in San Antonio, Texas, before anticipating being sent to Vietnam or elsewhere in southeat Asia in 1970. About half ended up in Da Nang (an Agent Orange hotspot) in the 6924th Security Squadron. The rest of us were assigned to Shemya Island, Alaska, with the 6984th Security Squadron, and what eventually was a MORE contaminated environment than Da Nang!
My health problems started approximately 15 years ago with unexplained headaches and limb pains. Four years ago my central nervous system radically deteriorated with Parkinsonian type tremors, severe headaches, progressive limb pains, etc. No physician has ever diagnosed the specific illness. NO VA physician has ever rendered ANY medical assistance! My number one educated guess is the heavily contaminated drinking water at Shemya during my year there as an intelligence analyst. Organo-phosphate toxins may not run their toxic course until 20 to 30 years after initial exposure.

Since my brain still functions moderately well (and I have mobility issues), I have turned to writing just like my late Father and the late singer (and writer) Johnny Cash."

Hubert Wilson.

1. Point of View(Evidence): The poet is writing in the point of view about recounting on the horrors of this herbicidal war.
Point of View(Elaboration): He recounts the damage brought by herbicidal warfare. The poet says how dangerous this herbicidal weapon is, how it deforms people.

2.Situation and setting(Evidence):The situation is when a herbicide war breaks out and lots of people are deformed and killed. Not only the soldiers are hurt, but the innocent are too.
Situation and setting(Elaboration): Not only the soliders are hurt, but the innocent are too. This shows how merciless the people are, how many innocent lifes they have taken, hurt, physically or mentally.

3. Language and diction(Evidence): There is a ABABAB rhyme scheme, imagery, personification and sarcasm.
Langyage and diction(Elaboration):For the rhyme scheme, there is a ABABAB format, imagery is in the forms of the colours, personification is when America is able to "foresee", in the first line. For sarcasm, "America did not foresee" which contradicts with "Now thinking twice".

4.Personal response: War should be not carried out, no matter in herbicide, weaponry, nuclear or whatever harm. All these share a commonality, they bring harm to us. Have you ever heard of a war, which did not hurt any one. Even the "cold war", silence is eerie and hurts emotionally the victims. War, big scale, small scale, world wide, country scale or even a town scale should be avoided.

Children in the Darkness

2010-06-28T02:43:00.000-07:00

There are children in the darkness
Who have not seen the light
There are children in the darkness
Who someone will teach to fight

Chalk and blackboards will not be
To this door there is no key
From this life they can not flee
And these children are not free

Could we simply light a candle
Could we give them half a chance
Could we teach them how to read
Could we teach them how to dance

Or will a war consume them
Their body and their soul
Will their life and blood be poured
Down some endless thirsty hole

Back into the darkness
From which there is no flight
Back into the darkness
Into which there shines no light

Henry M Bechtold

Background: He was in Vietnam in 1967 - 68 and again in 1969. He would go back often because he believed soul lives in Vietnam and he went back to visit it from time to time.
He was sitting in his hotel room in Saigon just before Christmas 2009 and he was trying to write a poem about the girls who work in the park and how badly men treat them. he was angry but unable to write anything that did not sound trite or weak. He looked at the TV and the news was on. He did not know what the news reader was saying but in the background was a photo of a small boy with a helmet and an automatic rifle. This poem flowed out. The words just came to me and he typed as fast as I could to get it all down.

Poem Analysis
1. Point of View(Evidence): The poet did not support child soldiers. First paragraph.
2. Point of View (Elaboration): The poet feels that the children should enjoy childhood and not army. Army when involved in a war is violent. And so, this child has to face the violence of war, the horrors of war, at such a young age. In the poem, he expresses sympathy and pity for the child soldiers, for they "can not flee" and are "not free".

3. Situation and Setting (Evidence): "Chalk" and "blackboard" are turned into "war", "blood" and "darkness". This shows that the author compares this two different contexts.

4. Situation and Setting (Elaboration): "Chalk" and "blackboard" are essential learning materials, which what one would associate with learning and education. "War", "blood" and "darkness" are gory things which one would connect with war. This two are, however, brought up and made comparison to. This shows that what the author thinks, that the child should study and be educated and not be faced with violence, which are corrupting the child's mind.

5. Language/ Diction (Evidence) : There is the usage of figurative language. The word darkness is a symbol of the children at such a young age losing their lifes due to war. War is personified as a man who can "consume" "their body and thier soul".

6. Language/ Diction ( Elaboration ) : The authors use of figurative language emphasises and prompts the reader to think more about child soldiers.

7. Personal Response : I feel there should be no child soldiers to protect the country. Instead, there should not even be war. War terrorizes us, bringing horrors to our lives, and taking away some too.

Children in the Darkness

2010-05-25T05:45:00.000-07:00

There are children in the darkness
Who have not seen the light
There are children in the darkness
Who someone will teach to fight

Chalk and blackboards will not be
To this door there is no key
From this life they can not flee
And these children are not free

Could we simply light a candle
Could we give them half a chance
Could we teach them how to read
Could we teach them how to dance

Or will a war consume them
Their body and their soul
Will their life and blood be poured
Down some endless thirsty hole

Back into the darkness
From which there is no flight
Back into the darkness
Into which there shines no light

Henry M Bechtold

Task 1

He was in Vietnam in 1967 - 68 and again in 1969. He would go back often because he believed soul lives in Vietnam and he went back to visit it from time to time.

He was sitting in his hotel room in Saigon just before Christmas 2009 and he was trying to write a poem about the girls who work in the park and how badly men treat them. he was angry but unable to write anything that did not sound trite or weak. He looked at the TV and the news was on. He did not know what the news reader was saying but in the background was a photo of a small boy with a helmet and an automatic rifle. This poem flowed out. The words just came to me and he typed as fast as I could to get it all down.

References:
http://www.warpoetry.co.uk/2010warpoetry.html

Task 2

The first stanza is the perspective of an adult looking at a child. The children have been kept in the darkness, kept away from all the horrors and answers, not knowing and nonchalant to anything. This is written when he is feeling how unfairly treated the children are. Towards the end of stanza one , he displays a sign of hope for the children. "Who someone will teach them how to fight" meaning that they can stand for themselves. However this could also mean that instead of going to school, the children are now learning to fight, not education. This will be elaborated on the second stanza.

The second stanza is now in the point of view of a child. The first line states that learning is not everything, you have to defend yourselves, evident from "Chalk and blackboards will not be", chalk and blackboard are the essential toools for studying but now they are no longer needed. "To this door there is no key" reinstates the plight the children are in how they cannot escape from it. "From this life they can not flee And these children are not free" sows that children have no freedom, and cannot escape from the plight they are in.

Stanza three has a rhetorical device- "could we starting every line". This displays a sign of hope for the children, could they finally be broken away from the plight, could they be learning again ? This gives the reader a sense of hope for the children.

The stanza four is a constrats to the stanza three. It depicts the horrors the children might be facing. Overexxageration is used, "will a war consume them
Their body and their soul" and "Will their life and blood be poured
Down some endless thirsty hole" this to emphasise the effect.

The last stanza, stanza five is a conclusive one to the whole poem. The children might either have hope, or have little hope.

New story

2010-03-22T06:44:00.000-07:00

Image source: http://michaelpkrueger.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/stressed-out1.jpg

Stop bugging me with the question , what can I do . What can i do What can i do , of course i must study . I must admit I have been slacking for the past term , and thus my results have deproved ? But that is not the only reason. There are some reasons like what care have you show me , when my results have deproved what have you done ? Scold me chide me . This have hurt my morale and thus caused me not to be able to study properly. When I was young , you both will always scold me when i do badly , i resisted and resisted until there came the day where i could not take it. Stupid Dumb vulgarities came spewing out like hot water , burning me emotionally with it . Like today , I was wanting to complete my notes and do some revision on to kill a mockingbird until this came up . And of course , I thank you all for all the wonderful things you did for me. Please I exaggerated a little . And please chill.

Ok this is an example of a stress out child having low msg. What do you think about him? I think he should reflect on himself and perhaps find fault and solve it. Exaggerated a little , i think it is making a mountain out of a molehill. At least he said his parents did a good job evident from the second last line.

End of Blog for now

2010-03-06T03:52:00.000-08:00

Yeah i am closing my blog for the March Holidays , but I will be back after that ! Do lookout and thanks for visiting !

Befriend in Mockingbird

2010-03-01T17:08:00.000-08:00

I would like to befriend Scout as Scout has many positive characteristics . She is adventurous , innocent , playful etc . Like the Boo Radley play , and the Boo Radley incidents , where she was both adventurous and playful . Adventurous being the day where she and Jem tried to see Boo through the shutters and went in to his house , when they heard the sound of the shotgun and they quickly ran out . Then there was a time were the crowd was about to lynch Tom Robinson and Atticus Finch and Mr Underwood was protecting him . Scout was brave to tell Mr Cunningham , one of the crowd to call of the crowd .

IT week Map of Maycomb County

2010-02-28T16:05:00.000-08:00

Maycomb, some twenty miles east of Finch's Landing, was the county seat of Maycomb County. (4)

Mrs. Henry Lafayette Dubose's house, two doors to the north … (6)
… the Radley Place three doors to the south. (11)
Jem and I heard something next door in Miss Rachel Haverford's collard patch. (6)
Routine contentment was improving our treehouse that rested between giant twin chinaberry trees in the back yard, fussing running through our list of dramas … (8)
The Radley place jutted into a sharp curve beyond our house. Walking south, one faced its front porch; the sidewalk turned and ran beside the lot. (8)
The Maycomb school grounds adjoined the back of the Radley lot. (9)
From the Radley chickenyard, tall pecan trees shook their fruits into the schoolyard. (9)
… the longer he would stand hugging the lightpole on the corner. (12)
They left the corner, crossed the side street that ran in front of the Radley house, and stopped at the gate. (15)
Jem and I were leavin’...He pointed across the street. At first we saw nothing but a kudzu-covered front porch, but a closer inspection revealed an arc of water descending from the leaves and splashing in the yellow circle of the streetlight,...Jem said Mr. Avery misfigured. (p. 31)
Two live oaks stood at the end of the Radley lot. (33)
Cecil Jacobs, who lived at the far end of our street next door to the post office, walked a total of one mile per school day to avoid the Radley place and old Mrs. Lafayette Dubose. (35)
We had strolled to the front yard, where Dill stood looking down the street at the dreary face of the Radley Place. (36)
The tire bumped on the gravel and skeered across the road to the Radley's place. (37)
Every Christmas Uncle Jack yelled across the street to Miss Maudie to come marry him. (43)
...Jem and I edged down the sidewalk parallel to the side of the house. (48)
We leaped over the wall that separated Miss Rachel's yard from our driveway. (50)
Mr. Avery boarded across the street from Mrs. Henry Lafayette Dubose's house. (50)
We ran across the schoolyard, crawled under the fence to the Deer's Pasture behind their house, climbed our back fence, and were at the back steps [of our house] … (p 54)
There he was returning to me. His white shirt bobbed over the back fence. (p. 57)
Jem hopped across the front yard. . . . When we were on the sidewalk in front of Miss Maudie's house Mr. Avery accosted us (65)
Jem and I slid across the street. Miss Maudie was staring at the smoking in her yard. (71)
Mrs. Dubose lived alone except for a Negro girl in constant attendance, two doors up the street from us in a house with steep front and a dog-trot hall. (99)

http://classes.ca-in-sapporo.com/mockingbird/map_hints.html// from
http://www.enotes.com/images/enotes/9061/large.jpg//

Chinese New Year

2010-02-17T04:35:00.000-08:00

Happy Chinese New Year ! Have fun during Chinese New Year ? Enjoyed the goodies and
ang pao money ? I certainly did ! Let me share with you the Chinese New Year experience ! Basically , my family went to our relatives house , had fun , eat , take ang pow , yeah .... Lols probably the same as majority of the people . XD

During this Chinese New Year , it could be said to be "peaceful". No fires due to firecrackers , or not that i know of ... No fights , no gambling cases ...

However , people still tend to take ang pao money for granted , seemingly to be the noly thing that matters during Chinese New Year . There is plenty more than that , the food , the visiting , the drinks , the new clothes .
So as Chinese People , I feel that we should uphold our customs , unique , and never be forgotten . Chinese New Year is fun ! Dong dong qiang ...

Mediatech

2010-02-01T03:13:00.000-08:00

Mediatech is a CCA which specializes in AV, photography and videography. First of all, I am proud to be a Mediatechian. Even though many people call is a " slacker " CCA , i do not find it slacking at all. It is all the back stage work. Have you ever wondered the lights effect that you like to see , blink blink blink boomz shingz waa... Mediatech :) . Have you ever noticed why you speak in the microphone, the voice can travels all the way to the speaker? And even one of the simplest of all, have you ever wondered who opens the auditorium in the first place?

So, this proves my point that Mediatech is NOT a slack CCA. Sure you do not have to run about like Cross-Country, or like Wushu or Judo, fight with each other. This is for the people who enjoys taking photos, videos and doing AV.

One of the best things in Mediatech is that you can do duties which you are not supposed to be there. Like once, I was videoing an assembly talk which involved many other schools. It was an eye-opener, i learned how to take videos and I also "interacted" with other people. Lols, I do not know how. Tomorrow, I am going for a Council Investiture which as not a Council member, I am not invited to. But i still can go, Yippee!

Too bad Leoj did not join Mediatech. He joined Library as he likes books. Well, everyone likes something. FREEZE OR I WILL SHOOT!

Story time!

2010-01-20T04:28:00.000-08:00

A father had just bought a new car, he was gleaming happily about it. Everyday, he would drive to work in his car, and everyday he would drive back from work.
One day, his son was carving something on his father's car. "Hehehehehehehehe... Dad would love this!"
His father was really mad (like Leoj when he was shot in the face, or if he was) when he saw his car.
"My car... What did you do to my car! I'll... I'll kill you!"
His father then used the knife and cut his son hand. (Sounds bloody... Luckily it was just the fingers...)
"Waaa..."
His son was crying, and his father felt guilty. After all it was just a car. After he had bandaged his son, he went back to the car to inspect the damage. His son wrote, "I Love Dad."
P.S. Leoj is a fictitious character. He is supposed to be someone really tall, and it is for fun. :)

Did this ever happened to you? You meant something good to happen and in the end what you got was unfavourable. 好心没好报。You do good things and it turned out to be undesirable. It certainly did happen to Leoj. Poor Leoj. Now he is crying, he had lent some mousehunt ( a game)
gold to a friend and the friend did not return back. Quite a hefty sum too. Sighs... Poor Leoj. Now he will never lend anyone mousehunt gold again. (Did not really happen... Just for fun :D)

Preparing for LA EOYs

2009-09-20T22:02:00.000-07:00

The End of Year Examinations is finally here! We have come a long way till where we are now. For Language Arts, it is not just facts and memorising. It is a matter of skills and comprehension.
For Paper 1, I will be rereading through the notes for situational writing. There are some key aspects in this area, namely tone, language and the format. For the essay, I will be reading books, newspapers and revising for the story so that I can gather more plots to write the story. I will also do some "pre-test" and time myself such that I will not overwrite or "underwrite" during the actual test.
For Paper 2, I will be going through the english file and redo some exercises so as to make sure I will not make the same mistakes again. Once again, I will also be reading, for through reading, I can boost my comprehension skills. I will also be using the skills I have learn from micro-fiction and using it in the summary.
For Paper 3, I will reread Animal Farm, and make some notes. I will also memorise the topics which are likely to test, like propaganda etc. Besides that, I will read some examples of poetry and prose analysis, so that I know what to look out for and how to approach the questions, especially which are based on Animal Farm.
Hope my effort will not be wasted!

Sing to the dawn book review

2009-09-11T06:45:00.000-07:00

Please go to http://weread.com/profile/Zhong+Sheng+/1EADCD98-12C9-4ADD-A1A2-F805C6862A32?con_sandbox=booksiread&container_type=booksiread to view the review on Sing to the Dawn(100 words).

MBA(Major Blog Assignment)

2009-08-20T05:02:00.000-07:00

I Believe I Can Fly lyrics
Songwriters: Kelly, Robert;
I used to think that I could not go on
And life was nothing but an awful song
But now I know the meanin' of true love
I'm leanin' on the everlasting arms
If I can see it then I can do it
If I just believe it, there's nothing to it

I believe I can fly
I believe I can touch the sky
I think about it every night and day
Spread my wings and fly away
I believe I can soar
I see me running through that open door
I believe I can fly,
I believe I can fly
I believe I can fly

See I was on the verge of breakin' down
Sometimes silence can seem so loud
There are miracles in life I must achieve
But first I know it starts inside of me oh
If I can see it then I can be it
If I just believe it, there's nothing to it

I believe I can fly
I believe I can touch the sky
I think about it every night and day
Spread my wings and fly away
I believe I can soar
I see me runnin' through that open door
I believe I can fly,
I believe I can fly
I believe I can fly
Hey 'cuz I believe in me
If I can see it then I can do it
If I just believe it, there's nothing to it

Hey if I just spread my wings
I can fly
I can fly
I can fly, hey
If I just spread my wings
I can fly
Fly fly fly...
(go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbUpPVOEkdA to listen)
ANALYSIS:
The song is mainly fantasy for it is not possible for a human to fly.
In the first paragraph, the composer was pessimistic about life and thought “it could not go on”, and that “life was nothing but an awful song”. I also used to think that for I was a little child at that time, and thus approached things in a very “childish” manner.

In the next paragraph, the composer becomes optimistic. This is because he believes he could fly, and touch the sky. This was a fantasy for it was not possible to do that in real life. Similar to me, after when I grew older, I began to enjoy life. “I see me running through that open door” means that he could escape from anything and reaching out to accomplish something.

The third paragraph states that the composer was “on the verge of breaking down”, meaning that he could not stand life anymore. “Silence can seem so loud” is an oxymoron for silence is quiet, and yet it was loud. “If I can see it then I can be it” and “If I just believe it, there’s nothing to it” means that anything is possible.The remaining paragraphs is similar to the second one. The composer had a different perspective towards life. He “believes” he “can fly”, which may mean rising to greater heights and be outstanding.

RESPONSE:

If the day looks kinder gloomy

And your chances kinder slim,

If the situation's kinder puzzling

And the prospect's awful grim

Just clench your fists
And grit your teeth
And keep on going on.

Brooding never wins a fight

And fuming never pays;

There is absolutely no use in being frustrated

In these pessimistic ways

Though hope is diminishing

Just clench your fists

And grit your teeth

And keep on going on.

There is no use in grumbling

And all the time so,

When happy-faces are everywhere

Just keep on smiling cheerfully

If hope is nearly gone,

Just clench your fists
And grit your teeth
And keep on going on.

Keep on going on...

A ???

2009-07-27T04:46:00.000-07:00

I know of a common thing
We see it everyday
It has not two
But four legs
Yet it cannot move
It might be made of
Wood, mahogany, glass
And I am even using one right now!

The answer is : TABLE (HIGHLIGHT THE SPACE TO SEE THE ANSWER)

Reflection

2009-07-03T20:20:00.000-07:00

7. Congratulations you're done. I would just ask for your assistance with one final matter-- your first blog entry for term 3. This is a first-time experience for teachers and students, working online for one week. In order to help us refine the process will you please do a blog entry of (the usual) 200 words in which you address

Reflections on E-Learning:i) Overall did you put in more hours per day with E-Learning or a regular school day with homework?

ii) Were you able to complete the Language Arts assignments in about an hour each or did they take longer?

iii)Which assignment(s) did you like the best and which one(s) did you like the least? Explain why.

iv)My suggestions to make E-Learning better are...

v) A general reflection on how you feel the week went. Please share your honest opinion as ALL feedback is critical at this time.

Well, i spent more time doing homework as compared to e-learning. This is because we can choose when to do our work. For example, we can do tomorrow's work today! Even though I took a longer time than one hour to do each assignment, i still had enough time for i took a headstart and started doing at Sunday!

The assignment I liked most would be the first one. This is because it was the most meaningful out of the six assignments. It was also quite easy to do. The one i disliked the most would be the fifth one. This is because the assignment was boring and not as meaningful as the rest. It only asked us to compare the stories and the poems.

I feel that for e-learning, the teachers should post less homework or easier ones. This is because if there is very often a lack of time to complete our work and we had to use our half and our break to do work. Even that is not enough, that is why today i am still doing my blog entries! However, overall, i prefer doing e-learning than going to school. When we do e-learning, we can enjoy the comfort of our home.

Lesson 6: Compulsory Blog Entry

2009-07-03T19:24:00.000-07:00

2.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.

I personally feel that there should not be a casino in Singapore. Having a casino in Singapore might be a bad influence and ruin Singapore reputation. For example, people might think that Singapore supports gambling for they had build a casino. This is not the case and Singapore is merely using the casino to earn more money and create more jobs for locals.
It is also quite puzzling to me as to why the government do not encourage Singaporeans to patronise the casino and only allow tourists to come. This means that the government did not want Singaporeans to gamble. In a way, this is good for it shows the government care for the locals. Then why did they build a casino in the first place, and in Singapore too? The point is that they only want tourists to come and gamble and not locals. However, does this means that gambling will not be detrimental to the tourists? As a matter of fact, it willl still be!
Well, gambling is detrimental to everyone. It is also inevitable that some Singaporeans would come to the casino to gamble. All the hard effort the government spent on anti-gambling would be wasted. So, why build the casino at all? Of course it will boost Singapore's tourism and create more jobs, but is it fair in the expense of "harming" some people so as to do this? I don't think so...

Poem

2009-07-03T18:53:00.000-07:00

2. In The Green Clothes, green is the color of envy, greed and money! This poem is thematically similar to Paper. Even though the poem takes place at a roulette wheel the gamblers from the short story and the poem have similar experiences. Explain how tips, dry lips, and all that was spent in vain could apply to the short story Paper.
The tips would represent Tay Soon's initial earnings. Dry lips would represent all the stress on Tay Soon after the stock market crashed and he had lost all his money. All that was spent in vain would represent all his life savings were lost when the stock market crashed and his dream house was finished as he failed to sell his stocks, and only had "paper money". He eventually loses his life as well due to the stress and thus, "paper money" could only buy a paper house, which was also burned in the end.

3. Ah Boh in Lottery has about one dollar, there’s a “blind man,” the number 13 and ultimately zero dollars to bet. These last examples are taken from One-Dollar Gambler. Show how they also relate to Ah Boh.
The "blind man" represents Ah Boh, for he did not know if he will win or lose in the lottery. The number 13 represents his unluckiness. It also relates to her superstitions regarding gambling. Zero dollars to bet would mean that Ah Boh had gambled all her money eventually and was left with zero dollars.

Gambling~EDITED~

2009-07-02T04:31:00.000-07:00

Little Ironies(Paper)
In the Paper, the irony of the story is "paper gains, paper house". When we buy stocks, the gains made is called paper gains for it the "money" is only on the certificate until we sell it to get real money. Thus, for when Tay Soon started buying stocks and gained money, he did not sell it and wanted even more. As a result, his dream house was also made of paper.
Stock is also like gambling, for it depends on your luck whether the stock prices increase or decrease. And once you start it, you cannot stop it.

The Rocking Horse Winner
The ultimate fault is himself. Paul had probably died from some sort of feverish exhaustion. He spent so much time riding the horse, and being obsessed about making money and being lucky for his mother, that he physically wore himself down. He didn't sleep or eat enough, and overexerted himself on the rocking horse. Thus, he died because of his own fault, for he had a choice to stop all these and did all these out of his own will. It was mainly because of his greed, or materialism that killed little Paul. His mother constantly sought out more and more money. Paul already sense that she "could not love" him, so, in his mind, he thinks that if he can be lucky, and make money, then she will love him. His desire to be loved was spurred on by her materialistic greed. Even when he does win money for her, it does no good. It in fact was detrimental to her, greed, she longed for more money. Even some might say it was her fault, but Tom in the end had the most power to stop what he was doing.

Analyzing poems

2009-06-30T17:07:00.000-07:00

SCHOOL
Holidays are out and over
Like the sand between my toes and fingers.
Now it's time to go back
To the deathtrap known as school.

Make new friends
Break school rules
And use our very own money to spend
On the food they sell there.

The teachers are like creatures,
And murderers who kill you
By giving homework
Out of the blue

Friends is someone we treasure,
For our friendship is a gift.
And make the world we live in,
A better and happier place

The Son is in Secondary School by Affran Sa’
My badge has a Latin motto
Hope for the future
The future is hope
Or something
At times black crows try to interrupt
When we sing the National Anthem
It is difficult to maintain
The whiteness of my shoes
Especially on Wednesdays
I must admit there is something quite special
About the bare thighs of hardworking scouts
The Malay chauffeurs
Who wait for my schoolmates
Sit on the car park kerb
Telling jokes to one another
Seven to the power of five is unreasonable
On Chinese New Year Mrs Lee dressed up
In a sarong kebaya
And sang Bengawan Solo
The capital of Singapore is Singapore
My best friend did a heroic thing once
Shaded all A’s
For his Chinese Language
Multiple-choice paper
In our annual yearbook
There is a photograph of me
Pushing a wheelchair and smiling
They caught me
At the exact moment
When my eyes were actually closed

The poet is reminiscing about the times, both good and bad, he had in Secondary School. His badge, which probably meant a lot to him, gave him hope to do stuff. Then, when black crows tried to interrupt the National Anthem, he was relating the fun times he had in Secondary School. "The Malay chauffeurs who wait for my schoolmates sit on the car park kerb telling jokes to one another" probably states the close bond between schoolmates. At the last few lines, when his "best friend did a heroic thing once shaded all A’s" for the exam papers and the photograph with the poet's eyes closed indicates the joyful and wonderful times he had.

Famous Poets(Edgar Allan Poe)

2009-06-29T18:22:00.000-07:00

Edgar Allen Poe had actually led a very tough life! He had been criticized by
many people. However, his poems are not at all half bad! They have many figurative lanuage in it, and also rhyming words. The works of Edgar Allen Poe cannot stand to be a comedy triumph, because his pieces of work are too powerful to be even close to funny. Thus, I feel that his poems are very

impactful and outstanding. Besides this, there is a "real" emotion in it and
one could almost feel it. In addition, the use of figurative language makes

them fun to read!

BIOGRAPHY

Edgar Allen Poe was born in Boston, January 19, 1809, and after a tempestuous life of forty years, he died in the city of Baltimore, October 7, 1849.

In 1829 he published "Al Aaraaf, and Minor Poems." "This work," says his biographer, Mr. Stoddard, "was not a remarkable production for a young gentleman of twenty." Poe was ashamed of the volume.

After his stormy school life, he returned to Richmond, where he was kindly received by Mr. Allen. There, he took up literature as a profession and created lots of new and famous poems.

Poe has been severely critisized by many writers for his wild and stormy life, but we notice that Ingram and some other prominent authors claim that he has been willfully slandered and that many of the charges brought against him are not true. His ungovernable temper and high spirit led him into disputes with his friends, hence he was not enabled to hold any one position for a great length of time. He had faults in personal life, but his ungovernable passions are sleeping, while the sad strains of "The Raven," the clear and harmonious tones of "The Bells," and the powerful images of his fancy live made him one of the world's most famous poets.

Some of his poems...

Alone

From childhood's hour

I have not been

As others were;

I have not seen

As others saw;

I could not bring

My passions from a common spring.

From the same source I have not taken

My sorrow; I could not awaken

My heart to joy at the same tone;

And all I loved, I loved alone.

Then- in my childhood, in the dawn

Of a most stormy life- was drawn

From every depth of good and ill

The mystery which binds me still:

From the torrent, or the fountain,

From the red cliff of the mountain,

From the sun that round me rolled

In its autumn tint of gold,

From the lightning in the sky

As it passed me flying by,

From the thunder and the storm,

And the cloud that took the form

(When the rest of Heaven was blue)

Of a demon in my view.

Song
I SAW thee on thy bridal day -

When a burning blush came o'er thee,

Though happiness around thee lay,

The world all love before thee:

And in thine eye a kindling light

(Whatever it might be)
Was all on Earth my aching sight

Of Loveliness could see.

That blush, perhaps, was maiden shame -

As such it well may pass -

Though its glow hath raised a fiercer flame

In the breast of him, alas!

Who saw thee on that bridal day,

When that deep blush would come o'er thee,

Though happiness around thee lay,

The world all love before thee.

A Dream Within A Dream

Take this kiss upon the brow!

And, in parting from you now,

Thus much let me avow--

You are not wrong, who deem

That my days have been a dream;

Yet if hope has flown away

In a night, or in a day,

In a vision, or in none,

Is it therefore the less gone?

All that we see or seem

Is but a dream within a dream.

I stand amid the roar

Of a surf-tormented shore,

And I hold within my hand

Grains of the golden sand--

How few! yet how they creep

Through my fingers to the deep,

While I weep--while I weep!

O God! can I not grasp

Them with a tighter clasp?

O God! can I not save

One from the pitiless wave?

Is all that we see or seem

But a dream within a dream?

References:http://famouspoetsandpoems.com/

Poem(HOME LEARNING)

2009-06-28T17:09:00.000-07:00

Absences, by Donald Justice
It's snowing this afternoon and there are no flowers.
There is only this sound of falling, quiet and remote,
Like the memory of scales descending the white keys
Of a childhood piano--outside the window, palms!
And the heavy head of the cereus, inclining,
Soon to let down its white or yellow-white.
These poor snow-flowers in a heap,
Is the memory of a white dress cast down . . .
So much has fallen.
And I, who have listened for a step
All afternoon, hear it now, but already falling away,
Already in memory.
And the terrible scales descending
On the silent piano; the snow; and the absent flowers abounding.

Hyperbole, metaphor and simile is used in this poem.

HYPERBOLE---It means that the poem is told in an overexaggerate manner. In this case, the absence is told in that manner. For example, the "only this sound of falling, quiet and remote", "poor snow-flowers in a heap", "already falling away, already in memory". This overexaggerate the fact that it was snowing and there were no flowers left. The poet chose this because it leaves the reader with a greater impact as compared to the unexaggerated one.

METAPHOR---It means taking two things seemingly unrelated and combine them together. In this poem, white dress and snow-flowers are combined together, "these poor snow flowers in a heap, is the memory of a white dress cast down." The poet chose this as it will stir up more interest in the reader, and would continue to read on or leave him with a good impression.

SIMILE---It has the same meaning as metaphor, but only uses "like, as or when". Here, an example would be "There is only this sound of falling, quiet and remote, Like the memory of scales descending the white keys of a childhood piano."The poet chose this because it will make the poem more meaningful and interesting, and the reader might inevitably imagine those things in his mind.

I like this poem because it describes the absence very impactful, as if it's like the end of the world. It also uses some metaphors and similes, thus the poem is quite interesting. It is also fairly easy to understand the poem, for the poet does not use bombastic words or describe things that I have never heard of before. Even though he uses hyperbole, he did not "over-hyperbole" it, such that it became too unrealistic or something out of the world. So, I feel that this is a very good poem as the poet used a seemingly usual thing and turned it to a masterpiece!

~106 words

Micro-fiction 2

2009-06-04T02:49:00.000-07:00

A boy is making his passport.
"What your name?"
"Erm... I don't know."
"Come on! You gotta know your name!"
"I don't have one."
"Everyone's got a name!"
"Tomas."
"Good."
"Tsk."Irritated, he continues. "Maybe tomboy, tomgirl, atom, or even atomic!"
"Okay... Which one do you want to put on your passport?"
"Mmm... atomic tomborl."

~55 words

Reflection of Term 2

2009-06-03T19:39:00.000-07:00

Blogging was more fun in term 2 than term 1. There are more interesting things to talk like WeRead, Microfiction etc. I always liked blogging homework for it not only relaxes your mind, there is always a stretch of time for me to do it! In addition, you will get ace. Hope more will come...

~55 words

Red Storm Rising(review)

2009-06-03T19:15:00.000-07:00

The story is a war thriller. It is about a conventional ground war between NATO and the Warsaw Pact. Clancy suggests that several conventional ideas about a ground conflict between modern armies are wrong. For example, he proposes that munitions expenditures would be far higher than projected; that combat helicopters like the AH-64 Apache and the Mi-24 Hind are not as powerful as expected.
The story moves around in rotation, probably about different scenarios being played out in the build up to and aftermath of a Soviet pre emptive strike against NATO forces in the European theatre and naval forces in the North Atlantic.
The story is told in a more descriptive way than in dialog form. In addition, the fighting scenes are brilliantly described and there are lots of military jargons in the story, which Clacy did go to some lengths to explain. Thus, this book is a good read for all, except maybe for those who do not like wars. Even so, page turning from beginning to end is recommended.

Micro-fiction

2009-05-22T05:07:00.001-07:00

"Yes! I'm free! No more zoo for me... Now, I can have a suntan!"

"Ahhh.... My lunch is haunting me!"

"Why is everyone running away? Well, at least I can bask my pink skin under the sun."

"Ahhh.... I'm starving. Hey, that roasted pig looks appetizing." (46 words)

Comments on WeRead

2009-04-30T05:30:00.000-07:00

The main attractiveness of this book is the reviews. People who wants to buy the book need not go down to the bookshop to browse through it. Instead, he or she could just view the reviews from WeRead. This would be more convenient to him or her and save the person time and energy. He can also order the books online through Amazon for convienience. The book also would be delivered right to the doorstep too!(Although he would have to pay for a higher price and he would have to wait a long time for it. )
WeRead also allows other viewers to see which books are popular and can choose to borrow it from the library. This allows the viewers to view the books they think they would want to borrow and can just go to the library straight away. They can just pick the book and borrow it. Quick and easy!
Thus, WeRead is good for it allows people to save time and effort to go and do things which could be done easily at WeRead.

Inerview of parent---favourite book

2009-04-20T06:32:00.000-07:00

My father's favourite book is none other than Timeline, written by Michael Crichton. The book is about a group of science undergraduates time travelling back in time to medieval Europe. Armed with theirhistory knowledge, they managed to change some of the historicals events, but not the final outcome. This perhaps shows that history cannot be altered even with time travel. Time travel opens up many paradoxes for example if you go back in time and kill your parents, how would you exist?

This is probably why my father liked that book, for it was also a science fiction book. Well, actually, I also wanted to read that book, for it sounded like an enticing read. It maysound like a fantasy, but the book uses existing knowledges to support the possibility of time travel to the past. It is every's persons inner wish to travel back in time, armed with knowledge of the pasts, hence giving him a advantage to live his life as compared to the rest.

Besides this, Micheal Crichton had also written other science fiction books which my father also loved to read like Prey, Next, Sphere, The Running Man, Jurassic Park etc. Many of his books were made into popular movies. Thus, Michael Crichton could have said to be one of the best authors.

Confessions of a......

2009-03-28T05:59:00.000-07:00

Confessions of a... A what? You probably be dying to find out what is it. Well, it is a TV-gamer. Ha! Nothing confidential. Anyway, how did I become a TV-gamer? Well, I was "experimenting" with my tv when I found that it contains some games.
I played it and soon began to like it. The screen was much bigger than any other screen I played on and thus, it feels like you are really the character in it. Although the computer games are more fun than the TV games, I prefer TV games as I can play it when I want to, and it is more accessible and convenient as you do not have to load it or fight with the overwhelming online users.
In addition, you also feel like you are in a much more high-tech world as you are using a remote control to control your character and not your mouse, thus is like a very new “wireless technology”.
To access these games, you must be subscribed to starhub cable tv. Then, go to the “games” button and you will see “Loading… Please wait” After that, you can choose the games you want to play, but be careful, some is not free… Go to those which you think are free. Then, you will be able to keep on playing non-stop without a time limit!

Differentiated assignment

2009-03-15T19:29:00.000-07:00

Intrapersonal---Philip refuses to accept that he is to blame. He is bitter at having to transfer to another school that doesn’t even have a track team. Philip decides to plead his case to Coach Jamison. He is not contrite and this should come through.

----------------------------Letter to Coach Jamison---------------------------Dear Coach Earl Jamison,

I am Philip Malloy, now at Washington Academy. I was the one who came to see you about joining the track team, but could not, as I got an "D" for English. I also was the one who sang "The Star-Spangled Banner", and got Miss Narwin into trouble.
I regret transferring to Washington Academy, as it does not even have a track team. Although there might be no Miss Narwin, life is still terrible there. I wish to come back to Harrison School, as I miss my friends, teachers, especially the track team!
However, much as I want to go back to Harrison School, I am still not sorry for Miss Narwin. It is her own fault for being in this situation, not mine! I do not know why people keep saying it is my fault, and I certainly do not find her a fair teacher.
I feel that I should be accepted as I have a completely clean record, besides the Miss Narwin case. I also have been doing fairly well for my studies, "A" for Maths, "B" in Biology, "C" in History and "B" in health.
Thank you for taking your time to read this. I really hope you can look into this matter and bring me back to Harrison School.

Yours faithfully,
Philip Malloy

Summary of Jan and Feb

2009-03-06T19:10:00.000-08:00

Hi everybody once again! It is coming to be the end of the first term! Holidays are approaching... But I still have a camp befire that. 1)Likes and dislikes about blogging
Welll, blogging is quite fun as you can type what you want. People can also get to read it. It is so-called "environmental friendly", as it does not require a pen or paper. It also allows pictures to be paced in the blog. In addition, blogging allows viewers to comment on it.However, the troublesome thing is that you have to on the computer to blog. If you write in a diary, you can easily just simply write it!

2) How this whole process could be improved

It would be useful if there were such a device whereby whenever you want to publish something on the blog, you just have to think about it.

3)Tie-in of your reading habits/elecctronic bookshelf(posted on my previous blog post)

The electronic bookshelf was quite useful as it allows me to share with others the books that I read and at the same time remember what books I had read. I also can review on the books and the best of all...IT'S FREE! By the way, I read a new book entitled "Unexplained Mysteries of World War II.

Narratives and Graphics-my connection

2009-02-27T04:36:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, my class was split into groups according to their learning preferences. We had to arrange a set of pictures accordingly. My group was the visual group and we had to put together the pictures of Zoom, a visual book.

After this activity, I found a connection between narratives and graphics. Narratives and graphics can be used interchangeably. They also can be used together, like the novels for young children. This comes with the good points and bad points. The good point is that the book is able to convey the story in a more detailed form---"a picture can say a thousand words", meaning the picture shows us a more detailed explanation of the story, for example the book named "Zoom". The book will also keep the reader enthralled in reading the book. For example, some people would prefer to read a story in comics. However, the bad thing is that as the story is more detailed, it may give readers a more horrifying experience for example in a murder story, if the process of the murder is shown in pictures, and it may be gruesome.

Anyway, my top 3 learning preferences which I found out from taking a test at http://tinyurl.com/32ge4g , are 1 and 2, which are of the same value, Visual/Spatial(Picture Smart) and Logical(Number Smart), and Intrapersonal(Myself Smart).

My Reading Habits

2009-02-24T04:21:00.000-08:00

My reading habits starts when I was very young, at around three. It was only till I was six when I started reading novels. I read a variety of books, namely the Nancy Drew series, the Hardy Boys series etc. Although my father had to read with me then, I still enjoyed the books.

As I grow up, I started to read books myself. At that time, when I picked up the book, I will not be able to pot it down until I read it finish, which is about three hours. I must have a quiet environment before I could start reading, if not, I will not be able to concentrate. When I reached Primary 5, I have read finish the entire Nancy Drew series!

Now, my preference of books have changed. The teachers in my school will require us to buy some books for literature, for example Nothing But The Truth. This books are quite interesting, however I still prefer reading it for fun and not having to understand so deeply and memorise the things in the book for a literature test. Thus, I have no choice but to read these books. However, if I have free time, I will read educational magaszines too, like Reader's Digest. This magazine also gives examples of real-life stories. IT is also more interactive in the sense that it has word puzzles too.

My motto: If you are not enjoying the book, put it away. There is just too much good literature and too many great reading choices to struggle with something that is not satisfying. :P

Want to see a few books that I read, check out my electronic bookshelf at weread.com.
http://weread.com/profile/Zhong+Sheng/1EADCD98-12C9-4ADD-A1A2-F805C6862A32?refuid=1EADCD98-12C9-4ADD-A1A2-F805C6862A32&src=&auri=

Why Did I Do It? (Pt. of view of Philip Malloy from Nothing But the Truth-Last page)

2009-02-23T21:08:00.000-08:00

Why did I do this? Why Philip Malloy, why? I have done more harm than good. In fact, I did not think I have done any thing good. Although many people from around the world have sent telegrams to spur me on, it is because they do not know the truth. Miss Narwin, the teacher who suspended me, also received so much infamity from all over the world, saying how "unpatriotic" she was. She had so much pressure on to the extent of even wanting to resign!

The fact is although I stood up for myself and many people are supporting me, I still do not feel happy. Although I got rid of Miss Narwin in the end, I just do not feel happy. I now start to doubt myself that I was right in the first place. My friends from Harrison School were also blaming me for ruining the reputation of Miss Narwin, for some of them liked her. I had also caused so much trouble for my parents. They have spent so much time and effort on it, fighting for me. However, now, they had all come to a waste. In the end, I still had to change the school which I was studying in. Now, when I am being asked to sing the "Star-Spangled Banner", I have to confess that I did not know the lyrics. All of these could have been avoided if I had not hummed during the "Star-Spangled Banner". If only...

What I have encountered as I move from Primary 6 to Secondary 1

2009-01-11T21:11:00.000-08:00

Now moving on to secondary one. During the orientation, I had made quite a few friends already.
Sigh... Secondary school have more subjects ahead. In addition, they have tougher CCAs.
I realised that I was fortunate to wake up at 6.00am during primary school days. Now, I had to wake up at 5.30. In addition, I have to take public transport to school too, which lasts about one hour. Moreover, I still have to come home later at about 5.00. That is almost half a day spent in school!
Well, at least I made some new friends in my new school. Most of the teachers there are also quite friendly and approachable. They have better facilities there, more basketball courts, table tennis courts etc. There also have more fun activities there-like during the orientation,
they organise cheers, mass games which includes a water-balloon fight! Well, primary schools and secondary schools have their own good points, for example, primary schools have less homework and less school hours. However, while in the secondary school, they have more fun activites there. So, I guess it balances out...

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