Friday, August 20, 2010
YOG - EPIC
Well i just came back from volunteering at YOG and it was epic, too epic for words. I learnt a lot as it was a brand new experience. I got to watch international ranking u-18 people do what they do best. The treatment for the work force there was amazing too. I can't believe i actually got to volunteer at YOG!!!
Back for Real...
Ok now i back for real. Term 3 Exams finally over! Today i will be talking about something quite related to our daily lives. The increase in certain aspects of bus fares so that those who ride long distance don't have to pay as much. However in my opinion this was a somewhat bad move made by the government.
In our modern society, people prefer to save time, and take faster transport. Most of the time, most of the people who travel long distance, would prefer to take bus to a MRT station then take MRT to their destination. For example, from Upper Bukit Timah to Jurong East it would take me 40-50 minutes by bus. With that time, i could travel from City Hall to Jurong East.
The mentality to waste less time and take the MRT is shared by most Singaporeans. For the working class, a few more cents wouldn't matter to them, both when taking MRT and bus. Their income would be more than enough to cover transport costs. However, the increase in bus fares affects one party the most - the elderly. Many elderly who stop working and have no income, live off from their CPF. However, they can only get so much money from their CPF every month. For the elderly, they tend to take the buses around for convenience sake to go buy groceries etc. This increase in bus fare may seem small at first glance, but for elderly people who take short distance bus rides and take bus very often, the small increase can amount to quite a large sum of money.
I fail to understand how the decrease in cost for the long distance rides resulted in the increase in cost for the short distance rides. If the government did it to encourage people to transfer bus more, i think that it is a dumb idea. Many of us have buses leading directly to bus stops near our houses, and this new system that was implemented a little less than 2 months ago does not help us at all.
We Want Our Old Bus Fare System Back! >.<
In our modern society, people prefer to save time, and take faster transport. Most of the time, most of the people who travel long distance, would prefer to take bus to a MRT station then take MRT to their destination. For example, from Upper Bukit Timah to Jurong East it would take me 40-50 minutes by bus. With that time, i could travel from City Hall to Jurong East.
The mentality to waste less time and take the MRT is shared by most Singaporeans. For the working class, a few more cents wouldn't matter to them, both when taking MRT and bus. Their income would be more than enough to cover transport costs. However, the increase in bus fares affects one party the most - the elderly. Many elderly who stop working and have no income, live off from their CPF. However, they can only get so much money from their CPF every month. For the elderly, they tend to take the buses around for convenience sake to go buy groceries etc. This increase in bus fare may seem small at first glance, but for elderly people who take short distance bus rides and take bus very often, the small increase can amount to quite a large sum of money.
I fail to understand how the decrease in cost for the long distance rides resulted in the increase in cost for the short distance rides. If the government did it to encourage people to transfer bus more, i think that it is a dumb idea. Many of us have buses leading directly to bus stops near our houses, and this new system that was implemented a little less than 2 months ago does not help us at all.
We Want Our Old Bus Fare System Back! >.<
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Flash + Floods = Flash Floods
As most Singaporean know and have probably experienced it themselves, Singapore recently has suffered from a series of flash floods. The reasons given by the government were numerous : clogged drain, caught off guard etc etc. The people are slamming the government for not helping to prevent the floods, and letting it happen it the first place. So who was in the wrong? In my opinion, both parties are in the wrong.
First I shall start with the people and how they are in the wrong. Right now, all they are doing is complaining about their lives and feeling sorry for themselves. The blame game is then started, blame the PUB, blame the government, blame everyone else. However they are missing one important party, MOTHER NATURE. The people keep blaming it on the government, but have they actually even thought thoroughly about it? Are they being reasonable? The rainfall in the morning of the first flood day, amounted to 60% of the total rainfall the previous month. Some people may think that it is just a bit rain. But think about it. Every 1-2 days it rains once, and each time it rains it is enough to leave huge puddles of water on the ground even hours after the rain has stopped. Add all that up in a month, and 3/5 of that amount of rain poured down on Singapore in one morning. We have to bring ourselves to admit that no one can predict it. If everyone thinks it is so easy, why not do it themselves? They keep saying that it is the government's responsiblity, but that is just a pathetic excuse to cover up for their own incompetence. Mother Nature is not a political party nor a country. Singapore can't make a treaty or pact with mother nature. MN gets to do what it wants, and no one can stop it. If it decides to give us a whole load of rain in morning, what can we do? Songs dont work, bribes dont work, NOTHING WORKS. The only thing we can do is just stand and one side and take the shit coming towards us.
However i feel that the government is also wrong in a way. They should just stop making excuses and come clean. Actually, by blaming the floods on a clogged drain, they make it their fault that the floods happened. This is because that means that they are at fault for poor maintenance of the drains. However the government's excuse is quite hard to believe. The width of the drain is said to be equivalent to that of a SBS bus. Such a big drain is hard to clog up. Even if something of great length were to jam and clog the drain at one point, it will be quickly washed away by the mass of rushing water in the drain. It is hard to even find such big things big enough to clog the drains!
Both parties should just stop playing the blame game. The people should stop complaining and the government should start taking action. If you can't change what is happening, don't complain because it doesn't help. Those who are not part of the solution are part of the problem.
First I shall start with the people and how they are in the wrong. Right now, all they are doing is complaining about their lives and feeling sorry for themselves. The blame game is then started, blame the PUB, blame the government, blame everyone else. However they are missing one important party, MOTHER NATURE. The people keep blaming it on the government, but have they actually even thought thoroughly about it? Are they being reasonable? The rainfall in the morning of the first flood day, amounted to 60% of the total rainfall the previous month. Some people may think that it is just a bit rain. But think about it. Every 1-2 days it rains once, and each time it rains it is enough to leave huge puddles of water on the ground even hours after the rain has stopped. Add all that up in a month, and 3/5 of that amount of rain poured down on Singapore in one morning. We have to bring ourselves to admit that no one can predict it. If everyone thinks it is so easy, why not do it themselves? They keep saying that it is the government's responsiblity, but that is just a pathetic excuse to cover up for their own incompetence. Mother Nature is not a political party nor a country. Singapore can't make a treaty or pact with mother nature. MN gets to do what it wants, and no one can stop it. If it decides to give us a whole load of rain in morning, what can we do? Songs dont work, bribes dont work, NOTHING WORKS. The only thing we can do is just stand and one side and take the shit coming towards us.
However i feel that the government is also wrong in a way. They should just stop making excuses and come clean. Actually, by blaming the floods on a clogged drain, they make it their fault that the floods happened. This is because that means that they are at fault for poor maintenance of the drains. However the government's excuse is quite hard to believe. The width of the drain is said to be equivalent to that of a SBS bus. Such a big drain is hard to clog up. Even if something of great length were to jam and clog the drain at one point, it will be quickly washed away by the mass of rushing water in the drain. It is hard to even find such big things big enough to clog the drains!
Both parties should just stop playing the blame game. The people should stop complaining and the government should start taking action. If you can't change what is happening, don't complain because it doesn't help. Those who are not part of the solution are part of the problem.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
MRT gets new paint job!
Today i will be talking about the recent MRT vandal incident. The man was sentenced to caning and jail. Many people argue over whether the man deserved to be caned. As we all know, the caning is not the household type of caning, it is the torturous kind where people have the skin of their butts split each time it comes into contact with the cane. So the big question for all of us is that, did he really deserve the caning? In my opinion, he did not.
In my opinion, the graffiti was more like a work of art. It was interest and made the MRT look more interesting, instead of the usual boring plain colors. I think that if the government really felt that he needed to be punished, CWO or a fine would do just fine. People all want to express their feelings in different ways, and the man chose art as the way. As can be seen in our society, we are not given any space to put our creativity to use.
The government's stand is that all crimes cannot be left unpunished, and the man would get caning. But it was just some graffiti on the MRT, it isn't that big a deal. It does not endanger lives or anything. I think the government should look at the circumstances and punish accordingly. The results of the man's actions did make anyone unsatisfied what soever, and people even found it interesting. In this way, the graffiti was actually beneficial to the public. Imagine, you are tired after a day's work, and on the way back, you see a certain random graffiti on the MRT or taxi, it would somewhat lighten your mood, would it not? MM Lee says that if the man was not punished, they would have to "close shop". They still can punish him, just not so harshly. Many people fail to understand, including me, why the government just can't let this incident pass with a light punishment.
If they hope to make an impression on the man, caning is not the way. According to research, caning causes physical and mental scars, it also may instill anger in the person, spurring him on to commit the crime again, because of the humiliation and pain he suffered. This actually can backfire on the government. So i feel that the government should make decisions with more care, and not make decisions based on strict old traditions and rules. Times change, so do rules. Singapore needs a new look.
In my opinion, the graffiti was more like a work of art. It was interest and made the MRT look more interesting, instead of the usual boring plain colors. I think that if the government really felt that he needed to be punished, CWO or a fine would do just fine. People all want to express their feelings in different ways, and the man chose art as the way. As can be seen in our society, we are not given any space to put our creativity to use.
The government's stand is that all crimes cannot be left unpunished, and the man would get caning. But it was just some graffiti on the MRT, it isn't that big a deal. It does not endanger lives or anything. I think the government should look at the circumstances and punish accordingly. The results of the man's actions did make anyone unsatisfied what soever, and people even found it interesting. In this way, the graffiti was actually beneficial to the public. Imagine, you are tired after a day's work, and on the way back, you see a certain random graffiti on the MRT or taxi, it would somewhat lighten your mood, would it not? MM Lee says that if the man was not punished, they would have to "close shop". They still can punish him, just not so harshly. Many people fail to understand, including me, why the government just can't let this incident pass with a light punishment.
If they hope to make an impression on the man, caning is not the way. According to research, caning causes physical and mental scars, it also may instill anger in the person, spurring him on to commit the crime again, because of the humiliation and pain he suffered. This actually can backfire on the government. So i feel that the government should make decisions with more care, and not make decisions based on strict old traditions and rules. Times change, so do rules. Singapore needs a new look.
Monday, July 19, 2010
Boomz- Back from the Deadz
After a 2 month break from blogging, I'm back! Lots of crazy stuff happening recently.... Go figure =.= Can't wait to help out at YOG!!!
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Term 2 Home Learning Task : We Slept With Our Boots On
Poem Chosen : We Slept With Our Boots On by Steve Carlsen
We Slept With Our Boots On
They unloaded the dead and maimed right before our eyes
They washed out the blood, we loaded our ruck’s and then took to the skies
Over the mountains, villages, and valleys we flew
Where we would land we had not a clue
Bullets are flying, the LZ is hot
We’re leaving this bird whether we like it or not
30 seconds they yelled, Lock N Load and grab your shit
Get ready to go and make it quick
My heart is pumping adrenalin through all of my veins
I run as fast as I can through the lead rain
The noise is tremendous, terror I can’t define
The only reason I survived that day was divine
I kept pulling the trigger and reloading and pulling some more
You do what you have to do, with that I will say no more
We fought from the valleys to the mountain peaks
From house to cave, to car to creek
Dirty and tired and hungry and scared
We slept with our boots on so we were always prepared
Those majestic mountains so steep, so high they kiss the skies
The Hindu Kush has changed so many lives
Up the mountains with heavy loads we trod
Who knew hell was so close to God
Beauty and terror are a strong mixed drink
So we drank it like drunkards and tried not to think
Good men and bad men, Mothers lost son’s
Everyone loses their innocence when they carry guns
Washed in the blood, and baptized by fire
I will never forget those who were called higher
They say blood is thicker than water, well lead is thicker than blood
Brothers aren’t born they’re earned. In the poppy fields, the tears, and the mud
And when I get to heaven to Saint Peter I will tell
Another Paratrooper reporting for duty sir, I spent my time in hell'
They unloaded the dead and maimed right before our eyes
They washed out the blood, we loaded our ruck’s and then took to the skies
Over the mountains, villages, and valleys we flew
Where we would land we had not a clue
Bullets are flying, the LZ is hot
We’re leaving this bird whether we like it or not
30 seconds they yelled, Lock N Load and grab your shit
Get ready to go and make it quick
My heart is pumping adrenalin through all of my veins
I run as fast as I can through the lead rain
The noise is tremendous, terror I can’t define
The only reason I survived that day was divine
I kept pulling the trigger and reloading and pulling some more
You do what you have to do, with that I will say no more
We fought from the valleys to the mountain peaks
From house to cave, to car to creek
Dirty and tired and hungry and scared
We slept with our boots on so we were always prepared
Those majestic mountains so steep, so high they kiss the skies
The Hindu Kush has changed so many lives
Up the mountains with heavy loads we trod
Who knew hell was so close to God
Beauty and terror are a strong mixed drink
So we drank it like drunkards and tried not to think
Good men and bad men, Mothers lost son’s
Everyone loses their innocence when they carry guns
Washed in the blood, and baptized by fire
I will never forget those who were called higher
They say blood is thicker than water, well lead is thicker than blood
Brothers aren’t born they’re earned. In the poppy fields, the tears, and the mud
And when I get to heaven to Saint Peter I will tell
Another Paratrooper reporting for duty sir, I spent my time in hell'
Steve Carlsen
Task 1 - Background Research
Not a lot of information could be found as the poem is not exactly well-known. However, I might managed to find some background information about the writer, Steve Carlsen.
From this website : http://www.warpoetry.co.uk/2010warpoetry.html#Slept
About Steve Carlsen
Steve Carlsen was born and lives in Dowagiac Michigan. He joined the United States Army in October 2000 and went to Infantry Basic Training, and Airborne School in Ft. Benning Georgia. He then reported to D Company 1st battalion 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment. 82nd Airborne Division in Ft. Bragg North Carolina. He deployed to Kosovo in November 2001 as part of peace keeping operations. He was deployed to Afghanistan in of December 2002 where he participated in combat operations. He was honorably discharged from the Army in 2003. He is currently attending Southwestern Michigan College where his professor, Dr Michael Collins challenged him to write about his experiences.
Apart from "We Slept With Our Boots On", he has also written other poems such as "Take Your Pills" , "Thunder in the Valley" and "Death of a Hero". Based on what he has gone through during his years in the army, I think that the poem is mainly revolving around the experiences in Afghanistan. I infer that it is Afghanistan as the poems mentioned the soldiers getting onto the helicopter, and flying over mountains and valleys, which can be found in Afghanistan. Also, the most obvious hint would be the Hindu Kush. It is actually a 500 mile mountain range stretching between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Apart from "We Slept With Our Boots On", he has also written other poems such as "Take Your Pills" , "Thunder in the Valley" and "Death of a Hero". Based on what he has gone through during his years in the army, I think that the poem is mainly revolving around the experiences in Afghanistan. I infer that it is Afghanistan as the poems mentioned the soldiers getting onto the helicopter, and flying over mountains and valleys, which can be found in Afghanistan. Also, the most obvious hint would be the Hindu Kush. It is actually a 500 mile mountain range stretching between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Task 2 - Annex A Poem Analysis
1) Point of View: First person point of view
1) Point of View: First person point of view
Evidence: "They unloaded the dead “ "My heart is pumping adrenalin through all of my veins / I run as fast as I can through the lead rain"
Elaboration: The pronouns used in the poems are all "I" and "Them" where he describes the situation in war.
2) Situation and Setting: In the Afghanistan war
Evidence: “Bullets are flying, the LZ is hot” “Lock N Load” “Another Paratrooper reporting for duty sir” “Hindu Kush”
Elaboration: The word paratrooper quite obviously shows that the writer is a soldier. This is further supported by the phrases “Lock N Load” and “bullets are flying”. The first phrase is a common phrase used in war, whereas the second phrase describes the scene. The word “bullet” shows that there is fighting using guns. Also, it shows that the war is in Afghanistan from the mention of the soldiers in the helicopter flying over the Hindu Kush, which is a 500 mile mountain range between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
3) Language / Diction: Rhyming with every two lines. Common “warfare” way of speaking is mostly used in the poem.
Evidence: As there are a lot, I decided to copy the poem again and bold all of the ones that I am using as evidence.
We Slept With Our Boots On
They unloaded the dead and maimed right before our eyes
They washed out the blood, we loaded our ruck’s and then took to the skies
Over the mountains, villages, and valleys we flew
Where we would land we had not a clue
Bullets are flying, the LZ is hot
We’re leaving this bird whether we like it or not
30 seconds they yelled, Lock N Load and grab your shit
Get ready to go and make it quick
My heart is pumping adrenalin through all of my veins
I run as fast as I can through the lead rain
The noise is tremendous, terror I can’t define
The only reason I survived that day was divine
I kept pulling the trigger and reloading and pulling some more
You do what you have to do, with that I will say no more
We fought from the valleys to the mountain peaks
From house to cave, to car to creek
Dirty and tired and hungry and scared
We slept with our boots on so we were always prepared
Those majestic mountains so steep, so high they kiss the skies
The Hindu Kush has changed so many lives
Up the mountains with heavy loads we trod
Who knew hell was so close to God
Beauty and terror are a strong mixed drink
So we drank it like drunkards and tried not to think
Good men and bad men, Mothers lost son’s
Everyone loses their innocence when they carry guns
Washed in the blood, and baptized by fire
I will never forget those who were called higher
They say blood is thicker than water, well lead is thicker than blood
Brothers aren’t born they’re earned. In the poppy fields, the tears, and the mud
And when I get to heaven to Saint Peter I will tell
Another Paratrooper reporting for duty sir, I spent my time in hell'
They unloaded the dead and maimed right before our eyes
They washed out the blood, we loaded our ruck’s and then took to the skies
Over the mountains, villages, and valleys we flew
Where we would land we had not a clue
Bullets are flying, the LZ is hot
We’re leaving this bird whether we like it or not
30 seconds they yelled, Lock N Load and grab your shit
Get ready to go and make it quick
My heart is pumping adrenalin through all of my veins
I run as fast as I can through the lead rain
The noise is tremendous, terror I can’t define
The only reason I survived that day was divine
I kept pulling the trigger and reloading and pulling some more
You do what you have to do, with that I will say no more
We fought from the valleys to the mountain peaks
From house to cave, to car to creek
Dirty and tired and hungry and scared
We slept with our boots on so we were always prepared
Those majestic mountains so steep, so high they kiss the skies
The Hindu Kush has changed so many lives
Up the mountains with heavy loads we trod
Who knew hell was so close to God
Beauty and terror are a strong mixed drink
So we drank it like drunkards and tried not to think
Good men and bad men, Mothers lost son’s
Everyone loses their innocence when they carry guns
Washed in the blood, and baptized by fire
I will never forget those who were called higher
They say blood is thicker than water, well lead is thicker than blood
Brothers aren’t born they’re earned. In the poppy fields, the tears, and the mud
And when I get to heaven to Saint Peter I will tell
Another Paratrooper reporting for duty sir, I spent my time in hell'
Elaboration:
We can see that it rhymes with every two lines, such as “eyes” and “skies” , “flew” and “clue”.
“They say blood is thicker than water, well lead is thicker than blood” Here the writer takes a famous saying and rebukes it.
The language used in this poem is quite plain, so to speak. The poet mainly writes things from his point of view, what he thinking of, what he feels. He does not seem to make an effort to use a lot of literary devices.
He also writes the poem in a negative tone towards war, and is quite pessimistic also. “The only reason I survived that day was divine” This phrase shows that he thinks that he survived only because of luck, and would die very soon. He feels that in war everyone is bound to die.
I feel that he just fights for the country without a lot of emotion for the country. “Everyone loses innocence when they carry guns” He does not glorify war, but instead feels that there is nothing to be justified, we lose our innocence when we carry guns and start killing people. It is not justified.
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Mother Tongue - Is it needed?
Okay so i will be talking about the issue whether our mother tongue weighting should be reduced. Personally I feel that it kind of should. There is a common view that chinese is very important as China is seen as a future global business hub. However, what if the person has no wish the work in China?
Basically i feel that mother tongue is basically kind of like your own cultural language. So, yes it is important, but i would say the other three subjects are even more important. English is currently THE language you need to know, maths and science are a given, since the two subjects are like the base knowledge.
Chinese, is more of preserving the culture within people, and preparing people for the future when China is the global business hub. However, we must take into account when China will become the center and whether the person himself or herself has any desire to work in China. Maybe the person wishes to further his/her career in other places such as germany? Thus i feel that personal wishes also mean a lot.
Also,I feel that mother tongue should at least be changed in how it is taught or even make it optional. At the moment, student are being taught how to write the letters(as in the old-fashioned paper put into post box kind of letters), both formal ones and informal ones. But, take a good look in our environment right now. Who uses letters? Now people use e-mail, sms, where positions of address are not needed, simply because with the WWW, you dont need to have a fixed address! This is a plain waste of time in my opinion. Also we are forced to learn Cheng Yu, but if we take a look into our future, will we even use it in our daily lives? I feel that many things that are taught are very unnecessary and should be removed from the system altogether.
Basically i feel that mother tongue is basically kind of like your own cultural language. So, yes it is important, but i would say the other three subjects are even more important. English is currently THE language you need to know, maths and science are a given, since the two subjects are like the base knowledge.
Chinese, is more of preserving the culture within people, and preparing people for the future when China is the global business hub. However, we must take into account when China will become the center and whether the person himself or herself has any desire to work in China. Maybe the person wishes to further his/her career in other places such as germany? Thus i feel that personal wishes also mean a lot.
Also,I feel that mother tongue should at least be changed in how it is taught or even make it optional. At the moment, student are being taught how to write the letters(as in the old-fashioned paper put into post box kind of letters), both formal ones and informal ones. But, take a good look in our environment right now. Who uses letters? Now people use e-mail, sms, where positions of address are not needed, simply because with the WWW, you dont need to have a fixed address! This is a plain waste of time in my opinion. Also we are forced to learn Cheng Yu, but if we take a look into our future, will we even use it in our daily lives? I feel that many things that are taught are very unnecessary and should be removed from the system altogether.
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