Today, on the 19th of August, at 9.37pm, I, declare,2A1 FREE!

All exams are over!We can now slack and do anything. :D

Today was quite cool. Had two tests. Math and History. Math was quite hard but history was quite easy (:

Luckily, for the previous math test i got 34.5. So for this one, all I have to get is 25.5 to get an A1 :D
For history, I have been doing badly for both History and Geography since Secondary one. Hope that I will be able to improve this year!! (:

Hmm... Tomorrow will have bio paper check after school. Argh! I heard that everyone did quite badly. Scared of my results >.<

I should go and prepare my uniform now for tomorrow's training.

So bye! (:

Remembering what life is.....
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Hey people!(:

Sorry for not updating in a long time ><

Yes it has been a VERY long time since I last updated ><

Ok so anyway, here are some updates :D

1)Tests are coming soon DD:
2)I have lots of work to do D:
3)I got promoted to Corporal for NPCC (:
4)I am very busy at this time of the year ><
5)Got A1 for Math test :DD
6)Got A2 for Chinese composition common test :D
7)Went through ATC<3^^

Erm those are the few things I can think of. If there are anymore I will add again (:

So yea, everyone knows, the exams are all coming soon. Everyone is busy mugging and doing revision, while I am here doing this. I don't actually know why I have time to do this instead of studying though. O.O

LOL! Anyway,I got quite decent grades for my tests for this term so far. Hope it will remain that way :D

OH! ATC,Adventure Training Camp, some NPCC camp on Pulau Ubin where every Sec 2 must attend, was very fun!!! :D Over there we slept in tents which we had build. We meaning campers not necessarily your own. The schools were from Area 15, an Area is a part of Singapore which they divided. However, this camp was different as Pasir Ris Secondary, who was not from our Area joined us in our camp as they missed their camp due to school events.

ATC was very fun! We went there after school on Friday. Left on Sunday morning. Despite the boring duties, it was still fun! xD We got to socialise with people from other schools in the area. From this we made new friends :D

So the schools in Area 15 includes:

1)Hwa Chong Institution
2)Nanyang Girls High
3)Raffles Girls Secondary
4)Balestier Hill Secondary
5)St. Margret's Girls School
6) Anglo Chinese School (Barker)
7)St Joseph's Institution

Yep thats all(I think) xD

Next year, we will have STC, Survival Training Camp, with our Area again and it will also be at Pulau Ubin :D Hope it will be as fun as ATC :)

Looking forward to it xD

Ok Got to go. Need to do all the undone school work which I have not done. ><

So thats all for this post I guess :)

Remembering what life is.....
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June Hols Activity Part 1:

HI PPL!!! :D
I havn't posted for a long time and so I shall post now... (:

Ok so here's a calendar of my LONG June hols:

1-2 June:Slack at home XD
3 June:Civil Defence NPCC Course
3-5 June:NPCC Annual Unit Camp
6-13 June:INSPIRE'10 Street Sales on random dates and Slack even more :D
14 June:SANA NPCC Course
15-16 June:Stay at home
17 June:CARP NPCC Activity (CIP @ Ren Ci)
18 June:INSPIRE'10 Concert
19 June:CARP NPCC Activity (CIP @ Ren Ci)
20-21 June:Stay at home again ^^


Thats until today so I shall post more things on my hols after the hols :D

Ok so the holidays we have been awaiting for so long is FINALLY here!!! :DDDD
However, when i post this it is almost over DDDD:
Hmm ok so a summary on my hols.
Busier than any June Holiday I have had in my entire 14 years and also definitely more enriching :D

I did alot of CIP this June because of NPCC and cause I was in INSPIRE'10 Finance Comm.Hmm thats probably thanks to Woon Yee for asking me to join XD

So to kick start my hols I had the NPCC Annual Unit Camp where cadets from all levels can bond and have a great time :D On the first day,however,the sec 2s had a Civil Defence Course.Anyway, back to the camp.The 3 days were definitely filled with fun and laughter but still there was also a downside as there is to everything.But overall it was GREAT!!!
The cadets from sec 1-3 were split into 8 grps while the sec 4s were like the coordinators and stuff.The camp was planned by the Sec 3s.So the theme of the camp was "Nations At War". There was even an introductory video which I am going to attach here :D




So the INSPIRE'10 Street Sales was the next thing which I did that was rather important in my June Hols.

So what we did was sell tickets by going door-to-door and selling tickets for the concert,Heartbeat,which was held on 18 June at 7.30pm.So yea each ticket was priced at $12 each.
Even though many tickets were sold,I noticed alot of empty seats in the Nanyang Auditorium.Many people whom we tried to sell the tickets to did not buy.Even though they did not buy,they also donated in cash.Oh and I forgot to mention that the funds collected would go to the Straits Times Pocket Money Fund which is a project organised by The Straits Times to help primary school students who were less well off.

So yea it wasn't the success that we were hoping for.But I sold like 8 tickets? Haha I felt it was enough but well it didn't seem enough to be able to fill the Nanyang Auditorium... Selling tickets was fun.You get to meet all kinds of people.From generous people who bought 4 tickets at one go to cautious people who opens the door,see strangers and immediately close the doors.
I felt that selling tickets and helping the less fortunate was a better way of spending time as compared to staying at home and not doing anything constructive.

So on the 14th of June had another NPCC event which was SANA course.SANA stands for Singapore Anti Narcotics Association.Over there we learnt about the negative effects of drugs and their aim was to use us students to spread this information to our families and friends. So the course was very educational and there were many shocking things such as people sniffing glue from the age of 11 in Singapore.So,we had to take a test at the end of the course and I scored 28/30 which I felt was not bad but there were others who scored full marks xP

So after that,on the 17th, had CARP. It was another CIP thing.For this CARP,we had to go to Ren Ci Hospital and like help out.So when we went there,there were about 30 patients in 1 ward.So yea.About 5 students were in charge of 1 ward.We had to push the patients outside on their wheelchairs and talk to them,and even feed some of them!Many of them gave us advice such as we have to study hard and things like that.From this trip,I learned that we had to be patient with them as they can be rather long winded and their movements were slow.

So finally on the 18th,I went to the INSPIRE'10 concert held at Nanyang Auditorium with my fellow Comm members,Xin Yi and Lucas.We were supposed to meet at 6.30pm at Serene Centre but when I reached at 6.30pm,no one was there.So I waited till abt 7.00pm before I saw Lucas.He was late due to the bus so yea.Xin Yi on the other hand was late because she went back home to change out of her school uniform.But her house wasn't that far away so she still made it in time for the concert.Since we did not have time to have dinner at Serene Centre,we went to Macdonalds and had take aways which we ate on the way.So the concert was rather entertaining with performers from different age groups and different schools.The age of the performers were from people at the age of 35 to people at the age of 12.The concert lasted about 1 and a half hours from 7.30pm to abt 9.00pm.

On the 19th,a Saturday, had another CARP at Ren Ci.So it was the same thing again just that with different patients.

So after a busy week,I still could not rest as I had tuition the next day and thus had to wake up at 6.30am. My tuition was from 8am to 12pm and another one from 3pm to 5pm. Yea so that was my "eventful" holiday so far and I will be going for another NPCC activity tomorrow at 10am and finishes at 6.30pm.They say its supposed to be fun but we shall see ;) Haha! (: that will be all of my holiday for now (:

Remembering what life is.....
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Poem: Rainbow Death


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


Task 1: Background Knowledge

The event is set back during the Vietnam War, where America used huge amounts of "Agent Orange" spray which affected the Vietnamese people even until today.From 1962 to 1971, Agent Orange was by far the most widely used of the so-called "Rainbow Herbicides" employed in the herbicidal warfare program. During the production of Agent Orange (as well as Agents Purple, Pink, and Green) dioxins were produced as a contaminant, which have caused numerous health problems for the millions of people who have been exposed. Agents Blue and White were part of the same program but did not contain dioxins.”


Analysis of Rainbow Death
This poem is seen from a third person's point of view.From this point of view, we can see the horrors and pain the Americans had caused even on the innocent Vietnamese citizens (from background knowledge).This emphasises that what they are doing is wrong as it is unacceptable to harm the innocent.They need to stop such herbicide warfare to prevent any more agony to occur.The use of the different colour herbicides gives the title the name:"Rainbow Death", due to the code names of the different dangerous chemicals used by America.

From the first stanza,we see that America wanted to make "others pay a high price"the "others" here probably refer to Vietnam as this event was set in the Vietnam War. Because they wanted them to "pay",America used herbicides to destroy Vietnam's ecosystem which is full of plants as it is a tropical country. The poet also uses words like 'potpourri', which is defined as: a collection of miscellaneous or diverse items.In this case, it refers the people who died during the war. The poet also mentioned "green, pink, purple and other colours", which gives the title of the poem the word "rainbow". America's Government is blamed in the first and third lines of the first stanza for "not foresee(ing)" and "expecting others to pay a high price". America used chemicals like Agent Orange, to make "them" pay. The statement "Now thinking twice?" is as if questioning if America had acted too rashly and ended up harming the innocent Vietnamese. "Toll",in the last line of the stanza signifies an the large amount of lives of innocent people and unborn babies loss as can be seen from "Toll on the innocent and unborn.".

The second stanza once again talks about the effects of Agent Orange on Vietnam during the war, such as:"illness, birth defects and prematurely dead". This also tells us that not only the people present were affected but also the next few generations as can be seen from: "Generations untold will pay".The next few generations will suffer the same fate as their ancestors despite the fact that they were innocent and did not take part in the war at all. "Omnipotent and disregarding who will mourn" shows the fact that America does not really care about what happens to Vietnam. As this is happening, "all the deceit continues to spread". America is a world power and thus it is greatly influential and when it uses these chemicals to make Vietnam "pay",other countries would think that it is alright to fight with chemicals as can be seen from:"Nefariously America led astray". The last line in this stanza and also the last line of the poem mentions the "agent orange spray" which is the chemical which the Americans mainly used in the Vietnam War.It was also the chemical that caused all the illnesses and sufferings in Vietnam.The effect of this chemical is described as "execrable".

Remembering what life is.....
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Response To Children in the Darkness

Children in the Darkness
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: Introduction and background to the Poem
Written in 2010, this poem was inspired by a photo of a small boy with a helmet and an automatic rifle in the background of a news program on TV in his hotel room in Saigon just before Christmas 2009.He was trying to write a poem about the girls who work in the park and how badly men treat them as he was angry with the way the men treated them. Henry M Bechtold was in Vietnam in 1967-68 and again in 1969, going back often because his soul lives in Vietnam and he goes back to visit it from time to time.

Source:http://www.henrybechtold.com/

Task 2: Poem Analysis
This poem was written from an adult's perspective. This can be seen from how the persona refers to his main characters as "children". This might be something like a recount because the poet often visits Vietnam and he might have written this in memory of the pitiful kids he saw in Vietnam. The poet is trying to tell us that children are innocent in adult's affair and have the right to receive education that other children have instead of fighting in war.

Throughout the poem,repetition of "darkness" and "light" is to emphasise the contrast between darkness and light.This is quite similar to the difference good and evil. However, in the poem, light symbolises freedom and darkness symbolises limitation, or slavery. This is seen in "girls who work in the park and how badly men treat them".

In the first stanza, "there are children in the darkness" repeats the title of the poem."There" shows that there are children in the world who are restricted in one way or another, "who have not seen the light" meaning experience freedom. They do not have freedom and are limited and manipulated by others. Children "Who someone will teach to fight" shows the intentions of other people in bringing the children into the cruel world of war and violence. "Who someone will teach to fight"may also symbolise the fact that the "children" will be scarred forever as they learn "how to fight",they lose their innocence.

In the second stanza, "chalk and blackboards will not be" show that the children are not learning what we are learning. They,unlike us,are not receiving their education which is learning how to read and write from chalk and blackboards, but instead only how to fight as can be seen in stanza one. They are also unable to pursue what they want to do, in this case,getting their education. The next three lines show that the children are dragged into war and cannot escape from the terrible life which they lead and would have to accept what becomes of them. Metaphor is present when the poet compares the situation of the child to a locked door, as can be seen "to this door there is no key", showing that there is no escape.

The third stanza consists of four questions, all starting with "could we". Candle is used as a metaphor of providing them with "light", where "simply light a candle" means to give them a hope for their freedom. The poet questioned if we could "teach them how to read" and "how to dance", instead of fighting all the time. However, we know that this is impossible and the children are deprived of even "half a chance" as can be seen from the previous stanza.

The fourth stanza war as a black hole, who will "consume them", "their body and their soul", draining them from the energy their young and energetic bodies once had. "Their life and blood be poured down some endless thirsty hole", implying that the children would be worn out and tired of continuous fighting and they will never gain back their life,blood and innocence as the hole is"endless".

The last stanza summarises the poem and tell us that there is no way to escape - "no flight" - and they are unable to obtain freedom.From "shines no light" we can see that there is no hope and they will forever be unable to break their shackles to freedom.

Thus,I conclude my analysis of this poem.

Remembering what life is.....
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Hello people!!! Sorry for not having posted for so long. Because I was busy with other things.

Yea,was suffering these few days...
This week was sabbatical week and I'm in this chinese culture sabbatical thing.Well that isn't really suffering,except maybe that it was kind of boring the first day. I almost fell asleep in A205 (4I1 or 4I2) i forgot xD. Anyway the teacher was talking about chinese culture stuff which most students would consider boring... yea so I almost fell asleep to the teacher droning and the monotonous hum of the air condition. Well this may also be due to the fact that I slept at 2 because I was doing Malay homework.

But after that the sabbatical was quite ok. The second day we played games and of course its almost impossible to sleep while playing games! =D

3rd day, went for tea appreciation.We learned the name of the different equipment of the tea set(not like we will remember) and we learned how to make tea the traditional way with tea leaves and stuff(not just with a tea bag xD).They let us eat rice dumplings,tea egg and some lychee pudding that has tea taste.They were quite good except maybe the pudding.Because it was sour with the lychee taste and bitter with the tea taste...

Had CCA after sabbaticals,did rifle drills.All of us got scolded by seniors because some people didn't bother preparing their uniforms.We were also quite short of time so they might not have been in a good mood.Well,I screwed up at the first part of the training because I couldn't do it in time while others could. Well maybe because they did it before and I didn't(had something on not because i played truant).But after that it kinda got better.

4th day(today),well the first thing that made it a bad day was my computer acting weird and hanging when I on it... It can't start properly. Hangs at the start up page... 2nd,went to Chinatown as part of sabbatical. Chinatown was hot and crowded(as expected).So we were all quite ready to get back to school where it was alot more cooling.The hot weather kind of irritated me even though I shouldn't be._.
3rd) My group member dropped his bottle and all the water spilled and wet my entire shoe because I was standing next to him... This wasn't his fault but still irritated as having wet shoes is kind of weird and annoying.. 4th)Went back home and hoped computer was finally fixed.But it wasn't. 5th)I kind of fix it with the help of my younger brother and elder sister but its only temporary.Hope that after my dad comes back he can fix it. xD

Yea, this concludes my bad days up till I post this post that is.

Remembering what life is.....
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Remembering what life is.....
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This year's Combined Sports Meet(CSM) is held on 14th May!!! =D

Its probably gonna be fun =)

2A1 is gonna take part in all of the relays(if I'm not wrong xD)And we are probably gonna OWN!!!

Even though Wei Boon,our TRUSTED monitor decided not to take part in the relay due to a shortage of willing participants,THE CLASS decided to go ahead and go for the relays!!! :D

Even though we aren't registered,we plan to just crash and join in last minute!! HAHA!!
With our pro runners(Sean,Guo Yue,Hua Ying... etc) taking part,we will probably OWN! HAHA!!!

2A1 Jia You!!! :)

Remembering what life is.....
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ARGH!!!!

Just got back a few test papers these few days and screwed them horribly...
English:15/25(B4)
Math:22/40(C5)

If that isn't called screwed up,I don't know what is...
My only hope is that my other tests don't screw up and get at least A2 and hope my 2nd Math test for the term gets FULL MARKS!!!

Only then will my math still get A1 for this term. :D

Remembering what life is.....
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ARH!!!Just had math test today and it was horrible even though I spent my whole of yesterday studying for it...

WASTED 3 WHOLE HOURS!!!Math test was so hard.I did not do more than 6 questions(and part questions) out of 8 whole questions:(

Sigh hope at least I get full marks for those which I had completed and just maybe I will pass my math test...

I am so depressed...Math is the only subject I can hope of getting A1...Now my hopes are dashed :( Unless of course I get FULL MARKS for the 2nd math test this term. Well that is if I do pass the first one :(

Maybe I shouldn't study for math.Just like in term 1 =)

Remembering what life is.....
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My 2 highest scores are:Interpersonal and Musical.

Musical:I am going to write a poem about Life In Maycomb County.

Poem:
A white and a black,
are all the same:human.
What gives whites a right to smack,
and blacks to just succumb.

A white and a black,
are all the same
They may stand back to back,
But they believe they arn't the same.

A black has a feet,
so does the white.
A black eats meat,
so does a white.

What is the difference between the two?
Nothing it may seem.
Just that one feels he should rule,
and the other just lets him.(For peace)





Interview:
Q:How do you feel about prejudice?

A:Prejudice ought to be eliminated, in an ideal society - especially in societies with a fundamental emphasis on meritocracy - to give everyone the proverbial level playing field, in the name of fairness and equity. however, this might just be a utopian scenario.

having prejudice against people is, unfortunately perhaps, an innate part of our nature. due to negative preconceived notions, over-generalisations or stereotypes about certain groups of people, prejudice against them is already inherent in our thoughts, judgments and even actions. it would be difficult to erase the presence of prejudice in each individuals, especially if their personal experiences reinforces the negative preconceptions about particular groups of people.

because of the unrealistic idealism of trying to completely eradicate prejudice, we would have to concede that prejudice is but an innate part of being human; if it is not harmful to society at large, extreme or radicalised, there is nothing much that we can do about it.

Remembering what life is.....
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You can see my result by going to this website:http://www.bgfl.org/bgfl/custom/resources_ftp/client_ftp/ks3/ict/multiple_int/results/results.cfm
And keying this code in:"dw2nr884241"
I feel that it reflects quite accurately about what we are like.With this knowledge about ourselves,we can use it to help us to improve our way of learning things and with it,learn more things at a faster pace.With this we can also learn more things and we can also use it to know more about ourselves.

Remembering what life is.....
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This post is very late.Should have been up quite long ago but well... We sec 2s are very busy...

Anyway, back to the point.Still remember the CIP where some random guy slapped me,yes thats the CIP.

The CIP was fun,got to know more people.For example,my brother's classmates and some NYGH people oh and some HCI people who I did not know previously.Anyway,overall the CIP was good.The first day of camp took place only in the school.They were just supposed to play ALOT of games(even I was sick of games after that).

The 1st day...

The students were supposed to play "Ice-Breakers" for the first program but it was of no use as the students have already been in the same class for at least a year.-_- So it was totally a waste of time as there was no "ice" to "break".However,we still played anyway...My class played "wacko".

After that they just played more and more and more and more...etc games.But all the games had the same aim.It was to make the class cooperate,make them learn about team work.

At the start the class was like "Boys vs Girls" but later on they became better(I think :D).So maybe the games were not that useless.Haha.

After their meals,and ALL of their games(a very long time) they went to bathe and we could finally go home. :D

Thats it for the 1st day.

The 2nd day...

The 2nd day the cohort was split into 2 groups.
The 1st group was supposed to go to botanical gardens for some activity while the second group was supposed to stay in school for MORE GAMES(I wonder why they are never bored of the games)...

My group was in the first group.So we WALKED to botanical gardens...
You may think that is far but actually it is not.It was less than 1km.Thats because they entered through some desolated side gate.

Anyway, there were supposed to be about like 10+ stations they were supposed to go to. BUT! My group is so PRO that they only did 4!Don't you agree that they are pro?

So after that we went back to school for lunch.

After lunch the 2nd group would go to botanical gardens and the 1st group would play the MORE games...

I was so tired of the games I just stood there and stoned while they played...

After the games,they all went to bathe and time for us to go home =D

The end of day 2...

There was supposed to be a day 3 but the school only allowed us to go for 2 days... SAD...D:

Overall the experience was good just that there were too many games... Diao...

Below are some photos from the camp...





Remembering what life is.....
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This post is a bit late though. Well not really a bit. Its 3 weeks late to be exact. It was on the second last week of January, on a Monday and Tuesday.I went back to my primary school,Nanyang Primary, to do CIP.

We were supposed to help out as Student leaders at the camp for the P6 students.It was quite fun.Coincidentally, the class which I was taking care of was my brother's class.

Some background on the camp:
1)There are 14 classes
2)Each class has two student leaders (1 from HCI 1 from NYGH)
3)Each class has 3 trainers.
4)Each class has about 40 pupils

Things we received for helping out:
1)CIP hours
2)A camp t-shirt
3)A water bottle(Its lie the Nike one)

As I was saying,the class which I took was my brother's class.So when I was sitting in front of the class,some people knew who I was.So the message spread and the whole class knew who I was in no time. There were a few students who came to the front to ask me if I was really Wei Xiong's(My brother) brother.I just sort of ignored them and asked them to go back to their seats.Some went back(2 students) but most stayed(5 students).Suddenly, someone slapped me.
I was shocked.I mean if you got slapped by a random stranger, what would you do?Of course you would be shocked.I was slapped by this guy in this photo.

Remembering what life is.....
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Just had my tuition... It was supposed to be from 8am to 12.00pm(2 classes,1 from 8 to 10 the other from 10 to 12).
I was supposed to wake up at 6.30am and reach there by 8am. But I only woke up at 8.30am. So I asked the teacher if it was alright if I went for the 10am one only and have a make-up on Thursday.Just as I gave a sigh of relief,I suddenly remembered that I had to do my chinese and math project with Brian on that day. So I smsed the teacher again and asked if it was alright for me to go now(8.50am)for the lesson. At the most I would just have to stay back a while more. So I rushed there and reached at 9.25am(5 mins earlier than he requested).
So I had my math and science tuition there until 1pm then I went home. I almost got caught by the doors of the MRT(so scary.I wonder what would have happened if I got caught).
After I reached the MRT station nearest to my house, I alighted.I went for lunch at a nearby shop. After that I walked home.

Remembering what life is.....
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This is my first post of 2010! :) Well I have not been posting so far due to my thick stack of homework. When I finish it,it is always late at night. Luckily there is no math worksheet for the weekends. =D (Math worksheet from Miss Tong is hard.)
I just finish dinner after reaching home at 7.45pm. I was released from CCA at about 7pm. That was because we had marshaling duty for the Secondary 1s' parents for the Secondary 1s' teacher-parent meeting (I think). There is a lot of IT work these few days. Miss Tong also gave us IT work to do research on polynomials while for history we have to reply to our friends' posts. Today I brought my laptop to school for nothing. Mr Ho said that he would use it but we ended up going to the computer lab instead. LOL!
GTG now.

Remembering what life is.....
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Strand 1 Paper 1-Free Essay situational writing
I have to complete a narrative essay and a formal letter within 1hr 45 mins.
This is how I would allocate the time:
1.Narrative Essay:Approximately 1 hr
2.Formal letter:Approximately 45 mins
My preparation for Paper 1:
1.Read through the narratives done over the course of the year.
2.Identify key points that should be committed in the paper.
3.Remember the mistakes I have made and try to avoid them during the exam.
4.Read through Letters Of Request and Letters of Complaint.
5.Memorise the letter format.
6.Identify the key points of writing a formal letter.

Strand 1 Paper 2-Comprehension,vocabulary,summary(1hr 45 mins)
Time spent:
1.Comprehension and Vocabulary:Approximately 50 mins
2.Summary:Approximately 50 mins
My preparation for Paper 2:
1.Read through past Comprehension,vocabulary and summary practices.
2.Identify weaknesses in each area.
3.Take note of common mistakes in this area,for example,taking note of the tense used in the question.(Past,present tense etc.)
4.Take note of notes copied in the practices and remember them.
5.Do not write long answers but short,straightforward answers.
6.Make sure answers "answer" the question but are not "extra". This is to save time.

Literature Strand 1-Unseen Prose or poem,Novel-Animal Farm(1hr 45 mins)
Time allocated for each area:
1.Unseen Prose or Poem:Approximately 1 hr
2.Novel-Animal Farm:Approximately 45 mins
My preparation for the Literature Paper:
1.Read through practices and tests done over the year on Unseen poem and Unseen prose.
2.Identify important marks-determining factors such as identification of figurative language,how to integrate the purpose of the poem with figurative language.
3.Take note of my weaknesses such as:Writing more points instead of trying to write only the main points!
4.Read handouts on figurative language and take note of the uses of common literary devices such as:Metaphors,repetition,alliteration.
5.Reread the novel,Animal Farm.
6.Take out handouts on Animal Farm such as those on the Russian Revolution and reread them.
7.Read through the handouts on Animal Farm concerning a passage-based question and an essay question.
8.Identify the main parts of this novel area and take note of the main points such as writing more.

Remembering what life is.....
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Anytime You Need A Friend
by Mariah Carey

If you're lonely
And need a friend
And troubles seem like
They never end,
Just remember to keep the Faith,
And Love will be there to Light the Way

Anytime you need a friend,
I will be here.
You'll never be alone again,
So don't you fear.
Even if you're miles away,
I'm by your side.
So don't you ever be lonely.
Love will make it alright.

When the shadows are closing in
And your Spirit deminishing,
Just remember you're not alone,
And Love will be there
To Guide you Home.

(Chorus)

If you just believe in me,
I will Love you endlessly.
Take my hand.
Take me into your Heart.
I'll be there forever, baby.
I won't let go.
I'll never let go.

Anytime you need a friend,
I will be here.
You'll never be alone again,
So don't you fear.
Even if your miles away,
I'm by your side.
So don't you ever be lonely.
It's alright.
It's alright.

Analysis:
THis song mainly revolves around a single theme: Friendship. Friendship, in my is one of the most valued aspects of my life and it is something which cannot be bought. I believe that friendship is essential to all of us in life. This song reflects my personality.

In the first stanza:"If you're lonely,And need a friend,And troubles seem like,They never end,Just remember to keep the Faith,And Love will be there to Light the Way"
It tells us that a friend will never give up on you from"Just remember to keep the Faith,And Love will be there to Light the Way".

Anytime you need a friend,I will be here.You'll never be alone again,So don't you fear.Even if you're miles away,I'm by your side.This shows that evem if friends aren't there physically,they are still there in you and with you in heart and in mind.

Friends will help you in all sorts of situation.This can be seen from"When the shadows are closing in,And your Spirit deminishing,Just remember you're not alone"This relates to me in the fact that I would never give up on a friend,I will always be there for them and I will always try to help my friends in any way I can.

The next stanza:"If you just believe in me,I will Love you endlessly.Take my hand.Take me into your Heart.I'll be there, forever,baby.I won't let go.I'll never let go. This stanza once again shows that friends will never give up on each other.

"Aytime you need a friend,I will be here.You'll never be alone again,So don't you fear.Even if your miles away,I'm by your side.So don't you ever be lonely.It's alright.It's alright." This again repeats that friends won't give up on each other.

I conclude,my personality allows me to feel that having a friend is truly a privillege. In times of trouble, a "friend" true colours would be revealed.2 aspects, loyalty and love combined form a single magical product: Friendship and its wonders.

The poem I have created on my personality:

The Journey

You know I will
Stick with you,
Even against your will,
I'll be there.

Do not be sad,
If I'm not there,
and also don't be mad.
Because I will be there.

You will never walk alone,
We will be there with you.
You will never feel alone,
When you have us with you.

We will never give you up,
Even if you give up.
Even if we are all locked up,
We also won't blame you.

Remembering what life is.....
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You do what I cannot,
With a thick head.
And a iron helmet,
And a wonderful wedge.

You may be useful,
But can be a threat.
Depending on who uses you,
And for what purpose.

Answer:A hammer.

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Due to the H1N1 virus, we had to stay at home for 1 week and learn via the internet.I feel that it is a very good method as it not only helps to contain the virus and it also helps the students to learn even at this time.

I feel that the home learning was fun and there was very clear instructions from some teachers while some didn't even give instructions.I feel that most of the tasks for Language Arts could be completed in less than 1 hour but many other work from the other subjects taskes more than 1 hour. Sometimes it even eats into the time for othr lessons and some may take up to a few hours. There are some subjects which are not in the timetable but the teacers still want us to do it.These tasks usually take several hours but the teachers still expect us to finish by friday. The time given too short.

I like learning from home as I am at home so I feel at home and it makes me feel much more comfortable and I also have more resources available such as the internet and all my notes.

Overall I think it was quite good just that the school should give more time and arrange all the lessons into the timetable.

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Comparing things from One-Dollar-Gambler relates to Ah Boh in the Lottery.
Comparing how:one dollar,a "blind man", the number 13 and ultimately zero dollars to bet relate to Ah Boh.

One Dollar:
I feel that one dollar relates to Ah Boh as it is money to spend on betting and Ah Boh spent alot of money on betting.It can also be interpreted as having very little money and Ah Boh earned very little from working as a maid.

"Blind Man":
I feel that this can be interpreted as Ah Boh being blind to the effects of gambling and Ah Boh being blind to the fact that her mother is starving because Ah Boh decides to gamble her money away.

The number 13:
I feelthat the number thirteen can mean Ah Boh is unlucky as she rarely wins.I feel this way as number 13 is regarded as an unlucky number in western countries.

Ultimately zero dollars to bet on:
In the end, Ah Boh had very little money left to bet on and I feel zero dollars can refer to Ah Boh being poor after betting.

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Paul's weakness was his obsession with winning and wanting to prove he was lucky. Even though he had already earned alot,he still wanted more.He wanted to prove he was lucky to his mother who said that she and her husband were unlucky. The cards were stacked against Paul by letting him win more which cxaused him to become more obssessed with winning and making him think he was lucky.

I feel that Paul was lucky not to live to be an old man fumbling the cards, leaden-eyed and whining about his losses. I feel this way as it is better to enjoy a short enjoyable live than a long and hard one. It is like you would prefer to do something you like for a short period of time to doing something you dislike for a long time. For example, I would choose to play computer games for 1 hour than do homework for 5 hours.
Thus, I feel that Paul was lucky to die early than continue to live in obsession of winning.

Remembering what life is.....
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"Lottery", Little Ironies, By Catherine Lim
Analysis on Ah Boh's superstition regarding gambling.
Ah Boh did many things in the hope of winning Lottery such as:Listening to "tips" from fellow gamblers,recollecting dreams from the previous nights and trying to think what numbers they stood for,weighing a cat and taking down it's weight,putting pieces of paper with numbers on it on a baby's chest and noting down the first numbers that rolled off and many others including believing that new-born babies, marriages children celebrating their birthdays can bring her luck.She even believed that her husband had given her a sign that she would strike lottery soon.But the worst thing was, when there are car accidents, Ah Boh would go to the scene of accident and take down the car plate number of the car.
Thus,I conclude that Ah Boh was over superstitious thinking that it was possible to become rich overnight.

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The Rocking Horse Winner
By DH Lawrence

Who was responsible for Paul's Death?
I feel that Paul, his Uncle,Oscar Cresswell,his mother and Bassett were responsible for Paul's death.
Paul was respondsible as he became obssessed with betting on horses and thinking about luck.He died due to the brain fever caused by his obssession. He thought only about winning and being right on the horses he had bet on.

Oscar Cresswell:
He was responsible as he not only didn't helped to stop Paul from betting, he also helped Paul bet. Furthermore, he joined Paul as his "Partner".He also gave money to Paul and helped Paul bet.

Paul's Mother:
She talked to paul about luck at first. That caused Paul to believe that there was luck,made him think he was lucky which caused him to want to get even more money.She also talked about herself being poor and unlucky and Paul wanted to help her feel better and so ended up becoming more obssessed with betting.

Bessett:
He not only didn't dissuade Paul from betting,joining Paul as a "Partner" and also helping Paul to bet.

Hence, I concludee that the reason Paul died was because he was obssessed with betting and he became obssessed due to:himself,his ubcle,his mother and Besset.

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The Son is in Secondary School by Affran Sa’at

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

I will be analysing this poem.

I feel that the poet is reminiscing his school life which have not faded away from his mind,although his child hood memories originated many years ago.The poet indulged in his school life by writing a poem about it which shows that a vivid image of his pass stills remain in his mind.I feel that the poet had probably thought about his school life to relive those moments as a normal school boy in attending school every morning. But I am sure that the poet would have wanted to relive those memories and experience the true meaning of childhood once more while writing this poem.
The poem above has exactly 31 lines.Lines are arranged in in quinrains mostly in the last few stanzas and lines are arranged in quatrains and couplets in the beginning and the middle stanzas in this poem.This poem contains 10 stanzas.It is a free verse poem. There are occurences of illiteration in the most of the stanzas, in stanzas 1,3,5,6,7 and 8.This poem is mainly using the sense of sight and have little usage of imagery.Neither similies nor onomaetopia can be foound.There is little personication used,it is used only in the second stanza,"At times black crows try to interrupt".Idioms are not used in this poem and the symbol portrayed in this poem is:School life is happiness.The mood in this poem is positive and the poet is trying to convey the message that all of us should treasure our childhood.

Now I will construct a poem of my primary school life.

Primary school wasn't so long ago,
I didn't want to let it go.
If I didn't what will happen?
I won't know till it really happens.

It was fun,
Playing in the sun.
But times were rough,
When the work was tough.

Primary school wasn't so long ago,
I didn't want to let it go.
If I did what will actually happen?
I already know because it has happened.

I am now in Secondary One,
Where I didn't know almost everyone.
I didn't regret letting it go,
As it has really let me grow.

Remembering what life is.....
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My favourite poet is Robert Frost.
He was born in San Francisco, on March 26, 1874. He moved to New England at the age of eleven and became interested in reading and writing poetry during his high school years in Lawrence, Massachusetts. He was enrolled at Dartmouth College in 1892, and later at Harvard, though he never earned a formal degree.
Frost drifted through a string of occupations after leaving school, working as a teacher, cobbler, and editor of the Lawrence Sentinel. His first professional poem, "My Butterfly," was published on November 8, 1894, in the New York newspaper The Independent.
In 1895, Frost married Elinor Miriam White, who became a major inspiration in his poetry until her death in 1938. The couple moved to England in 1912, after their New Hampshire farm failed, and it was abroad that Frost met and was influenced by such contemporary British poets as Edward Thomas, Rupert Brooke, and Robert Graves. While in England, Frost also established a friendship with the poet Ezra Proud, who helped to promote and publish his work.
By the time Frost returned to the United States in 1915, he had published two full-length collections, A Boy's Will and North of Boston, and his reputation was established. By the nineteen-twenties, he was the most celebrated poet in America, and with each new book—including New Hampshire (1923), A Further Range (1936), Steeple Bush (1947), and In the Clearing (1962)—his fame and honors (including four Pulitzer Prizes) increased.
Though his work is principally associated with the life and landscape of New England, and though he was a poet of traditional verse forms and metrics who remained steadfastly aloof from the poetic movements and fashions of his time, Frost is anything but a merely regional or minor poet. The author of searching and often dark meditations on universal themes, he is a quintessentially modern poet in his adherence to language as it is actually spoken, in the psychological complexity of his portraits, and in the degree to which his work is infused with layers of ambiguity and irony.
In a 1970 review of The Poetry of Robert Frost, the poet Daniel Hoffman describes Frost's early work as "the Puritan ethic turned astonishingly lyrical and enabled to say out loud the sources of its own delight in the world," and comments on Frost's career as The American Bard: "He became a national celebrity, our nearly official Poet Laureate, and a great performer in the tradition of that earlier master of the literary vernacular, Mark Twain."
About Frost, President John F. Kennedy said, "He has bequeathed his nation a body of imperishable verse from which Americans will forever gain joy and understanding."
Robert Frost lived and taught for many years in Massachusetts and Vermont, and died in Boston on January 29, 1963.

Here are some of the poems he has made:
A Boy's Will (1913)
North of Boston (1914)
Mountain Interval (1916)
New Hampshire (1923)
West-Running Brook (1928)
The Lovely Shall Be Choosers (1929)
The Lone Striker (1933)
From Snow to Snow (1936)
A Further Range (1936)
A Witness Tree (1942)
Come In, and Other Poems (1943)
Masque of Reason (1945)
Steeple Bush (1947)
Hard Not to be King (1951)

Here are others:

The Road Not Taken
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.

After Apple Picking

My long two-pointed ladder's sticking through a tree
Toward heaven still,
And there's a barrel that I didn't fill
Beside it, and there may be two or three
Apples I didn't pick upon some bough.
But I am done with apple-picking now.
Essence of winter sleep is on the night,
The scent of apples: I am drowsing off.
I cannot rub the strangeness from my sight
I got from looking through a pane of glass
I skimmed this morning from the drinking trough
And held against the world of hoary grass.
It melted, and I let it fall and break.
But I was well
Upon my way to sleep before it fell,
And I could tell
What form my dreaming was about to take.
Magnified apples appear and disappear,
Stem end and blossom end,
And every fleck of russet showing clear.
My instep arch not only keeps the ache,
It keeps the pressure of a ladder-round.
I feel the ladder sway as the boughs bend.
And I keep hearing from the cellar bin
The rumbling sound
Of load on load of apples coming in.
For I have had too much
Of apple-picking: I am overtired
Of the great harvest I myself desired.
There were ten thousand thousand fruit to touch,
Cherish in hand, lift down, and not let fall.
For all
That struck the earth,
No matter if not bruised or spiked with stubble,
Went surely to the cider-apple heap
As of no worth.
One can see what will trouble
This sleep of mine, whatever sleep it is.
Were he not gone,
The woodchuck could say whether it's like his
Long sleep, as I describe its coming on,
Or just some human sleep.

Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening

Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.
My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.
He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.
The woods are lovely, dark, and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

Remembering what life is.....
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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) Symbolism: The Roads symbolises Choices we make

Personfication: One of the roads wanted wear

2)I like this poem as it has many hidden meanings in it. It also has some uses of figurative language such as personification and symbolism. It may not be easy to understand the hidden meaning of the poem, but after you do, the poem is very interesting and very meaningful.

Remembering what life is.....
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She stood in a corner.
Away form her partying friends.
She couldn't help but think of her parent's divorce.
She just wanted to go home.
Her parents wanted a divorce but they wanted her for themselves.
She decided to go home.
A drunk driver hit her despite her white dress.
Now, the driver GOT her!

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It was fun posting on the blog as it was not about the usual things people post but of things we have read.I also created a blog.We got to learn about blogs which we will definitely not learn in school(except during English).

I like the test on our learning skills as I got to learn more about my own learning skils.After learning about our skills we can try to change it and improve it.

Overall the experience was very enriching,fruitful and interesting.I hope this can continue in Term 2.

Remembering what life is.....
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I enjoy reading fantasies,thrillers and mysteries.I read fantasies like:Harry Potter,The Inhritance Trilogy(Eragon,Eldest and Brisingr),The Power of Five,The Chronicles of Narnia,Percy Jackson and Molly Moon's Hypnotic Adventures.I like reading thrillers like:The Alex Rider series and almost any horror stories.Some of the mysteries that I read are :Boxcar Children,Sherlock Holmes and The Famous Five.









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