huanglin

Literature Assignment for E-learning

2009-09-03T17:56:00.000-07:00

1a. The persona feels enraged by the students. In the second stanza, the poet used "Of... Of... Of..." to emphasize on the three sentences whereby he said about the attitude of the students and the quality of their work. The students' work had blotted pages and were described as "slovenly" which definitely makes a teacher go mad at the sight of such low-quality work.

In the first stanza, the poet described his feelings using the metaphor "hounds". This metaphor refers to the students who were rude, naughty and wild and shared similar characteristics as hounds and thus the persona is very frustrated. In the second stanza the poet used the metaphor "insults" to describe the persona's feelings. "Insults" here refers to the students' work because the persona feels that the quality of the students' work is an insult to his intelligence. The students' work that they have handed in had blotted pages, and the handwriting was horrible and thus the persona feel enraged and frustrated.

The poet used puns to describe the persona's feelings. The first pun is "quarry" in the first stanza. The word "quarry" has two meanings, one of them is "a rich or productive source" and another meaning is "a hunted animal". This pun tells us that the students have to hunt for knowledge but are hunted down at the same time. In the second stanza, there is the pun "I am sick". It has double meanings and it can mean that the teacher is physically sick from the stress the students give him and the other meaning is that the teacher is sick and tired of the students' attitude. The last pun is in the third stanza. It is "will". The word "will" also has double meanings and it can both mean "going to" and "willing to". The pun describes the persona's feelings well as the teacher is not going to teach the students any more and at the same time, he is not willing to.

1b. The tone of anger in this poem is illustrated through literary devices and careful choice of words. The poet used metaphors, alliteration and puns to bring out the tone of anger in the poem. Some of the metaphors that are used are "hounds" and "insults"; The alliteration is present in "Of... Of... Of..."; Some of the puns are "quarry", "will", and "I am sick". The choice of words also helped illustrate the tone of anger, the poet used words such as "weariness", "endure", "insults" and "dross of indifference".

In the first stanza, the poet described his feelings using the metaphor "hounds". This metaphor refers to the students who were rude, naughty and wild and shared similar characteristics as hounds and thus the persona is very frustrated. In the second stanza the poet used the metaphor "insults" to describe the persona's feelings. "Insults" here refers to the students' work because the persona feels that the quality of the students' work is an insult to his intelligence. The students' work that they have handed in had blotted pages, and the handwriting was horrible and thus the persona feel enraged and frustrated.

For alliteration, the poet used "Of... Of... Of..." to emphasize on the three sentences whereby he said about the attitude of the students and the quality of their work. The students' work had blotted pages and were described as "slovenly" which definitely makes a teacher go mad at the sight of such low-quality work.

For puns, the first pun is "quarry" in the first stanza. The word "quarry" has two meanings, one of them is "a rich or productive source" and another meaning is "a hunted animal". This pun tells us that the students have to hunt for knowledge but are hunted down at the same time. In the second stanza, there is the pun "I am sick". It has double meanings and it can mean that the teacher is physically sick from the stress the students give him and the other meaning is that the teacher is sick and tired of the students' attitude. The last pun is in the third stanza. It is "will". The word "will" also has double meanings and it can both mean "going to" and "willing to". The pun describes the persona's feelings well as the teacher is not going to teach the students any more and at the same time, he is not willing to.

The words that the poet used also helped to bring out the enraged feelings of the persona. He used "weariness" which means that teaching the students were very tiring as he needs to constantly try to make the students listen to his lesson. The word "endure" means that the teacher is frustrated at the sight of the students' work but has to endure it and mark the works no matter how angry he is. "Insults" means that the quality of work by the students is so poor that the persona feels that it is an insult to his intelligence by marking them. Lastly, "dross of indifference" means that the students do not care about their work and show little concern over them.

Newspaper Article Review

2009-08-18T20:33:00.000-07:00

I read the article 'Man may have been born in outer space' and feel that this is not true. There is no other place other than Earth where there is suitable environment for life to originate and thus I think that Man have not been born in outer space. However, regarding the scientists discovering a building block of biology in a comet, I think it is believable. If water can be brought to Earth by meteorites, why cant comets bring life to Earth? Another thing that I want to say is that the article topic is a bit different from what the contents are all about. Scientists claim that life was BROUGHT to Earth by comets but the topic says that Man was BORN in the outer space and thus the topic and the actual content of the article are different. Anyway, this article is quite exciting and interesting because scientists have given us interesting results of them investigating the origins of man kind. They have given us results that are opposite to the theory that life originated on Earth and maybe they are correct, who knows? It is just like changing a fact that is very important and well-known and this is what makes this article exciting to read.

My Favourite Food

2009-08-18T20:00:00.000-07:00

My favourite food is tofu. It is made by coagulating soy milk, and then pressing the resulting curds into blocks. Tofu is low in calories, contains a relatively large amount of iron and contains little fat.

There are many varieties of tofu, some of them are silken tofu, dried tofu and fried tofu. I would not choose my favourite type because all of them are my favourites. I would elaborate on each of the types of tofu.

Silken tofu contains the highest moisture content of all fresh tofus. Its texture can be described as similar to that of very fine custard. Douhua, or tofu brain is often eaten as a dessert, but sometimes with salty pickles or hot sauce added instead, is another type of soft tofu with an even higher moisture content. Because it is nearly impossible to pick up this type of tofu with chopsticks, it is generally eaten with a spoon. With the addition of flavorings such as finely chopped spring onions, dried shrimp, soy sauce and chilli sauce, douhua is a popular breakfast dish across China.

Dried tofu is an extra firm variety of tofu with the least amount of moisture of all fresh tofu. It has the firmness of fully cooked meat and a somewhat rubbery feel similar to paneer. When sliced thinly, this tofu can be crumbled easily.Shredded dried tofu , which looks like loose cooked noodles, can be served cold or stir-fried.

Fried tofus, with their lower moisture content, are cut into bite-sized cubes or triangles and deep fried until they develop a golden-brown, crispy surface. These may be eaten on their own or with a light sauce, or further cooked in liquids; they are also added to hot pot dishes or included as part of the vegetarian dish called luohan zhai.

News In Class Term 3 Week 5 #1

2009-08-01T20:49:00.000-07:00

Blog Prompt
Q: Imagine that you lived in China during the Cultural Revolution. Write a journal entry describing the situation and how you felt at that time. You are advised to research on this topic before you start writing.

Dear Diary,

Recently there is not a single peaceful day. Everyday there are Red Guards on the streets creating chaos. Today they cruelly beat up the teachers in the schools, the monks and some nuns. They even publicly burnt paintings and books on the streets.

Luckily my parents did not receive proper education because the scholars are being criticized by the Red Guards. If my parents are being criticized, my whole family would be in deep trouble. The Red Guards would rob my house and take whatever things that worth some money. They even take away people's furniture.

My schoolmates recently joined the Red Guards and now they are trying to convince me to join. However I think that the way they are beating up our teachers is too inhuman-they are our teachers or had once been our teachers, how can we forget all that they have done for us and treat them like enemies? However angry I am with their behaviour, I cannot do anything because the Red Guards are too strong. Hopefully the chaos would end soon. I cannot sleep with all the noise people are making late in the night.

Until next time.

Huang Lin

English Online Lesson 2: Favourite poet

2009-06-28T18:02:00.000-07:00

My favourite poet is Robert Frost. He can rhyme very well and put deep meanings in his poems and usually means more than what we can see from the poem. An example is "The Road Not Taken". Although the author talks about choosing a road to walk on between two roads, he actually means the roads in life. Something as plain as two roads can mean a lot in his poems. These make him outstanding compared with some poets who write about things without much meaning. I will now talk on some biographical information about him.

Robert Frost was born in San Francisco, California to journalist William Prescott Frost, Jr., and Isabelle Moodie. His mother was of Scottish descent, and his father descended from Nicholas Frost of Tiverton, Devon, England, who had sailed to New Hampshire in 1634 on the Wolfrana.
Frost's father was a teacher and later an editor of the San Francisco Evening Bulletin (which afterwords merged into the San Francisco Examiner), and an unsuccessful candidate for city tax collector. After his father's death on May 5, 1885, in due time the family moved across the country to Lawrence, Massachusetts under the patronage of (Robert's grandfather) William Frost, Sr., who was an overseer at a New England mill. Frost graduated from Lawrence High School in 1892. Frost's mother joined the Swedenborgian church and had him baptized in it, but he left it as an adult.

Despite his later association with rural life, Frost grew up in the city, and published his first poem in his high school's magazine. He attended Dartmouth College long enough to be accepted into the Theta Delta Chi fraternity. Frost returned home to teach and to work at various jobs including delivering newspapers and factory labor. He did not enjoy these jobs at all, feeling his true calling as a poet.

Robert Frost's life was plagued with grief and loss. His father died of tuberculosis in 1885, when Frost was 11, leaving the family with just $8. Frost's mother died of cancer in 1900. In 1920, Frost had to commit his younger sister, Jeanie, to a mental hospital, where she died nine years later. In spite of the difficulties he faced, he strived to be one of the most famous poets of all time.

Here are 3 of his poems:

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.

Nothing Gold Can Stay

Nature's first green is gold,

Her hardest hue to hold.

Her early leaf's a flower;

But only so an hour.

Then leaf subsides to leaf.

So Eden sank to grief,

So dawn goes down to day.

Nothing gold can stay.

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.

Information from: wikipedia.org, famouspoetsandpoems.com.

English Online Lesson One: Figurative Language

2009-06-28T16:47:00.000-07:00

Still I Rise by Maya Angelou

You may write me down in history

With your bitter, twisted lies,

You may trod me in the very dirt

But still, like dust, I'll rise.

Does my sassiness upset you?

Why are you beset with gloom?

'Cause I walk like I've got oil wells

Pumping in my living room.

Just like moons and like suns,

With the certainty of tides,

Just like hopes springing high,

Still I'll rise.

Did you want to see me broken?

Bowed head and lowered eyes?

Shoulders falling down like teardrops.

Weakened by my soulful cries.

Does my haughtiness offend you?

Don't you take it awful hard

'Cause I laugh like I've got gold mines

Diggin' in my own back yard.

You may shoot me with your words,

You may cut me with your eyes,

You may kill me with your hatefulness,

But still, like air, I'll rise.

Does my sexiness upset you?

Does it come as a surprise

That I dance like I've got diamonds

At the meeting of my thighs?

Out of the huts of history's shame

I rise

Up from a past that's rooted in pain

I rise

I'm a black ocean, leaping and wide,

Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.

Leaving behind nights of terror and fear

I rise

Into a daybreak that's wondrously clear

I rise

Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,

I am the dream and the hope of the slave.

I rise

I rise.

Question 1. How are the figurative language used in the poem? Give the specific word(s), explain what type of figurative language it is and why the poet chose to use this figurative language?

Ans: "Shoulders falling down like teardrops" is an example of simile used to describe the sadness. "I'm a black ocean, leaping and wide" is an example of metaphor whereby the author describes herself as a black ocean. "You may shoot....You may cut...You may kill..." is an example of repetition which is used to express how much someone hates the author.

Question 2. Tell us why you like this poem in no less than 100 words.

Ans: I like this poem because it gives me the images in the mind of the black slaves standing up for themselves, or, in other words, rising up for themselves against the whites. The author is not content with the way the black slaves are treated and has a cheerful nature which I can see from her saying "'Cause I walk like I've got oil wells, pumping in my living room...'Cause I laugh like I've got gold mines, diggin' in my own back yard." She is also very optimistic because she states that she would rise whenever someone does anything bad to her and she would "bring the gifts her ancestors gave" and be "the dream and the hope of the slave".

First day of the holidays...

2009-05-30T04:30:00.000-07:00

Just a list of what I did today:

1. Wake up and starting Mapling.

2. Eat breakfast.

3. Play MapleStory again, leveled up.

4. Went to cut my freaking crazy mop of hair and Mum treated me to a meal.

5. Went back home and played MapleStory. Leveled up again.

6. Wrote some work Mum assigned me. Crazy amount of work.

7. Started playing again... And leveled up for the third and last time in the day.

8. Posted this post and wrote on it that I posted this post on this post that I posted.

H-O-L-I-D-A-Y-S!!!!

2009-05-29T07:56:00.000-07:00

Got back the exam results today. Language Arts: 70%. Higher Chinese: 79%. Mathematics: 81%. Science: 83%. Infocomm Studies: 78%. Humanities: 61%.

Guess I have done pretty well for Higher Chinese, Mathematics, Science and Infocomm Studies. For Humanities, I got C5 for History, horrible. And A2 for Geography, if I'm not wrong. So, the Humanities' grade is actually pulled down by History, boring dead stuff(oops).

Chin Kiat got 1.o, perfect score for average MSG! So clever. I'm not studying as hard as him because if I do that, I would have no life.

Well I got 1.67 average MSG. Should be good for a Sec 1, or is it? Anyway, another thing I am happy for is that I got 4th position in class! Hooray!

Looking forward to the holidays which technically starts tomorrow. Going back China to do some crazy stuff and won't quite enjoy myself that much. Anyway, staying in Jiang Xi during the holidays is still a cool thing.

Good job Huang Lin.

The issue of Singaporeans hating people from China

2009-05-27T00:11:00.000-07:00

To start off, I am sure many of you know that most of the Singaporeans hate China very much. I have a lot of personal recounts of Singaporeans insulting and ranting on the Chinese. I will quote a post I have found in a forum:

i hate china

"china sux

Nine Reasons Why China Sucks

1. The Internet here is almost unusably bad. Many overseas sites simply aren't reachable and even the ones that are, are very, very slow. Must be their uber censorship router filtering everything coming into the country.

2. Horrible Mandarin. A properly educated mainland Chinese person speaks beautiful Mandarin, I have to admit. Unfortunately, most Chinese people aren't well educated and they speak horrendous Mandarin.

3. Simplified writing is an abomination. It's as if one day the American government decided that not enough people are literate so they decide to adopt text messaging shortcuts as the national written language "cuz it's EZer 2 Lern."

4. Chinese people have absolutely no concept of waiting in line. It's just one manifestation of the general lack of courtesy here. I've never met a population of people that exhibited such rudeness. It's all part of the lack of education that I mentioned before.

5. Pollution. And I include with this not only the horrible air pollution, but noise pollution as well. The constant honking on the streets slowly drives me insane as I walk around the city. I know this isn't just Chinese, it happens in many other places, but man, they love to honk here. Car horns. Bicycle horns. Police whistles. It's non-stop noise everywhere.

6. If the honking doesn't drive you mad, the cacophony of people hocking up phlegm will do it. Maybe it's the horrible air quality, but why do Chinese people have so much phlegm????

7. Chinese people love to yell. You'll usually find at least one or two people on every block angrily screaming at someone about something or other.

8. Food generally speaking is horrible here. The hygiene is low-to-non-existent and the culinary skills are seriously lacking as well. I wouldn't be caught dead eating anything from a street vendor in China. You can get food poisoning just by looking at them. Speaking of restaurants, the quality of service in China stinks as well. Due to the cheap labor, the ratio of the waiters to customers is frequently 2-to-1. Yet most Chinese wait staff have no idea how to properly wait a table.

9. Bad architecture and design. Chinese people's concept of good architecture is a building with a faux European renaissance look with a lot of gold trimming, hopefully with a fancy top. Driving around Shanghai, you'll notice that almost every building has some sort of "hat" on top."

OK, as you can see, he is insulting China with unreasonable reasons. I will comment on the reasons one by one.

1. So you think that the Internet speed in China is slow? It may be slow but what does that have to do with your hatred with China? By the way China has the highest population in the world ans may be that is why the Internet speed maybe a bit slow.

2. This reason clearly indicates that you did not get your facts right. I admit that some of them are not properly educated but do you know that a lot of people in China are living in poverty? It is really hard for some of them to get an education. Do you think you can hate them just for this? Also, there are a lot of dialects in China and Mandarin is just a language for people with different dialects to communicate easier with each other. Some of them just did not get enough education so they are not speaking Mandarin well. If you think that you have to hate them for not being able to speak well a language they are not familiar with, you are being ignorant and unreasonable. Also, if you think they can only speak dialects well, can't you see that in Singapore, there are a lot of local old folks who can only speak dialects? If you think some people in China sound horrible when they mix dialect with Mandarin, listen to the local language, isn't it mixed with English, Mandarin, Cantonese, Hokkien and Teo Chew? It sounds more horrible than anything I have ever heard, if you insist on insulting others, I will personally insult your language.

3. So you think simplified Chinese is an abomination. Do you know what it is there for? It is part of the revolution of Chinese characters. Have you tried to write traditional Chinese characters? It is simply tedious. The simplified Chinese is for people to learn the Chinese language easier. There is no reason for you to call it an abomination.

4. I supposed you have only met a few people from China huh? They do have the concept of waiting in line. However you mentioned "a population of people that exhibited such rudeness". Can you judge a country as big as China just after seeing a few individuals? I admit that you may have seen them not queueing up a lot of times but have you not seen people from China waiting in line as well? You are just calling the 2 billion people in China uncivilized because of seeing some people not queueing up?

5. I admit that maybe the air pollution is China is too bad but it is inevitable for such a big country with so many cars. Do you expect the air to be crisp and clear at all times? In fact those people who stay at places that are not so crowded will know that the air there is even better than yours. I used to stay in a town and I know it myself.

Do you know that most places in China have banned honking? Get your facts right and do not say false facts when you do not know anything.

6. Yes I admit that people in China like to spit on the roads. But this thing happens in other places, why must you target at China? Also, I am from China and I don't spit anywhere I like. so don't anyhow judge people.

7. About the issue of them yelling, it is the same as you saying that they do not like to queue up. Do you think that the 2 billion people in China like to yell? Everyone in China likes to yell? If it is really so, the noise pollution is China would be extremely high. I stayed in China and I know clearly not everyone likes to yell. I myself do not like to yell. You are again judging everyone based on some rare accounts of people yelling at each other. Anyway, don't Singaporeans like to yell sometimes too? Look at those gangsters out there, don't they like to yell too? Sometimes they yell at night that I cannot sleep. How about I tell the world that Singaporeans are uncivilized?

8. You are saying that the food quality in China is of low standard. Do you know that the food in Singapore stinks too? There was once when I ate the food from a hawker centre and experienced diarrhoea? Sometimes they just give you food that are not sold out the day before, leave it overnight and serve it to you the next day? This problem happens anywhere, not just China.

9. Different countries have their own perspectives of good architectural design. You cannot say that the design of buildings in China is lousy and thus conclude that the country is lousy too and deserves to be hated by you. In fact, buildings with lousy designs are present anywhere in the world, even Singapore.

Now that I have finished commenting on the post, I will write about some personal recounts.

A few days earlier, one of my seniors in water polo used the word "beepers" to insult people from China. It is certainly the worst insult I have ever heard of and one can ever say. Singaporeans hate the people from China just because they think that China is too powerful, progressing too fast that they feel envious. Also, the students from China who are studying in good schools, have you seen them? They are way more clever than you Singaporeans. You are just jealous that people from China study very well. Singaporeans also feel unsafe and threatened because a lot of people from China are coming to Singapore and they are snatching jobs with local Singaporeans. The fact is that Singaporeans are not willing to do some odd jobs and they have to be done by foreign workers, the foreign talents are here because they think they can find better jobs here. This is a free country and anyone can immigrate here as long as they want to come here. Lazy Singaporeans are complaining about not getting jobs because of the people from China. The fact is that they are not willing to work hard and expect the government to help them find jobs and give them financial assistance. None of this would happen if Singaporeans work hard enough. This is a small country with not much people so Singaporeans can get jobs if they really want to. The fault is not with the people from China.

I am from the People's Republic of China and I am proud of it.

30 minutes off training!!!

2009-05-26T06:45:00.000-07:00

The water polo training used to end at 6.00 p.m. but recently it ends at 5.30 p.m.! Of course, it has only been changed after we had a new coach. The new coach rocks!

Counting down...

2009-05-25T00:44:00.000-07:00

Yay! Today is the 25 May, which means there are 5 more days before the holidays! On 1 June I will be going back to my hometown in China. I am so going to be enjoy my holidays there.

Okay it's a list of the things I can and will do in JiangXi:

1. Swim in the lake! It is because there may not be a swimming pool at the place.

2. Play my PSP.

3. Play DoTA.

4. Play basketball.

5. Run around climbing trees like a mad man on the loose.

6. Eat.

7. Watch television.

8. Run here and there in the big house because it just feels so mysterious to me with a whole lot of stuffs I have not discovered.

That's all. Well, maybe I can do something more but I cannot think of anything more now. The best thing about my hometown is that the air is less polluted and smells really crisp and fresh in the morning.

5 days more, and I can be free!

Too careless

2009-05-24T04:46:00.000-07:00

On Friday night, I returned home on my bike and put the bag with all my swimming stuff on the handle bars of the bike. When I got home, I locked my bike at the void deck and walked up home, forgetting to take my swimming stuff along!

I only realised it this morning. Disastrous! I rushed down the stairs as soon as I recalled it and, guess what? All my stuff is gone!

I can remember the things that were in the bag:

1. Swimming goggles (the greatest loss this time round)

2. Swimming trunks

3. Towel

4. Underwear (because I have the habit of changing my smelly underwear after swimming)

However, I am lucky that I did not put my PE attire or school uniform inside the bag as I normally do, or else I have to waste a lot of money buying them. Oh yeah the swimming goggles cost a lot, so sad.

Why must I be so careless!?

Pancakes

2009-05-22T21:29:00.000-07:00

Water polo has been getting more fun. Jia Shing likes to imitate Mr Spelmer Roger's accent and say something like 'pancakes, waffles, strawberry'. He does it every training that one Sec 3 cannot remember his name and called him 'pancake' instead, because Jia Shing is saying this every time it has become his identity. Isn't it funny?

HCI Open House

2009-05-16T06:35:00.001-07:00

Today is the HCI open house and I was required to go to my CCA. To say that it was an 'open house', I would rather put it as 'weekend training'.

I did 2 sets of IM, ball drills consisting of 'twinkle twinkle little star', 'around the world', turning left and right with the ball and swimming straight with it. Then we did 1-to-1 passing and shooting at last. I did not play the game after that because I went to the water polo booth at Kah Kee Hall to interact with the visitors.

Isn't it more like a weekend training than open house? I have a feeling of being cheated now.

IS test tomorrow!

2009-05-07T05:05:00.000-07:00

The last test, which is IS, is on tomorrow. I bet all the C++ things they will test on will be extremely difficult... I cannot remember most of the C++ stuff!

Hope I can do well anyway, or at least pass. My friends say that this is going to be the last test for the term and after that I will enjoy my holidays! Wait, I am not going back to China so I have to stay here and study, study, and study! I will never enjoy my holidays! Argh!

However, no matter where I am I can still enjoy DoTA! That is great! Anyway after the test tomorrow I am so going to play computer games, I will have excuses anyway when the tests are over.

Oh yeah the water polo teacher texted me today morning, telling me that on this Thursday and Friday there will be no trainings and wants us to study hard for the tests. Who cares? I mean, I don't really care about the test tomorrow because only those who have learnt about C++ in primary schools will do well and not me. Also, when the test ends tomorrow, there would be no more tests so training on Friday will still be okay.

I'm so lazy bye.

Another really big test tomorrow

2009-05-06T04:52:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow there would be a Geography test and I am so nervous because the topic that will be tested on will be quite hard.

I am trying to remember everything about this topic and hope I will do well. Anyway my results for the mock test is 11 1/2 out of 15, another half mark and I would be the first in class! The same goes for my first test in term 1, I got 23 1/2 out of 30 and got second in class, trailing behind by half mark...

Got to revise bye.

Another day with CCA

2009-05-05T05:20:00.000-07:00

The new coach is not here yet and so the senior will still be coaching all of us including the other seniors.

I am generally not considered a slacker any more, yay! Anyway the only one that is considered a slacker is Bryan Santoso. The senior is always overseeing him more than anyone of us because he may slack anytime...

Same thing today, practiced the freestyle swimming movements for so many laps that I cannot remember already... Swimmed non-stop for 30 laps and sprinted for 20 laps. There was also a drill whereby we sprint for 4 laps and the first time we finish a lap, we do 20 push-ups, the second lap we did sit ups and third lap was squats and the last lap was dips. This is one set and we had to do 4 sets, resting for seconds after completing each set.

Swimmed a lot today and it will be the same next time and next next time. Things will get really crazy when the new coach comes.

By the way not many people turned up today. The excuses they made are totally implausible. Some Sec 2s did not come and they said it was a "study leave" but I don't know if it really is. There's this Sec 1 whose mum said that there is no proper coach and it will be a waste of time if her son attends the training... What kind of excuse is this? She may change her mind if she discovers that my senior is so much better than Ke Wei when it comes to coaching.

Caught a cold again today, sneezing now and then, even now. This reminds me of something that happened today... Yun Yang found out that he had a high temperature of like 38.7 C or something. He checked it again for like 4 times today and his temperature is really that high and there was nothing wrong with his thermometor. He wore a mask and went home after that, around 11.30 p.m. when we had the second temperature check for the day. Poor thing, I hope he will get well soon. If he gets swine flu, the whole school will actually suspend until no one has swine flu. Even it is a good thing, I still hope that he will not get swine flu, it is so terrible.

News In Class Term 2 Week 6 #2

2009-05-02T19:45:00.000-07:00

Blog Prompt
Q: You are the newly appointed Director of the Corruptive Practices Investigative Unit. Write a 350-word speech to be delivered at a ministerial meeting where you describe the three main actions your team will be taking to stamp out corruption in your country.

Good morning ladies and gentlemen, I am the Director of the Corruptive Practices Investigative Unit and I am here to deliver a speech about the three main actions my team will be taking to stamp out corruption in the country.

In order to stamp out corruption, we need to understand it thoroughly. As most of you know, corruption is very hard to be fully eradicated because it is human nature to choose one's one well being above the general well being. It is also human nature to look away, when one sees some body's mistakes or corrupt acts, if that person is a friend, or the relative/friend of a good friend or somebody one respects or fears. Because of this human nature, corruption is often hard to stamp out.

So how are we going to stop corruption? My team has discussed and came out with a few solutions to this.

The first main action is to stop clientelism and "job for friends/supporters-only" policy in government. Professionalism of the public administration is key. To work as a public servant in a ministry or other government agency has to be a career choice and should not be interrupted nor interfered by the political cycles (i.e. changing presidents/parties). Implementing meritocracy in the public service is a way to motivate professional public servants to do a good job in order to advance in their careers. At the same time, we would also urge the government to invest in improving the quality of Public Management/ Public Administration schools in order to increase the potential of the public servants to be.

The second main action is to reconstruct the public service so that there are more checks and balances. Every body's work should be controlled by another agency or department that is not conflicting with its interests. The transparency will be increased: where does each dollar go to? What is done with public funding? How are decisions made? All this information should be collected and reported and should be available for outsiders and controlling agencies.

The third and the last main action is to enforce the judicial system so that officials, no matter what their range or status is, get the punishment that they deserve, if caught doing something wrong.

I hope that by carrying out these actions that I proposed, the country would be a less corruptive one where there are very little or no corruption. Thank you.

CCA break is over!

2009-05-02T04:58:00.000-07:00

As some of you know, I had a CCA break which lasted for like 1 month. It just ended on Thursday and CCA resumed.

Before the break I really dreaded my CCA because it is so tiring; during the break I was like kind of bored because after school I had nothing to do but to go home. As a result I sort of missed my CCA which turned out to be not so tiring after all, on Thursday.

The coach recently resigned (yay!) and one of the Secondary 4 seniors is coaching us. He is nice though I thought he is not. He taught us to build foundations for swimming so that we can have space for improvement, something my coach did not teach us back then when he was still in Hwa Chong. We practiced the feet and hand strokes and I found out that I can swim faster, much faster now!

The C Boys did not get champions for the national water polo championships and they are asking the Secondary 1s to get the champion next year. I was rather surprised as no one had placed so much expectations on me before. In spite of this, I am still kind of slacking off during trainings but no one seems to spot me slacking, I don't know why. Water polo is something that I just cannot have any passion in, maybe when I get a championship or something I may start to like it but for now, I hate it.

News In Class Term 2 Week 4 #3

2009-04-28T05:26:00.000-07:00

Blog Prompt
Q: Why are GM or genetically modified foods such a controversy in the world today? Are they truly dangerous or are people being overly cautious? Discuss.

In my opinion, I think that GM food is unhealthy and dangerous to the human body.

Firstly, what are the health risks posed by GM food? GM foods are linked to toxic and allergic reactions in people, the deaths of thousands of sick, sterile livestock, and damage to virtually every organ studied in lab animals. Soy allergies skyrocketed by 50 per cent in the UK soon after GM soy was introduced. A human subject showed a skin prick allergic-type reaction to GM soy, but not to natural soy. Sometime ago, a contaminated brand of food supplement called L-tryptophan killed about 100 Americans and caused sickness and disability in another 5,000 to 10,000 people. The source of contaminants was almost certainly the genetic engineering process used in its production. The disease took years to find and was almost overlooked. It was only identified because the symptoms were unique, acute, and fast-acting. If all three characteristics were not in place, the deadly supplement might never have been identified or removed.

You may think that I am being overly cautious. You have been consuming GM food for a long time and nothing has happened to you? Well, the fact is that different GM foods have different effects. The time before they can have any effects on your body depends too. Also, some effects are not so obvious and it may take you weeks, months or even years to find out that there is something wrong with your body.

GM food may seem more "healthy" but, everyone who sells GM food would say good things about their product. The really healthy food should be the most natural one which is without genetic modification although they may not look so good or keep fresh for long. I would like not to consume GM food but it is a worry now because GM food is widely sold on the market and most of the time you do not know if your food is genetically modified.

News In Class Term 2 Week 3 # 3

2009-04-10T00:00:00.000-07:00

Blog Prompt
Q: Imagine the chaotic scene of the aftermath of a natural disaster. How would it be like? In what ways could a natural disaster affect a country and its citizens? Describe such an imaginary scenario. You can be as creative as possible on the possible impact.

Everything was shaking. It was as if the whole house had been struck by thunderbolts. There was such a loud rumbling that I thought the floor would be split open. I did not know how to get out of my bed so I hung on to it. "Huang Lin! Are you all right?" I heard Father shout over the rumbling. I shouted back to say I was fine. Even though the tremors lasted only for a few minutes, it felt as it they were going on for hours. Finally, they ceased. But I was still shaking due to shock. Slowly, trying not to fall, I climbed out of my bed and went to join my family.

The living room clearly showed the effects of the earthquake. It was in a mess. My parents and my younger sister were huddled in a corner. Wardrobes, chests, bookshelves, and the television set had all fallen down. By now, the supply of electricity had been cut off.

An hour later, we went out to see what had happened outside. The early dawn revealed the nightmarish scene. There were many injured people on the street. Families had taken some of their belongings with them, and were huddled together. Some houses were completely destroyed and there were several cracks on the road. Pavements had been reduced to stone and rubble. Further ahead, I could see that there was a fire. Cars were lying on the roads like heaps of twisted metal. Our house was still standing though one wall leaned against the next house. It seemed so unreal that a few minutes of the earthquake had caused so much destruction and suffering.

For the next few weeks, the electricity, telephone lines and water supplies were cut off due to the earthquake. Many families were sent to relief centres because their houses had been completely flattened. We were lucky because we could still stay in our house despite the damage. The district in which we lived was not the only area to be hit by the great earthquake. We learnt from news reports that other cities were affected as well. Later, we knew that the earthquake had claimed some 6000 lives.

Our house was restored and so were the many others. At the same time, many more new houses were built for those whose houses were completely destroyed.

News In Class Term 2 Week 2 #2

2009-04-09T03:07:00.000-07:00

Blog Prompt
Q: Do you agree that since a professional sports career is short-lived, you should not go into one?

I totally agree that a professional sports career is short-lived. However, I do not think that this reason will stop me from thinking about going into a professional sports career.

A professional sports career can let you earn a lot of money if you are really successful. It is also very good for people who like a sport very much. Some children or teenagers think about being a professional sportsman when they grow up and some of them can really do this. Think about doing something you like while making money! It is definitely the best choice for some teenagers who show talent at a young age and is determined to do it.

Now I will talk about why a professional sports career is short-lived. Players usually start their career at the age of 20+ or, for some, 16+. When they play for 10+ years, they come to the peak of their career at about 30 years old. At this stage of life, they usually perform their best and have the most successful times in their career. However, after this stage, their performance would start to be not how it was like before. As they become older and older after their 30s, their entertainment value would decrease. Not long after that, they will either be asked to retire or choose to retire themselves as they would not have much to earn.

Nowadays, even a retired sportsman can find a job after retire. There are jobs out there which they have an advantage to take up. For example a circus, a circus needs professional performers and sometimes ex-sportsmen are just right for this.

There is an alternative if they cannot get or do not want to get those kind of jobs like performing in a circus. As most of them has given up going to university to start their sports career, they can always choose to go to university to complete their studies to get another job. Do you know Ed O'Bannon? He is an ex-player of NBA. After he has retired from his career, he attended UNLV to finish his bachelor's degree. Then, he got himself a job as a car salesman. In 2009, he was employed as a marketing director for a Las Vegas auto dealership. As you can see, even a job after your career can be successful.

All in all, I do not think that a short-lived sports career is not good to choose as a career. One can always get another job after they retire. So, do not be held back from persuing your dreams and enjoy life the best you can!

News In Class Term 2 Week 1 #2

2009-04-09T01:28:00.001-07:00

Blog Prompt
Q: What is a better formula for success - keep up and stay relevant or take risks and strike out into new frontiers? Discuss.

There are definitely many formulas for success out there. However, they are all about keeping up and stay relevant or take risks and strike out into new frontiers. So which one is better?

In my opinion, there is no such thing as a better formula. For example when you do business, you have to use the correct formula for the current state. Sometimes you just have to stay relevant to do well in your business but other times you must take risks.

What will happen if you only use one kind of formula? If you decide to just keep up and stay relevant when there is a need to take risks, you would never improve or sometimes fail; if you decide to take risks when there is no need to, the thing is that you may fail badly because of the risk you took. If you do not fail, the chance is that you would do better. I know that there is a chance that you may do better when you take unnecessary risks. However, it is best that you do not take such risks when you think that there is a high chance that you may fail or the conditions are not suitable for taking risks.

In order to succeed, you have to know when to just keep up and when to take necessary risks. You have to use both formulas correctly if you really want to succeed. This is actually the best formula for success - use both formulas timely and correctly. With this, I conclude my discussion.

News In Class Term 1 Week 9 #1

2009-03-07T21:24:00.000-08:00

Blog Prompt

Q: You are the creative director of "Shop Till you Drop", an online shopping website which is targeting online shoppers in your country. You have been tasked by the marketing manager to design a poster to promote the website.

(click for larger image)

News In Class Term 1 Week 8 #3

2009-03-07T20:25:00.000-08:00

Blog Prompt
Q: Write a 350-word exposition or argument on 'Health'.

What is health? It is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being. There are two aspects of health- physical health and mental health.

Physical health is good body health, and is the result of regular exercise, proper diet and nutrition, and proper rest for physical recovery.

Mental health refers to an individual's emotional and psychological well-being. One way to think about mental health is by looking at how effectively and successfully a person functions. Feeling capable and competent; being able to handle normal levels of stress, maintain satisfying relationships, and lead an independent life; and being able to "bounce back," or recover from difficult situations, are all signs of mental health.

A combination of physical, emotional, social and most importantly mental well-being is vital to achieve overall health.

Achieving health and remaining healthy is an active process. Effective strategies for staying healthy and improving one's health include human biology, environment, lifestyle, and health care services.

We will now talk about health maintenance. Health maintenance includes nutrition, exercise, hygiene and stress management.

Personal health depends partially on the social structure of one’s life. The maintenance of strong social relationships is linked to good health conditions, longevity, productivity, and a positive attitude. This is due to the fact that positive social interaction as viewed by the participant increases many chemical levels in the brain which are linked to personality and intelligence traits.

Exercise is the performance of movements in order to develop or maintain physical fitness and overall health. It is often directed toward also honing athletic ability or skill. Frequent and regular physical exercise is an important component to prevention of some of the diseases of affluence such as cancer, heart disease, cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes, obesity and back pain.Physical exercise is considered important for maintaining physical fitness including healthy weight; building and maintaining healthy bones, muscles, and joints; promoting physiological well-being; reducing surgical risks; and strengthening the immune system.

Hygiene is the practice of keeping the body clean to prevent infection and illness, and the avoidance of contact with infectious agents. Hygiene practices include bathing, brushing and flossing teeth, washing hands especially before eating, washing food before it is eaten, cleaning food preparation utensils and surfaces before and after preparing meals, and many others. This may help prevent infection and illness. By cleaning the body, dead skin cells are washed away with the germs, reducing their chance of entering the body.

Prolonged psychological stress may negatively impact health, such as by weakening the immune system. Stress management is the application of methods to either reduce stress or increase tolerance to stress. Relaxation techniques are physical methods used to relieve stress.Psychological methods work by reducing response to stress. Improving relevant skills and abilities builds confidence, which also reduces the stress reaction to situations where those skills are applicable. Reducing uncertainty, by increasing knowledge and experience related to stress-causing situations, has the same effect. Learning to cope with problems better, such as improving problem solving and time management skills, may also reduce stressful reaction to problems. Repeatedly facing an object of one's fears may also desensitize the fight-or-flight response with respect to that stimulus -- e.g., facing bullies may reduce fear of bullies.

(information from wikipedia.org)

News In Class Term 1 Week 7 #1

2009-03-07T20:23:00.000-08:00

Blog prompt
Q: You are an Indian politician who is very much against the sale of organs illegally, especially towards the unscrupulous doctors who removed people's organs without their consent. You strongly believe that the government plays a crucial role in ensuring that such criminals be punished, which serves as a severe deterrence. Draft a speech you are going to make at the Legislature meeting.

Good morning ladies and gentlemen. I am here to bring to your attention on doctors removing people's organs without their consent.

There have been repeated cases of doctors asking their employees to go for medical check-ups and remove their organs, for example kidneys. When the victims wake up and ask the doctors why they had the scar on their body, the doctors would usually claim that they removed some stone from their kidneys. It is usually after years that the poor victims realise that their organs had been removed.

This act by the doctors is extremely inhuman and evil. Just imagine that you fell asleep and when you woke up, you realise that one part of your body was stole away by someone!

The price for body organs in the black market is very high, leading to more and more doctors resort to stealing body organs. We should make more effort in stopping illegal organ trading to ensure that there is human right for everyone.

Thank you.

Alternative Ending To Nothing But The Truth

2009-03-02T04:56:00.000-08:00

Phone call between Philip Malloy and Mr. Malloy during Philip's recess

Philip Malloy: Dad, my new school is great!

Mr. Malloy: Really? That is good.

Philip Malloy: We start off the day by singing the national anthem.

Mr. Malloy: So, did you sing?

Philip Malloy: Yes. I sang the most loudly and proudly in the class!

News In Class Term 1 Week 6 #2

2009-02-25T04:00:00.000-08:00

Blog Prompt
Q: You are the speech writer for the Minister of Transport of your country, who has plans to increase the traffic charges during peak hours at places suffering from acute traffic congestion problems. Draft a speech, which he is going to make on national television about an increase in the charges.

Good moring ladies and gentlemen. I am here to talk about the acute traffic congestion during peak hours and how I plan to solve it.

As you know, there are currently a lot of cars running on the roads of Singapore. They are the main cause for the traffic congestions. I am planning to increase the ERP charges to control the traffic flow. The places where ERP charges will increase are located at the most crowded areas in Singapore. The charge will increase by twenty to thirty cents during the peak hours and they will go back to normal once it is not the peak hours.

I hope this new plan will decrease the number of people driving their own cars and they may want to switch to commuting using public transport which will improve the state of traffic congestions.

Thank you.

News In Class Term 1 Week 5 #1

2009-02-13T04:34:00.000-08:00

Blog Prompt
Q: A recent nation wide survey done in Singapore has revealed that primary school students have a nonchalant attitude towards environmental issues. You are the president of the Activist's Club in Singapore and have been invited to make a speech to educate and inspire the young ones to make a difference in their lifestyle and choices.

Good morning everybody. I am the president of the Activist's Club. I am here to talk to you about environmental issues.

A recent nation wide survey has revealed that primary school students have a nonchalant attitude towards environmental issues. Many of your lifestyles and choices are actually not environmental-friendly. For example, many of you do not turn off lights, computers and other appliances when not in use; Many of you also opens the tap to full flow even when you merely want to wash your hands.

Our littles efforts can mean a lot in the long way to conserve the Earth's environment. If everybody does a little bit, the efforts will add up over time and it will cause a significant effect in conserving the Earth's environment. So, remember to change your lifesyles or habits if they are not environmental-friendly. Turn off electrical appliances and water when you are not using it.

Thank you.

News In Class Term 1 Week 4 #2

2009-02-13T04:20:00.000-08:00

Q: The human body today is laden with processed foods that are bad for it. Discuss it with particular reference to your own diet.

The human body today is laden with processed foods that are bad for it. I shall elaborate on this.
Processed foods are foods that have been manufactured or tinned or bottled outside the home and have been jam packed full of preservatives, dyes, chemical flavourings and additives and a whole range of other stuffs to extend their shelf life and improve their processed appearance.
Everything you ingest must be broken down in your body to make it usable for each cell. During this process, waste is created-things that your body cannot use which must be disposed of. If there are chemicals or toxins in this waste, it is processed, and sometimes stored in your liver. Processed foods are full of these chemicals with very little substance your body can actually use. Your liver is only able to process/store a certain amount of toxins before it begins to not function well, then your other cells begin to store the waste. You then are a sponge, absorbing poisonous chemicals while your healthy cells begin to starve and wither away.

Examples of processed foods are ready frozen meals, tinned goods, cakes & biscuits, savoury or sweet packet mixes, jams, pickles and sauces. Processed food is something you that you cannot avoid eating because they are everywhere. So try to balance the amount of processed food with natural food.

Chinglish rocks!

2009-02-06T20:44:00.000-08:00

If you are not Chinese you won't understand it.
1．we two who and who？ (咱俩谁跟谁？)
2．how are you ? how old are you? (怎么是你，怎么老是你？)
3．you have seed I will give you some color to see see, brothers！together up！ (你有种，我要给你点颜色瞧瞧，兄弟们，一起上！)
4．as far as you go to die (有多远，死多远！！！！)
5．hello everybody!if you have something to say,then say!if you have nothing to say,go home!! (有事起奏，无事退朝 )
6．you me you me (彼此彼此)
7．You Give Me Stop!! (你给我站住！)
8．know is know no know is no know (知之为知之，不知为不知… )
9．WATCH SISTER (表妹)
10．dragon born dragon,chicken born chicken,mouse’s son can make hole!! (龙生龙，凤生凤，老鼠的儿子会打洞！)
11．I give you face you don’t wanna face,you lose you face ,I turn my face( 给你脸你不要脸，你丢脸，我翻脸 )
12．one car come one car go ,two car pengpeng,people die( 车祸现场描述 )
13．heart flower angry open (心花怒放)
14．go past no mistake past (走过路过，不要错过)
15．小明：I am sorry! 　　老外：I am sorry too! 　　小明：I am sorry three! 　　老外：What are you sorry for? 　　小明：I am sorry five!
16．If you want money,I have no;if you want life,I have one! (要钱没有，要命一条)
17．I call Li old big. to year 25. (我叫李老大，今年25。)
18．you have two down son( 你有两下子。)
19.good good study,day day up!(好好学习，天天向上！）

CCA issues

2009-02-06T05:44:00.001-08:00

Yesterday I got to know my CCA, am in water polo. Seen by some, the toughest sport on earth.
Today I went to report to my CCA. How to describe it, fun? Tiring? I would say both. The coach said it all depended on our attitudes.Whether positive or negitive.
My weight is a little bit too light for this sport so I will eat more food. Especially nutricious food. Beef will do, says the coach.
There are three trainings in one week, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. From 2.30pm to around 6pm. Like that I have very little time for homework. Will try to finish before midnight.
Today, all the C boys first swam 40 laps, then we did a lot of passing, in the intervals we did a hundred plus sit-ups. The seniors had to do 200. Guess I will have to exercise more during the weekends

School life

2009-01-29T23:31:00.000-08:00

School is fun so far... But homework is becoming more and more. Of course, they are hard to do. I will have little time to play if the homework goes more and more difficult. Guess I have to speed up my writing and typing. I am afraid of being over-stressed so I go out and play whenever I have the chance to. Also Hwa Chong has a lot of very clever students so I have to study hundred times harder to make sure I am not left behind. I got a whole lot of friends in my class too.
Today, I witnessed the wrath of Mrs. Raj. Bryan forgot to do research for the current affairs discussion and had to call his mum to tell her about this. Later, in the LA lesson, he did not do his letter for homework. So he had to call again... Poor guy...
That is all for now.I am going to change and go play basketball now.

News In Class Term 1 Week 3 #3

2009-01-23T17:05:00.000-08:00

Blog Prompt
Q: Discuss about the socio-economic impact caused by the Three Gorges Dam.

Good morning everybody.I am honoured to be here to talk to you about the socio-economic effect caused by the Three Gorges Dam.

According to The National Development and Reform Commission of China, it takes 366 grams of coal to generate 1 kWh of electricity in China.therefore, the Three Gorges Dam will potentially reduce the coal consumption by 31 million tonnes per year, cutting the emission of 100 million tonnes of greenhouse gas,millions of tonnes of dust, 1 million tonnes of sulfur dioxide, 370 thousand tonnes of nitric oxide, 10 thousand tonnes of carbon monoxide and a significant amount of mercury into the atmosphere.The elimination of the fossil fuel also reduces the energy consumption in mining, washing and transporting about 31 million tonnes of coal from northern China to the load centre in south and east China.

Since the dam started generating power on July 10, 2003, total power production is equivalent to 84 million tonnes of standard coal and reduces carbon dioxide emission by 190 million tonnes, sulfur dioxide by 2.29 million tonnes and hydroxides by 980,000 tonnes.

From 2004 to 2007 there were total of 198 million tonnes of goods passed through the Three Gorges Dam ship locks. The freight capacity of the river increased 6 times and the cost of shipping reduced by 25%, compared to previous years, which reduces carbon dioxide emission by 630,000 tonnes. Comparing to highway transportation, the amount of fuel that Three Gorges Dam project saved between the year of 2004 and 2007 is equivalent to 4,100,000 tonnes of standard coal. Thus it reduces carbon dioxide emission by 10 million tonnes.

Since the construction of the Three Gorges Dam, many waste water treatment plants have been completed to reduce the water pollution from the large populated city Chongqing and the suburban area around it. According to the ministry of environmental protection of PRC, until April 2007, there were more than 50 waste water treatment plants installed and the total capacity reached 1.84 million tonnes per day. More than 65% of the waste water is treated before being dumped into the Three Gorges Dam reservoir. About 32 land sites deposit were completed and could handle 7664.5 tonnes of solid waste every day.

The most significant function of the dam is to control flooding, which is a major problem of a seasonal river like the Yangtze. Millions of people live downstream of the dam, and many large and important cities like Wuhan, Nanjing and Shanghai lie next to the river. Plenty of farm land and the most important industrial area of China are built beside the river.The reservoir's flood storage capacity is 22 km3.This capacity will reduce the frequency of major downstream flooding from once every 10 years to once every 100 years. With the dam, it is expected that major floods can be controlled. If a "super" flood comes, the dam is expected to minimize its effect.

Thank you.

Laughter,the best medicine

2009-01-17T20:57:00.000-08:00

1. Six guys are playing poker. After losing $500 on one hand,Smith clutches his chest and topples over, dead at the table. To decide who's going to tell his wife, his buddies draw straws. John picks the short one."Break it to her gently," the rest urge.
"Leave it to me," he says.
When Smith's wife comes to the door, John says,"Your husband just lost $500 playing cards."
"How much?" The wife yells, eyes blazing. "Tell him to drop dead!"
2. Trying to comfort an old lady whose husband had recently been killed in an accident, a social worker gently asked her about the terrible event.
"Oh, it was so unexpected," said the widow. "Tom told me he was going to buy some lettuce for dinner. After a while, a policeman came to the door and said he'd been hit by a bus while crossing the road and had died instantly."
"Oh, you poor dear," said the social worker. "Such terrible news.Whatever did you do?"
"What could I do?" the old woman responded. "I had to open a can of peas."

What's the world's worst sound?

2009-01-17T20:44:00.000-08:00

Acoustic experts from Salford University in the UK conducted a year-long poll to find the most repellent sounds on earth.The study attracted 1.1million votes from around the globe,and the ranked results deliver some nasty noises:
1.Vomiting
2.Microphone feedback
3.Many crying babies
4.Train wheels scraping and squeaking on tracks
5.Seesaw squeaking
6.A violin played badly
7.Farting
8.One baby crying
9.An argument on a TV soap opera
10.Electrical mains humming
11.Tasmanian Devil
12.Cat spitting and howling
13.Coughing
14.Mobile ringtones
15.Creaky door
16.Fingernails scraping down a blackboard
17.Sniffing
18.Dogs barking
19.Polystyrene squeak
20.Dentist's drill
Vote for the sound that you really can't stand by commenting on this post.

Man,he's a woman!

2009-01-17T20:35:00.000-08:00

Nepal has legally recognised one of its citizens as both male and female.The BBC reported that Chanda Musalman is the first Nepali to receive this legal status.Although he was born male and has not undergone a sex-change operation,Chanda has lived as a woman for years in Nepal.Officials were touring his village in western Nepal as part of the new democratic government's drive to confer citizen-ship and voting rights to its people,when Chanda approached them to change his gender status.Now,on Chanda's identification card,it reads 'both' instead of male or female.

News In Class Term 1 Week 2 #1

2009-01-16T20:54:00.000-08:00

Q:You are a member of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty To Animals and want to raise awareness of the cruelty of whaling in Japan.Prepare a speech to be made at a public forum on the cruelty of the fishing industry to whales in Japan.

Good morning animal-lovers.

I am here representing the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty To Animals and want to bring to your attention about the cruelty inflicted on whales in Japan.The whaling method is way too inhuman because most whales take over two minutes to die.Some whales even take more than one hour.Most whales are killed with harpoons designed to explode inside them, though small traditional coastal communities in the Arctic and elsewhere use other methods.

If the whale doesn't die instantaneously,it would experience great torture during the skinning process.Their screams sound just like man!

Whales are an important part of our ecosystem.The ecosystem is unbalanced now due to the over-hunting of whales.Also,our descendants will not get to see these magnificent yet beautiful creatures in future if whaling does not cease.Man would still exist without whaling,so what is the point of hunting such innocent creatures?

Unnecessary cruelty is used in whaling and there is no humane way to kill a whale at sea.You can play a part in stopping whaling. Simply do not buy any whale products.A little kindness goes a long way.

Thank you.

Secondary One Survival Guide

2009-01-14T23:39:00.000-08:00

Secondary school is about entering a whole new social world, full of possibilities. Try to see it as an opportunity to meet many wonderful people who may become good friends over the next four or more years, or even friends for life.Try this:each day at your new school make a point of talking to at least 2 new people in your year group. Find something easy to say to them, maybe at morning or break. Find out a little bit about them –what they enjoy, what they are looking forward to most at school.At the end of the first week you will have met 10 new people.At the end of the first month you will have met 40 new people.All of these people will remember you and may be looking out for you at the start of each day.They will remember you for taking the first steps towards friendship. One or two of these may become very good friends, maybe even friends for life.
Often the most difficult part of the school day is the less organized part, when you have no teachers to guide you or tell you what to do. Break times and lunch periods can be lonely times when you are new and only just getting to know other people.Remember that other people will be feeling just as you do.Be aware of people who may not have your good social skills and be shy about talking to people they don’t know well. Look out for people you think may be lonely, or sad, or worried.Try this:think about other people, as well as yourself.Try to make a difference to someone’s life each day, by smiling, saying hello, helping someone find their way to the tuck shop or giving them advice.As soon as you feel confident about doing something new, share your skills with someone new.
For some people the move to secondary school is made more challenging because of difficulties they have had at primary school, either with learning, or with getting on with people and making friends, or for many reasons.Think about the new school as a chance for a totally new start.Try this:Think about what you would like to achieve at your new school.Give yourself 3 goals to work towards in your first term.These may be –I would like to make 4 new friends ;I would like to get good marks for my homework;I would like to be chosen for a sports team.
Other people will make an impression of you, for better or worse, within just a few moments of meeting you. You will do the same about other young people you meet, and also about your new subject teachers.That is something all people do instinctively. It is called ‘first impressions’. Partly, on this basis, we decide whether to get to know someone more, or to not bother.
All secondary schools work hard to make sure that young people can enjoy some life outside of school and do not spend all their evenings studying. Try hard to follow the advice given, and to work out a sensible routine at home. Don’t play catch up, thinking that you will do the homework the next night, or the next.
Have a wonderful time.Remember, this time in your life will only happen once. Make the most of every day!

Reasons why you must comment on others' posts

2009-01-11T03:17:00.000-08:00

1.Posting thoughtful comments on authority blogs (consistently), helps in building brand identity and eventually brings in loads of traffic.
2.Even if the geek blogger misses to notice, at least 10% of those thousands of blog readers are bound to notice your comments.
3.Let's imagine: if you are lucky enough and the geek blogger notices your comments, and requests you to write a guest post.Fortune Shower！(History has examples).
4.Ping backs and comments are great for networking. Ping a small blog’s post and do them a favor. You can expect a favor in return later.
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6.Its so humane to appreciate somebody for their thoughtful blog posts. Give them a warm feeling. It's great to be good sometimes.