Sports in school - Just a game?

I guess most of you still remembered the rugby incident betweeen Anglo-Chinese School and Saint Andrews Secondary. I will like to use this incident as an example to dscuss about sports and competitions in schools.

What exactly is a competition and what are its aims? I feel that sports are actually games which train you up physically. This builds up our competitiveness and in team sports like soccer and rugby, it builds up our teamwork. These are further enhanced by competitions. Competitions also let us have a gauge on our level of skill in that particular sport we are competing in. For example, if we are competing in a competition, we can know roughly where we stand among the whole nation. However, is the sense of competitiveness going too far as people strives for the win?

What makes sports in schools different is that it is relatively smaller scaled as compared to professional sporting competitions like the Olympics. I do feel that the experience that we gain from competitions is more important than winning. Achieving a result is definitely not more important than the character we develop while learning the sport.

I think that rules and regulations should be stricter in competitions to promote sportsmanship among the athletes. For example, if a deliberate foul is committed which causes injury to the opponent, the person should be banned for a period of time. This teaches the player to respect his or her opponent and not to try and win the match using these means. Schools should not encourage the wining of medals just to bring glory. Instead, they should educate the sportsmen about teamwork, and to win fairly, not to use unscrupulous ways to win. These acts should be condemned.

Electronic devices can be used to film the whole match, and in any case of argument about unfair-play, the footage can be used for post-match analysis.

In conclusion, sports should be casual a casual affair. Competition is good, but too much is not. Therefore, the number of competitions should be reduced.

National Day - How did I spend it?

Its the National Day on 9 August. Most people are probably at their home watching the parade, or some even watch the live parade at the Padang. What I did was just treat it like just any other holiday, staying at home during the day, and going out at night. You can say that I am not patriotic, or I just simply do not care.

In the past, when I was in 6 years old, still in kindergarten, I was quite patriotic. I asked my mother to buy the Singapore flag and hang it in the balcony. And I did it for almost every National Day, until about the time when I was primary 3. I think the reason for doing so was because of the teachers encouraging us to do so.

However, as I grew older, I could not be bothered to hang up the flag during National Day. This is probably because as I grew older, I thought about it. There was nothing to gain from hanging up the flag, and the most common reason, that is me being lazy to do so. I am quite selfish, aren't I? I doubt most of my friends hang up their flag on every national day, unless they hung them up permanently, which most Singaporeans do so. Our citizens' patriotism towards the country has diminished every year.

One of the causes may be because of the National Day Parade, in which I feel they are all similar every year. The dances, the marching of the soldiers are all almost the same, and I think the reason which Singaporeans want to watch them is probably because of the fireworks. However, though we do not show our love for the country openly, it does not mean that we do not care about our country at all. We are still patriotic, but its just that it has decreased over the years. In conclusion, patriotism should not be over emphasised, as it will not really affect the country that much. Patriotism comes naturally, but there's no need to show it openly.

YOG torch at HCI

On 11 August, the YOG torch came to our school, Hwa Chong Institution. In the morning, everyone was very excited about the torch and we were discussing about it. "What is it going to be like?" "Are we really going to see the lighted torch?", are some of the questions we asked. Its 8.30am. Some YOG cars passed. The sponsor, Samsung, came and distributed flags to advertise their product in which most of those who took them were the Secondary ones.

Its 9.30am. Our history teacher, probably bored of waiting, came to chat with us. "Is this really worth waiting?" this was generally what he said and what he meant. "Mind you, we are waiting here, in Hwa Chong, where the students in 1956 protested when the government wanted to wipe out the communists in Singapore. And mind you, this YOG will also be recorded down in history." So is this event really important such that we had to give up our curriculum time?"

Finally we were asked to stand up. Finally, the moment we have been waiting for. We were expecting the torch bearer to run the 100 metres along the road, with the trucks, the support runners, and the camera. However, what we saw was just the torch bearer carrying the safety lantern, with one of the support runner holding the unlit torch. That's all we were going to see? Unfortunately, yes. That's all that we saw yesterday. How disappointing. As a Singaporean, I am proud that my country is the first to hold such an event. However, I do feel that they should use this chance to showcase the capability of Singapore and not make this so small scaled.

Home Learning - Rainbow Death

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 was led astray -

Generations untold WILL pay -

Execrable effects of agent orange spray!

Rumors of an even more toxic spray at the end of this horrid rainbow?



Task 1



This poem “Rainbow Death” is written by Hubert Wilson, while he was serving for the US army during the Vietnam War. He was sent to Vietnam to fight for USA and stayed there for about 15 years. He was sent to Shemya Island, Alaska, an Agent Orange hotspot. As he stayed there, his heath deteriorated.



This poem tells us about the modern warfare during the Vietnam War. Agent Orange is the code name for a herbicide and defoliant used by the U.S. military in its Herbicidal Warfare program during the Vietnam War. Agent Orange was by far the most widely used of the "Rainbow Herbicides", which include Agents Purple, Pink, and Green, employed in the herbicidal warfare program. The title of this poem is therefore named “Rainbow Death”.



This poem tells us that the impacts of chemical warfare, that they cause far more damage and destruction than what artillery and tanks could do. This is shown in the line "Green, pink, purple and other colors death potpourri!". The poet’s intention of writing this poem is to tell readers the dangers modern warfare can bring to mankind.




Task 2

Point of View: Of an American Soldier



"America did not foresee” what ‘Agent Orange’ will lead to. The poet showed great hatred towards the use of herbicidal warfare as it is a cruel tactic in war. "Toll on the innocent and unborn” and “All the deceit continues to spread” showed the catastrophe caused and his discouragement of this form of tactic.



2) Situation and Setting:

The sad mood of the poem was created from the line “Generations untold WILL pay” showed that what previous generations had done can cause the loss of innocent lives in years to come.

3) Language/Diction:

Hubert Wilson shows his strong disapproval of the use of herbicidal warfare in the poem. In the first stanza, "America did not foresee" "Green, pink, purple and other colors death potpourri!" is closely related to the title of the poem "Rainbow Death". The word "potpourri" means a mixture of materials or substances, which in this case he is implying that the use of all the different types of chemicals in warfare is deadly. The first stanza is trying to imply that it is too late for America to regret the destruction done by Agent Orange, especially on the innocent and the unborn.

Personification is use in the second stanza where "Omnipotent and disregarding who will mourn" described the chemical agents as having unlimited power and no mercy at all. The poet puts the blame on these chemical agents, and those who makes use of them, for causing "illness, birth defects and prematurely dead". The poet also describes America as infamous and extremely wicked in the line "Nefariously America led astray". In the second last line, "Generations untold WILL pay", the word "will" is written in capital letters to emphasize the result of making future generations suffer, and also telling us that the poet is strongly against this.


4) Personal Response:



War is cruel and both sides will resort to anything just to defeat the enemy. In this case, chemical agents were used. As a result, millions of lives were lost and even the younger generations were not spared.

Home Learning 2010 - Pros and Cons

For the two days, 1st and 2nd of March, we do not need to go to school as we had home learning. Just like last year, due to the outbreak of H1N1 flu, we had to stay at home for a few days for home learning too. I would like to share my view on the pros and cons of this home learning activity.

Most of you may wonder what is home learning about. Students get to stay at home and complete the online packages posted by the teachers on their websites. They are also provided online resources such as websites and attachments which contain notes.

As a student, I feel that it is quite relaxing for us during home learning. We can wake up at a later time and do the assignments at our own pace. This makes us less stressed and less tiring. Depending on your learning strengths, some people can absorb more information through this form of teaching method.

However, there are more cons than pros. From what I experience, students tend to "multi-task" and get distracted from studying. Not only will some of them log onto "Facebook" or "Windows Live Messenger" to chat with their friends, some would even play games. By playing games, they may forget about their tasks and submit the assignments late. By sitting in front of the computer for such long hours, it will be bad for your health. It is bad for your eyesight and radiation emitting from the computer can harm your skin because we sit in front of the computer for long periods of time with our face absorbing the radiation. Hence, I feel that we should not have too much of home learning and the current number of home learning days are just right.

Who would you want to be friends with in the novel? (Intrapersonal)

I would like to befriend Scout, Jem and Dill. This is because they are not prejudiced against African Americans, due to the fact that they were such good friends with Dill, who is black. Furthermore, being children, they are innocent and will not cause harm to you, unlike Bob Ewell, who tried to kill Scout. If I were a child, I would not mind befriending Boo Radley. He went into hiding because he wanted to escape from the cruel reality of the world. He wanted to befriend Scout and Jem in the novel because he knew that children were innocent and not evil.

Is Maycomb a good place to live in? (Naturalist)

Mockingbirds live in open country with thickets, farmland and desert brush. Mockingbirds eat ants, beetles, grasshoppers, seeds and berries. Although Maycomb is not a village, it is a small town isolated from the city, so around Maycomb is a ocountryside. The diet and habitat of the mockingbird suggests what flora and fauna existed, which are listed above. Since Maycomb is nota big city, and technology is not very well developed, I feel that it is not a good place to live in. However, for those whose livelihood is farming and agriculture, Maycomb would be a suitable place.

Birmingham Grid for Learning- Multiple Intelligences

The Birmingham Grid for Learning is a test designed to find out more about your learning profile. I think that it is a good gauge to know what are your strengths and weaknesses. I find this test quite accurate. Take my result as an example. I got a result of being better interpersonally, and weaker linguistically and kinaesthetically. The fact that I am better interpersonally means that I am better in interacting with people, and that is true because I have lots of friends whom I love to talk to. The results of the test showing that I am poor in languages is also true, as my English is not really that good. The only untrue point about my learning is the point that I am not a good kinaesthetic learner. Take the subject science for example. I prefer learning through conducting experiments than flipping through the boring textbook. To have a clearer idea of the result, it is as shown here:
















From what I feel, the test can help you understand your strength in learning. You can know what are your strengths and weaknesses, and apply them to your learning. The test is also quite accurate and the questions in the test are relatively easy, with only 40 questions. The test takes about 10-15 minutes and what's more, its FREE!

To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee

Hi everyone, this would be my first post of the year, and I would also be telling you about the new literature book I am studying this year, "To Kill a Mockingbird" TKAM in short, by Harper Lee. Goodbye year 2009, goodbye "Village by the Sea". This book is quite interesting, as it focuses on racial prejudice. This is the only novel written by the author, as she felt that she would not be able to produce a second one as good as this. Most of the events happening in the novel is parallel to what Harper Lee had seen in her life. A good example is the Tom Robinson trail in the novel, which is similar to the Scottsboro trial. The main character in the novel, Scout, actually represents Harper Lee herself. I'll leave you to read the rest of the novel yourself.

Shel Silverstein

My favourite poet is Shel Silverstein. The first poem I read by him was "Messy Room" while the first book I read by him was "The Giving Tree". The reason why I chose this author was because of his writing style. He uses simple english but yet he attracts the reader to finish reading the whole poem. He has his own style of writing and I felt that it was the humour in it. The few interviews he did give throughout his life gave insight to his thinking patterns. One example of these interviews(quoted from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shel_Silverstein#Book):

Question: "Why do you have a beard?"Shel: "I don't have a beard. It's just the light; it plays funny tricks."
Question: "How do you think your present image as world traveler, bawdy singer, etc. combines with your image as a writer of children's books?"Shel: "I don't think about my image."
Question: "Do you admit that your songs and drawings have a certain amount of vulgarity in them?"Shel: "No, but I hope they have a certain amount of realism in them."
Question: "Do you shave your head for effect or to be different, or to strike back at the long-haired styles of today?Shel: "I don't explain my head."

This interview shows that Shel Silverstein has his own way of thinking. Here are three of his famous poems:


If the World Was Crazy

by Shel Silverstein

If the world was crazy, you know what I'd eat?
A big slice of soup and a whole quart of meat,
A lemonade sandwich, and then I might try
Some roasted ice cream or a bicycle pie,
A nice notebook salad, an underwear roast,
An omelet of hats and some crisp cardboard toast,
A thick malted milk made from pencils and daisies,
And that's what I'd eat if the world was crazy.
If the world was crazy, you know what I'd wear?
A chocolate suit and a tie of eclair,
Some marshmallow earmuffs, some licorice shoes,
And I'd read a paper of peppermint news.
I'd call the boys "Suzy" and I'd call the girls "Harry,"
I'd talk through my ears, and I always would carry
A paper umbrella for when it grew hazy
To keep in the rain, if the world was crazy.
If the world was crazy, you know what I'd do?
I'd walk on the ocean and swim in my shoe,
I'd fly through the ground and I'd skip through the air,
I'd run down the bathtub and bathe on the stair.
When I met somebody I'd say "G'bye, Joe,"
And when I was leaving--then I'd say "Hello."
And the greatest of men would be silly and lazy
So I would be king...if the world was crazy.

Messy Room

by Shel Silverstein

Whosever room this is should be ashamed!
His underwear is hanging on the lamp.
His raincoat is there in the overstuffed chair,
And the chair is becoming quite mucky and damp.
His workbook is wedged in the window,
His sweater's been thrown on the floor.
His scarf and one ski are beneath the TV,
And his pants have been carelessly hung on the door.
His books are all jammed in the closet,
His vest has been left in the hall.
A lizard named Ed is asleep in his bed,
And his smelly old sock has been stuck to the wall.
Whosever room this is should be ashamed!
Donald or Robert or Willie or--Huh? You say it's mine? Oh, dear,
I knew it looked familiar!


Where the Sidewalk Ends

by Shel Silverstein

There is a place where the sidewalk ends
And before the street begins,
And there the grass grows soft and white,
And there the sun burns crimson bright,
And there the moon-bird rests from his flight
To cool in the peppermint wind.
Let us leave this place where the smoke blows black
And the dark street winds and bends.
Past the pits where the asphalt flowers grow
We shall walk with a walk that is measured and slow,
And watch where the chalk-white arrows go
To the place where the sidewalk ends.
Yes we'll walk with a walk that is measured and slow,
And we'll go where the chalk-white arrows go,
For the children, they mark, and the children, they know
The place where the sidewalk ends.