Poor Cat

A very sorrowful cat filled with emotions.
Try to watch finish the video, it is a very touching show of a cat's desperate attempt to revive his friend, denying the fact that she has already kicked the bucket.

What is the meaning of this?

8 foreign medics executed by Taliban.

Source:http://sg.news.yahoo.com/afp/20100807/tap-afghanistan-unrest-eea7cf4.html

I really don't understand why are the Taliban so cruel and why the world is turning out so. They use violence to intimidate and cause mayhem all over the world. Everyone knows that medics are people who help save lives and tend to the injured. The Taliban killed them, accusing them of being Christian missionaries along with 2 innocent Afghanistan.

It makes no particular sense as to why these people are innocently killed. Even though they may have been Christian missionaries but this is a free world and everyone has a choice to do what he wants and they are not offending any particular law that deserves death with their bodies riddled with bullets.

Are we really a world of civilized people? Is it in our human blood to be violent and kill if not educated? What exactly can we do to prevent these murders of innocent people? This act is clearly an act of barbarians. I believe that there are many views on this issue and I hope that we can discuss about this on the comment board.

Go Green

I for one believe that this is a very good way of promoting going green and supporting organic food stuff. Instead of choking people with information to as to why they should go green and what will happen if they do not, this video makes it such that it into an action video. It makes non-organic food stuff the evil bad guys and organic foods the good guys.

I personally believe that more eco-friendly companies should use similar methods to create awareness among the masses so that they may have a more personally feeling towards it. This will interest the younger generations more than the boring old posters and flyers. Furthermore, it brings out the sense that you can help those characters in the story by becoming green. It is also in its own way quite informative and very appealing to star wars fans. It uses a close relation to star wars story line along with similar names to the characters in the actual star wars movie. It has an interesting approach to bring about their intended meaning.

Duet With Myself

I like this song by Charlie. He makes the story very touching and
later he turns it into a hilarious turn and makes the atmosphere lighter.
However, I do not think that he should make fun of himself
in the song despite not being others. I hope you'll enjoy the show.

Children in the Darkness

Evidence	Elaboration
Point of View A man in Vietnam who pities the children -------------------------------------- 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	From the poem, we can know that the poet is pitiful of the children's life and condition as he wishes to teach them, educate them, give them a meaning and taste of real childhood. The poet further states his pities for the children as he states that the children maybe destroyed by war and their soul totally and fully consumed by it.
Situation and Setting A world unlike of any other child -------------------------------------- Who have not seen the light Who someone will teach to fight Chalk and blackboards will not be these children are not free Or will a war consume them	The poet creates an abnormal children that has not seen the brighter side of life and do not exist in the real world, not living like any other normal child. This can be seen from"who have not seen the light... who someone will teach to fight". The poet makes a condition of darkness and violence for the children as they do not see the "light" in life and will be taught to be violent killers as they are taught to fight at such a young age. The poet further creates an abnormal condition for the child as he would not see 'chalk and blackboards', normal classes, for his childhood unlike other children who experience the conventional education. This expands on the abnormal life that these children live
Language/ Diction cannot flee... not free no flight... no light Could we(x4) Back into darkness(x2)	The poet uses rhyme to help bring across the idea of the children being trapped. The poet uses the rhyme to make his words about the life of the 'blind' children stand out and bring across the great contrast. Such as"cannot flee... not free && no flight... no light". Further, deepening the concept that the children are trapped and there is no escape for them. The author also uses repetition of could we to bring across the possibility of them helping these children but it is only a distant possibility like what if. This makes the readers think about what a different life these children would lead if we 'could...' The author also uses repetition to emphasis the children's lost of freedom and deprivation of life in Vietnam as the poet focuses on reminding that these children are trapped in the dark shadow of deprivation as seen from the repetition of 'back into the darkness'

My own Analysis of We slept with Our Boots On

Evidence	Elaboration
Point of View A soldier fighting a war in a war thorn region -------------------------------------- I kept pulling the trigger and reloading and pulling some more You do what you have to do, with that I will say no more	The poet's use of these two sentences confirms his participation in the fighting as a trained soldier on the front lines. The “kept pulling”, “reloading”, “pulling more”. This goes to tell us that the man was constantly engaged in the cross-fire, thus showing his presence at the front lines. The emphasis of the last sentence on the trained soldier as the the term “say no more” means that the troops were already trained to do what was needed as no further elaborations were necessary. It may also mean that the soldier was ashamed of having to do what he is going to do such that he does not want to further describe on how they are going to 'kill'.
Situation and Setting Major cross-firing in the country side and they were extremely exhausted and always on high alert -------------------------------------- Bullets are flying I kept pulling the trigger and reloading and pulling some more We fought from the valleys to the mountain peaks, from house to cave, to car to creek Dirty and tired and hungry and scared, we slept with our boots on so we were always prepared	The first extract shows that the soldiers were in a remote region where the highest establishment of civilisation were villages and were in a mountainous region with valleys, clearly showing that the soldiers were in the country side fighting. ‘Bullets are flying’ shows that there were opposition to their presence and that they were under gun fire from the enemy. The soldiers had to fight back vigorously in order to stay alive and prevent being captured shown by the phrase “I kept pulling the trigger and reloading and pulling some more”, thus showing the great effort to fight back and gain territory. The line “We fought from the valleys to the mountain peaks, from house to cave, to car to creek” shows that the soldiers were involved in a major on slaughter of enemy troops that they kept on fighting all around the region even all the way into the caves and creeks, up mountain peaks. It also shows how pervasive war is, it invades every physical setting from the caves to the creeks, to the mountains and so on. There is no refugee against the violence, no 'safe' house from war exists The soldiers' conditions was terrible, they were extremely tired and removed from all comfort and suffered from morning to night, fighting or not shown by “Dirty and tired and hungry and scared, we slept with our boots on so we were always prepared”. The soldier were so tired from fighting but it was not enough they had to suffer from food deprivation and hunger pangs as well as the lost of comfort as the troops had to sleep with their boots and always ready to defend themselves from an ambush attack, every ready to fight again.
Language/ Diction We loaded our ruck’s the LZ is hot I run as fast as I can through the lead rain terror I can’t define only reason I survived that day was divine Who knew hell was so close to God Beauty and terror are a strong mixed drink So we drank it like drunkards and tried not to think Everyone loses their innocence when they carry guns Washed in the blood, and baptized by fire They say blood is thicker than water, well lead is thicker than blood poppy field, the tears, and the mud I spent my time in hell	The use of LZ & ruck instead of landing zone & haversack creates a more fast paced circumstance as well as more military like. LZ and ruck are both shorter than their synonym, making the line shorter and more fast paced. This also allows the poet to connect with the readers familiar with the military vocabulary. Furthermore, the use of metaphor to create a image of lead or bullets falling in the form of rain, helps create a situation of war and unnatural occurrence. The persona also confesses that he is unable to express the type of terror he is going through which shows that it was very chaotic that it was beyond words. The term ‘divine’ to describe the survival of the persona was a miracle. It shows that there was a very slime of chance of anyone surviving and that many troops fell to their graves in the fighting. Furthermore, the use of hell and God’s existence together to express the beautiful scenery and the horrific fighting occurring together, creates a dramatic contrast as good and evil are fused. The use of ‘drank like drunkards’ shows that the troops kept taking in more and more of it and could not stop, showing that there was no stop to the fighting and its mighty contrast with the spectacular scenery. It also shows that the violence of war was an addiction that the soldiers kept pouring into their soul and they begin to lose their right of mind as they become 'drunken' by the violence of war. The writer maybe trying to justify why the soldiers fight on as they are drunk and cannot think straight. The poet is also bitter, realistic and skeptical about life as seen from his challenge against "blood is thicker than water". This as he does not believe that brotherhood is not made by biological but by a more developed friendship. The word 'poppy' also refers to the beauty of a flower and also death. Poppy is known as a flower for making opium which is also a symbol of death. The phrase “Everyone loses their innocence when they carry guns” tells us that the persona's feeling towards soldiers and their lives. In addition, the subsequent phrase “washed in blood, and baptized by fire” shows the massive killing and deaths of both sides leave so much death that their blood was sufficient to bath their comrades. The “ baptised in fire” shows that the soldiers’ sins were so great that only great pain could cure. This also implies that their only way to salvation from war and sin is to die in flames so as to receive forgiveness. The use of diction to describe the “lead” to show the thickness of founded brotherhood between friends is stronger than blood-related brothers. This shows that the power of friendship is more powerful than the actual blood related brotherhood. He also uses the metaphor to make earth into living “hell” and says that he had to live through great horror on earth when he lived. This just goes to show the horrific effect of war on men such that they forgo and dismiss all the good experience they had on earth and call it hell.

We slept with our boots on...

They unloaded the dead and maimed right before our eyes

They washed out the blood, we loaded our ruck’s and then took to the skies

Over the mountains, village and valleys we flew

Where we would land we had not a clue

Bullets are flying, the LZ is hot

We’re leaving this bird whether we like it or not
30 seconds they yelled, Lock N Load and grab your shit
Get ready to go and make it quick
My heart is pumping adrenalin through all of my veins
I run as fast as I can through the lead rain
The noise is tremendous, terror I can’t define
The only reason I survived that day was divine
I kept pulling the trigger and reloading and pulling some more
You do what you have to do, with that I will say no more
We fought from the valleys to the mountain peaks
From house to cave, to car to creek
Dirty and tired and hungry and scared
We slept with our boots on so we were always prepared
Those majestic mountains so steep, so high they kiss the skies
The Hindu Kush has changed so many lives
Up the mountains with heavy loads we trod
Who knew hell was so close to God
Beauty and terror are a strong mixed drink
So we drank it like drunkards and tried not to think
Good men and bad men, Mothers lost son’s
Everyone loses their innocence when they carry guns
Washed in the blood, and baptized by fire
I will never forget those who were called higher
They say blood is thicker than water, well lead is thicker than blood
Brothers aren’t born they’re earned. In the poppy fields, the tears, and the mud
And when I get to heaven to Saint Peter I will tell
Another Paratrooper reporting for duty sir, I spent my time in hell

Steve Carlsen

"War is a delight only to those who have not experienced it", this poem supports this quote by telling the facts and reality of warfare through his own experience in Afghanistan. When we realize that war is not as it was meant to be, it would be too late for like the poet said, "Everyone loses their innocence when they carry guns".

Steve Carlsen, the poet, was a United States Soldier, joining the UN Army in October 2000 and went to Infantry Basic training, Airborne School in FT.Benning, later reporting to his first squad, D Company 1st battalion 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division in Caroline. He was deployed to Kosovo in November 2001, later deployed in the front lines in Afghanistan, December 2002. Later, honorably discharged in 2003. He has written 4++ poems, such as Thunder in the Valley, Death of a Hero and Take Your Pills.

He takes us into his world where life is harder than stone and reveals the horrific conditions in the fronts of war. A soldier at the fronts. He fights but for what? There is a sense of lost of purpose as the poet has forgotten why he stands and fights in this war.

He brings us through his experience and memories of the fighting in Afganistan in the past. He stood to show us that war is not a thing of comfort and glory like the "old lie" preceived it to be.The soldier fights all over Afganistan's country side. He stands for life as he and his 'brothers' fight in the foreign land, fighting all the way from the valleys to mountains, houses to creeks...

He is toused between the horror before his eyes but also the glory and beauty of the scene bestowed before his eyes. He and his comrades just keep taking in the great contrast like drunkards. The man stands to realise that founded brotherhood is much more worth than birthright brotherhood. He stands to say to St. Peter that he live hell on earth shown from his metaphor of earth as Hell.

Source:

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

http://thejourneytoernie.blogspot.com/2010/05/home-learning-we-slept-with-our-boots.html

To Kill a Mocking Bird

I would like to be friends with the character 'Jeremy Finch'.
This is because I feel that he is one of the characters
who has a lot of courage to do what he thinks is right.





He does whatever he believes is right no matter what the outcome is.
He also dares to go and retrieve his pants even though he was
chased by Nathan Radley who fired his shotgun at him
but he still did it so as not to disappoint his father.
Also, I am very curious about what his is thinking because
through the eyes of scout alone, we cannot have the
full story of his thinking process.
He is also someone who learns a lot of things and
he teaches what he learns to others for example his sister.
I would like to learn as much as I can from him.

This is a little something I decided to make
about Tom Robinson:
Tom is a man of Maycomb,
seduced by men of hell,
punished for nothing more than a comb.
All his life he was well,
till the day he help the Ewells.
He was charged guilty,
yet there was nothing to prove his guilt.
He was a nigger, a sin in Maycomb,
where the niggers are the teeth of the comb,
where they died at the will of the whites,
whom kill in the court during "broad" day light.
To kill a mockingbird is a sin,
but to kill a nigger is it kind?

Multiple Intelligence Test

In this ever moving society, series of tests are used to find out the level of intelligence of students. An example is attached on the left. These tests includes the Complete IQ test which is use to measure one's intelligence, which is supposedly an indication of one's potential. Many top schools choose students based on their IQ level. Hence before they can be accepted into the school, these students will have to sit for such tests to access their IQ. Each school will set their own IQ criteria. An IQ of 120-140 usually means that you have above intelligence. An IQ of 140-160, you are highly intelligent and an IQ above 160 you are a genius. This allows the school to choose intellectually smarter students.



I agree with this method of selecting students. This way, the school can identify the students with similar IQs and put them in the same class. These students are then able to find out what their strengths are and develop them accordingly. Thus, allowing these students to fully develop their natural talent rather than focusing on something they are not good at.

Many people claim that these kind of tests demoralize the students with lower results. However, this only happens when the students respond to the results negatively, but if the students are positive, they would strive to work harder to outshine those so called "smarter group".

Chinese New Year Tiger Wishes???

Isn't this a very cute picture from a circus performance...
I don't know how could they teach them to go to such a position. Plus, they are only cubs.
I guess this just goes to show that people are willing to alter the natural just to gain money.



I personally believe that the cubs under went some brutal training to go to such a position in order to master it at such a young age.








I feel really sorry for the tigers
as many of them no longer have
the experience of living in the wild and
almost all of them live in captivity.






I just hope the countries that promise
to increase their number of tigers
make it reality rather than an empty promise.





Anyway......
新年快乐!!!
Happy Chinese New Year!!!

A few Chinese New Year Youtube Videos

I am terribly sorry that I can only find nice Chinese New Year videosin Chinese so I deeply regret to say that non-Chinese educated audience would not be able to enjoy these videos a lot.
And of course, no Chinese New Year would be complete without some lion dances so please enjoy and by the way there is an Indian man singing in there. Thinking about it makes me feel proud that many Hwa Chong boys are bilingual or even trilingual. Some Chinese from overseas cannot speak their mother tongue because of their childhood up-bringing and education system. I deeply sympathize with them and hope that they will have the opportunity and interest to learn their mother tongue later on in life

A very interesting song od rather 'rap'...

I find it rather interesting, the story line rather well planned.

In addition, his actions are rather hilarious as well as his 'rapping'.

I find the theme song rather...well..

It is beyond my descriptive capabilities but most important

it is a rather special way of talking like a 'rapper'.

Hope you will enjoy!!!

Shockingly terrifying NEWS

Eating potato chips may expose you to dangerously high amounts of the cancer-causing substance, acrylamide. Researchers claim that baking or frying carbohydrate-rich foods, such as potatoes and cereals, formed acrylamide, a substance classified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as a "probable human carcinogen."

I was both worried and sad when I came across this article. I am presently feeling worried because I ate a mountain high pile of chips and I am scared that I may have cancer and I hope not. I also feel sad due to the realisation that I have to decrease my chips intake tremendously and I don not know how to resist the temptation all around me. I guess it would explain why many junk food-addicts

tend to have a higher chance of having cancer due to their intake of food.

I suppose I may have to really stop eating junk food...

I feel so sad...

Well, I guess it is for the best...

I hope...

A story...

100million of seconds ago, a freshman to the mighty concrete jungles
-------------------------------- of secondary school.
100million of seconds ago, a freshman to the wonderful worlds of the seniors.
100million of seconds ago, a freshman to the multitude of fishes to be caught in the
---------------------------------vast learning oceans of education.
100million of seconds ago, a freshman to the life in a brand new world
-------------------------------- of the secondary school.
100million of seconds ago, a freshman to the unexplored realm of blogging.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
100million of seconds later, still the same old kid.
100million of seconds later, still the same mischievous kid.
100million of seconds later, still making teachers blow their steam till
--------------------------------- they need the first aid-kit.
100million of seconds later, still spamming the vulgar kit.
100million of seconds later, still tired of doing homework and so many more...