Currently, some parents are putting their children through hypnosis, hoping that it will boost their children's performance both academically and in sports. Some people imagine about people babbling away on stage when they think of the word "hypnosis". As a result of this and other similar associations, psychologists who study hypnosis prefer to describe it as research into the stages of consciousness and the power of suggestion. Instead of "hypnosis", they prefer to call it "focused attention" or "susceptibility to suggestion". If they are asked to define hypnosis, most will call it an altered state of consciousness in which the suggested object becomes totally focused on a particular image or idea. The state of trance is supposedly a state of consciousness that is distinct from wakefulness, relaxation, meditation or sleep. Some may ask- can hypnotists really induce a state of trance? Psychologists also have differing opinions, and the field if thus now divided into two groups- those that believe they can, and those that doubt the existence of the state of trance. The latter tends to think emphasise that the customer plays the role he thinks is expected of him as the individual. The role is played in ways consistent with his attitudes to and beliefs about hypnosis as well as his own interpretations of the hypnotists suggestions. This is the reason why some argue that hypnotists cannot impose their will on the customer, who must first choose to assume the role. There are studies that show that hypnosis induces a state of awareness distinct from that in wakefulness, relaxation, sleep and even meditation. There have been a few tests of people being asked to say the colour of the word RED when the colour of it is blue, or the colour of the word BLUE printed in yellow. The tests show that the words have an impact on your ability to say the word correctly. It is also noted that hypnosis relieves pain better than other treatments such as distraction, mental imagery, or placebo, although the reason why this is so has not been discovered yet. Hypnosis has also been found to alleviate the condition of tics, bed wetting, insomnia and anxiety disorder. Most parents would like to know right now if hypnosis will improve school grades for their children. In recent years, not many studies have been done on this topic. However, one of the studies carried out by 119 psychology students from the University of Stellenbosch in South Africa, did show an improvement in overall academics functioning by way of improving student self-esteem. Currently, one session of one to two hours would cost you $150- $200. In my opinion, I do not think that such sessions are necessary. Firstly, we should not try to find shortcuts or easy-way-outs. We should try to improve our studies by working hard, not through such methods. Secondly, if you argue that it increases your self-esteem, you should try to instill more confidence in yourself. Believe in yourself, work hard, and your grades will improve!
Hypnosis at Work
The Seeds of Hunger
In many countries have experienced harsh weather conditions recently, including droughts and extreme temperatures. As a result of this, many crops were affected, including wheat, rice, cocoa plants and oil seeds. Wheat prices have risen 62% since June, breaking the 50 years record of the highest increase in wheat prices in one year. This is due to a decrease in the production of wheat, especially in a major producer, Russia, and others such as Ukraine, Kazakhstan, and the European Union. The increase will make some of the rich stock up their supplies, resulting in a food crisis, and riots may occur. For the oil seeds, which are used in spreads and cooking oils. They will also be used as biofuels. This year, the supply of half of the world's major oilseeds is likely to fall, and the demand is likely to outstrip supply next year. Things are not as bad for rice. Although Thailand and Vietnam, the world's biggest two producers of rice, face severe drought conditions that threaten to ruin this year's crops and global supplies, the amount of rice up for trade has not decreased, and the price has not increased much due to fear of floods in Asia, where these producers are. Rice is extremely important and is a staple product for many- to be exact, more than half of the population, including 640 million undernourished people living in Asia. Once the rice supplies crumple, starvation will hit the globe badly. Cocoa plants have been heavily affected by the droughts in West Africa, to the utmost horror of chocoholics. Singapore has carried out multiple Food Security Projects, for example finding ways to kill spud fungus' which causes $6 million in damage to potato crops every year. Already, countries have problems feeding the citizens enough food. Hopefully, the clouds will clear, and a clear sunny day will show in the sky soon!
The Powers of a Synthetic Cell
A new cell has been made. This cell is not a normal cell- it is controlled by man-made genetic instructions. Created at a cost of 40 million dollars, the experimental one cell organism, which can reproduce, opens the way to the manipulation of life on a previously unattainable scale. Biologist Christopher Voigt at the University of California, San Francisco, thinks that the technique used to make the cell would be applied to all the most important industrial bacteria. Many companies are taking advantage of synthetic biology, which combines chemistry, computer science, molecular biology, genetics and cell biology to breed industrial life forms that can secrete fuels, vaccines or other commercial products. Also, this strategy can be used to make algae that convert carbon dioxide into petrol or diesel through photosynthesis. At the moment, the plants photosynthesise to form sugar, which is later on transformed into fuel by engineered bugs of one sort or another. Using algae to replace the plants would cut out the middleman. However, there are the downsides too. People who misuse the technology and use it to create or bring back past diseases are threats to the world. In 2002, a team of researchers made short sequences of synthetic DNA strands and pasted them together to form a functional poliovirus. When this extreme genetic engineering feat was announced to the world, the team was deemed as irresponsible and their findings could potentially show terrorists how to make a bio-weapon. In another case, efforts to reconstruct the 1918 flu virus began. The virus had killed between 20 and 50 million people, a number higher than the death toll in World War I. In 1997, Dr. Jeffrey Taubenberger of the US Armed Forces recovered and sequenced fragments of the viral RNA from preserved tissues of the 1918 victims buried in Alaskan permafrost. Eight years later, the lethal virus had been resurrected. This was exactly like what happened in Jurassic Park, where dinosaurs were brought back to life. Synthesising cells to form organisms is inhumane to some. They argue that the experiment will not always work out the right way and sometimes, the product will be different from what is planned. For example, if scientists attempt to generate humans, but the result is somebody with four arms, will they kill it? Killing it would be morally wrong, they say. If they do not execute it, what will be of the created organism? A group based in Canada have called for a moratorium on synthetic biology, and will only continue when a decision is made. The synthetic cell can be used either positively or negatively. It is powerful- if used positively, will allow modern technology to advance, but will cause serious damage if misused.
PSLE Day
Jumping off the car, I was almost hopping with nervousness. The day to receive my PSLE results was here. I kept reassuring myself that I already had a DSA offer to Hwa Chong, my dream school, but my heart was pounding wildly. I had already made some unforgivable mistakes and was not sure about my English Comprehension. Wild thoughts rushed through my mind. What will I get? What if I perform below my parent's expectations? Would they be disappointed? My father guessed that I would get 266, and my mother guessed 267. I was not sure if I could meet their guesses. When I sat down with my classmates in the hall, everybody's faces were calm and were still chatting happily and I forced the heavy feeling down. "The nation's highest score was 282 and that of my school was 274 only." Yet another friend whispered to me. This rumour had spread through the class as fast as a bushfire spreads in a forest. If the highest was 274, what would I get? There were Gifted Education students in my school, and I would definitely score lower than most of them. What would I get? After what seemed like an eternity, the principal finally went on stage and confirmed the rumour. Then, he started to release the results. Top was two GEP students, followed by 272's, then 271's. Ah-Ha! The first in my class scored 270, and I was sixth in my class in the prelims. I stood a chance to get above 265! 269! No luck. 268! Still, my name was not on the screen. 267! I was starting to fret. Would I get below 265? 266! The names appeared on the screen. I searched the screen with a slight glimmer of hope. A familiar name caught my eye. It was mine! I whooped with joy. I had gotten 266! My parents had guessed correctly! With a bright smile on their faces, they came over to me to take a photograph! My class had done relatively well, with an average of 259. Most of my friends were ecstatic that they were able to go to the top schools. I vowed to myself to work hard and do well in secondary school. I put down the heavy feeling in my heart and smiled.
Does Appearance Matter?
Does one's appearance make a difference? When does it matter? Some students were asked for their opinions in a Chinese newspaper, and they had differing opinions. Most said that appearance does not matter much, especially for students; as how a person looks may not be what they are like. Some of them said that some of their classmates even put on make-up before going to school. One of the students said that those who do so usually get help more often from others, but most have bad impressions on such people. Also, she comments those who buy and use such beauty products, but do not have good results or moral characters are just wasting their time and money. Another also added that most people dress nicely so that they can get more friends, but she thinks that students who have good attitudes and morals generally have more friends than those who purposely dress up and buy beauty products. On the other hand, some others argue that appearance is very important as most people judge a person by his first appearance. One student also says that those that go for plastic surgery have a significant increase in confidence after they come back as they feel more beautiful and have greater confidence in oneself. I think that appearance can be important at times. For a student, when going for formal events such as interviews for DSA (Direct School Admission) and during his oral examinations, he has to be presentable to the interviewer/ examiner and it is true that most people judge a stranger by his first appearances. However, a student goes to school to learn new things and does not need to waste time doing such things. Not only is time and money wasted on such beauty products, the time used on such things can be used alternatively can be used to upgrade oneself, academically and non-academically. In my opinion, beauty products should not be used by students. Like what one of the students said, how a person dresses does not reflect entirely on the person's personality and his attitude. I think that parents should step in if their children buy such beauty products to use. If their children buy them in an attempt to make more friends at school, they should explain to them that changing their attitude or improving their studies would work better and they need not use beauty products. In conclusion, I think that appearance does matter, but not so much that one needs to specially make an effort to look nice all the time.
Integrity Makes the World Go Round
In the recent Saturday newspapers, a few members of the public were asked to come up with six words that meant something to them. As for me, my six words are, "Integrity Makes the World Go Round". To me, integrity is extremely important. In order to do anything with others, integrity is very important, and very often, we have to work in groups-in school, at work, and even at home. For example, when you are doing a group project in school, you ask your teammate to complete the powerpoint in 4 days, and he promises to do it, but actually does not even start it, at the end of 4 days. In the end, your project fails because your friend did not do his part. Also, integrity helps you find friends. Imagine this situation. There are two people and you can choose to make friends with either one of them. The first has lower IQ then the second, but he tells the truth all the time, while the second only tells the truth sometimes. Who will you choose to be friends with? I am not too sure about you, but I would choose the second. The first is not as smart, but at least, he can be trusted. Integrity is also important at home. For instance, when something is lost at home, integrity needs to exist before the object can be found back. Anyway, lying will only make you cook up another story to cover up for your previous lies. As the Chinese saying goes, "天网恢恢疏而不漏" (all bad things that one does will be uncover in the end). Integrity is the basic moral character one should have in order to be successful, make friends and be happy. In order for anything to work, integrity must be present in you. Integrity makes the world go round!
The Race
I was bent over the stopwatch, mulling over the seconds as Jack zipped round the track. When he crossed the finish line, I pressed the button. 55 seconds! That was five seconds better than my personal best of 60 seconds! I was amazed. What my friend, Kumar, had said was true. Jack was good. Jack was the representative for his class for the 400 metre dash, as I was for my class. I had been the champion for five years straight and now, Jack posed a "threat" to me. The only way I could get admiration from my classmates was from sports, as my studies were not good. If I did not win this year, I would lose the admiration from them! I still have one more month to train up for the competition. I doubled my training times for training my stamina, speed, and methods, and trained whenever I could. However, even after two weeks of hard work, I did not improve. I started to lose hope and felt both worried and panicky. I wanted to win, but yet I could not! Unless I thought of a way to make Jack lose the race! But that would be cheating! For many days, I weighed the pros and cons of cheating. If I cheated, then it would be at the expense of my credibility, but if I lost, I would lose the admiration of my friends. In the end, I finally decided to bring Jack out of the race so that I would win. I thought of many devious plans to achieve my goal, and finally, I decided on the most plausible one- I would cut Jack's shoe laces such that it would break when he ran, causing his shoes to drop off. I tried it a few times on my old track shoes. On the day off the race, I went to school with butterflies in my stomach. I cast a few nervous glances at Jack at the stadium and hoped the trick would pull off. Finally, it was time for us to get ready for the race. I slipped my penknife into my sports bag and went off with the other finalists to the locker room. When Jack and the others went into the cubicle to get changed, I stealthily got out my penknife and crept over to Jack's shoes and cut off about three quarters of the shoelace underneath the tongue. I got into my cubicle just as another finalist got out of his. As I steadied my feet on the start-off block, wild thoughts rushed through my mind like a river. Was it really worth it to cheat just to win the race? Was getting my classmates' admiration really that important? Just as the countdown began, I remembered what my father had told me in the car that morning. "Bobby, it doesn't matter if you don't beat Jack and be first. Just so long as you try your best, I will be proud of you." I quickly made up my mind and dashed over to the referee and ordered him to stop the race. He was stunned, but did it anyway. The other participants stared at me in bewilderment. I made my way to Jack and told him that his shoe laces were spoilt as I had cut it. His eyes opened in shock and surprise. Of course, in the end, I had to face the music and was scolded and punished by my teachers, but at least, I was glad that I had come to my senses in the last minute and prevented further damage. As for the race itself, it was postponed and Jack broke my streak and won the first place.
Violence in Public
On the 19th of November, police arrested a 17-year-old for slashing another's right arm. They knew each other and one slash the other when they got into a dispute. Another two teens were arrested for possessing choppers at the Costa Sands resort. This has already been the third violent case in this month, besides the Downtown East and Bukit Panjang ones. Mr. Alvin Yeo, chairman of the Government Parliament Committee for Home Affairs and Law, suggested that some kind of registration for hunting and camping knives, could be started. Hardware stores said that they do not even question customers who buy knives, or even parangs, also known as machetes, no matter how young they are. When questioned, a sales assistant from Zener D.I.Y. store in Orchard Road said that customers buy them for their own personal use, so it is not nice to ask them. I feel that this is not right. In my opinion, anyone under 18 should be banned from buying any sort of knife, like what Britain has been doing. Personal use? What do teenagers even need such knives for? If their parents need them in their households, the parents themselves should be coming down to the store to buy the knives themselves. Laws have been so strict about murder in Singapore. By banning teenagers from buying any kind of knife in hardware stores, the number of assaults will decrease, I am sure. I propose that any patron at stores to buy knives of any sort must show their identification card. Now, even people that possess any kind of weapon in public is arrested, and face jail for up to three years, with at least six strokes of the cane. Mr David Ho, a security consultant to several night clubs for over ten years, has founds weapons on young patrons, from common kitchen knives to knuckle dusters, which are banned in Singapore. He says that he hands such patrons to the police in such cases. I think that the public can do their part too. If they see any youngsters holding weapons, they should immediately contact the police. As a responsible and vigilant citizen, we must always be on the lookout for anybody that breaks the law. School teachers can also remind their students not to break the laws. Brochures can be handed out to tell them the severe consequences of breaking the law. From my point of view, parents should create stricter rules for their children. For example, they should keep watch on their children's activities outdoors. As for the youths, most of them are forced to join the gangs by other members. I think that they should stay away from such people and seek assistance from their teachers and parents if they threaten them. If all of us do our part, I am sure that the number of such hacking incidents will decrease.
China resembles U.S.A.?
China is making a phenomenal leap to the top of the global economic hierarchy. It now has even outpaced Japan to become the second largest economy in the world. China sceptics think that a giant bubble is forming in China, but that bubble will soon burst to become equivalent to Japan's lost decade in the 1990's. Looking at the daunting challenges China faces, namely endemic corruption, their rapidly aging workforce and ever-increasing energy needs, they think that China's bubble will burst soon, plunging it into a crisis similar to that faced by Japan in the 1990's. However, Stephen Mihm and Jeffrey Wasserstrom disagree with the critics in a commentary in a recent issue of the Times magazine. They think that contemporary China is much like 1850's America. For instance, both are predominantly rural countries that were undergoing a massive shift towards an urban, industrial economy. In the 1850's, U.S. rapidly churned out cheap yet high quality goods, such as textiles, clocks guns and other goods and earned the reputation of being the "workshop-of-the-world". China has also earned their and admiration from other countries for producing seemingly endless quantities of cheap goods. Other countries have been complaining about China manipulating the Yuan, for having dubious business practices and wanton disregard for copyrights. These countries are actually echoing things British commentator said about the rise of America's rise1 some authors even complained about earning no money from the sales of pirated copies of their books being sold in the e country. As the U.S. rised, numerous speculative property bubbles grew and burst, but each time, the economy recovered and continued its steep climb upwards. So too, might China's economy. Some of the sceptics think that the contradiction between China's political structure (which is nominally communist) and its economical structure (which is largely capitalist) might cause its downfall. However, America did not lack its contradictions in the 1850's. It was proud to say that it was devoted to freedom and equality, yet slavery played an important role in the economy, women lacked basic rights and Native Americans were grossly mistreated. Just as the U.S. had struggled throughout the 19th century to resolve its contradictions, so will China in coming years. China sceptics think that China is sure to fall when their property bubbles burst. What makes them think that China's economy would not recover and continue growing? Stephen and Jeffrey think that Americans need to stop seeing China as an exotic case and expect that its economy grows, just as theirs had, in the 1850's.
Micro-financing- A Bane or A Boon?
In the 1970, Mr Muhammad Yunus won the Nobel Prize for creating micro-financing. Microfinance provides financial services to those who have low income, as these people do not have any belongings or assets that can be used as collaterals when loaning from banks. The people will borrow a small sum of money to set up a business, buy cattle or seeds, and will return the money after a while.
In China, where micro financing services have just started, many people are benefitting. Before it began, those villages living in rural and poor villages had no money to buy or grow food to feed their families. With the help of microfinance, some were able to start businesses to make some money to buy food. After making back the money, they will return the money. In the end, the borrowers benefit, as they have enough money to feed their family, and can even make some extra money through the business they set up. For example, Madam Xiao, who lives in Wending, China, had problems feeding her children five years ago. However, with the help of micro-financing, she has set up a weaving business by borrowing S$194-582 annually. Now, she has enough money to feed her children and save money for their education.
However, things are not going well in India. Some of the borrowers borrow so much that they cannot pay back the money, and some the lenders are charging 50%-60% interest, while normal lenders only charge 24%-36% interest! Since accessing the loans are easy, many poor Indians have been lured into debt traps. In the Chennaipally village in the state of Andhra Pradesh, there have been twenty-five suicides due to micro-credit woes, and fifty other suicides in other villages. One such tragedy was the example of Ms Bandaru Padma. She took loans from four micro-financing firms totalling 79,000 rupees (S$2,000), to pay for her expenses. The 23 year old was unable to pay the 2000-rupee-per-week installment and had recovery agents hounding after her for the money. In the end, she took her two children to a well and jumped down. All three died.
The large number of suicides has prompted the authorities to do something. Last month, Andhra Pradesh passed a law that banned microfinance firms from charging high interest rates, and also restricted borrowers from taking multiple loans. In China, to prevent this from happening, charities only lend money to married women, as they are the ones who take charge of the household finances, and do not squander away the money or waste it on alcohol, and thus are more likely to return their debts.
Mixed-Up!
A Singaporean couple who conceived their baby via in-vitro fertilisation are reeling from shock to discover that the child's DNA does not match the father's. In-vitro fertilisation is a process whereby the sperm and egg are extracted from the husband and wife respectively. The couple is shocked and disappointed, and now want answers from the Thomson Fertility Centre and have also sought legal advice. On the 2nd of November, the hospital said that it was unable to discuss or comment on any case. "All our patients' information is treated with strict confidence. It is our policy to respect our patients' privacy and confidentiality," said Ms Patricia Lee, director of corporate development at the Thomas Fertility Centre Limited. The centre also says that it is very sorry and distressed over the sperm mix-up, and pledged to offer all possible support to the affected couple. MOH also says that certain practices in the centre can be improved, and it will be issuing additional directives to correct them, even though this is the first encounter with such a problem in 22 years at the centre, which is rated as one of the best private medical centres here. The hospital has many stringent checks, but human error might still take place. What will happen to the baby? The couple has already decided to keep it, but they will be individually counselled to identify any potential problems between the couple. I feel that their relatives and friends will ask them questions about why their baby looks different, and their marriage has to be strong enough to withstand all these questions. As for others that wish to go through IVF treatment at Thomas Fertility Centre, some say that they will not stop their treatment despite of the mix-up. "The service there is very good and professional. They explained the entire process to us during counselling. I don't feel like they wanted to make money from us, but that they really wanted the treatment to be successful for us," Mrs Lim, a customer says. The man whose semen was used is technically considered as the biological dad of the baby. However, his legal rights are unclear according to today's law. Senior Counsel Deborah Barker of KhatterWong law firm said yesterday that the law ad it stands does not give the man whose sperm was mistakenly used any right to the child: he is in the same position as the father of an illegitimate child. Women's Charter made it a parent's duty to be responsible for the child. In this case, the man whose sperm was mistakenly used is the biological dad of the baby, so can the child or mother file a maintenance claim if they know who the sperm donor is? However, must Thomson Fertility Centre disclose the identity of the donor when the court orders it to?"The law may need to be revised to provide that the maintenance claim cannot be brought against anonymous donors or against biological fathers in situations where an IVF mix-up occurred." says Professor Lee.
A Special Visit
Just yesterday, I came back from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. It was a four days three nights trip organised by my Primary school, Henry Park. Once home, I reflected on my trip and found my visit to the Anh Linh Orphanage School the most memorable. Once there, I saw about fifty children standing near the gates to welcome us. All of them looked cheerful and only a handful looked sad. The principal of the school told us that the school provided education from 1st to 5th grade. There was a large age difference among the levels- the age of the students in the school was in the range from eight to twenty! After the introduction, we were paired with one student from the orphanage. I was paired with a tall boy who looked very shy. Since most children in Vietnam did not understand English, I had to communicate with him through hand signs. Using simple gestures, I led him to one corner to do some activities. Taking out a colouring set and a picture of the Merlion and the Singapore flag, I asked him to colour the Singapore flag red. To my amazement, he picked up the red colour pencil and started to colour. He actually understood simple English! He must be quite intelligent! This made the activity easier. I told him how to colour the pictures and both of us sat down to colour. The next activity that convinced me that my partner was intelligent was when I taught him how to play "Snakes and Ladders". I showed him how to play a few times before starting to play once with him. He immediately picked up the game and knew how to leap up the ladders and how to slide down the snakes. In a flash, he had reached the top! After playing a few more rounds, it was almost time for him to go back to class. A few minutes before he left, I gave him an English picture book and a bookmark that I made. Politely, he thanked me and started flipping through the book. His eyes were glued to the page and only closed the book when the lesson bell rang. He thanked me again and ran up to class. My group decided to tour around the school to have a look at the children's living conditions. When we entered their bedroom, all of us had a shock. Their beds were thin straw mattresses on hard metal frames. This made me feel very lucky to have a comfortable bed and a complete and caring family. We were then told by the principal that the students worked hard to make key chains after school. However, all they got for that was 1,000 Vietnamese dong(S$0.66) a month! Before we left, all of us went to the key chain shop to purchase the beautiful key chains sewn together using beads and plastic string. The children at the orphanage are friendly, intelligent and hardworking. Sadly, they do not have the opportunities to do well in life. Take my partner as an example. Given the same opportunities as me- to go to a proper school, have parents to coach them and chances to go for immersion programmes, I am sure that he will excel in life!
Should Fast Food be banned?
We all know what fast food is. Burgers, French Fries, McDonalds', Burger King- all these are related to fast food. We also know that fast food is unhealthy. Medical studies have revealed that regular fast food consumption increases the incidence of obesity and insulin resistance, which in turns lead to higher risks such as Type 2 diabetes and stroke. Fast foods contain trans fat which is a substance used in the making of fast foods as it enhances flavours, but it increases the risk of coronary heart disease. To reduce fast food consumption, governments world-wide have proposed to levying taxes on fast foods and other processed foods with high calorie levels. In fact, Malaysia has banned those advertisements broadcasting of "junk" foods, and New York has even banned the use of trans fat in cooking. I find that this ban will help those who have problems controlling the amount of fast food they eat. However, it would deprive those who hardly get to eat fast food, and look forward to a fast food meal when they do well.As for me, my parents will bring me to McDonalds' about once every fortnight. I look forward to those trips, and if Singapore too decides to ban the use of trans fat in cooking, then I will not be able to eat any more fast food meals. According to the National Nutritional Survey of 2004, a typical person aged 18 to 69 in Singapore is 70 times more likely to eat at a hawker centre than at a fast food restaurant. This shows that Singaporeans are aware that fast food is unhealthy and are willing to do something to prevent them from contracting serious diseases. I feel that there is no need for Singapore to ban trans fat. Alternatively, to reduce the number of obese citizens and the number of coronary heart disease patients, Singapore could do more to educate Singapore students on unhealthy foods and their effects. For example, more quizzes on unhealthy foods can be issued to students, and those who do well can receive a small reward. Also, efforts can be directed at promoting active and healthy lifestyles, good general dietary habits and the provision of nutritional information on healthy snacks like cereal or milk. This may even be more cost effective than regulating or taxing the consumption of fast food!
My Childhood
Thinking back on my childhood days, many memories come to my mind, and I can tell you that my childhood is filled with adventure and fun. I can even vividly remember the incidents that happened when I was in kindergarten! Let me share with you some interesting events.
When I was a toddler, my favourite soft toy was Elmo. When he was bought, I hugged him all the time, sometimes even during meals! Once, I tried feeding him porridge. My parents stopped me in time and explained that Elmo was not alive and could survive without food.
When I was in kindergarten, I visited Henry Park for the first time. The canteen was extremely crowded, and I got separated from my parents. I tried getting out of the noisy canteen but could not find my way out. Feeling scared, I cried loudly. Luckily, a teacher brought me to a counter in the Kidzone, where I found my parents. Whenever I think back on this event, I would laugh- how could I get lost in the school canteen?
Since young, my parents let me go to camps alone to make me braver. One of the camps I enjoyed the most was the “Commanders Camp” which was organized by YMCA. I went there when I was Primary two. We brought water guns there to fight “wars”. I enjoyed it thoroughly and was elated when I got promoted to the rank “First Class Corporal”.
In primary three, I changed class from 2Kindness to 3Boldness. At first, I felt lonely, as only one of my 2Kindness classmates was in my class. On the first day of school, I was partnering a boy that I did not know. He was slightly plump and had spiky hair. I decided to make friends with him. I introduced myself to him and he too introduced himself. After we talked to each other for a while, we got to know each other better, and we have been the best of friends since then. This boy is Ernest. We do many projects together, and I plan to keep in touch with him.
As you can see, my childhood has been exciting and fun. Even though my childhood days are going to be over soon, I will always remember them well.
Haiku
In school, I study
Maths, Science, English and Chinese.
The one I like best,
Numbers, Signs and Graphs
Describes the truth of our lives,
My favourite is Maths
My Skiing Experience
Have you ever seen snow before? Well, as for me, I have never experienced snow until I came to the United States. I was exceptionally excited when my father announced that he was going to drive us to Lake Tahoe. It is winter, and the mountains are capped with snow. Lake Tahoe is a popular destination for snow activities.
Before we left for the ski resort, I planned to take the two hour beginners ski lesson that my mother signed up for us and spend most of the day playing with snow. My mother told us that snow was soft and powdery, unlike ice.
Just at that moment, I remembered the skiing advertisements I saw on television- those skiers sped down high mountains amongst rocks. I shivered. I asked my father if the slopes that we were going to were as steep. He reassured me that the beginner slopes were gentle and easy to ski down.
After three hours of driving, we reached Boreal skiing resort. The weather was extremely cold, so I put on five layers of clothing before leaving for the registration counter. We rented ski boots, skis and ski poles. The boots have to be tight enough to not allow any movement, and the skis and ski poles have to be adjusted according to my weight and height. The boots were especially heavy, so trying to walk in them was difficult and made me feel like a robot.
The ski fields outside wasn’t quite what I had expected. It was as compact as ice, not soft and fluffy like what my mother said. Our ski instructor introduced herself as Darcy and she led us to one end of the ski resort. She said that the snow was 50% man-made and 50% natural, so it’s more like ice than snow. She started with safety rules and then the way to put on a ski. She brought us to a short and gentle slope and showed us how to climb up the slope sideways like a crab. This is easier said than done. Before I reached the top, I slid down again, going backwards. It was a really scary experience, as I scarcely managed to keep my balance. Luckily, at the second try, I succeeded. Next, she taught us how to brake by pushing the back of your feet out We then tried to go down the slope. I felt thrilled! I could control the ski to where I wanted to go! My brother and I learnt quickly, but my father kept on falling down.
Soon, one hour and forty-five minutes flew by. Darcy took us to the ski lift station that brought us up to top of the first level slope. I was stunned. This slope was five stories tall! My brother and I let my father go first, as we edged forward slowly. Just then, both of us slipped and suddenly started skiing down. My brother started going down at a tremendous speed. I cautiously braked a little, and went down the slope slowly. At one point, I lost control and went down extremely fast. Everything was like a blur and I felt the rush of wind against my face. As my speed picked up, I felt adrenaline racing through my heart. I braked as much as I could, and came to a stop at the end. I felt a sense of achievement-I skied down a five storey slope without falling down! I turned around, only to see my brother and father sprawled in the snow, after they fell down. I immediately wanted to try again, and went up a second time with my brother. This time, I felt better control with my skis. My brother got the hang of skiing on his third try and we went up multiple times. Meanwhile, my father kept falling down on the slope.
After lunch, we all continued skiing. My brother and I continued skiing while my father continued practicing. After my brother and I skied five more times ourselves, my father joined us after practicing. This time, he didn’t even fall down! We discovered another face of the beginners slope. After another two hours of practice, I could finally ski down one of them without braking at all!
Sadly, at four thirty, the station for the beginner slope closed for the day, forcing us to either stop or ski down the intermediate slope. The intermediate slope was much more intimidating-there were obstacles on the way, the slope was almost two and a half times longer, and the slopes looked much steeper. My father decided to stop, but my brother and I decided to try the intermediate slope. We got on the ski ride, and I thought to myself, “What if I’m too scared to go down?” I thought for a while, and decided to give it a try. If it is too scary or difficult, I’ll stop skiing. I got off the ride together with my brother, and decided to follow a boy who also had been from the beginner slope. I braked a quite a lot, but ended up zooming down very fast. In the blink of an eye, I was about to go over a hump that was short on the side facing me, but went down very steep. I tried braking as much as I could, but it was too late. I went over it, and felt my stomach lurching. Oh no! There was a few more coming up! My stomach lurched when I went over each one. Although this experience was frightening, I felt a great sense of happiness overcoming me- in just one day, I managed to ski down the intermediate slope without falling down at all! We tried many more times, until it was five thirty. Then, my parents said that we could go a last time. This time, we went faster than usual, since it was going to be my last time going skiing in a long time.
The Aquarium
Among all the things I did at the Aquarium, my favourite three is listening to the talk, looking at the seahorses and the jellyfishes.
At eleven thirty, we went to the auditorium for the talk. First, the speaker told us that there was a research centre near the Aquarium, showed us what was going on in the ocean at that moment. There was a machine that was used to test the percentage of gases in the water, but since there was nothing much going on in the ocean at that moment, the speaker continued the presentation. She told us that the Earth is 90% water and so far scientists have explored only 1% of it! In fact, we know even more about Moon than we know about the deep sea.The speaker then showed us videos, pictures of different fishes, like the Tripod fish that has three long fins, which pierce into the sand to keep it from getting washed away by the waves. This makes it look like a tripod stand; therefore it is called the Tripod fish. There was also a long jellyfish that had long tentacles whish hang down to shock small fishes. The tentacles would then bring up the food to the jellyfish. My favourite fish the speaker showed us is the Dumbo Octopus. It is small, cute, and beige in colour. Unlike other octopuses, the Dumbo Octopus has no tentacles.
At the Aquarium, there was a separate section for looking at seahorses. We walked through it, looking at the different kinds of seahorses. They had small fins on their backs to help them to swim, and the fins moved so fast they were vibrating in the water. I also found out that seahorses twine together during mating. My favourite seahorse that I saw is the leafy seahorse. To camouflage with their surrounding habitat, the weeds, they grow “leaves”, even on their mouths!
Do you know whether jellyfish are a kind of fish? Well, before I went to see the jellyfishes, I considered them to be fishes. But, when I went there, I saw a sign that said that jellyfish are not fishes because they do not have fins and gills. There were different types of jellyfish there, like the egg yolk jellyfish and the moon jellyfish. An interesting one that I saw was a jellyfish that gave out lights, making it look like a toy run on batteries. The egg yolk jellyfish is a mess of tentacles, and is a slight shade of yellow, so it looks like an egg.
During this trip to the Aquarium, I have learnt many interesting facts, and I wish that I can come again!
My Cousin
I have spent a week in U.S.A.with my four and a half year old cousin, Louis, and during this period of time, I have got to know him better.
My cousin is about one metre tall, has rosy cheeks, a button nose, large round eyes and short punky hair. He is always cheerful and has a smile on his face. Since Chinese is his first language, I take this opportunity to speak Chinese to him to improve my spoken Chinese. He told me that his favourite cartoon character is Spiderman, and has two Spiderman piggy banks at home. I also found out that his favourite food is Chinese sausage. Whenever he sees one in the dish, he would want to eat it.
Louis is very clever and hardworking – I brought many books that I read when I was his age for him, and he always wants to read them whenever he has the time. I enjoy playing hide and seek with him in the house, playing LEGO with him and drawing the pictures in a book.
Louis is also very active. On one of the days in my trip, we went to climb a mountain. Once we reached there, he enthusiastically started running up the slopes, and then rushed down again. We used the benches they provided along the way as landmarks. By the time we reached the second bench, we were already quite tired. To our surprise, Louis still wanted to continue climbing! Louis really is so active and has a lot of energy! He ran a larger distance than I did, because he ran up, and then came down again. Furthermore, his legs are much shorter than mine, so for every step I take, he needs to take almost four steps!
One of Louis’s favourite activities is flying a kite. Today, we went to a field where grass was very green. We first went to feed ducks, and then went to set up the ladybug kite we brought along. After setting it up, Louis excitedly grabbed the roll of string and ran across the grass patch next to us, releasing the string as he ran. We explained him that that was not the way to fly a kite. My uncle went over to him and took the roll from him, and taught him how to fly the kite. After seeing how to fly the kite, Louis tried to fly it immediately, with my father helping to hold the kite. Unfortunately, the kite could not fly as there was no wind today.
I wish I can play with Louis often. Since I would be back to Singapore next week, I will try to keep in touch with him using Skype.
An Inspiring Event That Has Changed My Views About Scouting
From the 12th of November to the 15th of November, I went with ninety over scouts to Mawai Eco Camp, which is located in Malaysia. Some of them were from my unit, the Pelican Cub Scouts, and others were from Anglo Chinese School. We assembled at Henry Park Primary School, and I was selected to be the sixer of my group.
Where on earth is Mawai Eco Camp? Well, it’s situated by the Sedeli River, at Mawai Lama, north of Kota Tinggi town. It is built over a freshwater swamp and entirely of materials from the nearby forest. What is unique about the camp is that there are no walls to obstruct your view of the surrounding forest!
Throughout the camp, I participated in many fun activities, and I felt that the most memorable and interesting one was climbing Gunung Arong, which was just an hour’s drive from the campsite. Although Akela told us that Gunung Arong was 300 metres tall, I had no inkling how tall a 300 metre tall mountain really was, because I had never seen a mountain before. When I got off the excursion bus, I got a shock of my life - the summit seemed like it was touching the clouds! We got into single file and started climbing up the mountain.
The climb up Gunung Arong was dangerous, challenging and tiring. There were obstacles along the way, like enormous fallen tree trunks, mossy rocks and slippery mud. One could slip on the mud and roll off the side of the mountain without warning. My knees trembled as I grabbed onto tree branches to prevent myself from slipping down. Just then, I remembered Scout Law number five - “A Scout has courage in all difficulties.” I mustered up my courage, dispelled all my fear, and focus on climbing the mountain. Somehow, that tactic worked. I felt more confident, and helped Zachary, the smallest boy in my six, to climb up those higher steps. Finally, we reached the summit of Gunung Arong after an arduous trek. I enjoyed the magnificent sight of the coast, which was shaped like a “C”, and the incredibly blue sea. My six and I then sat in a circle to enjoy our lunch cooked by our camp chef.
After our lunch, it was time to head down. The climb down was equally dangerous, and at some points, we were assisted with ropes for safety. Although it was less tiring, the path had more obstacles, and irritating ants biting us along the way. At one part, we had to abseil down a giant rock. Although it was difficult, I felt that it was fun. An hour later, when we reached the ground, I felt a great sense of achievement.
Before I came to this camp, I thought that the activities would be easy to complete, as almost all the activities we normally did were well controlled and not very challenging, especially for cub scouts.
Why is this event inspiring? I managed to conquer Gunung Arong with my own pair of hands and legs! The climb was dangerous and challenging but through it, I learnt that I must have courage when I am faced with difficulties, and not forget to help other people along the way.
The Durian
Although some people do not like the smell, the durian is my favourite fruit. The flesh is sometimes sweet and sometimes a little bitter and I always am craving for more, but if you eat too much durian at one time, you may suffer from heartburn.
I cannot recall how many pieces of durian I have eaten in the ten years of my life, but I have never ever regretted.
The Pulau Ubin Scout Hike
As this was just the 2nd time I am leading my group Kangaroo as the Sixer, I wondered if controlling my six on this excursion would be hard. Two people in my six did not come - Justin Thong and Mitchell.
We head counted the number of people before boarding the excursion bus to the Changi Point Ferry Terminal. There, we recounted our scouts again, only to find an extra person. Eventually, the ‘mystery’ was solved. Justin arrived late and he was put on the bus after the count in school.
My group merged with the Emu six, and the Leaders of my group were Baloo and Ernest.
We took the bumboat to Pulau Ubin, surprised by how fast the boat was moving. On arrival, we gathered at the basketball court to discuss our route. The group was free to decide the route, and even if we go the wrong way, the adult leaders would not interfere. The entire hike consisted of 4 checkpoints in all - 2 on the way to the log point, where we would have our lunch, and another 2 on the way back.
As we hiked along, I saw lots of fruit trees, like coconut trees, rambutan trees, and banana trees. These attracted insects, like bees and ants. Along the way, we spotted three wild dogs roaming the area. Soon, they ran off into the woods.
When we reached the checkpoints, we had to complete some activities. At the first one, we took a group photo, and at the second, we sang two action songs, ‘Father Abraham’ and ‘Long Leg Sailor’. My group sang loudly and danced along with the hand actions. I felt the most fun at this checkpoint!
As we were about to reach the log point, Justin complained about having a stomachache. Baloo was concerned and examined him while he asked us to continue ahead.
Upon reaching the log point, I saw the wild dogs that we had spotted along the hike. They probably wanted some scraps from us. My group was the first to arrive at the destination, so we played Captain’s Ball while waiting. All the groups arrived after 10 minutes, and we excitedly went to our ‘corners’ to cook lunch. All of us used the two mess tins, two solid fuels and the portable stove to cook our delectable maggi mee and canned sausages. The Eagle Scouts helped my group to start the fire. I had some trouble opening the can so Baloo helped me.
Within 10 minutes, I have whipped up a mess tin filled with 5 sausages and a packet of noodles. In my hunger, I wolfed my meal down. I rarely have a chance to cook, much less outdoors, and I am pleased that I can make myself a delicious meal in no time.
Soon, it was time to head back to the basketball court. We trudged along, and entered a dirt road. The place was muddy and we careful where we stepped. We were squelching in the mud, when Jiong Hao, a cub from Emu, accidentally slipped into the mud. When he lifted up his foot, both his shoes remained stuck and he frantically tried to pull his shoes out. Luckily, he succeeded in rescuing his shoes. Poor Jiong Hao! We all assured him that we would be reaching the basketball court soon enough.
After clearing the dirt road, we realised that we had just travelled in one big loop! We had to skip the last checkpoint and use the route we had come by.
Upon reaching the basketball court, all the Cubs were rewarded to free ice cream for completing the hike. We did the last headcount, and boarded the bumboat.
In my opinion, this was an enjoyable experience and I am sure my whole six enjoyed it too!
My Friend Jazli
One of my best friends is Jazli Tan, a Malay boy in my class. When I was in the school’s badminton CCA, I met him. At that time, I did not talk to him much, but now that we are in the same class, I know him better.
Jazli understands basic Chinese as he goes for Chinese tuition. He is fun guy and has many friends. He is also the fastest runner in class, it is challenging to try to catch him. During recess, my other friends and I like to play catching with Jazli. I have yet to play a badminton match with him and I would love to do so one day.
Here is an acrostic poem I have written about Jazli:
Jazli runs very fast
And he is
Zealous about badminton.
Lively
In class during discussion.
NDP 2009!
When we reached the stadium, I unpacked some of my heavy things from my bag and settled down. I was seated in the light blue zone, and beside my two good friends Samuel and Moses.
First, there were a few light activities and songs. The MC’s were actors from television. They taught us how to hit the miniature drum too. One of the activities was the Marina Wave. We were supposed to stand up and wave our Singapore flags like a wave washing over. The whole of Primary 5 raced against a motorcycle and a car, and guess what? We won! We also saw the Red Lions (a group of sky divers) skillfully skydive from a helicopter onto the Floating Platform.
When I opened my KFC dinner pack, I found spilled mashed potatoes smothered in the box and on my burger wrapper. And when I opened the mashed potatoes, there were only 20% of the mashed potatoes left! I unwrapped my burger and ate it together with the remaining mashed potatoes.
Next up was the history of Singapore in six chapters, a few other parts in between. The chapters were a combination of facts, jokes, and cool parts. The chapter I enjoyed the most was the one where some “terrorists” tried to plant a bomb, a sea mine and attack Singapore. Army tanks, navy ships, soldiers and bomb removers tried to catch the “terrorists”. At the last part, the navy chased and shot the “terrorists” which were on a jet ski with something like a silent, mini firework.
While we were standing up and singing the song ‘Stand Up For Singapore’, terror struck. It began as a light drizzle, but it worsened to become a heavy downpour in a matter of three minutes. My friends and I started to pack up after the song and we tried to cover our bags with ponchos, but it was too late. Water had gone into our bags. We slowly went down the steps, shivering from the cold. I was thoroughly soaked through. It was like wading through a mini-waterfall. At the last flight of steps, the water was frothing with bubbles.
In the end, we all managed to make it to the bus, all of us soaking wet. Just then, I remembered that my brother’s new handphone was in my bag. I fished it out, only to discover that it was already spoilt.
Ancient Greece for me?
a Greek temple
Now, I will go on to the advantages of modern life. Modern teachers are probably more knowledgeable and would teach children better. We also have better technology than the people in Greece, for example, TVs, radios, computers, books and even electricity to power most items. We can now watch movies, know about things happening at the other side of the planet and have a good education. The people in Greece certainly did not have these luxuries. Furthermore, we have nicer clothes and buildings.
So, my conclusion is that I would still want to live in Ancient Greece. It would be fun to find out their history and lifestyle.
A Fun Day With Old Friends
First, we brought them to the Singapore Flyer for the thirty minute ride. It was also my first time abroad the Flyer. They provided us with audio speakers but none of us bothered to listen much. We walked around the capsule, enjoying the scenic view. From the capsule, we could almost see the whole of Singapore few kilometers away. There was the Formula 1 race track, the currently still under construction Integrated Resort, the ocean, and other buildings. In the water, the older boy, whose name was also Alex, spotted a few racing canoes. They looked like giant crocodiles walking on water from high up. The ride ended quite quickly and we all went to an Italian restaurant for lunch.
After the enjoyable lunch, we brought them to play table tennis and billiards for two hours at the function room in the neighbourhood. Then, we went home to enjoy some homemade lemon cake and drink tea. Next, we initially wanted to go and swim, but it was raining, so we tried out card magic tricks on each other. After getting bored of each other’s tricks, we decided to play a marble game. It was very enjoyable and we could not stop playing. After four games, it was time for our guests to leave.
We said our goodbyes to each other and my mother drove them back to their hotel. I hope that I can visit them in the December holidays. It had been so fun to meet my old friends again.
The C's
In a newspaper article, a few older students from ages 16-24 commented on their own C’s and explained what they meant. Most of them agreed with the Minister's C’s. One of them was a person studying at the University of Huddersfield. He said that his own C’s were career, curriculum, character and company. He defines career as working in a company where he can learn and be happy in. He also said that curriculum referred to the aptitude for learning, no matter at work or in life. He says that character was his conduct in society; how people saw him and how others saw him. Lastly, he feels that company refers to his family and friends.
Another student commented that he felt that his classmates needed cheekiness. He noticed that his classmates were very tense during class. Everyone was afraid to speak during class and all eyes were on the professor, writing notes. Even the professor’s jokes only sent nervously scattered laughs around the class.
As for me, I feel that my C’s in life are care, company, consciousness and carefulness. We need to care for our friends, family, our health, and most importantly, the earth, our shared home. All of us also need to have some company, such as family members and friends, so that we would have someone to talk to, play with, laugh with and also sharing with your parents your troubles. During lessons in school, we need to be conscious of our surroundings. We should not daydream and think about other unimportant matters. Instead, we should be aware of our surroundings and listen to the teacher. Finally, I feel that in whatever we do, we must be careful. For example, when you are doing a test, we should be careful about what we write to prevent careless mistakes; when crossing the road, we must be careful about our safety and look out for oncoming cars.
Slumdog Millionaire
Jamal’s life is very different from our life in modern Singapore. They do not have as many facilities as us and do not even have proper toilets. He seems to have a very happy childhood despite his poorness. Once, when the most famous man in India came to visit the villagers, Jamal got locked in the toilet by his mischievous brother, Salim, but he managed to get out. Can you guess what he did? Jamal stared hard at the toilet, held his nose, and jumped down into the toilet. And, when he came out, he was all brown but at that time, he did not care about what people would say to him. He started running towards his idol and asked him for his autograph. I was laughing like crazy at that scene, thinking that he must be very smelly.
Sadly, Jamal’s life took a turn after his mother was killed in a riot. Jamal and his brother, Salim, were left alone to wander in the streets of Mumbai. Jamal and Salim were later caught by some evil adults who forced little children to become beggars. These thugs hurt the children to make them appear to be pitiful. They planned to blind Jamal in one of the nights………
This is a very fast-paced movie and I held my breath while watching. Would Jamal’s answer allow him to win the prize money? Would he get caught by those thugs? I did not like the TV host as he was arrogant and looked down on Jamal. I also did not like the scene where the Mumbai police tortured Jamal. It was so gruesome. I recommend you to watch this movie with your parents. Happy watching!
My Father
As you all know, Father’s Day is just around the corner! In that day, all of us will remember the good things that your fathers have done to you, like play with you, teach you and so on. In this post, I will show my gratitude towards my father.
My father likes cars a lot and he knows many things about them. He knows all the car brands and sometimes I think that he would know even more than the car sellers. Sometimes, he shows me his car magazines and tells me all the new models. Occasionally, he would tell me some fun facts about cars, like how the race car drivers make so much noise when driving. He drives us around to school or to eat meals most of the time. He likes his one- year old black and shiny BMW the most. During my holiday in Melbourne last year, he even drove us around in his rented car.
My father has helped me a great deal of times in my life. But, the thing that he put in the most effort and time is to teach me. He is very serious and strict when teaching me. The good thing about this is that it is very effective. Sometimes, he will spend 2-3 hours just to teach me.
Until now, I still can remember one event that happened when I was three. My father had gone overseas to USA for a business trip, and when he came back late at night, he greeted my brother and I with open arms. Then, he opened his luggage and took out two toys, one for my brother and one for me. They were “Power Ranger” walkie talkies with a special stand! We both thanked my father and chose the colours that we wanted. My brother chose the red one and I chose the blue. I liked that toy a lot and I still have it now in my bedroom.
Once every year, my father specially spends money for my family and I to go for a holiday. He also spends money for my brother and I to have our very expensive tutions at “The Learning Lab”. He also plays with me during my free time and even took leave to go with me to the “Amazing Sculptures Trail” (as below). He also celebrates my birthday every year without any fail, buys a delicious cake for me, as well as sing birthday songs in both English and Chinese together with my family.
When I grow up, I will take care of my father if he falls sick and pay for his medical fees. I will celebrate his birthday every year including Father’s Day and also let him stay in my house with me. I will also drive him around when he needs too!
So, my final words to my father for now is, HAPPY FATHER’S DAY!
Are you happy living in Singapore?
Most of you know that last year, Singapore was ranked the 22th most liveable country, right? Well, the good news is, this year, in the Monocle’s list of the world’s most liveable cities, Singapore has been ranked number 18!
The top was Zurich, and only 2 other Asian countries, Tokyo and Fukuoka in Japan are rated in front of Singapore. Singapore has aimed to try to replicate the glamour of Monaco by adding the Formula One road race and the new casinos. The cities are selected based on such factors as shopping hours, access to green spaces, the number of Zara and Starbucks stores in the cities and the ease of setting up business in the cities.
In April, American human-resource consultancy Mercer ranked Singapore Number1 for the basic structure and system in its global survey of the top cities to live in. But, these surveys do not include what the people think of their hometowns. Another recent survey has found out that the citizens in Singapore and South Korea has voted their cities as the most stressful places to live in. I think that it is because of the competition in Singapore. But, it is found that these two countries have the highest per capita incomes in Asia and this is ironical.
Maybe one of the reasons is that Singaporeans are worried about their financial security and retirement. Quite a lot of people are concerned that they may not have enough money after they retire to grow old in the country.
GLA founder, Mr. Philip Merry, says that he wants to look out for Singaporeans who find joy in everything and learn from them how they approach life.
Eight Asian economies- China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Singapore, took part in another survey by life insurer AXA on the feelings of the citizens about the country’s future. The people in Singapore are the most pessimistic in Asia.
The survey polled residents between 25-50 on their views about life in the next 5 years. The survey covered four aspects in life-career, retirement, family and health. Sadly, Singaporeans had the lowest scores in all the four categories.
Angela Lau, the head of AXA, says that they are not very confident about their health and career, and how they are going to cope with the challenges in life. She also says that one in four people are worried about whether they can continue their jobs in the next five years. That was probably one of the reasons why they are not very optimistic about their futures. But, the ironical thing about this is that Singapore is the least affected countries by the turmoil.
On the current happiness index, the top five countries are:
1. Vanuatu
2. Colombia
3. Costa Rica
4. Dominica
5. Panama
A random survey also shows that UK is at the108th position, while USA is ranked at position 150. This shows you something, right? This shows that money cannot buy you happiness. Most of the countries that have a high country output (how much a country produces) rank lower in this happiness index. One reason is that life is very competitive in the progressive economies. Hence, people there may feel depressed and unhappy.
So next time you feel deprived of good things in life, think again. You may be the happiest of the lot in reality.
My Favourite Place
My favourite place is my house. It is a three-storey terrace house and has a gym, a function room, a swimming pool and an indoor Pool table that anyone in the neighbourhood can use. But, anyone who wants to use the function room and the Pool table would have to book them.
I have been living in this house since I was about 4 years old. I like my house because it is still very spacious even after both my brother’s and my books are placed in the house. We also have a built-in fish pond and a basement to keep all English and Chinese storybooks and magazines.
There is a nice view of the forest from both my brother's and my parent's bedrooms but there is therefore quite a lot of mosquitoes "visiting" my house sometimes.
I feel that my house is where the family eats, shares about things that has happened during school and work, plays and does work together as a family.
Amazing Trail EPISODE 2
During the day, we visited 14 places altogether and did many different tasks. For example, we went to the National Museum to find a sculpture. The clue was “We have a Big –sized brother who sits behind a museum. 7 of us there will be, clustered in an area. Guess what we are!”
The answer was a big red apple. The task we had to do was to find as many people in 3 minutes as possible to take a group photo at the red apple.
We rushed to the carpark and asked a few people there. Some of them did not want to take photos and others were taking their own time. We managed to get only three people in two minutes, but luckily, one adult spotted a family some of us rushed to ask them. Meanwhile, my friends and I continued to ask a few more people to come. To our delight, they agreed and they asked their friends to come along too.
In the end, we managed to find 12 people!
At this location, we were given a choice to take up an optional task. But, if we could not complete the task, we would minus 50 points. My group leader decided to take the task. We excitedly tore open the envelope and unfolded a small piece of paper. It read, “Find 5 members of the public who are willing to perform a duck-walk for 10 metres with your entire group. A picture of this must be taken.”
We started to walk around, trying to find some people. Just at this time, we saw a group of about 8 secondary school students walking on the pavement. We approach them and asked them if they could help us to perform the task. At first, only four of them agreed to help us, but after much persuasion, another boy agreed.
My group was the first to reach back in school. We handed up our assignment book to the judges at the Koi Pond for them to see. A few more groups arrived and they too handed up their books. We were then led into the Kidz Zone to relax our tired legs. When all the groups had arrived, we were then brought to the AVA room, where we collected some things from the teacher-in-charge.
After a delicious dinner, it was finally the prize–giving ceremony. We listened eagerly for our group name (G); the first-runner-up and second-runner-up were called but it was not us. I thought, “My group surely would not win again this year,” The teacher called out, “Is it A, B, C, D, E, or F? No, it is G! We ran up the stage to receive our award. I never thought that we would win! I had finally won a gold trophy!
The Amazing Sculptures Trail
I participated in the annual Scout event called “The Amazing Sculptures Trail” on the 23rd of May. The aim of this event was to try to go to as many locations with sculptures as possible. For each checkpoint that we went to, we were given a certain amount of points.
My group consisted of 10 scouts and 9 adults, and we were supposed to decode some clues written on a piece of paper. Two facilitators followed my group and they were the ones to give us our points.
Clue for location 4: “The 7 of us guard the stairwell by the park. People are confused because we seem to be guarding a tunnel expressway as well.”
At first, we thought that it was referring to Istana Park, but when we went there, we could not find any sculptures nearby. Some people guessed that the ‘7 sculptures’ was referring to the 7 tall palm trees, but others disagreed because the trees were not blocking the staircase.
One of the parents just remembered that there was another tunnel expressway near “Park Mall”, which was across the road. Could the park refer to "Park Mall" instead of "Istana Park"? We rushed there and saw 7 stone dragon heads around a semicircle. They had water sprouts in their mouths, but no water was coming out. We had succeeded in finding the location!
“Wow! This is so cool!” Dylan exclaimed aloud as he pointed at the dragons. We looked around carefully for a staircase nearby. Another friend spotted a staircase leading up. Our facilitator briefed us on tasks to be completed-firstly, every one of us was to pose as a dragon and have a group photo taken. Secondly, we were to count the number of steps there was on the staircase.
Very quickly, we accomplished our first task and started up the stairs. Each of us counted the steps as we walked up. 54? 55? 56? 57? ....... Oh no! We could not even count! Jinh Wanh went back down and counted one more time. Confident of his answer, he shouted “57!” MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!
Gaming Addiction
Shawn Woolley was an avid gamer of the computer game “Everquest”, a game that was created by Sony. After playing for quite some time, he became hooked onto it. His mother started to realise that Shawn was becoming anti-social, withdrawn and depressed, and was totally different from the Shawn that she knew the previous year- the Shawn that had finally found a new job and bought his own apartment. But, after a few months after he was hooked onto ‘Everquest”, he quit his job in order to play continuously in his apartment with no one able to interrupt him from his virtual world. He was subsequently diagnosed with depression and schizoid personality disorder.
Then, on Thanksgiving Day in 2001, when his mother went to his house to visit him, she found the door locked. After a long time of ringing the doorbell, she knew something had gone wrong. She knocked down the door and was horrified to find that Shawn was sprawled on the computer table, with the computer showing the game going on. Blood stained the table and Shawn’s mother was shocked to find out that he had shot himself in the head! She knew that the reason of her son’s death was most likely over a virtual incident in the game.
Here’s is the second incident:
On the 3rd of august 2005, a South Korean man called Lee Seung Seop entered a cybercafé, where he played a computer game called “Starcraft” continuously for FIFTY HOURS! He also had been fired from his job after frequently skipping work just to play computer games.
Ben Stein, a speechwriter turned comedian, has firsthand experiences with video gaming addiction. He says that video gaming almost destroyed his 15-year-old son, Timothy. Even Timothy agrees with his father.
Ben Stein said that his son stayed up late regularly just to play computer games. “It was as if there was a demon inside him,” he recalls.
Desperate, the Steins did the only possible method left- to send Timothy to a boarding school, where video gaming was strictly prohibited. Luckily, that strategy worked.
It has been demonstrated that game addiction has similar symptoms to that of gambling addiction, such as shaking and insomnia, which have been identified in people addicted to video gaming. But, the psychological symptoms of video gaming are the same as the symptoms of drug addiction.
If you are addicted to computer games or feel that you would soon be addicted, try to stop immediately. This is not impossible- if Timothy can stop, so can you! Surely you do not want to die of playing too much computer games, right?
