Viola- dreamland

Tuition Nation

2008-06-22T08:47:00.001+08:00

I refer to Mdm Grace Chua's letter (The Straits Times, June 22, 2008) titled "Tuition nation: Time to check what's gone wrong".

MOE and schools often get caught up with the success stories that they read of teenagers who achieve both perfect scores and excellence in external activities such as community projects or CCA. And who could possibly forget the articles on students who own their own companies and businesses outside of school...at the same time still achieving seemingly impossible grades in their examinations? Teachers and education officers then get over-excited and push ahead for more students to achieve similiar results, but in the frenzy they often forget that such success stories simply do not happen to everyone.

The average student already has more than enough on his hands- intensive CCA practices, a seemingly never-ending pile of homework, and more often than not one has to commit to regular community service because it's a compulsory element of our education if we wish to be promoted.

I'm not saying that such activities are tiring and should be scraped entirely- I for one, personally enjoy my stint as a regular volunteer and if it weren't for my school's requirement that each and every student has to be involved in a community project so that we can "serve" and "learn" at the same time, perhaps I would never have embarked on my long-term commitment as a volunteer while studying at the same time. CCA practices, though enjoyable at times, often get draining especially when the number of practices we have to attend becomes staggering. I can still recall the intensive rehearsals I had this year because we had to prepare for SYF- despite living just seven minutes away from school I often reached home after 9pm at night...that's even later than my fellow classmate who stays all the way in Boon Lay. For all the time I spent on CCA rehearsals I could have used to study and prepare for the A levels but I couldn't, and to make things worse, the moment I came home I would fall asleep within thirty minutes of revision because I was too worn out from rehearsals. This did not apply to me sorely, for many of my CCA mates recounted the same experience when I questioned them about the abnormal behaviour I was displaying.

(Here, my classmates will probably ask, "But if things are as bad as you made them out to be then how come during that period you were still able to finish all your homework on time, usually even more than the rest of us did?") The teachers would most probably look on proudly (especially my PD tutor, that's for sure) and say, "That's because she managed her time well and was able to prioritise her work". I would love to agree, but unfortunately that's not the true story. My classmates will remember that together with my two friends, I always "disappeared" during our breaks and could be found in the library. Because of that, we were termed "muggers" and had to bear with all the taunts from our classmates, but do you think we really had a choice? 80% of all my homework was completed during school hours, usually during my breaks, and that was how I got by. Thankfully during that period there were no major tests or examinations, so I did not have to deal with the situation of bringing home a failed paper for my parents to sign.

Teachers and education officers all have our best interests in mind when they implement all rules for us, hoping that we will learn the skill of effective time management so that we can better survive in the working world when we graduate for school. But the fact is that not every student will learn this skill and repeated attempts to force the student to master it- done by piling on homework and external activities on the student- will only backfire. So why are we so surprised by the fact that 97% (if the students surveyed in the poll are taken to be representative of our nation) of the cohort have to turn to tuition in hopes for better grades?

Mdm Chua wrote, "How much time is left for our children to work on their physical growth, bond with their families, or simply be free to daydream and get creative?" I snickered as I read it.

Is it even remotely possible for students today to do things like "bond with our families", "daydream" or even to "get creative"? My own schedule is packed with CCA rehearsals, my long-term regular volunteer commitment each week and of course, homework. AJC students, remember what we were told during our GP lectures? We were urged to revise (and no, homework doesn't count as revision) for 2-4 hours a day (I can't really remember the exact number) but the funny thing is that we don't even have time for that much revision at the end of the day.

I am a private tutor for my aunt's children (not by choice, though, if not for the tight finances in my family. And although this is a good chance to rant about how poorly I'm paid at just $100 every month for 8hours, which usually extends up to 15 hours sometimes, but I shall resist the urge to digress) and I remember being appalled when I first took up the assignment. In all my days of primary school I never took up any tuition other than the compulsory lessons that I was made to attend by my school, yet I still did reasonably well to get into a school that I wanted to go to. Even though in the later years of my secondary school education I took up home tutoring in Maths and Science, compared to some of my friends I still had the least tuition commitments among them. I will always remember my best friend's complaints on how she was struggling with so much tuition and schoolwork, and guess what? At the final lap (the O levels) those with no or lesser tuition did better than those whose parents signed them up for numerous tuition assignments. My good friend, Elaine, even went on to clinch 6A1s and she did not have any tuition at all throughout her entire secondary school life.

Of course, I am not blind to the fact that different students have different learning capabilities, and I am well aware that some students really do need private tutoring to help them progress in their studies. But hey, let's not forget that we all have only one childhood. Adults always tell us to "cherish your schooling years because once you start working it's a different world all together". Education in the past is nowhere like the education we have now- in the past, people relied on themselves and pure hard work to succeed but today, we rely on tuition and pure brain power to score.

I'm all for responsible and self-directed learning. Let the students themselves decide whether they want to take up tuition. As I always tell my own students, "Ultimately whether you do well or not in school is up to you because you're doing it not for your parents or for your teachers, but for your own future." My parents have never forced my sister and I to take up tuition even when we pass them failing report slips to acknowledge. The only reason why we have tuition is because we asked for it, literally. (We approached our parents, told them that we really needed private help because we are struggling with the subjects, and then ask them if we're allowed to take up tuition and whether they are willing to pay for it.) It is not that we are nerds who derive pleasure from studying non-stop but rather, it is because we recognise the need to do well and we want to do well. Even so, we know that piling ourselves with multiple tuition assignments isn't going to work so we settle for the subjects which we really cannot master on our own efforts.

I urge for all parents and teachers to give these poor students a break. Shouldn't we leave them to enjoy their growing up years? After all, they won't get this chance to enjoy anymore once they "step into the working world" (as the adults always say). Let kids be kids. If we push them too hard it will only backfire- remember the child prodigy who was one of the youngest to be admitted to Oxford University, but who ended up as a prostitute anyway?

We only have one childhood. So please, to all parents and teachers out there, let the students enjoy their growing up years instead of pushing them to the edge. As the adage goes, "The road to hell is often paved with good intentions". As much as you may have their welfare in mind, too much pressure will just push them over the edge. We are all in pursuit of happiness (students and working adults alike), so which is better- being a happy student with average grades, or a stressed student with perfect scores but yet has no time for leisure? You decide.

MOCCA has done it again

2007-09-15T11:07:00.000+08:00

I thought that MOCCA had finally decided to stop putting out ads with sexual references (please refer to previous entries for thoughts on MOCCA), but I was wrong. The latest advertisement is more catchy than ever, and I'm sure most people have seen it, which features a very muscular man in tight underwear promoting his house.

Is there really a need to use sex to sell? Aren't there any other ways? For TV addicts like me, I'm sure they have seen all three advertisements that MOCCA put out. With the exception of the second ad (featuring a woman finding her dog), all its ads have been explicit to quite a large extent considering children are part of the television audience as well. What is this going to make them think? Young people are especially susceptible to new ideas and values, and if the television emphasizes on all the wrong things, it won't be a surprise if they pick up the wrong things as well.

It's not that difficult to release an advertisement which promotes good values. Take for example the memorable "do not take drugs" advertisement aired quite some time ago. (The message spread was that if one does drugs, it is not only that person who will suffer. Their family, friends and loved ones will suffer more than them.) While I understand that advertisers usually turn to sex as it sells and it's catchy, I think they should think about the audience they're putting out this advertisement too. It's okay if such advertisements are aired on channels seldom watched by children, such as Channel NewsAsia (which is also a generalisation, by the way, because there are some children who do watch that channel). Another alternative would be to air it during hours when most children would be in bed sleeping.

I think this calls for further censorship on the quality of the advertisements aired on television. One must not be selfish and consider only the company's profits, but take into consideration its impact on society as well.

5 out of 100 points enough to enter varsity in Taiwan

2007-08-10T14:34:00.000+08:00

I refer to the article, "5 out of 100 points enough to enter varsity in Taiwan" published in today's issue of The Straits Times.

As my promotional exams approach, I feel a sense of dread and a nagging worry of not being able to score well at the final A levels to get into a good university keeps repeating itself in my head. Then as I flip open the morning papers, I stumble upon this particular article which says that 5 out of 100 points is enough to enter a university in Taiwan.

What is the world coming to? I think to myself. Over here, while I worry for my grades, students in Taiwan are able to breeze through university admission even with low scores.

The aim of education is to produce qualified people and train them for the workforce. It aims to develop one's mindset and introduce critical thinking, as well as to impart to the students skills that are essential in today's competitive society. As the competition grows more intense, it is not only working adults who are feeling the heat. Students, too, are feeling the pressure to do well. Changes are being implemented in schools' syllabuses to stretch students further. While it used to be that people were degree-holders were viewed as the "cream of the crop", and had better advantages over everyone else when it came to job applications, today that notion has changed. In modern society, a degree is seen as a minimum qualification by many. In my family, my sister and I have been told to attain at least a degree before we step out into the working world. We have been brought up to believe that people without a minimum degree certification will only fail in the outside world.

Which puzzles me how university admission requirements in Taiwan can be so low when the rest of the world is fighting for university places in their own countries.

The article credits it to a lack of students. Put in economic terms, it simply means a situation of having excess supply, but insufficient demand. The number of tertiary institutions surged from 139 a decade ago to the current number of 163. This is taking place as Taiwan faces a declining birth rate.

A question posed in the article is "It boils down to the debate over which is more important when it comes to promoting tertiary education: equity or quality?" According to Professor Fang Der-Long, who heads the Department of Education in a university, Taiwan seems to favour the former. It makes me wonder if Taiwan is compromising the quality of education in its move for a more educated workforce. If the Ministry of Education does not step in to regulate the criteria for university admission soon, there will be a sharp rise in the number of under-qualified people who will obtain university certificates. This will pose dire consequences to Taiwan's economy as these people step out into the workforce.

While I can understand Taiwan's rationale for wanting a larger educated workforce, I disagree with the decision to lower admission criteria just to achieve its aim. I personally feel that if there is a lack of demand, closure of a few universities would be a good idea rather than to lower the standards just to fill up its placings. After all, education is supposed to help develop people into qualified workers, who will then go on to contribute to the country's economy as they step out into the workforce. By compromising on the quality of education, a degree certification in Taiwan may very soon be deemed "useless" against degree-holders from other countries. When this happens, Taiwan will lose out.

China blacklists 13 academics for fraud

2007-08-04T19:33:00.001+08:00

I refer to the article "China blacklists 13 academics for fraud", published in The Straits Times on 4 August, 2007.

"China has blacklisted 13 academics for falsifying scientific data, fabricating applications and plagiarism as it tries to foster innovation in a fraud-ridden climate" writes the article.

You could say that I was shocked when I saw this article. My first thought was, aren't academics supposed to know the rules? Mention the word "academics" or "scholars" or "researchers", and our immediate impression is of someone who is well-versed in literary speech, whose written work is of high quality, and whose works can be trusted.

Yet today we have a case of fraud. And the number is astounding. Not one, but thirteen, academics were found guilty for faking data and for plagiarism. Two included professors, one at Wuhan University and the other at the Civil Aviation University of China. Their punishment? Being "criticised" and suspended from receiving research funding for three years.

But wait a minute. If you have read the article carefully, you would have noticed that the word "criticised" is written as "criticised". What exactly does this mean? I am guessing that the author of this article is trying to say that the professors were not exactly criticised, with a stern tone to it. Perhaps they were only given a simple warning. But is this enough? Professors are supposed to know the rules, yet they still defied it. A harsher punishment should have been given to them instead.

The report also mentioned "a series of high-profile scientific scandals at China's top universities last year raised public concern over the supervision of academic research". Such cases are serious because they raise questions about the quality of academic work. Education is supposedly supposed to teach right from wrong. Plagarism and faking of data is definitely in the wrong. Since academics are people with a high level of education, such fraud cases should not be seen. Yet, this is definitely happening in China.

An article I read two days ago said that China's literacy rate was growing. This is a good thing, but I wonder if such fraud cases will then increase? Perhaps with the increased literacy rate of the population academics are more pressurised to produce high quality work, or be eliminated from the competition. This may push them to extremes, resulting in such fraud cases. This could hold serious implications because many companies and various organisational bodies refer to such academic articles to make many important decisions. If data in these articles are false, dire consquences may result. Take for example a paper highlighting the increasing consumer preference for branded goods. Companies producing these goods may then use the information to decide whether to raise prices or stock up on their goods. If the statistics were faked, the market response may not meet the companies' initial expectations, and thus incur huge losses. This could spell bad news for the economy.

"Last year, My Chen Jin, a US-educated dean at Shanghai's elite Jiaotong University, was sacked for faking chip research". From this example we could perhaps question the rationale behind all these fraud cases. Clearly, the institution of education which they went to is not a question, because even a US-educated dean was found guilty of fraud. It is not just China's academics. A possibility may be that academics in China face too much pressure to churn out quality papers in a short time. This is even more so for academics specialising in enviromental studies. With the increased media scrunity on China's enviromental control and pollution levels, these academics are pushed to the limits to investigate the causes and identify the root causes. It may be that with tight deadlines to meet but with insufficient materials, they may then be tempted to forge data.

Yet, it is important for China to "pour more resources into scientific breakthroughs or risk being left a minor player in global technological advances". However, this can only be done if academics take their work seriously and bear in mind not to forge data at any cost. I suggest reducing the pressure on them to churn out work in a short period of time to solve this problem.

After all, the people look up to the well-educated to guide them. If these people make mistakes, then what are the rest of the country's population supposed to follow?

S'porean takes up senior UN post

2007-08-02T20:53:00.000+08:00

I refer to the article "S'porean takes up senior UN post", dated August 1, 2007.

"Singaporean Noeleen Heyzer, a veteran development expert, was appointed yesterday to be the head of the United Nations Economic and Social Programme for Asia and the Pacific."

It is a huge accomplishment, one that makes us fellow Singaporeans feel proud for her.
Over the years, Singapore has been steadily gaining recognition internationally. Through its good diplomatic ties with other countries, as well as its membership in ASEAN and the UN, has put Singapore in the spotlight. While we used to be a small country that few people knew of, we have progressed into a prosperous nation today. Simply say the word "Singapore" to any foreigner. Most will be able to tell you that they have heard of us before.

One of Singapore's first international recognition took place when a Singaporean chaired a UN Forum many years ago. Our economic growth and development throughout the years have made others sit up and notice us. From a tiny red dot we have grown into a successful nation today, and I am certainly proud to say that Singapore is my country, for this is my home, where I belong.

Noeleen Heyzer was quoted in the article as saying that Singapore had taught her many things, and that she was proud of being a part of this country at a time when "it was a country that came out of poverty into a successful city state". She is not the only one who's proud of Singapore, that's for sure.

I was proud to hear the news that a fellow Singaporean had managed to take up a senior UN post, one that is highly respected and deeply admired. Although in the past I never knew of the name Noeleen Heyzer, today I am more aware. Reading this article brought to light her contributions to the world, and this makes me respect her even more. Few people, not to mention women, are able to do this much. She was even awarded the UNA-Harvard Leadership Award and the Dag Hammaryskjold Medal in 2004, given to "a person who has promoted...compassion, humanism and commitment to international solidarity and cooperation".

This article is another example of how traditional gender roles are changing. While women used to be stay-at-home housewives, whose jobs included looking after the children and taking care of the family, today all this is changing. More and more women are becoming involved in the workforce, and slowly but surely, the number of women taking up leadership roles is increasing. Take another example of India's first woman president, sworn into office only last week.

I certainly look forward to the day when I will be able to see a fellow woman Singaporean step in as our country's first woman president.

Using Sex to Sell. Is This Right or Wrong?

2007-07-31T16:48:00.000+08:00

Please refer to http://www.corporate.mediacorp.sg/press_release/pr_1185411069.htm for the press release on Mocca.com.

Mocca.com - Classifieds, Simply Better Online
What is mocca.com?Mocca.com is MediaCorp's platform for classified advertising and online communities in Singapore. ("Mocca" stands for MediaCorp Online Communities and Classifieds Advertising.)

Using sex to sell. Is this right or wrong?

I am sure most people have seen a rather eye-catching advertisement on our television screens recently, which is none other than the advertisement for mocca.com. All of us who have watched the commercial are aware of how the advertisers used sex to sell their product, which is mocca.com. The female models used were wearing bikinis, and at the very end, the male lead was completely nude, using a mere piece of cardboard to cover his privates.

Reading in between the lines, the advertisement was implying that without sex, no one would be interested. In the beginning of the commercial, the male lead was ignored when he tried to sell his car. Despite promoting all the good features his car had, he did not get any response. But when the female models, all scantily clad, stepped in to help, it was a more successful attempt. Does this hold in our society today, too?

The main purpose of an advertisement is to attract attraction, and generate interest among the audience. I agree that mocca's advertisement fulfils these criteria. It certainly made a lot of us sit up, notice it, and then talk about it.

But we have to consider the people sitting in front of the television. It is not just adults, for among the audience are children too. In fact, children watch more television than adults nowadays, the reason being that adults are too caught up in their hectic lifestyles to fork out time to watch television programmes. Because of this, the quality of the shows and advertisements aired on television has to be of a certain level. For example, advertisements with nude content cannot be shown freely lest they influence the minds of the children. Similarly, shows where its characters sprout vulglarities freely has to be censored. An example would be the airing of the movie Pirates of the Carribean a few months ago, on our local Channel 5. A scene which saw Keira Knightley shouting the vulglarity "fuck!" was censored. I remember laughing when I saw that scene, for the sound for that particular word had been muted and the subtitle had been erased. Channel 5 obviously saw the possible influence the word might have on the young minds watching the show, so they censored that particular component.
You can say that I was appalled when I saw the commercial. My first thought was, "What would the children watching this think?" I understand that the main aim of Mocca was to generate larger audience response and in the process, increasing revenue as more people are attracted to their website. Still, we cannot forget our moral values. Since young, we have been told that sex is wrong (until we are married adults, that is) and nudity is scorned. This notion has been challenged over the years, especially in today's open-minded society.

The older audience may be mature enough to accept the commercial as it is, but children do not have this mindset and ability. By giving them the idea through this advertisement that sex sells, they will be negatively influenced. They might grow up thinking that sex is easy and can be easily manipulated to sell off things, which is not entirely true.

I wish advertising firms would give more deliberate consideration before they release their advertisements out into the public eye. We must always remember that the young generation now will be the people of the future, so do we really want to nurture them this way? We want to teach them the right values and to do the right things. To achieve this, we must practice responsibility in everything that we choose to put out in front of them.

Global warming: Don't blame it on the sun

2007-07-29T21:47:00.000+08:00

I refer to the article "Global warming: Don't blame it on the sun" published in The Straits Times on 13 July 2007.

It is so typical of us humans to always try and push the blame to others when we know perfectly well that we are the ones at fault. In school, when we forget to bring our homework, we blame it on our dog, our siblings, just to name a few examples. At work, when we forget to hand in a proposal on time, we blame our team for delaying the process or blame the computer for not being fast enough to finish our documents. When production for a drama series fails to end on schedule, the directors blame the actors for not portraying the role well enough the first time, therefore leading to more scenes being re-filmed all over again, which wastes time and delays the entire production. So why do we always push the blame to others, when we are at fault? Maybe it is because it is in our character to always look like we're on top of things, and refusing to admit that we are wrong even when we know it's our fault.

Global warming has been a sensitive issue that has pretty much been avoided by the world until recently, when light was shed on the amount of damage our human activities have been causing to the enviroment. We only started to be more aware of this issue because we were told that if we did not do something about it soon, the ones to suffer could most probably be us.
Scientists have been coming up with various theories to explain the root causes behind global warming, many of which credits the blame to other factors rather than mankind. One such theory suggested that the sun was responsible for the rise in global temperatures, citing the main reason being the sun's increased activity.

But a recent study shows that contrary to our beliefs, the sun has been less active in the past twenty years despite the rise in temperatures. So who exactly is to be blamed for the rise in temperatures?

The answer is, quite obviously, mankind itself. We have all been too caught up in the mad rush for a better world with higher levels of comfort that we have compromised our enviroment in the process. To gain something, someone has to lose something. This is what I believe, and so in this context, the enviroment has suffered in our fight for a more comfortable life.

But we have to remember that at the end of the day, it is humankind who will pay for the price of our actions. If we are lucky, we will not live to suffer the consquences, but our children and grandchildren definitely will. Even today no one can deny the fact that the Earth is getting warmer day by day. Temperatures are rising, and so are the sea levels. And when these sea levels rise, low-lying countries will go under. A recent documentary showed that a large city like Shanghai, who is in the midst of development for an even better tomorrow, is sinking by 2.5cm every year. It's ironic when you think about it. Shanghai, whose name means "above the sea", is now going under, and in the future, might be completely submerged. And this can only be due to us, for being irresponsible and neglecting our enviroment.

It is clear that something needs to be done. The newspapers have been flooded with reports of countries implementing various strategies to combat global warming and decrease carbon emissions, but my question is whether it will be successful in the long term. It is certainly not easy to break out of old habits and cultivate new, healthier ones, as everyone should know. Take for example the case of sleeping. Especially so for teenagers in Singapore, where we are used to sleeping late and waking up late. Because of this, we often forgo our breakfast, which is an unhealthy habit. We all know that we should change our cycle and start by sleeping early and waking up early as well, but how many of us are actually able to do that? Few, if you look around properly.

However, I believe that as long as we are all aware of the great extent of the damage we have caused, and as long as each person is willing to do something to save the enviroment, we can successfully minimise the damage we have done. It can be something as simple as reusing your plastic bags when you go shopping, or even better, using a proper shopping bag or basket instead. It may not sound like much, but if everyone does this, then we will be able to cut back our consumption by millions of plastic bags a year! We can also start by reusing our papers instead of throwing them whenever we make a tiny mistake. For myself, I tend to use only papers which have been (incorrectly) printed on one side, whenever I revise my work. My family has a separate shelf for putting these papers for our use, and I strongly encourage everyone else to do so as well. It may be a simple action, but similarly, if everyone does this, then we will be able to save thousands of trees each year!

I thereby urge everyone to look into your daily life and search for some areas where you can practise these enviroment-friendly habits. Remember, to save yourself, you must save the Earth.

All the world's watching, but no one cares

2007-07-28T22:23:00.000+08:00

I refer to the article, "All the world's watching, but no one cares", The Straits Times, 11 July 2007.

With the advances in modern technology, almost everyone has the power to control and contribute to daily news. Take for example the website Youtube. It allows users to publish videos on their own accord and share them with the rest of the world. There is barely any restriction on the quality and content of the videos until recently, where Youtube was made to censor its videos to prevent conflict.

Also, with the uprising number of social networking sites one can easily find on the Internet, it is no surprise that almost everyone is made a "public celebrity" in an instant. But I would like to remind everyone that it is also precisely because of these sites that the notion of beauty and popularity is once again challenged. Self-esteem levels are falling for people whom Internet users do not perceive as "pretty" or successful. Compare the profiles of two girls, one who is just an average girl with average looks, while the other is someone with a superb figure to speak of and gorgeous looks to follow. One quick look at the number of friends each girl has will easily show you that people tend to go for the better-looking ones. This challenges the traditional concept of beauty.

More and more people, especially teenagers, are getting influenced by these social networking sites and the moral values they unknowingly promote. Perhaps this might explain the rising number of requests for cosmetic surgeries by teenagers. Feeling that they are not pretty or thin enough, they turn to cosmetic surgery to solve their problems.

It is not true that no one cares when "all the world's watching". If that was the case, then there would not be so many people influenced by these social networking sites. To them, popularity and acceptance is determined by the number of hits, friend requests, and by the number of people who viewed their profile.

The writer also argues that people will not behave better for fear of having their stupidity splashed online. I personally disagree with this statement. Being in the public eye thanks to the advancements in technology has deterred people from doing many things that would be perceived as wrong, be it socially or morally. Take for example the citizen journalism known as Stomp! in Singapore. Numerous pictures of our fellow Singaporeans doing the "wrong" things such as littering, mothers screaming at their childen in public and the list goes on, has been published on the online portal of Stomp!. This has sent a clear signal to the rest of us out there that our every move can be captured on camera anytime, anywhere. Mothers who have shouted at their children in public have been scolded, and such cases have diminished significantly. After all, no one wants to hang their dirty linen in public. We are all humans, and no one likes being embarrassed.

Of course, we cannot forget the people who could not care less. The writer mentions Hugo Chavez, who does not care how many videos poking fun of him are posted on Youtube even after opening expressing his ideals. However, we must not forget that these people are only a small number out of the entire human race. The majority of us are more wary of our actions and fear being mocked at even in the online realm.

Therefore, I conclude that people are more careful of what they say and do outside due to the "transparency" of our society today. With 24/7 surveillance credited to the large number of camera phones out there, blogs, video-sharing websites and social networking websites, our lives have clearly been affected. We are now constantly in the public eye, and the chances of us becoming overnight celebrities is significantly higher today than yesterday. In the past, dirty secrets could be kept under covers for long. People who littered were seldom caught because no one was watching, and even if there were a few who saw them in action, they could not produce proof. However, today it is easy to simply whip out one's camera phone and take a video of the offender breaking the rules, then post it online for the rest of the world to see and chastise the offender. It is scary how the world has shrunk smaller thanks to these technological tools. Which is why we have to be more careful now, for you will never know who's watching you.

Malaysia gets tough on human traffickers

2007-07-23T18:44:00.000+08:00

With reference to the Straits Times article "Malaysia gets tough on human traffickers" published 21 July 2007.

Malaysia has now written a new Bill, namely, the Anti-trafficking in Persons Bill. It is set to become law next month.

Under this act, suspects found guilty will face heavy penalties.

As for me, I was glad to see that such a law has finally been put in place today when it should have been done many years ago.

Let me first explain the term "victims of human trafficking". By this, I refer to people who have been promised jobs such as maids or in factories, but were eventually forced into prostitution by their agents.

The suffering that the victims of human trafficking undergo is pain beyond our wildest imaginations. It does not help that once they are found, instead of being rescued, more often than not, they are prosecuted instead. Even when they were innocent, they were pronounced guilty.

"Activists say that trafficking victims often ended up being jailed for not possessing passports, adding to their woes of being cheated by labour agents and traffickers".

The number of victims stands at around 400. This shows the naive way of thinking these victims often have, prior to their experience. I believe that the root cause of the problem is due to the lack of education. These people were not educated about the dangers and cautions they should have taken, so when they were approached by these unscruptulous agents, they naively believed every word, and so fell into a trap full of suffering.

This new Bill will certainly help the victims of human trafficking. But it will not help solve the problem. There will always be a demand for such workers such as sex slaves. And where there is demand, there has to be supply. Therefore, the number of victims will not simply go down drastically overnight.

To help solve the problem, there is an increased need for better education. It is only through education that these people can learn how to protect themselves and make wise decisions.

However, I applaud Malaysia for its move. Perhaps other countries who have not yet implemented such a law, should start to seriously take this into consideration.

After all, these victims are human too, and they have rights just like the rest of us.

Japan's Minister Abo's Insensitive Remark

2007-07-22T01:44:00.000+08:00

I was aghast when I read the newspaper today, where an article wrote about how Minister Abo of Japan had tactlessly spoken about people with Alzhemier while making a reference to people with low IQ.

As government officers, they are expected to be role models to society. Being in the public eye all the time, they have to be watchful of what they say and what they do. What horrified me so much was the fact that this gaffe has not happened just once or twice, but on numerous occasions so far.

This brings me back to the argument regarding freedom of expression. My stand is that freedom of expression is okay (as I mentioned two entries ago), but must be exercised with social responsibility lest unforeseen consquences arise from our actions.

The ministers of Japan have paid dearly for their mistake. They have been chastised by numerous organisations, and their reputation has suffered. The trust the people used to have in them have also been significantly lowered. This shows the effect of speaking without prior consideration. It may be a basic right for us to freely express ourselves, but if in the process we hurt people's feelings, then it will no longer be acceptable.

Yesterday was Racial Harmony Day, and I hoped everyone has learnt a lesson. We certainly do not want another set of racial riots occur in Singapore, sparked off by insensitive remarks made by immature people.

Let us be reminded to think before we speak.

UNSW Asia Closure

2007-07-17T18:58:00.000+08:00

Today, as I was sitting for the UNSW Australia English Competition, I was suddenly reminded of the closure of UNSW's branch in Singapore which was not too long ago.

Just after one semester of operation for its launch, when its campus was not even ready, UNSW Asia has pulled out. With the closure of such a renowned university (even more so to our students as we are all too familiar with the various UNSW examinations offered to us every year), it shows that anything is possible in today's world.

I remember my excitement when I first read about the news that UNSW Asia was to set up a campus here in SIngapore, ready in 2007 for all to attend. I remember my happiness and exhilaration at that moment, for UNSW has always been a revered university to me. I perceived it as possibly one of the top universities in the world in my opinion that I could aim for (you must understand that not everyone is Harvard/Oxford material).

I remember telling my parents at that point in time that I wanted to attend classes at UNSW Asia when it was ready. And I am sure I was only one of the many thousands who were extremely delighted with the news.

However, UNSW Asia Singapore disappointed us.

What was the main reason behind its closure? Apparently, the initial plan was to have an intake of 30% Singaporean students and 70% international students making up the rest of the cohort. Could it be that Singapore, being such a small country, failed to meet the quota of 70% of students, thus leading to the closure of the university campus?

If even such an established institution could let us Singaporeans down, then I am no longer sure of how secure our future education is.

However, I must emphasise the need for EDB to continue wooing foreign universities to set up branches in our little country. Do not let this one-time setback deter you from your efforts. Why woo foreign universities when we have our own local universities though?

There is a reason why foreign universities are popular with us. Many of us choose to study overseas mainly because we want to experience a new style of teaching. And exposure to the different teaching styles will be crucial in developing our adaptive skills. Foreign universities and local universities may be both teaching us, but the way they teach and the skills that they teach us differ.

Furthermore, we must remember that if we lose a large number of our students to foreign universities abroad, we might just lose a large proportion of our talented population. Some talents who have chosen to study overseas may not return after their term of study ends. They may have by then already been attracted to that particular country's way of life, and decide to settle there for good. What is Singapore to do if this happens to a large proportion of its population?

I guess this is another reminder for us to give careful thought to our future, and think carefully before we make any decisions regarding our future studies. Our future is in our own hands, and we will be the next generation of leaders who will help shape Singapore into who she will be in the future.

Freedom of Expression or Social Responsibility?

2007-06-30T21:56:00.000+08:00

Blogging task:
Singer believes that freedom of expression is essential to any democracy and therefore should not be limited. On the other hand, Szilagyi believes that more focus should be placed on social responsibility.
In the context of Singapore’s multi-racial society, where there is cultural and religious pluralism, which author’s view do you think should be adopted?

Freedom of Expression or Social Responsibility?

I personally feel that Szilagyi’s view should be adopted.

In a country like Singapore where we live within a multi-racial society, there is a need for social responsibility. We cannot be insensitive to the needs and feelings of the other races other than our own. It is because most of us have exercised social responsibility on our part in our everyday life and tasks that we are all able to get along so well, therefore contributing to racial harmony in Singapore. It is because we are tactful and sensitive to one another that there is little disagreement between the races.

“…once messages are out in public, they develop a life of their own and become subject to multiple interpretations, and often manipulation that serves political agendas.”

The above sentence holds so much truth in its words. Imagine if The Straits Times were to publish a cartoon depicting Muslims/Indians/any other race apart from the Chinese as inferior in Singapore, and to paint a mighty portrait of the Chinese instead. One can see it as a way of saying the Chinese are the majority in Singapore, and we do hold more high-paying jobs than the other races (obviously, as we have more people, and therefore our chances increase) yet we are humble and do that show off, though we may be a little higher up in rank than the others. On the other hand, one may choose to view it as an insult to the other races which are in the minority, and thus stir up disagreement and heated conflicts. Different people view things from a different perspective, and this is why we have to be careful.

Remember the incident of the Malaysian bloggers recently? Or perhaps, more closer to home, the Singapore blogger who wrote on his blog something disdainful? (Although I can no longer remember what he wrote about, but I do remember the aftermath and the consequence of his actions.) He paid dearly for his words, and had to serve a term in jail on top of a fine. That was a lesson to him, and he was remorseful for his deed.

We do not need to have such things happen to us on a personal level before we understand the severity of the issue. Social responsibility should be exercised at all times if we want to keep the peace in our country.

Sure enough, there are darker sides to the issue. By choosing social responsibility above freedom of expression, we are holding back a fountain wealth of information that could be released to the public, as well as limiting our knowledge of what the world really holds for us. Some may argue that freedom of expression is a basic right. I do not deny that, but then again, haven’t we always been taught to be tactful and sensitive to one another? Social responsibility is exactly all of this- being tactful and sensitive. If any information is crucial enough and needs to be released to the public and garner awareness, it will be out there. As the saying goes, what we do not know won’t hurt. If it will keep the peace, then why not? Which would you rather have, peace in Singapore or full information of everything but in a world where conflicts are everywhere?

I believe that we all think in rational terms, and therefore the former is a better choice. Peace is a small price to pay for the lack of information. The newspapers may not release certain information due to social responsibility, but if any individual wants to know more, there is no stopping him or her, especially with the efficiency of the Internet today. One quick browse on the Internet, or even on the websites of other newspapers, will be sufficient to provide the individual with whatever information he or her has been searching for. If the message to be brought across may have dire consequences, why publish it and cause uproar? The public can easily gain access to any information they need with a click of a mouse. There is no need to destroy our peace by ignoring social responsibility and focusing on freedom of expression instead.

*700 words

Capital Punishment

2007-04-29T00:00:00.000+08:00

Question 1: George Orwell has used illustration through words from a sympathetic point of view, to show readers his views towards capital punishment.

Question 2 and 3:
Before we can fully appreciate the topic of capital punishment, we first need to understand the reason why it stands.

In most places that practice capital punishment today, the death penalty is reserved as punishment for premeditated murder, espionage, treason, or as part of military justice. In some countries, sexual crimes, such as adultery and sodomy, carry the death penalty, as do religious crimes such as apostasy, the formal renunciation of one's religion. In many retentionist countries (countries that use the death penalty), drug trafficking is also a capital offense. In China human trafficking and serious cases of corruption are also punished by the death penalty. In militaries around the world courts-martial have imposed death sentences for offenses such as cowardice, desertion, insubordination, and mutiny.[1]
-extracted from Wikipedia-

And after a tiring two hours worth of research on the arguments for and against capital punishments, I have finally managed to summarize them in a simplistic manner for all to see. Let us begin with support for capital punishment. Do take note, that the bulk of information you’re about to be saddled with contains a mixture of Internet information as well as my own personal opinion, for easy reading.

1) The Death Penalty is the only punishment for violent criminals and murderers if justice will be administered. What other justifiable punishment is there for a person who has robbed an innocent life, who has held disrespect towards the value of life?

2) Through the Death Penalty the respect for man's inviolable value is kept.

3) The Death Penalty defends human dignity in the strongest way. There is no reason no matter what the person has done, for someone to dictate what kind of ending that person should face. Who are we to play God, and decide whether someone lives or dies? The culprit took things into his or her own hands, and now she has to pay the price.

4) Only the Death Penalty can fully confirm man’s natural sense of justice. Other punishments such as sending the accused into jail doesn’t exactly work out, because they deserve so much more for the pain and loss they’ve inflicted on their victims and their families.

5) The Death Penalty expresses society’s compassion towards the affected victims of crime. We have to think about this from the victims’ point of view. When we think and sympathise too much with the murderers, we tend to often forget the victims. Who bothers about them if we care so much about the murderers? This is clearly shown by the fact that people remember the names of killers more than they can remember the names of the victims. Why do we hear so much about the killers and so little about the victims and their loved ones who are left behind to pick up the pieces? If not the death penalty, then what will justify their death? We must think about the lives that the victims affected. . Every one had families, friends, relatives, co-workers, neighbors. The combined loss is incalculable.

6) The Death Penalty gives peace of mind to the victims and their relatives and puts an end to the crime. Let’s take it that we’re looking at every case as a separate issue. Crime X has finally been put to an end because the guilty, X, has been finally executed. Don Feder once said that "Executing a murderer is the only way to adequately express our horror at the taking of an innocent life. Nothing else suffices. To equate the lives of killers with those of victims is the worst kind of moral equivalency. If capital punishment is state murder, then imprisonment is state kidnapping and restitution is state theft."

7) The Death Penalty means the greatest mark from the State that it defends the ordinary citizen’s "right to life". If the guilty aren’t punished, then how can others believe that human life is respected? Once again, this is all when we consider the victims. In order to rightly value the death penalty it is necessary to have empathy and understanding for all the victims and their relatives.

8) The Death Penalty prevent with 100% efficiency the perpetrator from committing more crimes. As in case X, X has been gotten rid of from the world and we know that we can no longer fear him. Sure enough, there may be future copycat Xs coming out in the future with similar cases, but one by one the Death Penalty will eradicate them all. Dead killers cannot kill again.

9) The Death Penalty deters some people from committing heinous crimes and thereby human lives are saved. Responsible people who consider the consequences of what they are planning to carry out then realize that it is not worth their life to pay for such an act. We often talk and criticize the justice system for not being able to handle all the guilty people, yet there are cases of success that we cannot see. Surely no one will confess that one previously contemplated dire action which would have resulted in one’s death by law straight after. We tend to forget these small cases that do exist among us, though they are miniature and almost impossible to see.

10) The Death Penalty creates a somewhat safer society. People sleep peacefully at night because they trust that the law will bring justice to whatever crime is committed, and this somewhat deters crime from happening. Again, note the word “somewhat”.

11) The Death Penalty shows in the strongest way the seriousness with which the State views violent crimes and murder. Sending the guilty straight to jail with a life sentence simply doesn’t suffice as serious enough for the extent of the crime committed. There is a debt to the victim, to the relatives of the victim, and a debt to the world, to be paid by the criminal.

12) The Death Penalty, more than anything else, testifies of high moral and righteousness in the society. It is the perfect example that actions come with consequences, and if we defy this, we have to pay the price with our own blood. It’s that simple enough. Justice is about enforcing consequences for one's own actions to endorse personal responsibility. They already know the consequences of their actions, and should be prepared to accept responsibility for it.

13) The Death Penalty means retribution which belongs to a civilized state. There is a thin line between revenge and justice, one might argue. But can you tell me what other way there is apart from the Death Penalty to give fairness back to the victims and their families?

14) The Death Penalty defends the punishment as such, and confirms that certain criminals deserve death. Once again, please refer to argument 12. Also, with a yearly average of 15,000 murders, the fact that we are reaching 1,000 executions in only a little more than 30 years is proof that capital punishment has been reserved for the worst of the worst.

15) A wide opinion among the people supporting the Death Penalty is also a reason for its introduction. The Death Penalty didn’t just appear overnight, it was put into place after deliberate contemplation and analysis. There are flaws, we have to admit, but it is trying its best to be perfect.

16) The alternative to the Death Penalty, i.e. prison, means that the taxpayer’s money goes to support the living of the murderer and the violent criminal. This is offensive! Does the criminal really deserve this?

For people who oppose the Death Penalty, their main argument is that that it does not deter criminals more than life imprisonment, violates human rights, leads to executions of some who are wrongfully convicted, and discriminates against minorities and the poor. Families of murder victims undergo severe trauma and loss which no one should minimize. But, there are many family members that feel executions will not heal their wounds nor will they end their pain. For many, the extended process prior to executions prolongs the agony of the family.

They argue that it isn’t the fault of the criminal in entirety. They claim that it is society and family that has resulted in who he or she is today, and that if that person have been given chances and brought up well, none of these crimes would be happening. They say these criminals are innocent, and that by sentencing them the Death Penalty, we are being unfair to them. That the Death Penalty is “applied in an inhumane, unjust, anti-poor and racist manner...."

I’ve read on a website about the three lies supporting the reasons to oppose the Death Penalty. Lie number one is that people on death row have had a fair trial. The other lie is that people on death row have ample time and opportunity through the appellate process to prove their innocence. They say it turns out that the way our criminal justice system is set up is that once a person is found guilty, innocence is irrelevant. Innocence is irrelevant in the way our system works. The last lie is that when it is time for death row prisoners, they are going to be executed in a humane and peaceful way that is far better than what they subjected their victims to.
Because when you have money, you get a good lawyer, and you don’t get the death penalty. And when you don’t have money, you get stuck with lousy lawyers who do not care as much about their jobs and increase your initial chances of losing the case.

The question "Why do we kill people to show that killing people is wrong?" is often asked to justify the rationale against capital punishment. Indeed, this was the question that truly stumped me, and changed me from agreement to neutrality. This, I shall elaborate as my conclusion to this entry.

My Conclusion:
The world is split into three different groups of people. The first group consist of the people whose hearts rule their heads, who use their instincts and personal emotions to decide where they stand. The second group contains people who are the exact opposite- that is, they let their head decide more than what they feel towards the issues. And the very last group has the people who use an equal mix of the two, therefore achieving a balanced view.

Certain rules like people who kill out of defense and people who kill under influence of alcohol are exempted from the death penalty. Depending on which group you fall under, you tend to have different opinions towards this. Some may argue that the above stands true while others protest that these people should also be convicted. At the end of the day, it all boils down to our personal opinion. But we should try to lean towards a more balanced stand, and understand that the judicial system has its flaws and perfections. Perhaps we just need to trust that our justice officers are trying their best into working out a system as fair as it judicial systems go, but we have to bear in mind that it will never be a totally flawless system because of this existence of the three very different groups of people. The capital punishment should be viewed as one instrument among many in the fight for a more righteous and better world.

However, personally, I am more towards supporting capital punishment. Perhaps it is due to the way I was brought up to believe that the law is fair and just, or maybe it's just because I let my heart rule my head too often. But I, for one, sympathise deeply with the victims and their families. I feel that there is no reason for anyone to take a life or inflict any harm on any life. I strongly believe that if the criminal has had the courage to commit such terrible crimes, then he or she should be willing to accept the punishment for his or her actions. But even if the criminal's life is taken away, it still doesn't measure up to the loss in the world brought about by his (or her) selfish actions. Let's refer back to the case of Virginia Tech killings. Cho killed many innocents and eventually killed himself after he was done. But is that enough to make it up to the victims? The pain that their families have to go through, the loss of wonderful futures they would have had and the loss of such wonderful leaders belongs to society... What can truly repay the price? Yet if Cho had gotten scot-free and continued his life, he would have simply killed even more people and cause even more harm. Yes, capital punishment is cruel when you see it from the criminal's point of view, but when we look at the bigger picture it is obvious that the killer is prevented from commiting more crimes, thus lessening the impact of his future actions. All these are cut short by the killer's death.

Yet even all this is not enough to pay the price of the crime. But then, what is?

I credit most of my supporting arguments to a very resourceful website from which I collated the list of arguments for capital punishment before I went on to offer my views. http://www.yesdeathpenalty.com/

US College Massacre

2007-04-22T16:16:00.000+08:00

Article Title: US College Massacre: Killer was S. Korean Student
Dated 18 April 2007
Source: The STs
And also its follow-up articles in the days thereafter.

The largest massacre in modern US history was carried out only recently last week, whereby the killer, a South Korean student, carried out his work at a US university and killed 22 people, before killing himself.

It is a mystery the actual cause behind his actions. Spectulations include a love triangle and anger, just to say the least.

This article led me to contemplate the results and consequences of our actions. Unknowingly, the students at the university may have offended the killer. We ought to rethink our actions and how we have treated others. A kind word goes a long way, but so does a mean retort. A simple or seemingly harmless retort can change the live of a person forever. Peronally, I believe that one of the main causes for the killer's outbreak was due to him being ostracised by his fellow peers. He was a quiet boy since young, but perhaps if someone was willing to stay by him and listen he would have opened up, and none of this would have happened. Perhaps because he felt outcasted by his peers and their jeering at him led him to an inner explosion of feelings, therefore leading to him taking so many innocent lives.

Till now, police are still trying to find clues and links that may perhaps explain the rationale behind his actions.

Yet in the midst of adversity, stories of true hope and courage emerge. I was deeply touched when I read about how a professor guarded his classroom door with his own body against the killer in a bid to earn some time so that his students may escape unscathed. He could have chosen to flee the moment he heard the gunshots, but he chose instead to stay and protect his students, despite his age. Now, this is what I call true courage. Thanks to his selflessness, many lives were saved. I am filled with deep respect for this professor, who put his students' lives above his own. Needless to say, he was brutally shot by the killer and did not survive. But his work and legacy, I believe, will stay on for generations to come.

This incident also led to the question of how reliable blogs are in providing news to the public. During the killings, students were told to stay in their rooms and hide for safety (announced via email and the public loudspeakers). Throughout this time when they were enclosed in their rooms, many went online and blogged about the entire event. One student even posted video clips that he had taken about the chaos in the school on his blog. This leads us to ponder- the media did not provide us with such detailed information, yet all these can be found on the blogs of the students present there and then during the killings. And this links back to another issue concerning blogging. If the mainstream media cannot be trusted to provide us with accurate information, can we approach blogs for more information?

It is quite obvious that there is a lot to learn from this incident. Hopefully we may all learn our lesson. The moral of the story? Treat others as you would want to be treated. I believe this is the essence of every action that we do.

Singapore's Education System

2007-04-14T23:08:00.000+08:00

Article Title: Einstein: The patron saint of distracted schoolkids
Date: 13 April 2007
Source: The STs

Is society placing too much emphasis on paper qualifications instead of training students to think creatively and challenge theories? This is what the writer of the article believes, as well as what I feel too. Paper qualifications are the norm nowadays, and as kids, we were constantly told by our parents and teachers that if we do not study hard, we will not do well in our exams, and then we won't be able to get a good job. Everytime we tried to protest against an idea that our teachers was trying to teach us during lessons, we were chided for being rude and clearly not listening. Thus, we grew up thinking that lessons from our textbooks will always be correct and we should never challenge them, because they will never be wrong. How can society expect us to grow up and "think creatively", then?

Here in Singapore, where education is given high priority, many new introductions have been made to our education system. But are we growing at too fast a pace? Year after year the syllabus for the various levels changes, and more content is always added in. Then they tried making some changes after getting feedback that our creativity was being held back. I am sure everyone will remember the time when new subjects such as Theatre Studies and Drama were introduced in secondary schools and at Junior College level, so that students may choose to pursue their field of interest, as well as to promote creativity among the students. But is this working? Small attempts here and there by the schools and teachers on their own to nurture creativity and critical thinking and observation skills in the students have not been very successful. It is inevitable that after so many years (ten years for students my age) of the old way of teaching, we are met with problems whenever the teacher tells us to "think out of the box". Many students look up with blank looks on their faces, and require the teacher to elaborate (with relevant examples) what the instruction means. Is this what we want to see continue on?

Einstein was a genius of his time because he challenged ideas that were taken to be truths and solid facts. He is a classic example of how one can still succeed in life despite not having excellent paper qualifications. He was not afraid to go against ideas everyone thought to be true, and despite not doing well academically, he was able to see things in a different light from everyone else. Can you imagine if he had been like the rest of the students and just listened to everything his teacher told him, without questioning for fear of being scolded? Where would that leave modern physics?

He made a breakthrough because he dared to be different. And this is what society needs to focus on when considering the training of its future generations to lead the country in the future. We are encaged in our own beliefs and ideas taught to us by our elders, and we remain quiet, accepting everything they tell us. Perhaps you will remember the heated debate between the standards of local and international schools after the finals of the television debate show, The Arena. The Singapore education system was criticised for focusing too much on paper qualifications, which was why they felt local students were unable to think well on their feet.

There is a need for us to break out of our shell and explore new opportunities we never thought possible. But the major change that needs to be implemented is to move away from paper qualifications and encourage critical thinking, observation, as well as creaitivity, too. The paper qualifications may be the first key factor for most employers when they are looking for potential candidates, but what happens next? Someone with outstanding academic results does not necessarily equate someone who can do a good job at work. We may be at the frontier for outstanding academic results on the whole as a nation, but if we do not match up when it comes to these crucial skills that can be applied to any job, any circurmstance, any person, what really is the point?

Self Introduction

2007-03-16T15:24:00.000+08:00

There's not really much to say about my life but the very basics. To kickstart this, I have included an excerpt of my self-introduction on my Friendster profile:

I'm quite normal (as can be) though some of my friends may beg to differ. My life is totally unpredictable and full of ups and downs, smiles and laughter, peaks and falls- just part of a crazy rollercoaster ride (the question is when will it come to a stop?). My personality revolves around creativity, love, adorance, hugs, secrets, inspiration, motivation, wonder, sharing, neutrality, friendliness, the people in my life, writing, reading, belonging, security, sensitiveness, stubborn-ness, smileys, tears, hugs, quietness, craziness, weakness, singing, dance, celebrities, television, dramas, music, etc.
i'm a total tv,music,dance addict, such that once i get started, i can hardly even stop myself. i hate having my life decided for me by others, i wanna take control! i owe (some of) my godsiblings too much to repay, in a way that i can only do what i deem appropriate, and give them the love and concern i feel they deserve. i grew up reading fairytales, and my ultimate favourite disney princess-story has got to be CINDERELLA. i've always yearned to live a life like cinderella, though it's at times a little hard to imagine if a life that perfect really exists. i have a weakness for anything that's romantic. I BELIEVE IN HAPPY ENDINGS =) snoopy, baby bugs bunny, baby winnie the pooh, too.i can be a little crazy at times, laughing and playing my head off, but i can be very silent and -*shy*- as well. i mostly keep my secrets to myself. it all really depends on the time, place and people.basically, i suppose i'm just a pretty much ordinary girl who fits in with just about anyone. i do not think i'm popular or pretty, but i'm ME, and that's what i think matters most of all.

Is that helpful enough? I doubt so.
So to make this more personal and more, well, written for now (since that introduction above was done two years ago) I shall write a totally new introduction. I give no promises, however, that it'll be as good as the above one (you can tell that I am pretty proud of my work from that).
So, the basics.My name is Fiona as you already know by now, though my surname certainly isn't Hong. Why the reason to change my most beautiful surname (ahh yes) from Cher to Hong? Well I have only my craziness and adoration for a certain Mr. Hong Junyang to thank for that.I'm studying in Anderson JC now (haven't you read the words on the right?!) if that's what you're wondering, and no, it wasn't my dream JC at first. Almost everyone in my previous school aimed for National JC (if we could make it and if we wanted to) and I was no exception.

However, I guess it wasn't Heaven's intention to put me there, so I ended up here.Am I happy in AJC? For now, I guess you could say so. I have the most wonderful classmates and friends, and that's enough to make me content at the moment.

I love writing, as you can tell (that is, if your intelligence quotient is high enough to infer that from all the bulk of words I've posted so far), though my style isn't for everyone. Some critique my work while some say they love my writing...who cares? Not me, really. I'm more interested in the opinions of potential publishers who will give me chances to write my own novel and get it published someday. I have big plans for myself on that note. But while I'm waiting for that day, I welcome all responses on what you feel on my writing style. Just shoot and get it over and done with. =)

I also love dancing, which is something my sister also loves. (Bearbear, let's go for another round of That Girl at a tempo of x2!) However, there's a big difference between our passion for dancing. While she turns her passion into a fully fledged CCA, I let mine remain as a mere interest I indulge in whenever I am free. You can count reading and watching the television a.k.a. the big black box for some of you blur people out there as some of my other interests. Not to forget acting. That would certainly explain why I'm in stageworks, wouldn't it?

Want me to let you in on a very interesting fact?
I live just five minutes from AJ.
I can see all of the jealousy on your faces right now. *evil cackles*

Back to the topic.I guess it's time to branch into my family now. *sigh*
My family: Parents, younger sister, and me.How I would give anything to exchange for a much better family, but alas, that is just not possible.My parents aren't on talking terms and have been acting this way (for many years already) ever since I was young. My sister is a spoilt brat who demands to have everything her way and throws tantrums whenever she doesn't get what she wants.She's someone who spends almost all her time either talking on the phone or chatting online with her friends. Sometimes I really wonder how her voice can take all that chit-chattering without coming down with sore throats every now and then. *glares*But oh well, it's not as though I never knew that life is unfair.

Maybe you're still wondering about that part about my skin on the right. *points* I have, therefore, decided to elaborate before all the questions come pouring in.

Yes, I do abhor my skin, and I am proud to announce that. I believe everyone abhors my skin too, for who would want skin as lousy as mine? People who don't know the facts may think it's because of some problems in my daily skin regime that I am suffering now, but that is SO not the truth. According to my doctor, he credits it to hormones as a major cause. So that basically means there's nothing I can do. I swear I eat more healthy foods than your average Joe (or Sally) and drink more water than all of you, but yet this is the fate I am supposed to accept. And I'm resigned to my fate. Perhaps that's why I abhor who I am. Perhaps if I could have perfect skin like everyone else I'll be much happier than I am. Maybe I'll even be a completely more optimistic person.

You may see me cheerful around in school, but how well do you know me? Can you read my thoughts? Can you fathom what's going on in my mind?

It's all just a facade.
Just like what everyone else does.
The end.
Ask me for more introduction facts if you need them.

First post!

2007-03-16T14:33:00.000+08:00

First post!

I've thought of using my current blog (rosytears-how much I love you!) for this entire GP assignment, but then decided against it.

After all, there's a line to be drawn between personal life (and feelings) and schoolwork.