Commentary (wait, what?)

Well, well, technically, this IS the last post of the year, not the one below, but let's not get too worked up over details, shall we? xD These are the links to the 10 comments I have made this term:

1. Raphael's "Singapore's Got Talent!"

http://twoeyeone.blogspot.com/2011/08/singapores-got-talent.html#comments

2. Daniel's "Copycats of the East"

http://swordofthedragonslayer.blogspot.com/2011/08/panel-discussion-2.html#comments

3. Eliel's "Dog Meat Sold in Singapore"

http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=2778771748267035122&postID=7364289593599383498&isPopup=true

4. Ivan's "Shakespeare Language, Our Language"

http://ivanlablog.blogspot.com/2011/07/shakespeares-language-our-language.html#comments

5. Nathanael's "Who is the real Shakespeare" 

http://loonathanaellablog.blogspot.com/2011/06/who-is-real-shakespeare.html?showComment=1312860920912#c1818108420950943785

6. Kenneth's "Swear words"
http://lablogbypar.blogspot.com/2011/08/swear-words.html?showComment=1313373534540#c3023264936064505558

7. Leonard's "Merchant of Venice - Custom and Lifestyle T3P4"

http://leonard-languageartsblog.blogspot.com/2011/08/merchant-of-venice-custom-and-lifestyle.html#comments

8. Jiefeng's "To launch or not to launch?"

http://2i121.blogspot.com/2011/08/to-launch-or-not-to-launch.html?showComment=1313766380644#c9097721705992170012

9. Glenn's "Effort or Talent"

http://arts-language.blogspot.com/2011/07/effort-or-talent.html?showComment=1312867045047#c3500549079428850302

10. Kai Xiang's "Blog Post 21: Singapore's General Elections: PAP"

http://destinyckx.wordpress.com/2011/08/13/blog-post-13-singapore-general-elections-pap/#comment-20

And that's it! If I have the time, I'll probably respond to the comments made on my posts. But since there's like 4 tests next week, coupled with personal commitments, time is tight and I think I'll have to do the replies sometime next week, maybe after all the tests? 

Cheers,

Roystan

Final post of the year

Time flies, doesn't it? I can remember when back in January, everyone returned to school, and everyone was happy to see each other after a 2 month hiatus. Now, it's a week into August, and everyone is preparing for the final term tests and the End-of-Year examinations. I can still remember how the class reacted when we heard that we had to do 30 blog posts by the end of Term 3, which seemed herculean at that time. I was no different, and I imagined 30 posts to be a really uphill task. However, here I am, writing the last post of the year.

It has truly been an eventful second year in Hwa Chong, and many things have happened so far. Obviously, I won't actually relate every single thing that happened so far, so I'll just focus on blogging. I feel that blogging is a good way for students to express their thoughts and feelings about various issues. The challenge in blogging is not actually writing the posts, but rather, to find appropriate topics to blog about. For myself, I found it pretty challenging to search for topics to blog about, and had to search many articles either online or in newspapers. This so-called chore was also a blessing in disguise, as I got to read up and do research on various events and happenings all over the world.

I admit, when I first heard that we needed to do 30 blog posts by the end of Term 3, I was taken aback. I couldn't imagine myself having to find 30 separate topics and writing at least around 500 words on each of them. At that time, I wasn't particularly happy about blogging, and I felt that blogging was more of a chore. However, as the days went by, I realised that I wasn't actually forcing myself to come to Blogger. To be honest, I think my attitude towards blogging has changed considerably, and I find myself enjoying blogging. It's a nice avenue to openly share my thoughts about various issues, and the 30 posts are more than enough for me to share my opinions. Over time, I realised that blogging is not actually that much of a chore, and it really depends on how you look at it. If one views blogging as a tedious and tiring process just to get ACE, then obviously this person is not going to enjoy blogging.

In conclusion, my attitude towards blogging has changed a lot ever since Term 1, when we learnt that we needed to have 30 blog posts. Blogging is definitely a good initiative and I fully support it.

Cheers,
Roystan

Life is fragile ):

Most of you must have already known about the attacks on Norway, which apparently had the greatest number of casualties since WORLD WAR TWO. For me, Norway was a rather obscure country, and not much actually happened to the country that attracted this much global attention; actually, I was of the impression that Norway was like a "If you don't harm me, I won't harm you" kind of country. However, suddenly, Norway was thrust into the global spotlight, and for the wrong reasons. As stated in the first sentence, two attacks were carried out on Norway, with a time gap of merely around two hours. It is the deadliest attack by any single gunman in recorded history. It was an extremely painful and shocking experience for both the Norwegians and others all around the world, and many world leaders showed support and condemned the attacks. I read a few articles about the incident, and what really struck me was the reactions and feelings of the survivors of the attacks, particularly the attack on the island (the second one).

According to an interview with one of the teenage survivors, she recalled how terrified she was, and how she was so worried and afraid she would die like all the other dead bodies surrounding her. She was also filled with regret and remorse, as she thought back on all her past deeds and thought about how foolish she was. To put it simply, there was seemingly no hope left for this survivor, and the only road left was a desolate one to death. It was truly a traumatic experience for her, and no doubt, many of the survivors would be receiving psychiatric treatment to get over the trauma. Reading various articles about the incident, both in newspapers and online sources, really provided different perspectives on the attacks and made me realise how important life is.

Most of us waste our precious time away, partaking in foolish acts and only caring about the short-term benefits. However, little do we know how precious life actually is; it is so fragile, and it can be taken away from us in a single gunshot. Many of us have been taking life for granted, which also stems from our sheltered childhood. We think that our lives will never be threatened and many of us, including myself, do not see the true value of life. In Norway's case, no one expected that they would have been the target of terrorist attacks, since they have been not been attacked since World War II. Similarly, although most, if not all of us have not had our lives in danger before, we must not take our lives for granted and foolishly think that nothing will ever happen to us. This incident has taught me an important lesson; it has taught me how important life was, and how fragile it can be. From now onwards, I have learnt to treasure life more, and will not take it for granted. I hope many of you have also realised the fragility of life through this very unfortunate incident. ):

Roystan

From EM3 to PHD?

Yesterday, I chanced upon an interesting article in The Straits Times. For those who are interested to find it, it's under the Home section, page B17. Like what the title of this post suggests, the article was about Mr Lim Yok Zuan, who was awarded a graduate scholarship by the Agency for Science, Technology and Research, and is applying to study immunology at Oxford University. However, the thing is, Mr Lim was not exceptionally gifted from young, and was actually in EM3, which was today's equivalent of the Normal (Technical) stream. Being able to study for a PHD is extremely noteworthy in its own right, and it's even more amazing when you factor in the fact that Mr Lim was an EM3 student!

Without a doubt, this piece of news is pleasantly surprising, and I myself am rather surprised at this. It's truly a herculean feat to be able to receive a PHD after being in EM3 for so long. However, what really struck me was how he had improved. It was not by purely studying book after book (or 'mugging', as with our lingo today), but his improvement was driven by his interest. He was first attracted to physics after browsing through an encyclopedia, which inspired him to learn and read more about physics. In turn, this also improved his English and his grades as well. I firmly believe that this is the right way to learn. I feel that one can only learn and study with full concentration if one has the passion for the subject. In this case, Mr Lim managed to pull up his grades significantly because he was driven by his passion. This is quite unseen today, where most students only study for the sake of studying, and for the sake of getting good grades. I feel that many of us can learn from Mr Lim, and that we should always try to develop an interest for what we are studying, and instead of dismissing studying as a chore, we can adopt a different perspective and see it as something beneficial and fun to us!

Another thing that triggered much thinking was the emphasis on the fact that Mr Lim was an EM3 student. Singapore's education system has always been meritocratic, which means that students are judged by merit (ie. grades). I feel that this may have ill effects on students as well, primarily those in the weaker streams, like the Normal and Normal (Technical) streams. Not every EM3 student gets to become a potential PHD student, and I dare say that Mr Lim's case is one in a million. When one goes into the lower streams, is this akin to telling the student that he or she is never going to achieve much in life? Will this have adverse effects on the students' confidence? In Mr Lim's case, if he had never come across the encyclopedia, chances are he would become another normal EM3 student, with a low-end job without much of a future. Therefore, this begs the question: Is Singapore's education system beneficial to everyone? Mr Lim might have been a late bloomer, but unfortunately, his needs are not catered to in the fast-paced education system. Bill Gates dropped out from Harvard, but where is he now? What I'm trying to say is, our education system might be able to nurture the best and most competent leaders, but does it come at the cost of neglecting the weaker and less bright students?

This article has indeed made me think for quite a while, but at the end of the day, I'm happy for Mr Lim, and his achievement is truly astounding. He is truly a role model for students who are under stress due to their results. His case shows that you don't have to be an Einstein from young (haha ironic I know) in order to succeed in life. What are your thoughts about this? :)

Cheers,
Roystan

DBSS?

A few weeks ago, I watched a news report about the DBSS (Design, Build and Sell Scheme) project. From what I have gathered, the aim of this project is to build flats with designs resembling that of condominiums and in good locations like Tampines and Bishan. Of course, all these perks come at an additional price too, with the apartments under this scheme costing significantly more than normal HDB flats. If my memory does not fail me, I recall that the reporter mentioned that the cost of one particular apartment reached around $800,000 to close to a million! Thus, many people were turned off by the sky-high prices of the flats, especially newly married couples who were looking for a comfortable place to stay in.

In my opinion, I am very much against the DBSS. I mean, what is the point spending so much money for a condominium wannabe? Furthermore, it's not like the flats under the DBSS is much cheaper as well; rather, it is the exact opposite! Eight hundred thousand for a flat that only differs from a normal HDB flat aesthetically? What's the logic in that? I find it sad that there are some people who are willing to splash out huge amounts of cash for the DBSS flats, because honestly speaking, I find their acts very foolish, as I do not see very distinct advantages of DBSS flats over normal HDB flats. Also, some might argue that the DBSS flats differ very much from HDB flats because its design resembles that of condominiums, and therefore Singaporeans get to enjoy condo-like apartments for a lower cost. However, I seriously do not see the similarity of DBSS flats and condominiums. I live near the Tampines MRT station, which has a plot of DBSS flats nearby. At first glance, the flats looked very elegant, mostly due to the fresh coat of white paint on the outside. However, with further scrutiny, I realised that there was not a lot of differences between these flats and the normal HDB ones. In my opinion, I feel that the main draw of condominiums, other than the better living conditions, are actually the plethora of facilities available for residents to use, and the security provided by the security guards constantly guarding the condo 24/7. These two factors were absent from the DBSS flats, which begs the question: What's so great about it? What's so great about spending more money just for something that looks good on the outside. Sure, there are cupboards and wardrobes pre-installed in the flats, but this doesn't cut it. I'm sure it takes more than aesthetics and pre-installed furniture to persuade potential buyers to spend more money.

In conclusion, I reiterate my view that the DBSS project is negative and brings no significant benefits for the buyers. For better or worse, condos are here to stay, and there is really no point in introducing a new type of apartment that has a higher price than normal HDB flats but offering nothing significantly new other than the price. If one can afford to buy these premium flats, then why can't one save up a little longer so as to be able to spend the money well on a condominium with proper facilities? However, this is only my view, and I'm sure that there are people who would argue against my point. What do you guys think? Are you willing to pay more for the DBSS flats?

Cheers,
Roystan

YAY SPECIAL PROGRAMMES

Today I attended the Special Program briefings. The students were offered a choice of 5 briefings to attend, and could choose a maximum of 2. The different briefings were SMTP (Math), SMTP (Defense Science), LEP, HP and BSP. As I knew my math and science weren't too good and I probably couldn't cut it if I joined SMTP in Sec 3, I decided to choose the BSP and HP briefings, because I felt that my literature and history were two of my strongest subjects and I had passion for these two subjects. Also, I was considering BSP because I thought it would be good to learn more about China's culture and history. After all, I think the main thing that differs Hwa Chong from the school in Bishan (god I hate using this horrendously overused comparison) is the emphasis on Chinese culture.

The first briefing was the BSP one, and the students' presentation was basically about the different events and immersion programmes offered for BSP students. One thing that stood out was the prominence of Chinese in all these events. Although this shouldn't be too unexpected of BSP, I still found it pretty surprising that there was such a dominance (is this the right word to use :/) of Chinese in the program. To be absolutely honest here, I walked away from the briefing not really feeling too excited about joining BSP. Although I was still very much interested in learning about China and its culture, and despite the fact that Chinese is an important aspect of the Hwa Chong curriculum, I was left in a dilemma of whether BSP was actually the "surefire" way to go.

The next (and last) briefing was the HP one, and it left a pretty big impact on me. The presenters were really good, and they really managed to liven up the atmosphere and make the audience feel welcome. I don't think I really need to elaborate much on what was mentioned in the presentation, so I'll cut to the chase here. Basically, the Humanities Research Paper (HRP), Humanities Research Symposium for Youths (HRSY), Humanities in Celebration (HIC), the University of Melbourne course-cum-exchange program, and the curriculum in Year 3 and 4 was talked about during the presentation. As I was more of a lit and history guy, I felt genuinely interested in HP as it really felt like it catered to my interests. And to be honest, the part where participants of HRSY get to travel to Brisbane also caught my interest too! xD

At the end of the day, I think that HP is the most preferable program for me. The curriculum seems extremely interesting and it really feels like I will be able to pursue my passion in this program. However, I do know that there are standards to meet in order to be in this program, and hard work is nevertheless required of me. For now, I think the best thing to do is to just study hard, and try to attain desirable results so as to be able to make it to the program of my choice, in this case HP. It really seems like a fun and enriching experience, and I am sure that if I am able to make it to HP, I will definitely enjoy my 2 years in it! What Special Programme do you want to join?

Cheers,
Roystan

Math Test :/

So far, in my approximate 20 months or so in Hwa Chong, academically things have been pretty smooth for me. I didn't really worry too much about any tests whatsoever, and I wasn't actually extremely nervous about the results after the test. However, just recently, I had possibly the most difficult test so far.

It was a math test, and I just took it two days ago, on Wednesday. It was about geometry, more specifically congruence and similarity of triangles, and certain circle properties. All along, geometry was one of my weak areas in Math, as I found it hard to be able to look at the diagram and visualise to solve the question. Therefore, I was pretty nervous and worried for this test, and I studied rather hard for it.

Now, I have this extremely bad habit in math; when I encounter a difficult problem in any test paper, I tend to panic during the test, and as a result am unable to concentrate on the other questions, costing me precious marks in the test. Fortunately, the first two questions were mildly acceptable, and I was quite relieved that I was doing pretty ok in my weakest area of math. However, when I reached the third question, I was stumped. I managed to comprehend the diagram, but when it came to answering the questions, I was absolutely befuddled. I had the feeling I was missing something, but I just couldn't put my finger on it! I tried to look at the question from multiple angles, but it was to no avail. The question seemed like absolute gibberish to me, and I made the bad mistake of working on the question for a long twenty minutes. Even after twenty minutes, I still failed to solve the question, and even worse, it was already 11, and the test ended at 11.30; I also had 4 more questions to go, excluding the question I was stuck on. By that time, I was already extremely panicky, and to add to my woes, Question 3 was worth a whopping 12 marks, and as the test was upon 40, losing the full 12 marks would seal my fate to an A2 at the most. The next 3 questions were manageable, but the last question, Question 7 was another mind-boggling problem. Like Question 3, I simply could not find the solution to the question; I felt that I was missing something painfully obvious, but I just couldn't spot it. By then, there were about 5 more minutes left, and knowing that I would not be able to solve these two problems within the short span of time, I hurriedly did some working on the paper, hoping to salvage some method marks to increase my grade. Although there were only 2 difficult questions out of 7, the painful irony was that these two questions accounted for 19 marks, which was almost half of the total 40 marks of the test paper. Therefore, it is easy to see why I got so panicky during the test.

Although I was extremely frustrated and disappointed during the test, after the test, I felt like this was a wake-up call, and a rather apt one too. Admittedly, I was probably playing more than I was supposed to these days, slacking a little more on my studies, even in Term 3, which can be described as the final hurdle before the end of year examinations. This test helped me realise that academic life wasn't as smooth-sailing as I had previously thought, and in order to consistently succeed, I needed to put in a great deal of hard work. Soon after the test, I reasoned to myself that the test was already over, and there was no point harping over something that cannot be changed. The test was over after all, wasn't it? What's the point of being all sad and moody over something that cannot be changed? I decided to get over this disappointment and work towards the next test. I'm expecting a B4 or so, worst case C5, but I have decided not to be too demoralised by this. The most important thing now, in my opinion, is to actually get over this, and work even harder for the next test. Most of my classmates also found the test extremely difficult, but for me, I do not see this as a hindrance to my school life. Rather, I see this as a stepping stone for me to work harder, and for me to do even better in future tests, regardless of subject.

Cheers,
Roystan