Mississippi Burning: My Thoughts

Hi readers, today I am going to voice my opinions about the movie, Mississippi Burning. First, let me provide some basic background information about this movie. This movie was based on the killings of three civil rights activists in Mississippi in 1964, and is a subject of controversy due to the incorrect portrayal of the African Americans and the FBI agents, among other issues.

Whether the movie is a factual one or an intense exaggeration of the true events, I do not know, but today, let me voice my feelings on this movie. Personally, I find this movie culturally important, as it mirrors the treatment and segregation of the African Americans in the not-so-distant past. The main gist of the film, to me, is the portrayal of how the African Americans were so badly treated in the past. The Ku Klux Klan (KKK) also appealed to me, as I was intrigued by how the idea of white supremacy was so ingrained in some of the white men back then. What drove them to use such extreme and brutal measures? Could it be due to their ethnocentrism? Or could it be due to some sort of belief in their mind that the blacks were something that should be removed from society at all costs (similar to the final solution to the Jewish question)? Whichever it was, the movie definitely provided an insight of how the whites were greatly against the blacks at that time, carrying out actions like lynching and the burning down of the churches, which was a sacred place for the blacks. The movie also demonstrated how the blacks were obviously marginalised in the past, with examples of segregation (coloured seats) and the big difference in the living conditions of the blacks and whites. One thing that set me thinking was the trial in which the arsonists were charged with arson, but only had suspended sentences of a mere five years? Where is the justice here? Why was society so fervently biased against the blacks? Just because the houses belonged to the blacks, does this justify the burning of the houses, which is obviously an inhumane act. What really angered me was the blatant lack of inequality at that time. Everyone was human and by right, no one was superior to another; but why exactly are people of different skin colours treated as lesser beings? Luckily, today, no such extreme cases of racism are seen in society, sure, people that seem “different” still get teased occasionally, but at least the mockery do not materialise into physical harm, which is a great result of modernisation.

Despite all the controversy surrounding this film, one thing is for sure, this film is a great representation of the treatment of the blacks in America before Martin Luther King Jr. It really challenges one to think about the whole idea of human rights, whether one being is inferior to another solely based on outer appearances. This film was truly culturally significant and an eye-opener, and I really enjoyed it.

Cheers,
Roystan

Favourite Character(:

Prompt: Harper Lee’s novel is full of interesting and richly painted characters. Which
character was your favourite and why?

Personally, my favourite character was Calpurnia. There are certain qualities about her that really make me respect her at that time. Something that impacted my view on her greatly was the fact that despite being dark-skinned, she does not appear afraid or oppressed by the fair-skinned Americans in any way. Note that To Kill a Mockingbird (TKaM) was set in the 1930s, and at that time, as everyone knows, there was much discrimination of the African American community by the white Americans. Calpurnia stands out in the way that despite being dark-skinned, she has knowledge and mindsets that are far superior than most of the so-called superior whites in Maycomb. For example, it is stated in the story that Calpurnia’s literacy skills are on par with most whites in Maycomb. At that time, most blacks lived in poverty and as a result, did not have the opportunity to get an education. Seeing how Calpurnia is an exception from the African American masses is something that really commands respect.

Calpurnia also manages to gain my respect and liking because of her viewpoints and beliefs. Being the victim of prejudice and discrimination, she remains strong and always reminds the children not to judge other people based on their background. For example, when Scout demonstrated a disliking towards Walter Cunningham solely because of his strange habits and his poor financial situation, Calpurnia reprimanded her and told her that just because Scout came from a more well-off family did not mean she could look down on others. Her belief that everyone should be treated equally is something that makes me like and respect her even more.

Calpurnia acts as the bridge between the children (primarily Scout and Jem) and the black community. By allowing Scout and Jem to observe the lifestyle of the African Americans, the children would have a better understanding of other people of different cultures, which would stop them from being prejudiced in any way against the black community. Calpurnia was also a strict teacher to the children, unlike Atticus, who was more lenient toward them, especially to Scout. Although she seemed strict, Calpurnia shows that she loves the children even more, as shown in the case where Calpurnia makes crackling bread for Scout, which Scout loved to eat, and when she said that she missed having Jem and Scout as company.

Overall, these are the main reasons of why Calpurnia was my favourite character in the story. Having a strong mentality, impartial beliefs and being strict yet kind at the same time, Calpurnia really appeals to me as a reader.

Thanks,
Roystan(:

25 facts you have never known about!

Hi readers, today I am going to tell you TWENTY FIVE awesome facts that I bet you did not know. Without further ado, let’s go!

1. Did you know if you yelled for 8 years, 7 months and 6 days, you would have produced enough sound energy to heat one cup of coffee?
(How worth it.)

2. If you toss a penny 10000 times, it will not be heads 5000 times, but more like 4950. The heads picture weighs more, so it ends up on the bottom.
(I wonder who actually flipped the penny 10000 times.)

3. The Black Ironwood tree (Olea laurifolia) has wood so dense that it can’t float on water.
(Imagine how many sailors learned this the hard way.)

4. The bark of the giant redwood tree is fireproof. In fact, redwoods depend on fire to clear room for their growth, and to enrich the forest soil for seeds to sprout.
(You don’t see this in survival manuals.)

5. Chained dogs are 3 times more likely to bite.
(Aww. Now everyone unchain their rottweilers! Don’t worry, they won’t bite.. much.)

6. Spotted skunks do handstands before they spray.
(Expert gymnast alert!)

7. Owls are the only bird that can see the color blue.
(I don’t see the point of Mother Nature restricting this to owls.)

8. A cockroach can survive without its head for nine days. At the end of nine days, it dies because of hunger.
(If you are headless, what’s the point of staying alive anyway? Head transplant?)

9. The Quahog Clam can live up to 400 years.
(I wonder why the scientists even bothered observing the clam for 400 years.)

10. A tarantula can survive for more than two years without food.
(I bet some wacky scientist is going to combine human and tarantula DNA sooner or later.)

11. Paul Hunn holds the record for the loudest burp, which was 118.1 decibels, which is as loud as a chainsaw.
(What did that guy eat?!)

12. An ostrich’s eye is bigger than its brain.
(I know a few people like that.)

13. Radio waves travel so much faster than sound waves that a person listening to a campaign speech by radio broadcast can hear the words 18,000 kilometers away before a person sitting at the back of the convention hall where the politician is speaking!
(Aww what’s the point of live concerts then?)

14. More humans are killed every year by falling coconuts than by shark attacks.
(When is Hollywood going to make THAT blockbuster movie?)

15. The tropical jewel wasp injects a venom into cockroaches that disables their insect version of free will, turning them into roach-zombies!
(Another great Hollywood horror movie idea)

16. The kitchen appliance staple known as the Microwave Oven was invented after a researcher happened to walk by a high-powered radar tube one day and a candy bar in his pocket melted.
(Not so ingenious anymore, eh?)

17. Astronauts in space cannot belch – without gravity, gas cannot separate from liquids in their stomachs.
(No compliments to the chef then)

18. If the brain stem is left intact after beheading a chicken, it can continue to live (with some care in feeding). There is one documented case of a headless chicken living on for 18 months after he was supposed to have become Sunday dinner.
(Mutated chicken much?)

19. In Jonathan Swift’s immortal Gulliver’s Travels [1726], the author described the size and speeds of rotation for two moons of Mars – Phobos and Deimos – more than 100 years before either were discovered!
(And who says creativity doesn’t mean knowledge?)

20. In seahorses it’s the male who gets pregnant and gives birth.
(Score one for stay-home dads)

21. A group of ravens is called a murder.
(“Oh look, a murder!” “Where, where?”*Points to ravens* “Oh.”)

22. Starfish don’t have brains.
(That’s even worse than the ostriches.)

23. Donkeys kill more people annually than plane crashes.
(Shrek’s pal doesn’t seem so cute and funny anymore eh?)

24. Walt Disney was afraid of mice.
(Mickey!)

25. Turtles can breathe through their butts
(Can animals get any weirder?)

My Childhood Experiences(:

Hi readers, today I would like to use one of the blog prompts to make a blog post! The blog prompt is: What memories of your childhood come to mind as you read about Scout’s experiences?

In my opinion, Scout led a fun and free childhood, having Atticus as her father, she could pick up many life values, but at the same time, have fun in her childhood. She also had two close companions to play together, like Jem and Dill. By acting out all the different stories like Dracula, I am certain that Scout greatly enjoyed her childhood, despite being picked on and mocked in the later part of the story because of Atticus defending Tom Robinson. Also, with the rumours of Boo Radley and the Radley house that was right next door, it really added a lot of colour to her childhood, which was definitely different from the mostly mundane ones of most of us today. Now, I shall share some of my more memorable childhood experiences.

I still remember, in my primary school, there was a supposedly haunted toilet on the fourth floor. I first heard this rumour in Primary Four, and at that time, all of us were still young and gullible and believed in this rumour. We would always go up to the fourth floor during recess, and dare each other to go into the toilet, where it was rumoured that blood came out from the taps and that the toilet cubicles had ghosts living inside. As we grew older, we grew more mature and eventually, we were disinterested in this baseless rumour and during recess we decided to partake in more meaningful activities like playing basketball.

Other than the example I stated above, I have one more example to share. I still remember in Primary Three, I was playing with some other kids in my neighbourhood, when a sudden thought of mischief drifted into our minds. We disliked an old man living in our block, as he was very grumpy and hot-tempered. We decided to go to this door, knock and shout “You big fat pig!” and run off afterwards. None of us thought of the consequences, as we were still very young and everything revolved around having fun. After the deed was done, all of us dashed off afterwards, but sad to say, he spotted one of us, and eventually all of us were reprimanded by our parents. However, as we were still young, we brushed off the scoldings soon afterward, and continued playing and causing mischief afterwards.

Now that I look back on all my childhood experiences, instead of being ashamed of how immature I was, I actually laugh at my past experiences. It is extremely refreshing and amusing recalling how I was so mischievous in the past. Despite all the mistakes and trouble I caused, I don’t actually feel extremely remorseful for anything, and if I could turn back the clock, I would not change a thing!

Cheers,
Roystan (:

NYC Condom Initiative (Yes, your eyes aren’t playing tricks on you)

Today, I would like to share a rather interesting piece of news. The link to this can be found here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/14/new-york-city-launches-mo_n_823250.html?ref=fb&src=sp Basically, The New York City Health Department has made a smartphone application for iPhones and Android devices that will help users locate the nearest place in the area giving out free condoms. Now, I would like to share my views on this topic, and more importantly, whether it can work in Singapore.

“We want New York City to be the safest city in the world to have sex,” said the city’s Assistant Health Commissioner Dr. Monica Sweeney. “A lot of people come here for that, so we want them to practice safer sex.” This basically sums up the whole purpose of this new initiative. Technically, this is a good imitative that can greatly help to lessen the problem of premature sex and the like, but I have a question in mind here. Who would actually whip out their iPhone and check for the nearest free condom distribution area, and then proceed on to get the condom? If two young people want to have premature sex, they have already shown their brashness and how they act without considering the consequences. Will they actually stop to look for a free condom before proceeding on to have sex? I doubt so. However, this is not to say that this initiative will not work. Most middle-aged couples would probably know the danger and dilemma when having an unwanted baby, and at least they would have the sense and maturity to take advantage of this program and have safe sex instead of running the risk of having an unwanted baby.

Now, I will express my feelings on whether I feel that this initiative would work on Singapore. Personally, I think that this plan would backfire. This is mainly because of a few reasons. Firstly, this is because we Singaporeans have a little too much pride, and always do not want to appear different from the crowd, always preferring to blend in with the crowd and not attracting so much attention to themselves. Think about it, if you see a person taking the condoms from the free condoms distributor, you would definitely think that he is going to have sex. Most Singaporeans, or Asians for that matter, are too conservative, and I am sure most of us do not want to announce to the whole world that we are going to have sex soon, and hence I’m taking this free condom. It is just too embarrassing for most Singaporeans, and this would ultimately lead to most people refraining from taking the free condoms, which will cause the plan to backfire.
Secondly, what I feel will be the downfall of this initiative if introduced in Singapore is the fact that there are still a large number of Singaporeans without any smartphones yet, instead, they are still using the old mobile phones. As this initiative is only limited to those with smartphones, this would cause in a much smaller scope of people actually using the app. Those people with mobile phones are unable to use this function, and hence they are not exposed to this app, and this would defeat the purpose of making Singapore a safe place to have sex, seeing how there are still a considerable number of people without smartphones yet. Coupled with the fact that only a few Singaporeans would actually use the app and take the free condoms, I think that this plan’s success will be greatly limited.

The third reason, in my opinion, is that in Singapore, sex is not an integral part of many people’s lives, and our lives are dominated by the hectic rat race. Therefore, spending money and resources on developing and updating this app would turn out to be useless anyway, as there would not be many people actually using the app. With the two reasons I have stated above, this problem is greatly compounded and that would result in a very small minority of people actually using this app.

In a nutshell, what I am writing here today is about introducing the new initiative by the New York City Health Department and stating my thoughts and opinions and feelings about whether such an initiative would be useful for Singaporeans. As you can easily infer from the reasons that I had given, I feel that in order for this initiative to thrive in Singapore, a few things need to be changed, namely, the mindset and perspective of Singaporeans and the availability and appeal of smartphones. This is a rather fresh topic and comments with differing opinions are welcome!

Thank you! (:

Anonymous Chat Websites: My thoughts(:

Hi everyone, today I will be blogging on a controversial issue: Anonymous chat websites. As you know, there are many anonymous chat websites, and recently my classmates and I have discovered one of them.

The name of this website is called Omegle, and basically what you are supposed to do is to chat with random strangers using Omegle as well. However, anonymity is ensured between the two parties and you will not know any detail of the stranger unless he/she tells you. There are two types of methods to converse. The first is to use normal text conversations and the other is to use the computer’s video webcam, in which both parties can see each other, unless they block the webcam.

So, I have just explained how Omegle functions; now, I will move on to my thoughts on this anonymous chat websites, or rather, all anonymous chat websites, for that matter. I remember reading an article in the newspaper about internet trolls, which are basically people who flame and post derogatory and irrelevant comments in a forum. In it, there was a quote from Plato: “Morality, comes from full disclosure; without accountability for our actions, we would behave injustly.” I believe that this quote encompasses the full essence of this topic. Note that on the website, people have full anonymity, which means that they can be a wolf in a sheep’s clothing. For example, they can be a pedophile or pervert hiding behind a friendly façade. There is an acronym used commonly on Omegle, “ASL”, which basically means Age, Sex, Location. People would type out ASL and send it to the other party, and the other person can choose to leak their personal details or just disconnect from the server. Most teenagers and adults would probably know to just ignore and disconnect from the server, but what if children are using the website? They would be trusting and simply tell the other person their personal details, and who knows that would happen after that. What I am trying to stress here, is how some people would manipulate and take advantage of their anonymity and prey on unsuspecting victims. With the anonymity given to these predators, they can easily manipulate it and use it to their advantage. That is probably the main reason why parents nowadays are so wary of the websites their children visit, afraid and worried that their children might reveal confidential details about themselves. And I think that their fears are totally normal. If you still remain unconvinced after all that I have said, I will move on to the video conversations now, where you will surely be convinced of why I am against these kind of websites.

For the video conversations, instead of using only word messages, the webcam is now utilised. Each party can now see how the person on the other end looks like, removing a little of the anonymity, but obviously, more often than not, this is not the case. I have heard of cases where seriously perverted pedophiles show the other person obscene pictures, be it porn pictures found on the internet or their own private parts. Forgive me for my rather blunt language, and I am aware that I am touching on a taboo topic, but I feel that this will be a pressing problem in cyberspace. Such cases of people are extremely common, and I have read newspaper articles before of how some children have seen such obscene and morally wrong pictures at a tender age, ruining their childhood and growth. I have personally tried out Omegle before, using both the text and video functions. I was fortunate enough not to meet any lurking pervert on the server showing some inappropriate images to me. However, I have met numerous perverts looking for “pictures” and people who wanted my personal details on the text conversations. Of course, I had disconnected from the server immediately. I estimate that out of 10 people who I have chatted with on Omegle, more than 7 out of 10 are people taking advantage of the anonymity on the internet.

In a nutshell, what I am trying to stress is how these anonymous chat websites are causing tremendous problems on the internet today. Sure, the developer of these websites may have the intention of allowing more people to know each other when they first created these websites, but people have obviously abused their anonymity on the internet. Therefore, I seriously feel that these websites should be banned and closed down immediately in order to stop these problems from snowballing into something worse. I mean, who would actually go on these websites to “make friends”? Let’s face it, these websites are only for those people who abuse their position on the internet and attempt to gain private information about others. Everyone should avoid using these websites, lest they encounter with someone with a sick and perverted mind, or worse still, view some unmentionable things on the video conversations.

Thank you! (:

Future School: My Verdict(:

Around one to two weeks ago, there was a principal’s dialogue held during the Sec 2 assembly. The topic was about Future School (FS) and the forum discussion was supposed to explore the pros and cons of FS. Now, I would like to state my own opinion, and at the end, I will give my final opinion about FS, and whether it should remain in our curriculum.

I will touch on the advantages of FS first. The whole idea of FS was so that students were allowed to bring their laptops to school and use them during specific lessons. The main advantage of this, in my opinion, is the fact that with the laptops, students will have access to virtually boundless sources of information on the Internet, which makes researching much easier, faster, and needless to say more efficient. For example, during an LA lesson, the teacher would be teaching about the correct grammar to use in our compositions. Now, we know that there are many forms of grammar, and trying to print out worksheet after worksheet would not only deplete the school of it’s resources, but also makes revision very troublesome, when the student is unable to find the information he needs for his revision. Our LA teacher had utilised the power of the Internet, and had found a website where virtually every part of English grammar could be found. Don’t know the right grammar? Go to the websites! Unsure whether you had made a grammatical mistake? Check the website! This makes learning much more efficient, and information can be accessed with a click, instead of rifling through your plethora of notes.

Next, FS also enables for easy discussion among groups. During a group online lesson, the teacher can instruct the students to create a Google Docs for the whole group, and the group members can go in and contribute information. When another member spots a mistake in a certain sentence, he can help edit the mistake on the spot. What makes things easier is that Google Docs has a chat function, where group members can use to discuss the project. This not only creates a quiet and conducive learning environment, it also facilitates discussion and progress, which will help save precious time for the teachers.

Of course, nothing is perfect, and despite having many benefits, FS does comes with cons too. Having elaborated upon the two main benefits (in my opinion), I will now move on to state the cons of FS, and at the end of this post, I will give my final verdict, on whether I think FS should be implemented in our curriculum.

The main problem with FS, in my opinion, is the fact that students may and will become too reliant on the Internet to conduct research. The rationale of this thought this simple: When a teacher asks the student to do research on a particular subject, which is the source of information he would look for? Definitely the Internet. However, what happens if his laptop experiences a crash, or even worse (but more likely), the WiFi and internet connection had crashed? Then, the student will be provided with a hard choice of priorities: To wait for his laptop or the internet connection to be fixed, or to use alternative sources of information? Technically speaking, the latter is much more feasible, but the problem here is that after using the Internet for such a long time, the skill to search for information in alternative sources like library books and journals would become extremely foreign to the student. Will he know which section of the library to look? Will he be able to cleverly differentiate essential information from useless ones? Will he be able to use the content page and glossary, for instance, to minimise the time used? All these are especially important points to note when searching for information using the traditional paper and print, but after probably years of reading digitalised information, I suspect that most students, myself included, will find the task of using books and printed text as sources difficult. Therefore, I would like the readers to consider this pressing issue: In times of technology failure, will us students manage to improvise and come up with alternative but nonetheless efficient ways of confiding research? The answer is up to you to decide.

The next problem that I will raise is not as influential as the above, but is still something that should be taken into consideration. It is a popular topic of discussion among students and teachers alike: Abuse of laptops for gaming. With every student supposed to bring their laptops on certain days, there is a high chance that despite the additional load, he will continue to bring it on other days, be it for gaming or something untwisted to academic work. Gaming is a prevalent problem in schools, even in ‘elite’ schools like HCI. With FS, students would have an excuse to bring their laptops to school. Let me raise a common example: The student wants to play computer games at home, but his parents disallow him from doing so. What does he do? Yes, you guessed correctly. He tells his parents that he needs to bring his laptop to school, and in school, despite the numerous warnings and rules, he goes on to play to his heart’s content. This is not only detrimental to a student’s holistic and academic growth, but also negatively affects the class morale. Knowing that someone in your class is a black sheep and ruins your class reputation would be disturbing to the gamer’s classmates. This is why I bring up this problem of gaming: It not affects the individual himself, but also affects the people around him, making them lose concentration and get scolded as a class for something that they are not to be blamed for.

After bring up two pros and cons of FS, I would like to give my thoughts on whether FS should continue to be in the curriculum. In my opinion, yes, it should remain part of the curriculum, albeit with a few tweaks. For starters, instead of solely using the Internet for research, I propose that the teachers introduce tasks that challenge the students to use both hardcopy and softcopy. That way, us students can be trained to adapt to the sometimes unfavorable conditions in school. Also, to combat the problem of excessive gaming, may I suggest that students who are identified as gaming addicts be taken out of their class and placed in a separate class, where only the traditional “chalk and talk” would be used. After they have gone through one term, assess if they are able to combat their gaming addiction and if they are, transfer them back to the FS classes. Overall, FS is a great initiative that can encourage us students to acquire essential lifelong skills, but at the same time has a few loopholes that can be countered with the right measures.

Thank you,
Roystan (:

Sensory details(:

Hi everyone, recently we have been learning about imagery and sensory details. Also, it is Chinese New Year now, and so I have written a composition with the best of both worlds. The aim of this composition is to emphasise the use of the sensory details in painting an image for the reader. The composition is about a person’s love for Bak Kwa, an extremely popular type of food during CNY. Have fun!

It was time. It was the glorious period when all Chinese celebrated their new year. It was the time for everyone to get together and reunite once again after a harsh and arduous year. It was time for the adults to meet again after not seeing each other for a year and the children to play like there was no tomorrow. However, most importantly, it was the time when the best food on Earth reached the pinnacle of its popularity. Bak Kwa was back.

My name is Jomes Bornd, and I am a self-professed Bak Kwa lover. However, I was not your conventional man on the street who simply liked Bak Kwa, nothing else. I was different. I was a fanatic. I could spend the same amount of time researching on the best Bak Kwa in town as a World of Warcraft addict playing the game. Golden coins, minced pork, sliced pork- you name it, my love for them was unconditional, they were all equally perfect in my eyes. I was a Sales Director for a foreign company, and I earned around seven thousand dollars a month. Every month following up to Chinese New Year, I would scrimp and save as crazily as a K-pop fanatic saving up for the next Super Junior or SNSD concert. Then, on Chinese New Year, while the newspapers would be buzzing with some people spending up to eleven thousand dollars on Yusheng, I would be spending a fortune on the tantalising pork slices. Every year, I seemed to outdo myself. Last year, I spent around six thousand dollars on Bak Kwa alone. Every corner I turned seemed to have a shop having an irresistible sale on Bak Kwa, and I could not resist plonking down large wads of bills in exchange for the delicious and juicy meat. I have done this for as many years since I started working, and I have absolutely no regrets.

Of course, what is the use of describing how much Bak Kwa I bought without describing the experience of eating it? It is impossible to describe the true magnificent experience of eating it, but I will try my utmost best to describe it to you. Get ready to drool. When you first unwrap the paper wrapped around the Bak Kwa, before you will lay the best food you could ever eat. When you pick up the slice of meat and are going to put it in your mouth, be prepared for the best array of tastes that you would experience in your lifetime. Place the crisp piece of meat in your mouth, and let your white teeth sink into the tantalising meat. When your teeth first sinks into the dark red meat, get ready for a myriad of tastes to attack your senses mercilessly. Savour the delightful taste, and then use your sharp teeth and bite part of the meat off. The juice that sinks into your hungry jaws will mesmerise your senses and leave you craving for more. Slowly chew on the piece of Bak Kwa in your mouth, treasure the moment while you can. Can you feel the brilliance of that small chunk of meat attacking your taste buds? Can you feel the delicious juice from that small but amazing piece of meat getting slowly sapped away and entering your gullet? Can you feel your mind slowly succumbing to the taste? Can you feel as if the rest of the pieces of Bak Kwa are like spears piercing the shield of your mind, seemingly asking you to pick them up and devour them? Can you feel yourself craving for more?

After finishing the first piece of meat, your taste buds had better get ready. The plethora of tastes that are going to flood you will stun you; I am more than sure that you would hate yourself for depriving yourself of such a luxury, get ready to be drowned in self-remorse. The rest of the meat would be in your stomach within the next thirty minutes for sure. Bak Kwa is like cancer, once you have it, once you have tasted the sheer brilliance of it, you would never be rid of wanting more. Even though you may suffer diarrhea or stomach flu whatsoever afterwards, I am certain you would never regret taking the first bite. For me, every time my eager jaws crunch yet another piece of meat, I would be suddenly catapulted to heaven; Bak Kwa was truly a gift from the heavens.

*Any character and event in this story is purely fictional.

Various Narrative Viewpoints(:

Last Friday, we were given a worksheet to complete by Ms Huang. The worksheet included 5 short stories and we were supposed to dissect the story by identifying the characters, their characteristics and the author’s use of either the first-person perspective or the third-person perspective. Now, I will summarise the usage and importance of both the first-person and third-person perspective.

When I use the first-person perspective to narrate my story, I can have various intentions to do so. Using the first-person perspective would greatly help to understand the narrator more, as everything that happens in the story is seen in the narrator’s eyes, and all his thoughts and feelings are explicitly in the story, hence the reader would be able to understand the narrator more. A first-person narrative is generally used for in-depth character development, and is used when the author wants to develop the character aspect of the story. A first-person narrative is usually opinionated and I would use it when I want to write a personal narrative. For example, if I want to write a story called “A Day at the Beach”, I would use the first-person perspective instead of the third-person perspective because the narrative is a recount of an incident that happened before, and therefore is more personal to me. In a nutshell, I would use the first-person narrative when I want to develop the character deeper, and when I want the reader to actually feel close to the narrator through his feelings and thoughts.

Next, when I use the third-person perspective to narrate my story, as opposed to the first-person perspective, I do not intend to develop my character too in-depth. Instead, I will focus on reporting the events in the story using subjective narration instead of objective narration as in the case of the first-person narrative. When I write third-person narratives, it is not intended that the characters be involved in many parts of the story. Not much character development is present, much more is focused on the setting, plot and at times, theme of the story. When I write a third-person narrative, my aim is to focus on the aspects of the setting and plot of the story. Like what I had mentioned earlier, by using a third-person perspective, the reader will read less of the characters’ feelings and opinions, instead, they will read more about the plot and setting of the story, and is left to interpret the story based on their own opinion. In a nutshell, I would use the third-person narrative when I want to develop the plot of the story, and when I want the reader to know solely about the events that take place in the story, and possibly interpret them on his own, given the objective viewpoint of the plot of the story.

This is my take on the usage of both the first-person and third-person perspective, and when I would want to use them. Feel free to comment below!

Cheers,

Roystan

Beach Description

The sky was blue with shades of white and there were no clouds in the sky. It was probably in the early morning, when the sun had just emerged and the city was just waking up. A gentle morning breeze swept through the sea, seemingly providing a peaceful aura. Wave after wave of sky-blue water was rolling in, and young beachgoers were trying their luck in picking up seashells at the shore of the beach. The brown sand was wet from the seawater, making it almost sludgelike, and as a lady walked across, you could almost imagine a soft squishing sound with each step. The beach was surrounded with grassy hills dotted with houses and villas, and the occasional seagull paid a visit to the peaceful, rolling waves of water. With the picturesque grassy hills, the entrancing sound of rolling waves, and the occasional squawk of the seagulls, the beach had a serene and calming effect to it. It was the perfect place for stressed-out office goers to relax and escape from the never-ending rat race.

Home learning: 24/1/2011

At first glance, this comic strip might not mean anything to you, but it is actually hiding an underlying meaning. Now, I shall give a detailed explanation on the meaning of this comic strip. Essentially, this comic strip is meant to give a comparison between life in Singapore in the past (ie. early post-independence) and life in present, modernised Singapore. The panels on the left represent life in the past while the ones on the right show examples of life in present day. Now, I shall proceed on to explain the meanings of the comic.

On the top left hand corner, the comic panel shows a Malay man behind his cow, while saying the words “Bergarak!” which means go in Malay. There are bushes in the background and a noticeable lack of any buildings. On the other hand, the comic panel next to it shows two cars stuck in a traffic jam. The driver in the yellow car, which is behind the red car, furiously honks at the driver in front, while shouting, “Hurry up!” Also, in contrast to the first comic panel, buildings are seen in the background. These two comic panels are meant to show the contrast between people and Singapore’s environment in the past and present. In the past, Singapore was much less modernised and had few buildings, with flora and fauna taking much majority of Singapore before it became industralised and commercialised. In the present, however, Singapore is a sparkling metropolis with numerous towering skyscrapers. Another obvious difference is that in the past, the people mostly used Malay to converse, which was also Singapore’s national language. Also, there was a lack of advancement in technology, therefore they had to rely on animals to do labour or carry out transportation, for example. On the other hand, in present day, Singaporeans have a wide range of technology at their fingertips, and everything is more updated and modern. They now use cars to move from place to place, instead of maybe walking or riding a bicycle. However, as it is seen from the comic panel, Singaporeans have become more impatient and rude, as they lead a more hectic lifestyle nowadays.

Now, for the other two comic panels. On the bottom left hand corner, the setting is the interior of a kampong. As it is seen, the lighting is poor, and there is a towel strewn on the sofa. Also, there is a middle-aged Chinese man who comments, “好累啊!”, which means “How tiring!” in Chinese. He has just come home from a long strenuous day at work, and works at a textile factory, where it is labour-orientated. In the panel next to it, however, there is a large house, which is noticeably bright. Also, the house is clean and there is a painting in the house. Technology advancement is noticeable as there is a computer on a table in the room. A boy is standing in the room, shouting rudely for his mother to give him his ice-cream.The main message that these two comic panels are trying to convey is how much the attitude of Singaporeans and the standard of living have changed over time. In the past, the housing was much less neat and clean, and majority of Singaporeans lived in kampongs, or attap houses, with poor hygiene standards. Also, most of the adults worked at labour-intensive industries, as it was just after independence and the government was trying to solve the problem of unemployment. Singaporeans in the past definitely led a hard life in the past. As for the present, the standard of living has greatly improved, as seen from the much improved hygiene and lighting. Technology has also improved by leaps and bounds. However, there is a boy in the room, who impatiently whines, “Mum! Where’s my ice-cream!” These two comic panels demonstrate a great improvement in the standard of living, but does it come at a price? It seems that teenagers are getting ruder and more complacent.

In conclusion, the message that I am trying to convey through this comic strip is that despite Singapore having greatly advanced since early post-independence years, it has come at a price. Industrialisation and modernisation may result in cases of possible major pollution, as seen in the BP oil spill. Also, the large improvement in the standard of living may have caused the young people of this generation to be more complacent in Singapore’s successes, as noted in the recent book about Minister Mentor and ex Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, “Lee Kuan Yew: Hard Truths To Keep Singapore Going”. The question at hand is, is Singapore’s globalisation worth the prices it has to pay?

Lesson on Prejudice

Before:

What do I already know about prejudice?

From what I know, prejudice means applying a stereotype to discriminate or look down on somebody who seems “different” from others or have different outer appearances, etc. A good example would be how the African Americans were prejudiced based on their skin colour by the fair-skinned Americans. Prejudice has existed throughout history and is a form of discrimination.

What do I want to learn about prejudice?

I want to gain more in-depth knowledge about prejudice as my current knowledge of prejudice is quite basic. Also, I want to learn more historical examples of prejudice as I believe that would aid in my learning about prejudice.

After:

What did I learn about prejudice?

From today’s lesson, I learnt a lot about prejudice that I previously did not know about. Firstly, I had thought wrongly that prejudice always meant discrimination. However, after the lesson, I have learnt that the word “prejudice” has actually been derived from the word “pre-judge”. Hence, prejudice is actually an opinion or feeling made about something or somebody without having adequate knowledge of the person or thing. Also, since prejudice is just an opinion or feeling, it is actually invisible before it snowballs into discrimination or even genocide.

During the lesson, we were also given a task to do. We were grouped and were tasked to make a concept map about the generalisations of prejudice. After this, the various groups were asked to share what they had come up with. I must say, this was extremely useful as we were able to see what others had come up with, and in the process, be able to learn more about prejudice.

Finally, we had another group task, albeit a more challenging one, as we were tasked to select a historical event that is parallels some of the key events in To Kill A Mockingbird(TKaM) create a 6-8 panel comic strip with Pixton that conveys the key ideas in the event. I am certain that with other groups also sharing their comic strips, my understanding of the text in TKaM would be greatly improved.

Cheers,

Roystan

Poem Appreciation(:

Where the Sidewalk Ends

There is a place where the sidewalk ends
And before the street begins,
And there the grass grows soft and white,
And there the sun burns crimson bright,
And there the moon-bird rests from his flight
To cool in the peppermint wind.

Let us leave this place where the smoke blows black
And the dark street winds and bends.
Past the pits where the asphalt flowers grow
We shall walk with a walk that is measured and slow,
And watch where the chalk-white arrows go
To the place where the sidewalk ends.

Yes we’ll walk with a walk that is measured and slow,
And we’ll go where the chalk-white arrows go,
For the children, they mark, and the children, they know
The place where the sidewalk ends.
By Shel Silverstein

Today, I would like to share this well-known poem, “Where the Sidewalk Ends”, by the equally well-known poet Shel Silverstein. However, do note that my purpose here is not to give a detailed analysis of the poem, I am here to state why this poem has remained embedded in my mind long after I chanced upon this.

Firstly, let me try to briefly dissect the poem so as to understand it more easily. In my book, Shel Silverstein is trying to describe a place that is magical, and that “is a place where the sidewalk ends”. This magical place is described using a childlike tone in the first paragraph, as it states in line 6 that the moon-bird(what is this anyway?) cools in peppermint wind, which is obviously fictitious.

In the next paragraph, Shel Silverstein urges us to live the place “where the smoke blows black”, which I think means the real world in which we live in. He seems to tell us to follow the “chalk-white” arrows and go to the imaginary paradise, the place where the sidewalk ends.

In the final paragraph, something seemed to catch my attention. In the fifteenth line, Shel says “For the children, they mark, and the children, they know”. This seems to imply that the only untarnished thing in this world is childlike innocence, and that is the only thing that shines above the dark pollution of the current world.

Ok, enough of all the analysing. Let’s go to the gist of this post. Why do I like this poem so much? Well, this is actually because I am fascinated by how Shel Silverstein actually conjures up a perfect Utopia. Another unique thing about this imaginary paradise is that it seems childlike, it seems conjured up from the mindset of a young child. By using fictitious words like “moon-bird” and “peppermint wind”, this does not seem like the brainchild of a fully-grown adult. This is something rather interesting about this poem, and something that caught my attention.

Next, I seem to feel that Shel Silverstein might be under a great deal of stress or facing many problems when he wrote this poem. This is because he describes the real world as a “place where the smoke blows black”. This is an ominous description and seems to suggest an eerie sense of doom in our world. Although this might not actually be the case, this might be because Shel is simply extremely frustrated in his current life, and decided to vent his frustrations using words. This is something that suddenly came to me, and might not be actually accurate, but this is something that also stood out to me, and one of the reasons why my attention got caught by this poem, and why I still remember this poem even after a long time.

Also, another reason why this poem has left a rather huge impact on me is the mention of children in the poem (“For the children, they mark, and the children, they know”). This, to me, is an indirect praise for children, as it seems that Shel is admiring that children are the only thing is a corrupted world that is “uncorrupted”. Children as innocent people in a not-so-innocent world seems like a fresh unique theory, which caught my attention as well.

In a nutshell, why this poem had a large impact on me is because the poem’s meaning seems unfitting for the age and maturity of the poet, which might not be a bad thing. Also, the poem also publicly voices the frustration that the poet has with the real world, and seems to urge us to improve the world we are in. Finally, Shel Silverstein also praises children, although not because they are cute or anything, unlike many other poems praising children for being cute or pompous etc. This time, Shel praises children because they are innocent and are not tainted by the “pollution” of today’s world, which is something new to me. All these are the reasons why I like this poem so much.

Cheers,

Roystan