Newspaper article

Hi readers, I have written a fake newspaper article for The Maycomb Tribune, reporting on the death of Tom Robinson. Due to technical difficulties, I am unable to show you the full article on this post itself. Thus, you can find my article at this link: http://www.scribd.com/doc/54273093/Maycomb-Newspaper-PDF

Happy reading! :)

Cheers,

Roystan

Xenophobia in Singapore

Hi readers, today I will be blogging on xenophobia, primarily the presence of xenophobia in Singaporeans. For starters, here is a basic definition of xenophobia. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, xenophobia is the fear and hatred of strangers and foreigners or of anything that is strange of foreign. Today, I will be blogging on my thoughts on the main causes of xenophobia, and how it affects Singapore.

Firstly, according to Minister for Home Affairs Wong Kan Seng, Singaporeans accounted for 70%, or 3.2 million of the city-state's 4.5 million population as of mid-2006s. After further calculation, that means around 30% of Singapore's population in 2006 were foreigners, up from 14% in 1980 and 26% in 2000. The main aim of encouraging foreigners to come to Singapore was to help make up for Singapore's declining birthrate. The government hoped that with more foreigners, that would be a higher birthrate, hence eradicating some of Singapore's social, economic and defense problems. How significant are foreigners today?

Take myself for example. I have lived in my house for around 9-10 years, ever since 2001. I have regularly seen Filipinos walking around the estate, and have been seeing less locals as time goes by. Singaporeans are known to be especially resistant to change, and I feel that it would take a long period of time for foreigners to be truly accepted and welcomed. There are many instances of Singaporeans exhibiting their distaste for foreigners. For example, the members of the table tennis team that clinched silver at the 2008 Beijing Olympics were all from China, and despite the players proclaiming their loyalty for Singapore, many people still continued to criticise the players for stealing the spots in the national team from the locals. Speaking on the topic of stealing spots, one of the largest complaints by Singaporeans are that the foreigners are stealing their jobs. One comment from prolific entrepreneur, author and performance trainer, Adam Khoo, incited much rage from many people, when he said that he would rather hire a foreigner with a lower wage demand than a local with a higher wage demand. Many Singaporeans who are sandwiched in the middle class are facing much competition for the limited jobs from foreigners, which leads them to lament about the foreigners 'stealing' jobs from them. This, I feel, is the main reason why many Singaporeans have xenophobia, and how it applies to Singapore's society. On the other hand, some might argue that foreigners provide competition for the locals, so that the locals would be motivated to work harder and not remain complacent. This point is not invalid, but the fact remains that for the average Singaporean, life will get harder with the constant competition from foreigners.

Another reason why Singaporeans possess xenophobia is probably due to the huge cultural differences, and Singaporeans' resistance to change. Having many different people, who speak in different languages, who have different practices, who eat different food, would no doubt be hard for many people to accept initially. Therefore, Singaporeans would naturally be hostile towards people who are extremely different from them, and this also contributes to the prevalence of xenophobia in Singapore.

There are many reasons and causes for the presence of xenophobia in Singapore, and I have listed down several of the key issues. I hope that you have a better understanding of xenophobia after reading this post, and as always, comments are welcome! :)

Cheers,

Roystan

To know, or to be known: that is the question

As you all know, a few Hwa Chong students have found their way onto STOMP, albeit not because of their good deeds, but rather, because they were photographed holding ice-creams on the public bus. Somehow, if you have not caught wind of this incident, this is the link to the page: http://singaporeseen.stomp.com.sg/stomp/sgseen/ugly_commuters/606506/even_students_from_elite_school_cant_follow_noeating_rule_on_bus.html Now, I would go on to voice my two cents on this matter.

Firstly, as a Hwa Chong student, I was initially taken aback and a little angry at this certain individual who seems to want to tarnish the school’s reputation and mock us for being ‘elite’. As seen from the multitude of comments, mostly flame wars between ‘patriotic’ HCI students and members of the public, there have been many people trying to defend HCI. However, what really irks me is the way that they are defending HCI. Seriously, calling the photos photoshopped? Insulting other stompers and mocking them by calling them retards? I shall not reveal their STOMP usernames, or their true identities, for that matter, but I am utterly appalled at their response. Are these what HCI students are bred up to be? Are these the so-called ‘moral values’ that HCI intends to inculcate in students? Granted, these are only a few black sheep, and they might have been caught in their moment of anger which resulted in them posting such ridiculous remarks, but the fact remains that people remember you for your bad deeds, not your good ones. Likewise, by seeing how HCI students attempt to defend their school by fighting fire with fire, it is inevitable for members of the public to think badly of HCI students. Despite warnings from teachers in HCI, these students continued their verbal assault, and were unrelenting in the discussions. It is indeed especially horrible to see HCI students not thinking with their heads, and turning to violence (albeit not physical) to solve the issue.

The next thing I am going to blog about is the whole idea of moral courage. What exactly is STOMP for? Is it a medium for the public to shame others online by revealing all their wrongdoings online for everyone to see? By doing this, is this really helping the person in the wrong to change? By simply hiding behind your camera, do you really think that this would make the person really want to change? I respond to these questions with a straight no. How useful is STOMP in making someone change for the better? For example, if you see a group of people being rowdy at midnight, do you go up and stop the people straight on, or do you simply hide behind the camera, assume anonymity, and take pictures of the people in the wrong? Why can’t Singaporeans simply walk up to the person/people in the wrong, and tell them straight that they are wrong and need to change? What I feel about most Singaporeans is that they are too prideful, and have the mentality that ‘if it does not affect me, I do not bother about it.’ This selfish mindset, coupled with the ‘kaypoh’ nature of Singaporeans, lead many Singaporeans to resort to these public sites to publicly shame 

others.

The final topic I am going to talk about is the veil of anonymity that one gets when online. I feel that the anonymity online is the root of the problem of STOMP. As I pointed out in the above paragraph, Singaporeans would rather not go up to the person and chide him, revealing his own identity in the process and possibly causing a grudge, but instead would rather utilise the anonymity online, by posting (sometimes) derogatory remarks and posts, in the knowledge that there would not be any implications whatsoever. This anonymity instantly removes any credibility, and thus giving netizens courage to flame others openly online, all because they know that nothing will happen to them in real life. As seen from the second and third paragraphs, the main reason that people dare do stuff that they would not in real life is all because of this anonymity they gain online. Is the Internet really a platform just for mean-spirited people to exploit the anonymity for their own personal gain? There is a old story from one of Plato’s books, about how Gyges, a once honest shepherd turned to evil deeds and usurped the throne, all because he discovered a ring that could make him invisible. All because of this invisibility, Gyges is then willing to do things that he would never dare to in real life. This story further emphasises on the sad fact that anonymity online nowadays is easily exploited and used for underhand purposes.

In conclusion, what I want to say about this whole STOMP hoo-hah is that the fact remains that people still misuse the Internet, and instead abuse their cloak of invisibility for their own personal wants. Is it really because of STOMP that Singaporeans had lost their moral courage and will only dare to go online to criticise others? Though supposedly not a plausible side-effect of STOMP when it was first introduced, I feel that the unfortunate fact remains that STOMP has caused many Singaporeans to lost much moral courage and credibility.

Cheers,

Roystan

Diary Entry

Day 9
9 July 1916

Dear Diary,

It's been 9 days since the Battle of the Somme began. The first day already spelt doom for the Allied Forces, with the estimated casualties at that time reaching around 40,000. 9 days seemed like 9 centuries for us soldiers. Everyday was filled with soldiers busily running from trench to trench, stepping in the mud and exposing ourselves to typhoid, malaria, and anything else. Everyday was full of gunfire and airplane bombings. Day by day, our comrades fell in battle, their dead bodies littering the trenches. Every corner we turned, there was a grotesque corpse with twisted emotions on their faces. Whether it was grief, regret or despair, we had no time to pause to think; the enemy was on their way. The trenches were unbelievably horrible; the mud was seemingly filled with every minute abomination. As the soldiers took off their boots everyday after a weary day at war, uncountable creepy-crawlies could be seen residing in their boots. It was a terrifying sight, and the threat that disease posed to us only added to our paranoia that we would soon meet the Reaper. Was this what we had signed up for? Was this the glory that we had been promised prior to joining the army? As the days continue to go by, all I can hope is for this war, this cruelty, to come to a halt. I pray that one day, I would live to go back to my homeland, where there would be no food shortages, no riots, only peace and harmony.

Description of photograph

Task 1: Descriptive paragraph (20 minutes) 

View the slideshow through the link  below.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_8492000/8492777.stm

 Select one of the photos / images and write a descriptive paragraph on it. Engage the 5 senses -- thus means you should describe not only what is seen, but what is heard, smelt, tasted and felt. Use literary devices (sound, imagery, diction) to bring the scene to life.

Everything had been bombed down. Remains of the many houses littered the ground, while grey debris scattered all around. Wood, cement, metal, and various materials filled the ground, evident that the enemy had struck, hard. The once majestic trees had met their demise, and grey hard rocks were seen on one side of the ground. There was a stench of gunpowder, and the entire area reeked of smoke and more importantly, there was the putrid smell of death and demise. Three soldiers, all clad in unkempt uniforms stained with mud and cement, hurriedly run across the area, trying to avoid the uncountable objects strewn all over the ground, the sounds of their boots hitting the various metals and cement announcing their arrival. Carrying a rifle in case of enemies, they scanned the area, in a futile attempt to locate any comrades. Their eyes gave away their emotions; desperation and panic were painted vividly in their eyes. As such, the soldiers continued forward, for it was the only direction they could go; there was no turning back. 

Language Arts Expository Essay

                Have you ever met someone in school who is particularly tubby? Or maybe someone who is introverted and keeps to himself? Or maybe someone whose life seems to revolve around work, work and work? There is a solution to all of their problems, and the answer is physical education and games. Physical education and games should very much be compulsory in school, to strike a finer balance between work and play.

                As the saying goes, “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy”. We all know that students experience stress, be it from the plethora of work given everyday, or the expectations from parents and teachers. Physical education and games help to provide a form of relaxation for the students, and help them to relief their stress. Physical activities like running allow the student to leave the enclosed boundaries of the classroom and enjoy themselves without worrying about any work, while games help to brighten up school life, as the games provide much fun for the students, and like physical activities, let the students relax and destress. Who can deny that physical education and games provide so much fun and relaxation?

                Other than a form of relaxation, physical activities also help improve the physical fitness of students. Every year, students have to take the NAPFA test. Many students dread the test, as most of them do not regularly exercise, and thus do badly in the fitness test. Therefore, physical education helps improve and train the fitness of students, so that they will do better in these fitness tests. Other than this, physical education and games also encourage students to have a healthier lifestyle, and help promote exercise and active activity. We all know the health benefits of regular exercise and physical education help encourage students to exercise and in turn, adopt better and healthier lifestyle habits.

                However, nothing is perfect in this world, and no doubt, physical education and games are not without their possible problems. Students constantly suffer from injuries due to sports, and common injuries include torn ligaments, sprained ankle, abrasions and blisters. These injuries regularly plague sportsmen, but students may also suffer from these injuries during physical education. Having injuries also disrupt and affect the student’s studying, and result in the student scoring lower in tests and examinations. These problems are all present and some might see these as reasons not to engage in physical activity, but I beg to differ. Injuries can be prevented by following proper precautions and instructions from the teacher or instructor in charge. For example, warming up is an integral part of physical activity, but many people neglect it, and in the end, suffer from injuries that could have been prevented if they had done proper warm up. Therefore, although injuries cannot be entirely prevented, they can be reduced significantly if students follow proper safety and exercise precautions and instructions, thus there is no excuse for students not to exercise.

                Someone once said, “If the United Nations played soccer with each other, the world would be peaceful”. This just goes to show how sports and physical activities can help bond people together, and help otherwise introverted students to open up to others. This, alongside the abovementioned advantages, just goes to show that physical education and games should very much be made compulsory in school, for students to do something else other than study all day long.

Newspapers and Newsworthiness

A few days ago, Ms Huang taught us about the difference between two types of newspapers, namely broadsheet and tabloid, and the factors of newsworthiness. Now, I will voice my opinions on these two topics.

Firstly, I will compare a broadsheet and a tabloid. A broadsheet, like the name suggests, is generally larger, and a good example of a broadsheet is The Straits Times. A tabloid, on the other hand, is a smaller newspaper, and a good example of a tabloid, albeit with milder content, is the New Paper. A broadsheet generally contains factual incidents, and is more inclined towards reporting facts and details objectively. In contrast, a tabloid is generally used to report more ‘soft news’, like celebrity gossip, and using drama to attract readers in. For example, a broadsheet may report on a murder, reporting on the details of the murder and the convict’s punishment. However, a report on the same murder in a tabloid would probably contain grotesque and vivid descriptions of the murder, so as to make the article more exciting, so to speak, and to attract more readers to continue reading on. For myself, I find myself reading more tabloids, mostly the New Paper, because I find the articles in the New Paper easier to understand, and most of the time, more interesting to read as compared to the common dull facts in the broadsheets distributed in Singapore. However, I do read The Straits Times occasionally, as at the end of the day, if I want to know the plain facts of the incident, The Straits Times is the way to go. In conclusion, I feel that a tabloid is more appealing to young readers like myself as in the current tech-savvy generation, simply reporting on walls after walls of boring text and facts will more often than not turn readers off.

Next, what makes a piece of news newsworthy? Is it the scope of the reported incident? Or is it the person or people involved in the incident? Or rather, is it the emotions stirred by the piece of news? Actually, all three of the above are factors of newsworthiness. According to a few websites that I went to, there are around 12 factors of newsworthiness. They are:

1. Timeliness
2. Proximity
3. Exceptional quality
4. Possible future impact
 5. Prominence
 6. Conflict
 7. The number of people involved or affected
 8. Consequence
 9. Human interest
 10. Pathos
 11. Shock value
 12. Titillation component  

All these factors are all accurate, and I am sure the average man on the street can provide you with news articles that contain these factors at his fingertips. However, I will not go through all of these factors, as I feel that it would not really be useful in my reflections.  For example, the Indian Ocean Tsunami caused a lot of deaths and damage, which in turn invoked many people’s emotions, causing them to sympathise with the victims. Therefore, the tsunami is a newsworthy incident to report on, as it includes factors 7, 8, 10 and 11. In my opinion, what makes people actually want to read the news is actually mostly the severity of the issue at hand. This is because the sad fact remains that news editors constantly use emotions to draw us in to read the article. For example, more often than not, a news editor would rather publicise a mass massacre than a good deed done by someone. I cannot remember the last time that the headlines of any newspaper saying the good deeds of a philanthropist. As the saying goes, “No news is good news”, and this basically encompasses what the news usually consists of.

In conclusion, to put it bluntly, our emotions are taken advantage of as the news editors constantly search for new and hot topics to write in the news, so as to attract more readers to read their newspaper. It seems that their marketing tactic has worked well, as seen from my preference of tabloids to broadsheets, but I hope that when I grow up, I will be able to read The Straits Times more often. Cheers!

P.S. On a side note, apologies for the late posting of this blogpost, as I could not find the time to post this up even after I had completed the post.

Continuation of blog in Term 2 :D

Hi everyone, I would be continuing my blog in Term 2! This post may seem a little late but don't worry, I have a few blog posts ready! Stay tuned for more blog posts! :D

Cheers,
Roystan