Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Do we need mega-sized food?
I hope you guys know that fast food is processed food that is as unhealthy as it can get. To make that burger patty, meat parts has been minced up and all sorts of things added into it makes it a terrible food for nourishment and nutrition. And now they are trying to get you to eat 4 patties at one go, that's real madness! Don't fall for it!
Have a Happy New Year!
At different times, I had different feelings with regards to the New Year. When I was much younger, it was a happy time because I get to stuff myself with nice food and was delighted to get the ang baos, but after a while I thought that it was a rather boring holiday as there's no place to go after all that visiting (except to watch movies), and I couldn't understand why we have to go from house to house to visit, sitting there watching TV while waiting for the adults to finish their conversations. Do you think alike too?
But now that I'm sort of grown up already, I am starting to appreciate it all over again. Over the years I only see my cousins once a year during this time, and I realise I missed out on seeing them grow up. At least this holiday gives me a chance to stay in contact with them. Trust me, you will appreciate these traditional Chinese customs as you grow older!
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Obama Inauguration!
Even I feel excited about him being president! We all should be, even though we are not Americans. His election showed that world that most of America has looked beyond racial differences to elect their first Black president, and it is a victory for democracy and meritocracy.
Let's hope it will be a smarter, more tolerant, and more environmentally-conscious world with more presidents like him!
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Romeo and Juliet movie screening
Monday, January 19, 2009
Can we think without words?
Wilfred Funk and Norman Lewis
Without words you could make no decisions and form no judgments whatsoever. A pianist may have the most beautiful tunes in his head, but if he had only five keys on his piano he would never get more than a fraction of these tunes out.
Your words are your keys for your thoughts. And the more words you have at your command the deeper, clearer and more accurate will be your thinking.
A command of English will not only improve the processes of your mind. It will give you assurance; build your self-confidence; lend color to your personality; and increase your popularity.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Count Dracula
The story Dracula was modelled after a Romanian ruler called Vlad III, or more commonly as Vlad the Impaler. To cut a long story short, he was extremely cruel has a habit of executing any prisoners he takes in war by impaling them on tall stakes. In Romania's history, there was already legends of people who are 'undead', and this English writer Bram Stoker uses Vlad's nickname 'Vampire' to create this legend.
Dracula starts with a man called Jonathan Harker who goes to Count Dracula's castle to handle a property deal, but eventually, he find that the Count doesn't allow him to leave, and notices that he does not have reflections in mirrors and can climb down the steep walls of the castle like a bat. He also finds other vampires in the castle, but was saved from them by Dracula himself. After he escapes, his fiancee helped him recover from the trauma but she herself was bitten. With the help of scientist Van Helsing, they eventually managed to kill Dracula.
Interesting thing is, why would an English writer have the idea of writing a story about a Romanian monster? It was because at that time, Western Europe started to feel threatened by the Eastern European citizens, who started to migrate in to work and live. The story reflects the fear and suspicion that the English have of these strange people, by showing them as being weird gypsies and blood (money) suckers, to put it simply.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Should we start school later?
Two days ago, a journalist of the Straits Times wrote an article to suggest that school starts later so that students can get smarter! Yes, it's actually old news that more sleep makes you more able to absorb information better, hence the 'smartness' increase.
I'll love to have that happen, because the truth is I'm a natural late sleeper and always sleep at midnight, so I'm not actually very energetic that early in the morning. And of course, if we start school at 9am, I can have time for a proper breakfast too (which also contributes to IQ!), and recess break will be just at lunchtime.
Would you like that? Why or why not?
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Ptolemy
He created astronomical charts to map out the paths of planets in motion, and establishes the Ptolemaic worldview where the earth is the center of the universe.
He also drew geographical maps of the lands discovered during his time, helping to establish the use of coordinates (latitudes and longitudes) in mapmaking. Above shows a world map that he created, and the map below is one of Southeast Asia (which is quite accurate isn't it?).
He also wrote about astrology and horoscopes which had an influences on religion. Isn't it amazing that ancient people can be so knowledgeable in so many different ways? Leonardo Da Vinci, was such a person too, and he was a scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, painter, sculptor, architect, botanist, musician and writer! We call these people polymaths.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Third-hand smoking!
And now scientists tells us that there's third-hand smoke! Poisonous particles can stay on a smoker's clothes, hair and surrounding, which makes it dangerous for children who pick up things to suck or lick. Even breathing near such area can inhale these poisons!
Run for your lives (literally) if you see the smoke coming!
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Why vulgarities should not be used in the classroom
Thesis Statement -
Vulgarities should not be used in the classroom because it is not appropriate to use crude languages in the school, or any where else, if we want to be responsible citizens of the society.
- Crude languages do not have a place in academic institutions
- Every student have the right to a safe learning environment
- Using vulgarities will not reflect well on the student's character
It also shows up the low level of maturity of the utterer, who have to resort to the use of crude words when they get upset or angry emotionally. They do not have discipline and self-control to control their own temper and feelings, and do not know how to resolve issues or release pent-up emotions in a proper manner.
- Using vulgarities affect your ability to integrate into society as a responsible citizen
Conclusion
Therefore, there is no place for vulgarities and crude words in the school because it is an academic institution and all students should aspire to be exemplary in conduct. Using vulgarities reflects poorly on a person's choice of language, self-discipline, control of emotions, character and moral values.
Shakespeare sonnets!
- It has 14 lines, with alternate rhyming lines
- It is supposed to have 3 quatrains (means every four lines are put together), and one couplet (2 lines together) right at the end.
*Information from Wikipedia
The last lecture
In the lectures and the book itself, he talks about how he got these dreams of playing football, writing an entry in an encyclopedia, floating in zero gravity, being a part of Disney etc, and how one by one, he managed to achieve them.
What makes him such an inspiration is that he is eager to show other people, people like us who read about him, how to have the attitude to achieve our own dreams. How to try over and over again if you really want something - because the obstacles we met are only there to separate those who really want it from those who don't want it hard enough.
Do you have dreams that you want to fulfill? Why not write them down and try your best to achieve them?
Monday, January 5, 2009
Does Shakespeare have any living descendants?
Turns out that the answer is no; Shakespeare does not have any living descendants in the world. But apparently Shakespeare sister does!
On Money
But it didn't used to be like this. There was a time when money wasn't invented. Before money came, people exchanged goods and services, and that was 'barter trading'. Then people started using different things to represent value, anything from salt, barley, seashells, silk, cows and of course precious metals, or whatever that culture believes is valuable. *
But then a cow can't live forever, and salt can dissolve away in water and silk can get torn. So people started using metals, which are rare and shiny and nice. Then to make things easier to carry around, paper money was finally invented.
So. The interesting thing is that in rural areas of certain countries, people still do barter trading because there's not much of a market for them to buy and sell things. If you're a hunter and occasionally need some clothes, you can just exchange your hunt for some. You don't have to do hard work just to get some paper money.
And then there are places with economies so bad that their money is worthless. Zimbabwe is so poor that it lacks many necessities, people have no jobs and there's also no goods to buy. $100,000 probably isn't enough to buy toothpaste, for the Zimbabweans.
We should be glad Singapore has a strong economy, we can buy things like electronic gadgets cheaply because of that, and holidays to many places are not as expensive too.
*Part of the information from Wikipedia
Hello world!
Thanks for being curious enough to visit, and I hope you come back again and again and again...
Basically, I want to use this blog to show you more about things that I talk of in class , and I'm sure they are as fascinating to you as they are to me! If you want to find out something, anything trivial or whatever, just let me know and I'll help you on that!
Keep reading!