My Busy and Hectic Life

I believe that most of the people I know already have very tight schedules everyday especially those in sports CCAs, and now, it is my turn to experience it. Last year wasn't so bad although there were some days where homework kept me awake until 1.30 am in the morning, considering the fact that it requires me to wake up at 5am to arrive at school on time. On Tuesdays, I have Youth Flying Club until 5.30, on Thursdays the occasional Top Gun Academy programme till 5, and on Wednesdays and Fridays I have Robotics until 5.30. Additionally, there is still iCouncil, and my piano lessons every Sunday. However, I can count my lucky stars as competitions that suddenly pop out are nicely staggered for me for all of my activities. My Robotics competitions are in January, May and September, while my Youth Flying Club competitions are from October to November. My piano exam for this grade and the previous grade are all during July, and council camps come in March, June and December. As you can see, everything has been fitted nicely into the year for me. Anyway, taking on all these programmes, I think what makes me go on is the mindset that all of these activities are plain fun. For example, I enjoy Council work because it is usually interesting and helps the student body. Youth Flying Club is enjoyable because the simulations and control line is out of this world. And Top Gun Academy is awesome due to the fact that there are dogfights at the end of the session. And piano allows me to play beautiful music. On top of everything, most importantly, it allows me to have more friends and broaden my social circle. And since now I sleep less I have adapted to doing so everyday, and catching up my sleep on weekends which is not so hectic.

I'm expecting more that is going to happen in Sec 3, but I'd rather take care of the second semester first, before thinking about the next year.

(Term 2 Post #10)

My Love and Passion for Aviation

One of the main aspects in my life is aviation. Since Primary 4 if I remembered correctly, I started to develop an interest for aviation and flying.

I just love it.

As such, I took up a second CCA Youth Flying Club, hoping at the end of the day to obtain a PPL (Private Pilot's Licence) and become a commercial jet pilot. Before this, I was banking on being a chef as my occupation as I grew up.

Before loving aviation, I had definitely sat on an airplane. However, my point of insight was only limited to the cockpit doors. After the 911 crash in America, all cockpit doors had to be closed and fitted with bulletproof material. Unfortunately I did not have X-ray vision. Anyway, my inspiration came from a show called "Seconds from disaster", a documentary series on uncovering the final seconds from any disaster, from air crashes to gas pipe leak explosions. The episode I watched was a Amsterdam Air Crash where flight El Al 1862, a B747 cargo jet, took off and crashed into the side of an apartment block because an engine fell off, and unfortunately hitting another engine, resulting in the loss of two out of four engines. Seeing the cockpit for the first time, I thought that flying a plane would be very difficult because of the many operating panels that the cockpit contains. Continuing on, I started to watch more documentaries on flying like "Air Crash Investigation" and "Aircrash Confidential". These documentaries unravel mysteries that caused the fall of a particular airplane.

Then when I entered Hwa Chong, there was Youth Flying Club, and so I joined it. It is very fun, considering the fact that there is simulation flying, and control line flying. It has really motivated me to get that PPL which I now really desire. Earlier this year, I had even purchased a flying simulator which we use in Youth Flying Club, "Microsoft Flight Simulator", and also a joystick that I can use to fly it.

Term 3 Sabbaticals, I picked Aviation Science. It is lucky that we have a sabbatical for flying. Our wonderful instructor, Mr Alan Yeo, had taken up the role of introducing us to aviation. It was an amazing course, and even after the sabbatical is over, there is still a "Tao of Figher" (also known as Top Gun Academy) programme held almost every Thursday to allow us to train our flying skills and at the end of the day, having a mass dogfight which entices everybody.

Ever since that documentary I watched in Primary 4, my direction in life has changed. I hope that when I turn 16, I can obtain my PPL (even before my driving license) and one day, fly my own plane.

(Term 2 Post #9)

Term 2 Blog Comments

1. http://blogofdavidwho.blogspot.com/2011/05/japan-crisis.html?showComment=1305387009916#c6136782146576756007

2. http://lashirley.blogspot.com/2011/04/blog-prompt-about-newsworthiness.html?showComment=1305387604977#c3407826216768244005

3. http://isandcastler.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2011-05-02T19%3A26%3A00%2B08%3A00&max-results=1

4. http://joellye1997.blogspot.com/2011/05/june-holidays.html?showComment=1305388694760#c2136284820273764744

5. http://quekface.blogspot.com/2011/05/thoughts-on-general-election.html?showComment=1305389277950#c9044770871684447200

6. http://blogofdelphinus.blogspot.com/2011/05/thunderstorm-today-blog-post-8.html?showComment=1305389670609#c173148006884584787

7. http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=2058180424681527240&postID=263700479312497203&isPopup=true

8. http://lablog2i2.blogspot.com/2011/05/chinese-drama.html?showComment=1305390233350#c41490835730695778

9. http://behla2i2.blogspot.com/2011/05/peek-on-my-daily-life.html?showComment=1305390425341#c3944376418217243475

10. http://persevereandprosper.blogspot.com/2011/03/comparing-types-of-newspaper.html?showComment=1305390772954#c1746152454088723786

Right I have gotten smarter and took down the URLs as I commented on their posts :D

Reflections on Term 2 Language Arts Test

This term's test required us to write an expository essay. There were 3 options, social media, adolescence, and arts, and apparently I took the first option: Social media - a blessing or a curse? Discuss. I think I did not do so well and got only a borderline pass because the language I used was too confusing. I think the content was alright but I used too complicated vocabulary which resulted in some confusion. I hope that next term, I can make my points clearer and not be so muffled and confusing. That will also probably pull up my content marks as well because this also resulted in the unclarity of my points and elaboration.

(Term 2 Post #8)

Structure of a Straight News Article

When we are writing a straight news article, we usually have to follow the inverted pyramid structure. This makes the journalist place the most important information at the very start and then slowly put less information at the bottom.

First, we start with the headlines. It is mostly printed in big font on the newspaper to capture the readers' attention. It can be up to 10 words in total and it provides enough information, though it is very short. It also acts as a hook to the reader to interest him.

Next, there is the summary lead. Journalists usually spell it as "lede" so as to not confuse it with the metal lead or other homonyms. This contains the who, what, where, when, why and how about the incident. It provides the reader with very important background information as well.

Following the summary lead, comes the rest of the body paragraphs. In these paragraphs, sentences are an average of 20 to 28 words and paragraphs are much shorter than in essays. These paragraphs explain the story in much more detail, providing quotes from people. They also contain some related events and the preceding happenings and follow-up actions following the event.

Lastly comes the final paragraph and the ending. This features more of related events and also gives implications in the future because of the event.

Most journalists use this structure when they are drafting articles for the newspaper. Though there have been critics on the structure, it is indeed a very useful tool to most journalists.

(Term 2 Post #7)

Parts of the Straits Times Newspaper

The Straits Times newspaper is made up of 9 different sections to serve different readers on their interest. Let's break down the newspaper into these 9 sections to analyse what the sections are exactly for.

Prime News
This is usually the cover of the newspaper because it contains breaking news that readers are interested in. The articles are usually less than a day old and it is meant for people of all ages and occupations to read. The news is mostly major and it is more solemn than articles in other sections.

Singapore
This holds most of the hard news like politics, government, laws and policies. It also touches on the current problems and issues in the Singapore community and is directed towards anyone who is interested in Singapore’s affairs.

Asia
This section is meant for news in our region and continent and also more on political issues. It also contains some articles on the different stock markets within Asia.

World
This section features global news and more about global powerhouses and influential countries like Japan, China and the USA. It provides an update on global news. Occasionally, it shows the inter-country relationships like the strains between two countries or the partnership of a new project.

Money
"Money" provides additional details to the aspect of stock market in the "Asia" section. It also contains information on major investments. This section is more aligned to businessmen, entrepreneurs and investors. It shows how the economy is by analysing it.

Review
There are general topics from journalist's perspectives here, and these topics pose questions that require debate to get an answer, though sometimes an answer is not found. This section is meant for the intellectually-inclined audience because it mostly requires critical thinking and analysis due to the difference in viewpoints.

Sports
As the heading says it, this is entirely about sports. Frequently the headlines are about football and expensive games, like golf. Mostly reported are famous sports teams and the section also reports game results. However, it is biased towards the majority of sports fans because they want to attract as much audience as possible.

ST Forum
Most of the time, this section talks about government policies and because of this it is more about complaining on the policies the government has implemented. This is a public platform for Singaporeans to speak their viewpoints, and as such, many people take it to their advantage by using it as a threat.

Life!
Life! is for recreational reading purposes, and so there are different themes everyday of the week. On Monday it is people, Tuesday is travel, Wednesday is film, on Thursday there is arts, on Friday music, Saturday both cars and interior designing and finally Sunday there is food.

(Term 2 Post #6)

GE2011: Should Opposition Parties Give Up?

This recent General Elections has brought up strong competition, and indeed, the percentage of votes for the PAP has dropped to an average of 60%. However, the remaining 40% is not enough for the opposition parties to win. In GE2006, there were only 2 seats in parliament given to the opposition, one WP and one SPP. Now in GE2011, all 6 are given to WP. We can see that at this rate, it would almost take forever for the opposition to find the majority of seats. Should they give up?

Remember not long ago there were the middle eastern protests? This was all because of the government taking control of the country for a very long time. Not long later, they started to fight back. We can see in the future, if the PAP remains in power for the next 20, 30 or even 40 years, will the peace still be in our nation? I am not so sure that Singapore's citizens would be happy to see the opposition having only 6 seats in parliament considering the fact that 40% of Singapore supports the opposition.

This brings me to the fact that the PAP has already been in power for 50 years. As they are already in power, they at most certainly have the ability to change policies in Singapore. Let me give you an example which is my personal anecdote. In GE2006, my area was under the Sembawang GRC. However, due to the fact about the PAP knowing that the opposition would come back strong, they knew that they were going to be defeated if they did not do something about it. They especially knew the most vulnerable areas that were almost lost, including Nee Soon East GRC. Thus a strategy that they implemented, was to "cut off" a small portion of the pro-PAP Sembawang GRC, which was where my area was, and "give" it to Nee Soon GRC. This balanced the two GRCs and gave the PAP a leading edge and I believe that that was how they had won by a small margin.

So, is the everlasting power that the PAP had in the first place the reason why the opposition parties are unable to win support? No, I should put it in a way that the opposition has garnered support, but it is the PAP's cunning tactics that have led these opposition parties to be disappointed once again.

Will Singapore ever be able to have a fair political competition like the USA, with only two main parties, the Republicans and Democrats? Maybe even, these opposition parties would come together and with one force, defeat the PAP. Or, will we be like North Korea, brainwashed by the PAP and forever live under them? Maybe it is time for all Singaporeans to consider their political future.

(Term 2 Post #5)

Reflections on Singapore General Elections 2011 (GE2011)

This can be said as the first general elections that has caught my attention because I was probably too young to understand politics then. More exposed to such an event, this has been exciting enough to watch the results until 2.30 am at night.

Well, as far as I have been told, the opposition parties have come prepared and geared up to take over more of the SMCs and GRCs that the PAP governed for what seemed forever. All but Tanjong Pagar were contested by opposition parties. Of course, there were some strategies both the PAP and the opposition parties took to try to win support.

Firstly, let's discuss the PAP strategies. Lee Hsien Loong had apologised for various policies he had implemented. On first sight it might look that he had made a wrong move by admitting that the PAP had been making incorrect decisions, but looking on the other side, it lets the population know that Lee Hsien Loong is humble and they understand that they are not the most powerful and the proudest.

Now look at the opposition. It is very obvious that they are trying to place their powerhouses at other GRCs to gather support, namely Low Thia Kiang and Chiam See Tong. Well this is a big risk executed because if these two fail to win enough votes, they may risk losing both sides. When the results came out, it has shown that Low Thia Kiang had garnered enough support to allow him to be an MP. This was unfortunately not true for Chiam See Tong. Losing by a margin of 13%, what is the reason that he had lost? Moreover, back in Potong Pasir, he had placed his wife as the MP for the SMC. Is his wife capable of continuing the sole lifeline of the SPP? Results have shown that she had lost by a marginal 1%. We can see that it is not because of Lina Chiam that residents are voting for SPP but because of the foot mark Chiam See Tong had made in this SMC. This is why it is so close, though Sitoh Yih Pin eventually emerged as victorious.

From the above, we can see that this strategy from the opposition is quite successful. But rethink about this, maybe, this strategy is unsuccessful, maybe they were as good as dead as they tried to do so. Maybe it's because of the speech that Lee Kuan Yew "tried to help" George Yeo that resulted in this outcome. Lee Kuan Yew had mentioned that Aljunied voters had 5 years to 'repent' if the GRC fell into the hands of WP. He had also said that he will 'deny upgrading funds' to the GRC if the Workers Party governed it. This has probably created great fury on the voters as it makes Lee Kuan Yew look like he is threatening them. This has thus made all the voters support the Workers Party instead.

So, will the opposition continue to implement this strategy in GE2016? Will the same effect happen? Or will the PAP finally get 100% seats in parliament? We do not know. All we can say that if the PAP finally achieves 100% seats, many people will indeed be unhappy.

(Term 2 Post #4)

Newspaper Writing: Tom Robinson's Foiled Attempt to Escape

The Maycomb Tribune

August 28, 1933 YOUR DAILY NEWSPAPER Since 1866

SUNDAY: Famous nigger Thomas Robinson dies after a violent case of shooting. He was shot by a total of 17 times during exercise period serving his time in jail. Tom Robinson, charged for raping Mayella Ewell, is left dead after a bullet hit him following the shots in the air while trying to escape.

One of the guards described what happened. He said that Tom “just broke into a blind raving charge at the fence and started…

Sentenced to jail for raping Mayella Ewell, Tom

Robinson tried to break out of jail when he was shot.

…climbing over, right in front of us.” It was said that 17 shots were necessary as fewer shots could not ensure death.

Witnesses say that there had been efforts to warn and stop Tom from trying to escape. A guard, Alex Carter, 31, said, “If he had two good arms he’d have made it, he was moving so fast.” The body has been taken to the black church already.

This has been the first time in 44 years that someone (excluding Tim Johnson) has been shot and killed. This will change Maycomb’s history that there has been a shooting in 1933.

How to Write an Expository Essay

An expository is different from a narrative. A narrative is something like a story where there are characters, setting, theme, plot and climax. However, an expository does not have these elements. It is not a story but a descriptive essay which does not specifically refer to a particular event. It is general though it can have different perspectives and viewpoints. A narrative is either first, second or third person perspective; in an expository there is also first, second and third person viewpoints, however there are also certain criteria we must take into consideration before embarking on the essay. If the essay is about a personal experience, it is written in first person. If it is directed at the reader, a second person is used. A third person is the most common as it talks about others and not directly at the reader. Second person viewpoint is not used as it can occasionally be rude as if instructing the reader to execute something or so.

This is how an expository should be written:

Introductory paragraph: It starts with a hook which engages the reader to continue reading the article. Hooks include definitions of key concepts, quotes, unusual stuff, a statistic, anecdotes, a shocking statement, an interesting fact or even a question. Following it is the link to the thesis. It connects the hook to the thesis. Before the thesis itself, there must be the basis for the thesis, only after does the thesis appear.

Body Paragraphs: These are the main supporting paragraphs for the thesis. Commonly 4 to 5 of these are used in an essay, and they follow the PEEL structure (Point, Evidence, Elaboration and Link). The point is the topic sentence which is a brief overview of the paragraph. Following is the examples and explanation to back up the topic sentence. Finally there is the link to show how the evidence links back to the topic sentence and ultimately the thesis. This process is repeated 4 times.

Conclusion: To end the essay, this paragraph sums up (not summarizes) the whole essay and links it back to the thesis and answers the question if necessary. It can also provide the reader with future implications and even pose a closing question.

So that is how an expository essay should be written.

(Term 2 Post #3)

Types of Expository Essays

In my primary school days, writing was as simple as narratives. I had heard of expository as another form of essay in areas such as comprehension exercises, but never would I have detected a pattern amongst different types of expository. Term 2 2011, I have learnt the different types of expository and what to look out for when writing them.

Analogical Essay

The analogical essay is when we describe a factor and use another to support the main factor. It compares the supporting factor alongside to the main factor. It finds common elements of both factors. This type of essay can be used for almost anything so long as the writer can find two points that are different, but in a way, related.

Cause and Effect Essay

This type of essay describes the reasons and the results of a particular action. It is mostly used in physics and chemistry science as it describes the changes when something is done to the experiment. There are 3 subdivisions of this essay: multiple causes for one effect, one cause for multiple effects or a domino chain. The first describes the causes, the second describes the effects and the last, a chain of events that are caused by the previous.

Classification Essay

Classification essays basically state a general topic and provide all the examples under the topic. This actually is a classification essay on its own. It states how it is going to classify in the essay in the first paragraph then goes on to classify the points. Most of the time the writer classifies the factors according to characteristics of the factor.

Compare and Contrast Essay

Each paragraph in this type of essay is to describe not only the differences but the similarities of two different aspects. Many of these types of essays are poorly written because of their wrong structure. The following comparison is not supposed to be mentioned in the previous one, and so is always wrong. We use compare and contrast essays when we want to take opinion on a decision.

Processing Essay

Found in scientific writing, a processing essay is used to describe how to do a something or how a thing is done. It is described using the "what", "when", "which", "why", most importantly "how" and the less used "who". Definitions and processes are both described in the essay. Also, transition words are used most often in this type of essay as they describe the time and sequence of the process.

Example Essay

The final essay is the example essay, where the main support is given examples and statistics in every paragraph. This is better written as a short essay as if it is too long it would probably be boring. It can make a clear argument though it is simple, and can be very persuasive.

When we write our expository essays, we have to identify exactly which type of essay the question is prompting us to write, and if not, we would possibly go off course and leave the main topic. Thus it is very important to decide what essay it is.

(Term 2 Post #2)