F-word during the NTU valedictory speech by Trinetta Chong

Ok... How should I start? Even I am at a loss to approaching this question :D

Let's just say that we hear so much of crude words in our private conversations that we have become insensitive to such once taboo words. Even I have to admit that I close one eye whenever a classmate of mine says such vulgarities, whether it is in Hokkien, or the four-lettered word.

However, this is to my surprise that even the NTU valedictory speech can contain such profanities. Moreover,  this student, Trinetta Chong, is apparently a graduate from the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information. Doesn't she have any word better to say besides the the f-word to express her feelings then?? Moreover, the fact that she is a valedictorian shows that she has immense popularity among her peers. Instead of encouraging her schoolmates to be more crude in their conversations, why can't she use her popularity to influence her schoolmates to be more civil? In fact, just to digress a little, people always say that if you wish to change the world, you just need to change yourself. This is especially applicable to celebrities and royals, who are looked up to by millions of fans. These fans always wish to imitate the celebrities' actions. Instead of taking drugs and committing crimes like nobody's business, celebrities should start doing good.


To end this extremely short post, let me just say, this is the result of saying profanities and swearing in conversations everyday. I tell you, it would become a habit and these vulgarities will come to you extremely naturally. If you lose your control, the first words that come to you will definitely be these profanities. To my classmates reading this post, let me advise you, BE CIVIL IN YOUR CONVERSATIONS FOR ONCE! :)

Week 6 Blog Prompt: News Media

Read up on the Rupert Murdoch phone scandal. You can find some links (from TIME online) I posted up in Week 6, as well as read up on the Newsweek coverage of the news. 


In relation to the news coverage on the scandal, answer the question: 


"The news media should be blamed for the unhealthy paparazzi culture and going to the extremes for sensational news. How far do you agree?"

---

The media has always been associated with paparazzi and reports desperately searching for news and people to interview about certain incidents. The media are known to exaggerate the truth, sometimes a little too far. The Rupert Murdoch phone-hacking scandal has revealed a darker side to the world of journalism. I would like to agree to a rather small extent with the statement that the news media should be blamed for the unhealthy paparazzi culture and going to the extremes for sensational news.

The very first factor would boil down to the news media itself. The news media, in order to keep their customers reading their paper. The news media companies would always want to get the latest and juiciest news for their customers to enjoy. News not reported by other news companies would also be an added advantage to news media companies as readers would talk about this news to others, who would soon know through rival news media companies and come to trust the news media company who got the piece of news first, increasing the reputation of the company, attracting more readers and result in more income. As the saying goes: "the early bird catches the worm", the only way for the news company to be an early bird is to have paparazzi to spy on the influential and even go to the extreme, like the phone-hacking scandal, to get the news.

However, we need to be aware of the fact that the news media use extreme measures to get news, because of the very fact that the general public wishes to get such information. For example, in today's society, people love sensation. Most people like to see scandals in the news paper as it is more easier to read than hard facts like updates on economy and new laws implemented by the government. People would also want a piece of news to talk about and gossip. Many others would naturally be curious about what their celebrity idols are doing in their private lives, thus when this kind of scandal comes out, people would be interested. Tabloids are papers which report on matters which do not actually concern us, like an argument between 2 people on a bus, or accidents that resulted in injuries. Why is it that these kind of Tabloids are able to thrive? It is because of the very fact that people prefer to look at the latest sensation than to look at heavy-going articles on the large-print. As a result, the news media would be forced to look for new information to feed to the readers, resulting in the usage of extreme measures and the paparazzi.

Since tabloids are created due to public interests, the main root of the problem would be the general public. If people enjoy reading heavy-going news than the latest gossip, then tabloids would not exist in the first place. Therefore I would say that it would be the general public causing the news media to go to extreme measures and making use of the paparazzi to get hold of information. Therefore I agree with the statement only to a small extent.

Blog Post Term 3 Week 5: Merchant of Venice Act 4 Scene 1

By the end of the trial scene, do you think true justice and mercy was achieved? Reflect and write on the following questions:

1. Is there true justice? Why?

Personally, I feel that there is no such thing as true justice in this world. The justice that one perceives is different in everyone.

For example, we may say that there is no true justice in the trial scene as Shylock is still a victim of discrimination and abuse by Christians. We may say that the Christians are the 'villians' here and Shylock is just a pitiful Jew who is constantly tormented by society. In modern times, we all try to uphold the view that everyone is equal. That is way we have racial harmony, why racism and discrimination against religions are considered taboo in Singapore. This is why there are human rights organisations fighting against the oppression of groups of people like the African-Americans.

However, during the time of Shakespeare, the persecution of Jews was not a rare sight. Jews are even banned from certain countries of continental Europe like England during the Middle Ages. There were even violence against the Jewish people like massacres, forced conversion. Why? That is because the Christians had the stereotype that all Jews were guilty of killing Jesus. The fact that Shakespeare, through this play has implied that Shylock should be the sympathised with is quite surprising, due to the fact that he would not have met any Jewish person in his life and that he would have been brainwashed by the values of the society then. To the people watching the play then, they would have thought that there absolutely true justice as Shylock is too heartless has been too greedy to get that pound of flesh from Antonio's body. Thus, he needed to be thought a lesson, which is delivered by Portia.

As you can see, Justice can never be defined in black and white. No matter how one objects, one can never explain this grey area in Justice.

2. Is there true mercy, as expounded by Portia? Why?

I believe that this is even true mercy. Yes, it may seem so on the outside, but is merely putting up a facade to hide the fact that she just wants to play the "an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth game" with Shylock.

Portia can be seen as being merciful as it is because it can be view that either Shylock loses his fortune, or his life. In this case, Portia chooses to let Shylock live. Thus some would view her as merciful.

However, Portia, in the first place, shouldn't be even tell the court that Shylock is attempting murder on an innocent victim. It is that fact which shows that she able to manipulate and persuade, yet cunning enough to make herself the heroine of the story with a heart of gold.

Therefore, it is hard to say if Portia is being merciful.

3. Justice and Law can be manipulated by people in power. Comment on this with reference to the text and other real-life cases and examples.

According to the text, Portia is the person in power, with the looks that charm, the intelligence and a fortune left by her father. Portia, during the trial of Antonio, managed to turn the table around during the court, to win a losing battle, and to find a loophole in the deal, thereby accusing Shylock of attempted murder. This is the manipulation of the Justice and the Law of that time.

In real life, one can see that those in power, like presidents, or even celebrities, get away from crimes scot-free. Recent cases would include the Dominique Strass-kahn's involvement with the hotel rape scene, President Bill Clinton's sex scandal, or even sports celebrities' scandals like that case of Tiger Woods and Wayne Rooney. In the past, sometimes even now, the richer people would only have the power and money to hire lawyers. As a result, the poor had no justice and the rich would always be not guilty, unless there is extremely concrete evidence. Besides that, the is Rupert Murdoch's News of the World, where it took messages of dead soldiers and murder victims, with the ability to hide their dirty secrets till recently.

As stated earlier, there is NO true justice. The society is always controlled by those who have the wealth and influence. That is why I aspire to work hard and become influential. That way, I would be able to induce positive values in this degrading society easily. :)

Week 4 Blog Prompt: Sec 4's Request to the Education Minister

http://www.temasekreview.com/2011/07/12/an-open-letter-to-the-education-minister-from-a-secondary-4-student/

Summary of this article:


It is a letter from a Secondary 4 student by the name of Janelle Lee. She is appealing to the new Education Mr Heng to make changes to the education system so that it would be"first class" and be able to cultivate and develop students with certain talents like the Arts, Acting instead of just academically.


Assignment:

You probably have already heard that a Secondary Four student recently wrote a to letter the Education Minister, Mr Heng Swee Keat, which generated much heated debate again about Singapore's much-discussed education system.

What are your views?

• To what extent do you agree with the issues that the student has raised here? Point out some issues of agreement and possible contention

I do agree with the fact that the School system is currently stifling students' real abilities, character and talents. For example, for major examinations, it is the mark that ensures that you enter a prestigious school or a school of your choice. People do not look at your portfolio, whether you have been a approachable person well-liked by peers or simply a studious boy who does not know how to respect others, thinking that he is always right.


Another point I would like to look to would be that people are not subject to change but create the change. This means that people are the beings with creativity and cause the change, but are not the followers of change. As youngsters, we are the greenhorns in this area, ready to "change the world". A really good example would be in the Middle East, where demonstrations are organised and started by the younger generation who are eager to make changes to their countries. Similarly in Singapore, the teenagers will be the future generation driving the Singapore economy and ensuring that Singapore withstands the test of time. If the education system suppresses the teen's abilities, won't we be ruining our country's future?

• Examine her tone and attitude in this letter. Do you think it’s a well-crafted letter with the appropriate tone?

Her attitude in this letter would be one of frustration, yet generally, there is a tone of respect in the letter. I believe that the letter is well-written. After all, she is writing to the Minister of Education. Even if she is extremely disappointed and angry with the school system (which she believes is messed up and badly needs reviewing), she cannot just vent her anger on the Education Minister. Besides, Mr Heng has just transferred to the education, she cannot be blaming him at all for what Mr Heng's predecessors have done. 

• If you should write a letter to Minister of Education, what are some issues you would raise? Remember- your intention is to make the system better for society’s betterment via CONSTRUCTIVE ideas.

An issue I would raise would be the current effectiveness of PSLE.


The PSLE is held in Primary 6, where students are termed as "tweens", the age between a child and a teen. Students start to mature at different times, some at Primary 5, others at Secondary 2. Naturally, the students who mature first would be the students will a better advantage. Personally, I had a lot of difficulty looking at figures in Mathematics, and it was only when I reached Secondary 1 when I started to finally understand and look at things in different angles. PSLE is no longer a good gauge of how smart you are, unlike in the 1960s, where students had to rely on themselves to get through the examination. Now, it just shows how good you are able to memorise facts and how good your tuition resources are. Moreover, the PSLE total mark for Chinese and English are 200 each, while Math and Science are 100 each. That would mean that those naturally better in languages would perform better in the PSLE, thus academically better. That is, or course, not true at all.


Similarly, I would like to raise the problem with the Gifted Education Programme.


Last time, the GE Programme was designed to picked out the 'gifted' students from the cohort to be placed under a special syllabus where they have more expanded lesson objectives to be fulfilled compared to the rest of the mainstream students. This would be fulfilled via a General Ability Test (GAT), as well as a series of Math and English tests.Does that mean that as long as you are trained to tackle problems in the GAT, know how to cram or are academically inclined to English and Math, you are 'gifted'? What about those good in Science and Chinese? What about those in sports? The GE Programme needs to be heavily reviewed.


A third issue I would raise would be the Arts curriculum in primary schools.


Usually,  in Primary Schools, there is a lack of Art and Music teachers, thus the teachers from the mainstream curriculum would be roped in to help. Typically, if that teacher happens to the subject teacher of the class, if she/he is lacking of time to finish teaching the curriculum, the subject teacher would usually convert that class into a main subject class, effectively removing the purpose of an Art curriculum to be there at all. Of course, no one is to be blamed, but perhaps the tight schedule due to the prepared lesson syllabus might be stressing the teacher out too much. Therefore, if the government wishes to ensure that students have the chance to appreciate arts and music, a balance should be made between the 2 syllabuses.

T3: Week 3 Blog Post (Money and Relationships)

In your opinion, is money important in a relationship? Consider the 'transactional' element observed in the relationships between the couples. Do you think there is an upward trend of relationships and marriages valuing money over other qualities? Provide examples for your responses.

There are plenty of songs about finding your true love. This one is about the persona's childhood sweetheart:

Well, money may be important, especially in this ever materialistic world. Unfortunately, however highly-ranked it is, money is just a factor in a successful relationship.

 I cannot help but agree that money is essential for a relationship to work. Many articles agree with this point, stating that a great relationship cannot be started until couples learn to communicate and agree about money matters. Without money, one cannot even sustain or support a relationship. Money is even needed to even get into a relationship, as seen in Bassanio having to get a loan just to have a chance to woo Portia.

People mostly treasure money for the following reasons:

• Security:  Money helps you feel safe and secure.
• Status:  Money helps you create a positive image.
• Selfless:  Money helps you feel good by giving to others.
• Free Spirit:  Money is not a priority for your carefree lifestyle.
• Targeted Goals:  Money helps you achieve your goals.
• Spontaneous:  Money encourages you to enjoy the moment.

Thus, your parents are right in saying that as long as you have the money, the relationships will come to you.

  

For example, a poor family might be happier than a wealthy family as the poorer family is more bonded, compared to the richer family who only cares about earning money and have no time to spend time with one another. This analogy applies to relationships. Ask yourself, why is the divorce rate rising? Perhaps it is because both feel enslaved in each other's arms. If that is the case, why did you marry? Didn't you like them for who they are? Unless they till, money is only part of the picture in a relationship. Money is not everything. A poor family might be married each other for money or spouse is rich...

In a relationship, there are always other factors besides money. Both usually share a common interest, have a mutual liking for each another as well as understanding. You like your partner's character and don't mind his/her shortcomings. You easily communicate with each other, with both able to comprehend the other party's view or frustration. In other words, you enjoy each other's company


Referred to:
http://www.daveramsey.com/article/the-truth-about-money-and-relationships/lifeandmoney_relationshipsandmoney/

http://ezinearticles.com/?Understand-the-Conditions-For-a-Successful-Relationship---Get-Your-Ex-Back-Using-These-Principles&id=4609916

http://humanwired.wordpress.com/2008/08/28/what-is-a-successful-relationship-what-are-the-standard-you-use-to-say-your-relationship-is-a-successful-one/

Blog Prompt Week 2 - Evolution of War

In your opinion, how has war evolved from the past to present? Use examples to justify your opinions

War has evolved in many aspects.

The first would be the type of weaponry used. In the past, war would be depicted knight in shining armour, people on horseback, carrying swords, with the battlecry. As we moved into the 18 century, we could see the emergence of guns as the primary fighting tool instead of swords and shields. Slowly, we moved on to the war in the air, the sea, and the tanks. Of course, guns have been constantly improving to include sniping. Cannons were introduced. Finally, with the nuclear age, don't forget the "Thin boy" and "Fat Man", the first of the nuclear bombs which were dropped on Japan's Hiroshima and Nagasaki to end the war as quickly as possible. Currently, the stealth plane was been developed, designed to avoid getting caught on radar and able to be remote controlled to bomb certain targets.

The second would be the way of communication. Communication in warfare started off with people travelling from one place to another to send the message to another contingent. The marathon started off due to a battle in Greece against the Persians, when the the army from the state Athens defeated the Persians despite being outnumbered. Before the battle, a runner was sent to Sparta to ask for help. (When the Olympic marathon was started, they based it on a fabled run, where they mixed the story up, stating that the runner ran from Marathon to Athens, crying "Victory" before collapsing dead on the ground due to exhaustion.) As time progressed, communication became more complex, with the invention of the telegram and the coded messages. Now, we have radars and trackers, communication satellites, and walkie-talkies.

However, no matter how war develops, the reasons and processes always remains the same. War would always be a matter of taking sides, a violent 'resolution' to a certain problem. War would always involve espionage and assassination, as well as back-stabbing. As seen in Emperor Qin's unification of China, there was an assassination attempt on him. In the 1st and 2nd World War, there were spies everywhere, whether working like James Bond or managing to work in the enemy government. Spies still exist this very day, as seen in the recent spat due to 14 Russian spies like Anna Chapman. War would always result in the whole human race victimised and suffering. 

Book Review - Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie

Why I chose the book

While I was at Popular Bookshop at shopping centre which I could not remember, I happened to come across this book. Not knowing the author, I asked my parents, who told me that Agatha Christie was a favourite author of their time. Intrigued by my parents' culture when they were younger, and the fact that the book was a detective story, I decided to pick the book, which happened to be on sale too :)

Plot Summary

Hercule Poirot is a famous detective who is on vacation in this story. He happens to be on a (River) Nile ship with the richest girl in England, Linnet Ridgeway, or rather, Linnet Doyle as she has just got married a man called Simon Doyle just a few months before her 21st birthday. Unfortunately, during Linnet's honeymoon, she was shot in the head. In the cabin where she was killed, a big red 'J' stained the wall. The race was on to find out the mastermind of the story.

Poirot vividly remembered an experience just weeks when he was talking to Jacqueline De Bellefort, the best friend of Linnet, but was later furious that Linnet stole her fiance, Simon. She told him that she loved to bring her pistol against her beautiful head. Jacqueline was been stalking the Doyles throughout their honeymoon, thoroughly annoying the couple and pushing Linnet into a state of distress. However, Poirot could not pinpoint her immediately, for she had alibis to cover her. Simon Doyle was also not suspected, for he too had alibis. This was due to an incident the night before, when Jacqueline accidentally shot Simon in the leg and everyone who was still awake were in a frenzy to get treatment for Simon. Poirot had to look for other potential suspects.

As the story develops, the other characters on the ship (some were introduced earlier) began to show their intentions for being here as well as their backgrounds. A brief summary of the characters would be as follows:

• American novelist Salome Otterbourne, who found out the murderer but was killed before she could tell Hercule Poirot 

• Salome's daughter, Rosalie Otterbourne (fell in love with Tim Allerton, and their love is shown during Poirot's investigation

• Mrs. Allerton (Mother of Tim Allerton)

• Tim Allerton (fell in love with Rosalie)

• Linnet's American trustee, Andrew Pennington, who "happened to run" into her in Egypt, but had, in fact, purposely had the trip to let Linnet sign some documents to ensure that her property and heirloom would still be hers for the time being

• Linnet's maid, Louise Bourget, who was, like Salome, killed when she found out who the murderer was

• American socialite Marie Van Schuyler 

• Marie Van Schuyler's cousin, Cornelia Robson

• Bowers, Miss Van Schuyler's nurse

• A young traveler named Ferguson, an outspoken Socialist;

• Archaeologist Signor Richetti, also known to be a foreign agent and murderer whom Colonel Race was after

• A diffident young man named James Fanthorp, who had been sent by Andrew Pennington's company to keep an eye on him

• An Austrian physician named Dr. Bessner, who treated Simon when he was shot in the leg and became to Cornelia Robson

• Colonel Race, who assisted Poirot in the investigations

In the end, Poirot began to look at the situation in a different angle. He finally found out the truth, and it involved Simon and Jacqueline hatching an elaborate plan to kill Linnet but with each other as alibis. The plot is as follows:


Jacqueline pretended to shoot Simon; he faked being wounded with red ink, concealed in Linnet's nail polish bottle. While everyone was preoccupied with getting Jacqueline back to her cabin that night, Simon picked up the gun, ran to Linnet's cabin, shot her in the head using Jacqueline's pistol which she dropped onto the floor, and then came back to the lounge and shot himself in the leg, throwing the gun overboard before anyone came back. As a result, Dr. Bessner confirmed that his wound left him unable to have left the lounge upon examining Simon.

Before the murder, Jacqueline or Simon drugged Poirot's bottle of wine at dinner, ensuring that Poirot would be a deep sleep through the night and be unaware of any commotion that night, hoping that would render Poirot unable to solve the mystery.

Louise Bourget and Mrs. Otterbourne both announced that they had seen the guilty party in Simon's presence; he managed to warn Jacqueline – once in private, and once by yelling at Mrs. Otterbourne in a voice loud enough to carry to Jacqueline – who acted quickly and killed both witnesses.

Analysis of major Characters


Jacqueline De Bellefort

Jacqueline is a complicated character. She starts off as a innocent young lady, faithful to her boyfriend Simon, appearing to Linnet Ridgeway as a gentle and caring friend asking for a favour. However, when Linnet tried to steal Simon away from Jacqueline, she became furious and revealed a darker side of her: cunning, scheming and a woman with an appetite for revenge. However, as long as she has her love, she doesn't really care, even if it meant killing her best friend and other innocent passengers.

Simon Doyle

Simon is a simple-minded man who loves Jacqueline and likes money since he is poor. When Simon met Linnet, he liked her riches rather than her looks. He tells Jacqueline that he wants Linnet's money. Which ultimately resulted in the elaborate plan to kill Linnet. Simon is also a rather timid character who admitted the truth the minute he realised that Hercule Poirot had found out about the plot.

Linnet Ridgeway

Linnet is rumoured to be the richest girl of England, inheriting a fortune from her father and her father's business. Using her looks, charisma, brains and power, she was able to influence anyone to do things her way. She tries her best to help others, starting with the donation of huge sums of money to charity. She also helps Jacqueline in any way she could without ruining Jacqueline's integrity. However, she is a little of a spoilsport.This could be seen when she attempted to steal Simon away from Jacqueline, trusting that her riches and her beauty would attract Simon's attention. She died a horrid death as a result of being too rich.

Hercule Poirot

Hercule Poirot is a Belgian detective who was on holiday in this story. He has a knack at solving cases in which the clues don't seem to add up. He is depicted as an extremely polite person who is amicable, approachable and a person who has many contacts and friends due to his character.

Hercule Poirot is a very famous character created by Agatha Christie and helped to spice up the story.

My view on the book

This book is very interesting, even surprising me with such an incredible twist at the end. The only thing that intrigues me is how Jacqueline De Bellefort would be able to afford 2 guns and travelling fees if she was not that rich. Perhaps Simon passed her the money when Linnet was not looking. Overall, this book has lived up to Agatha's name and is a story worth reading.

Post-Reflection on"The Soldier" by Rupert Brooke

"The Soldier"

Rupert Brooke

If I should die,think only this of me:

That there's some corner of a foreign field 

That is for ever England. There shall be 

In that rich earth a richer dust concealed;

A dust whom England bore, shaped, made aware, 

Gave, once, her flowers to love, her ways to roam;

A body of England's, breathing fresh air,

Washed by the rivers, blest by suns of home.

And think, this heart,all evil shed away,

A pulse in the eternal mind, no less

Give somewhere back the thoughts by England give;

Her sights and sounds; dreams happy as her day;

And laughter, learnt of friends; and gentleness,

In hearts at peace under an English heaven.

• Annually, we need young men in Singapore to do national service. Why do you think NS is compulsory in Singapore and why is this important?

I would say that compulsory NS is the only way Singapore is able to build up a strong enough defence force. Moreover, NS instills patriotism in the younger generation and creates a sense of pride for Singapore in the male population. It is a way where Singaporeans can give back to the Singapore.

• In the above poem, the speaker expresses his love for his country, England. Do you have the same spirit of patriotism towards Singapore? Why? Do you find this same spirit of patriotism in Singapore?

 I guess it would be a no, at least not at the moment. I am still in a bubble, and have not seen the full picture of Singapore. In fact, I may not understand certain matters concerning Singapore. Perhaps when I become a young adult, when I have matured in thinking, as well as gone through NS, only then will I have this patriotic spirit.

I do see such spirit of patriotism in Singapore, particularly in the older generation. The elderly have been in Singapore, watching Singapore grow through the years, experienced the hardships with Singapore in the earlier times. Thus the X-generation people are quite nostalgic of the place already.

On this other hand, though this spirit of patriotism has lived on in the younger generation. Many do not see the full picture of Singapore and do not realise how blessed they are living in such a nice city. A minority even complain about Singapore's shortcomings instead of looking at the better qualities. This could be due to the fact that they are coming from a wealthier family where Singapore has been developed and they have everything they need.

• Do you consider yourself a patriot of your country?

Not in the moment, but in time, I will grow to be one. After all, I have been "dust whom (Singapore) bore, shaped, made aware, Gave, once, her flowers to love, her ways to roam; A body of (Singapore's), breathing fresh air, Washed by the rivers, blest by suns of home". If I don't give back to my country, I am being unappreciative of my upbringing. 

Book Review - The Broker by John Grisham

Why I chose this book

I was browsing through some books in Times bookshop when I came across this book. After reading the back cover, I realised that this book is a face-paced adventure full of action, which was exactly what I wanted to read at that time.

Plot summary

Joel Backman was an extremely rich and successful power broker who led a luxurious and promiscuous life (6 wives and many more affairs) and had an empire to his name. However, after his greed to attempt to sell the technology to control a powerful unknown spy satellite (JAM) to the Saudis and Isralis, he landed himself in jail when the deal fell through and the US authorities came to know about his illegal actions.

6 years later, he was suddenly granted a controversial last-minute pardon by the outgoing president, with the government stating decent behaviour. He was smuggled out of the country in a military cargo plane, given a new name, Marco, a new identity, and a new home to stay in Bologna, Italy. The government ensured that he fitted in perfectly by learning the language well with the help of government agents in Italy, by employing Ermanno and Francesca (Joel's later love interest and helper in his escape), 2 locals in Bologna.

However, behind the seemingly innocent plan to live in another country due to security purposes, Teddy Maynard, director of the CIA, has hatched an elaborate plan to set Joel Backman up by 'leaking' Joel Backman's coordinates anonymously to the Chinese, Russians, Saudis, and Israelis who were suspected of creating the spy satellite. The actual job of the government agents helping Joel were to observe who would be sending assassins in first to kill Joel. That would reveal the creator of the spy satellite once oand for all.

Joel manages to discover what he has gotten himself into and quickly escaped. With the help of his son, Neal Backman, Joel got himself some money, a new phone and a new outfit to elude the US agents in Italy. From there, we proceeded to Zurich, where he kept his most prized possession: the JAM software, used to hack into the unknown spy satellite and the software that landed him in jail, and a huge sum of money.

He later returned to the US using  without being detected, with the help of Francesca, of course, using her husband's passport. He made contact with several of his old acquaintances: his business associate and a senator whom he personally knows to hand the JAM software to the Pentagon, in turn asking for protection from the Saudis, Israelis, Russians and the Red Chinese. He creates a distraction by calling for a media interview, and while the assassins of all countries remain confused, Backman returns to Bologna, promising to keep in touch with Neal more often. It is also implied that he spends the rest of his life with Francesca.

Character Analysis of Joel Backman


Joel Backman is like a bad guy turned good. At first, with so much of wealth in his hands, he thought that he could get away with anything with the mere influence over the US government. He had been pampered by his own empire he had made, yet was still hungry for more fame, power and influence. He had completely ignored and did not pay much attention to his son, Neal Backman, and his 6 wives. After he had come out of jail, Joel had been humbled, and realised the importance of family, thus treasured Neal all the more, especially when Neal had been helping him to escape from the US agents. He had finally found his real love, Francesca. By abandoning his former life in the US to lead a more simple life in Bologna with Francesca, it shows that Joel Backman had repented and turned over a new leaf, letting go of his greed for power.

My opinion on the book and Recommendation

I believe that this John Grisham has done a great job in writing this book. It has taught me this lesson that, even if you have so much of power in your hands, you need to be mindful of your actions all the more, and it would be much satisfying if you learn to appreciate life more compared to treating life as a race for power. With so much of heart-stopping adventure throughout the whole story, it is a book worth reading over and over again. Besides, there is a wide range of vocabulary to learn in this book!

Home Based Learning Assignment

They unloaded the dead and maimed right before our eyes

They washed out the blood, we loaded our ruck’s and then took to the skies
Over the mountains, villages, and valleys we flew
Where we would land we had not a clue
Bullets are flying, the LZ is hot 
We’re leaving this bird whether we like it or not
30 seconds they yelled, Lock N Load and grab your shit 
Get ready to go and make it quick
My heart is pumping adrenalin through all of my veins
I run as fast as I can through the lead rain
The noise is tremendous, terror I can’t define
The only reason I survived that day was divine
I kept pulling the trigger and reloading and pulling some more
You do what you have to do, with that I will say no more
We fought from the valleys to the mountain peaks
From house to cave, to car to creek
Dirty and tired and hungry and scared
We slept with our boots on so we were always prepared
Those majestic mountains so steep, so high they kiss the skies
The Hindu Kush has changed so many lives
Up the mountains with heavy loads we trod
Who knew hell was so close to God
Beauty and terror are a strong mixed drink
So we drank it like drunkards and tried not to think
Good men and bad men, Mothers lost son’s
Everyone loses their innocence when they carry guns
Washed in the blood, and baptized by fire
I will never forget those who were called higher
They say blood is thicker than water, well lead is thicker than blood
Brothers aren’t born they’re earned. In the poppy fields, the tears, and the mud
And when I get to heaven to Saint Peter I will tell
Another Paratrooper reporting for duty sir, I spent my time in hell

Steve Carlsen

This poem was written by Steve Carlsen. He was born and lives in Dowagiac Michigan. He joined the United States Army in October 2000 and went to Infantry Basic Training, and Airborne School in Ft. Benning Georgia. He then reported to D Company 1^st battalion 504^th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82^nd Airborne Division in Ft. Bragg North Carolina. He was deployed to Kosovo in November 2001 as part of peace keeping operations. He Deployed to Afghanistan in of December 2002 where he participated in combat operations. He was honorably discharged from the Army in 2003. He currently attends Southwestern Michigan College where his professor, Dr Michael Collins challenged him to write about his experiences.

http://www.warpoetry.co.uk/2010warpoetry.html 

Poetry Analysis:

• Point of View

 The poem has been extremely dramatic and the Steve has taken a 1^st person point of view, having been through that kind of experiences before. The poem has taken a tone of excitement of getting into an intense battle, and the fear of death. The poem thus depicts the trauma that Steven has been through, which is absolutely respectable and inspiring.

Steven states that “They say blood is thicker than water, well lead is thicker than blood”. It actually shows how the bond in the regiment develops as battle together, and as they depend on one another for survival.

Steven also describes the need to kill to ensure your own survival, it forces people to do things that were previously against your morals, which is to kill. The following phrase states it clearly:

“Everyone loses their innocence when they carry guns
Washed in the blood (of the dead), and baptized by (gun)fire”

• Situation and Setting

The poem starts off with the dead being loaded onto a helicopter. The persona had to sit with the dead bodies, which in a way already induces utmost terror in the heart, creating internal emotional conflict.

The scene next went to the landing zone, where the paratroopers were under attack but still “We’re leaving this bird whether we like it or not”. The usage of “lead rain” tells us that the troops were under constant fire and the lead referred to the bullets whizzing through the air. It was so impossible to get away unscathed, that the writer had to say that “The only reason I survived that day was divine”. The depiction of the battle is so intense that it creates tension in the reader, with the phrase: “My heart is pumping adrenalin through all of my veins”. This shows the horror the writer is going through as “We fought from the valleys to the mountain peaks, From house to cave, to car to creek”.

The irony behind this is that, amidst the war, if you could just observe, the terrain the battle is taking place on is so serene, it looks like paradise, with mountains reaching the skies. Unfortunately it had to be war, turning the once beautiful scenery into hell. Not only that, Steven empathises the fact that he is so close to heaven in this hell, which is the battle thus the phrase:

“Who knew hell was so close to God
Beauty and terror are a strong mixed drink
So we drank it like drunkards and tried not to think”

As well as:

“And when I get to heaven to Saint Peter I will tell
Another Paratrooper reporting for duty sir, I spent my time in hell”

Moreover, the poem ended off with “I spent my time in hell” which tells us how scary it is when going to war.

• Language/Diction

The poem has been written as a whole verse and as a first-person recount. The rhyming pattern is written in such a way that the ending word of a line rhymes with the next. For example, in the 1^st and 2^nd lines, there are the words eyes and skies. The word ‘hell’ has been used repeatedly to describe the battle. As mentioned before, there is a repeated use of symbols and metaphors to show the excitement and describe the scene in the poem. The language used would be the language of a soldier’s. For example, there is the word ‘shit’, referring to the necessities needed.

The meaning of this poem is to show how destructive and sensitive war is through the literal description of the experience of a paratrooper in the middle of an offensive. This would explain why men become so timid after coming back from war

The poem has made use of quite a number of symbols to depict the scene during the battle, like “lead rain” for the torrent of bullets, “hell” for the battle, “heaven referring to the skies, the scenery in the background of the war, and the close brush with death. Other usage of symbols will include “washed in the blood and baptized by fire” which shows the gore, the bloodshed and the sheer amount of ammunition used.

• Personal Response

Till this very day, war is still ongoing, with a good example being Libya. War is a violent way of resolving problems and expanding their influences like how the Vatican and the Romans once did. But even so, wars just destroy people’s lives, and the relationship between the 2 warring states/countries will just worsen.

Though you can sympathise with the poet, you don’t know how it really feels like to be in battle, till you have experienced it yourself. That is the only difference in understanding between a reader who has not been in war, and a reader who had battled before. Since the poem has been set in the current times, we would not have much trouble comprehending the poem. Overall, though, I feel that Steve Carlsen has done an extremely good job in helping us to identify with the scene, with its horrors and madness.  

Online Lesson (Week 4)

War Photos (Go to 3:39)

(Photo found in 3:39 of the video)

This is a black and white photo of an injured soldier hit by grenade fragments from an ambush during the Cambodian war. They appear to be surrounded by a wooden safety barrier, away from any battle so that his wounds could be attended to. The soldier grits his teeth and is writhing in pain, as if a shell has pierced deep into his flesh, resulting in a severe wound to fester. A bandage has been wrapped tightly around his waist, probably to stem the bleeding. His comrades look anxiously on, seeming very fearful, and at a loss at what to do or say. One of the onlookers hugs the injured soldier and lends a shoulder to prop him up. The atmosphere is tense, in with the pressure of attempting to salvage an injured soldier’s life, as well as a high chance of yet another good friend succumbing to death due to injuries. The lack of colour in the photo shows how old the picture is, and the comrades already look like they are mourning for the death of their platoon member. This photo displays the atrocity and cruelty of war, how merciless the war can be, and innocent people fighting for their lives. When this war is won, while the government gains all the credit, it is the quiet determination of these soldiers to have risked and even lost their lives that allow such victories to take place. It is rather unfortunate that for most soldiers, their efforts tend to go unnoticed and underappreciated. They become yet another civilian in history who was forced to take up arms for the love for his country.   

Making a Sandwich... (Discoursive Writing)

Background Information:

Bread has been eaten with pieces of bread since a long time ago. However, the ‘sandwich’ became popular as a meal by itself in the 19^th century. The word ‘sandwich’ actually refers to cold meat wedged between two slices of bread!

So, what you will be learning in this article is the easy-to-grasp process of making a humble two-piece Peanut Butter and Jam sandwich. Enjoy!

WHAT YOU NEED:

2 slices of bread

Peanut Butter Spread

Jam Spread

Butter/Margarine (Optional)

1 Plate

1 Butter Knife

Instructions:

Step 1:             Lightly butter the two pieces of bread.

(You may skip this part if you do not like the additional taste of butter or margarine)

Step 2:             Take the first piece of bread and evenly spread some peanut butter on it. Place that piece on the plate, the spread part facing up.

(If you have buttered the bread, spread the peanut butter over the butter.)

Step 3:             Do the same to the second bread, but this time with jam

(Thickness of the spread would be your preference)

Step 4:             Put the two pieces of bread together, the sides with the spread facing each other.

Step 5:             Voila! You have made your very own simple sandwich! Congratulations!

Now, while savouring your first piece of “sandwich art”, consider modifying the contents of the sandwich.

What about trying different combinations like: Ham and Cheese, Egg and Cheese, Chocolate and Peanut Butter, Butter and sugar, or even a Beef or Chicken Patty with Cheese and Egg? What about considering using three pieces of bread instead of two?

The possibilities are endless! All you need is just a creative mind.

Take your time to explore the various methods of creating and designing your sandwich. Once you are satisfied with your bread combination, show your “masterpiece” of to your friends! 

Letter to Mr. Jones (Japanese Earthquake)

Blk 291 Bishan St 24

#05-41

Singapore 570291

21 March 2011

Dear Mr. Jones,

I hope that you are having a great time with your family in Fukuoka, away from the commotion, the noise, and the hysteria. As much as I wish to sympathise with you and send you condolences, I have not experienced an earthquake before. Moreover, Singapore is away from the Ring of Fire and currently does not experience earthquakes at all

However, there are always ways to comfort you. Maybe you can view the quake in a more positive light. Despite the fact that Japan is facing a nuclear crisis, you were 400 kilometres from the epicentre of the 9.0 magnitude earthquake. At least you did not experience the full brunt of the earthquake and the tsunami thereafter.

 Always remember that whatever the media publishes, they do it for their own interests. In other words, we should never place our 100% trust the media, for they are there, besides the innocent purpose of reporting news, to earn money to sustain the company and ensure that they do not go bankrupt. Thus, the media tend to exaggerate news so that it is attractive enough to make it to the headlines.

You said that “the more the non-existent panic was reported by the Western media, the closer we edged to actually experiencing one”. Why is that so? America is thousands of kilometres away from you, and do not understand the full situation. Have faith in the Japanese government that they will do everything in their power to solve the urgent issue at hand.

 Perhaps you could consider this major incident as a blessing in disguise. At least you were not killed in the quake, and your family remained intact, compared to the pitiful state others are in. I wish you and Japan all the best in facing the coming challenges and crises that lie ahead of you.

Yours Sincerely,

Gregory Tan

Setting of a story (Your guess)...

Finally! After all these years of hard of hard work, the power to time travel is in my grasp! I stared, awed with the concoction in my right hand, a sense of achievement within me. I tilted my head back and gulped the horrid potion whole. As my mind was in a whirl, I felt the comfort of my research facility leaving me. The next thing I knew, I was standing on hard, coarse sand, once again smelling the cold, crisp Egyptian outdoor air. I basked in the warmth from the sun. In the distance, against the hue of blue and some strange buildings in the distance, were three grand pyramids, partially crumbled, yet majestic. Hey! Wasn’t my buddy Pharaoh Sneferu working on one of them? There was only one thing I knew. I was in the future! 

A 100 Years Ago... (2nd Version)

Before you read this, I would like to say that this story is similar to the 1st draft.

            It was the year 1909 and I was a skinny, undernourished ten year old boy with the typical single long plaid behind my back. There was civil war going on in the country of my birth, China. As the only grandson of my family, it was my responsibility to carry on my family’s surname, Lim. My family had borrowed money for the boat passage for me to Nanyang. They thought I would have a better chance at earning a better life. My father had signed up to work as a coolie in Singapore’s port and I was to go with him.  I puked several times in the crammed boat as the sea was choppy.

            When we arrived in Singapore, we stayed in the Hokkien Huay Kuan clan’s quarters. Since my father only could afford to pay for a bed space, he slept on the floor, leaving the dilapidated rattan bed to me.  The room was filled with many men. It was stuffy, dark and my senses were assualted with the stench of sweat and smoke. There were so many mosquitoes and flies around. It was also scary to go out in the dark to relieve myself.

            At dawn very morning, my father and the men would go to work, leaving me to my devices. That was when I missed my mother the most. I kept playing her last words to me in my mind. She told me to listen to my father, not to get into trouble, to make good use of my life and never to cut my plaid. I would hug my one set of well mended spare clothes tightly. I made friends with the ‘tok tok mee’ man and I would help out at his stall to earn myself a few cents. I got to eat half a bowl of plain noodles too.

            When my father returned at night, I helped him cook porridge with firewood. I always had a bowl of watery porridge with black bean sauce. Sometimes my father would fry me an egg and I was over the moon.  After dinner, I would go to listen to the story teller tell stories. Once in a while, my father visited the letter writer to help him write a letter home and he would send whatever money we could spare.

            My father was introduced to opium and he became addicted. He often borrowed money from the triads and when he could not pay back, he got beaten.  I constantly went to the temple to pray for my family in China and for my father and I desperately hope my ancestors’ gods would answer my prayers.

            One day I saw my father talking to a neatly dressed braidless Chinese man with weird looking clothings and pointing at me. Later that night my father told me he had agreed to let me be that man’s son and I had to change my surname to Tan. I would be able to attend a mission school and I would never be hungry again. I burst into tears and begged my father to let me stay with him but father said it was the best way for me to better my life and when I grew up, I could look for my mother and sister and look after them.

            That night while my father was sleeping together with the cacophony of snores, I gathered my one set of tattered clothings and quietly slipped away into the frightening darkness. I had decided that I would not let my ancestors down by changing my surname into a Tan. As hot tears ran down my cheeks, I told myself I was not going to be disobedient to my mother by cutting my plaid, it was the mark of a proud Chinese man; and what happened if my mother could not recognise me anymore?  I walked and walked along the five foot ways until I was dog tired, passing by many vagrants who made themselves comfortable sleeping on newspapers lined along the five foot way. Soon I melted amongst them covering myself with a large sheet of Nanyang ‘Siang Pau’ I had picked up from the ground.

            And so my days were passed by my wandering around the alleys, rivers and climbing trees. Sometimes I would join in the mindless games of skipping ropes, throwing marbles and hide-and-seek with other children along the five foot ways. Often, their mothers would chase me away after seeing how grubby I was. When my stomach growled, I would take food at the roadside left by worshippers who left food offerings to the earth god. When I felt brave, I would even go to the temples and steal the buns and fruits left at the alters by worshippers, hoping the gods would understand and forgive me. Sometimes I would earn my keep by running errands for the shop keepers. However, often they bullied me and did not pay me for my efforts. The nights were the worst, before I went to my spot to sleep, often I would surreptitiously go and check on my father.  He was also reduced to sleeping outside the clan association. He was unkempt with wispy hair straying out of his plaid. His face was sallow and he was always coughing and spitting out to the ground. I caught him being kicked and beaten by the triad’s men until he lay writhing on the ground. One night he was beaten so hard that blood flowed freely from his nose and mouth, he was beaten with thick logs until he was bruised blue black all over. He lay on the floor limply as if all his bones were completely broken. I was very frightened and wished I could chase the bullies away but I could only watch silently from behind a pillar across the street.  When the bullies had gone, I ran swiftly to my father and held him in my arms. That was when I made a decision – I would go and live with the neatly dressed plaidless man and call him father. I told my father my decision and saw him give me a forlorn smile.

            Hence, that was how I became George Tan Wei Lin. I attended a mission school and learned English. I was always smartly dressed with my hair combed with grease. I spoke to my adopted father in English and my adopted mother and grandmother in Malay. I learned to eat spicy food. My new family treated me well but whenever I could, I would go and look up my birth father who continued to work at the dock. He had managed to kick his addiction, probably his guilt at being a disappointment to his ancestors helped him to do so. As for my birth mother, I may not see her for a long time, and I have started to forget the dialect we used to speak…

A 100 Years Ago... (Essay)

It was the year 1909 and I was a skinny, undernourished ten year old boy with the typical single long plaid behind my back. There was civil war in the country of my birth, China. As the only grandson of my family, it was my responsibility to carry on my family’s surname, Lim. My family borrowed money for the boat passage for me to Nanyang. They thought I would have a better chance of a better life. My father had signed up to work as a coolie in Singapore’s port and I was to go with him. I puked several times in the crammed boat as the sea was choppy.



When we arrived in Singapore, we stayed in the Hokkien Huay Kuan clan’s quarters. Since my father only could afford to pay for a bed space, he slept on the floor, leaving the dilapidated rattan bed to me. The room was filled with many men. It was stuffy, dark and my senses were assualted with the stench of sweat and smoke. There were so many mosquitoes and flies around. It was also scary to go out in the dark to relieve myself.


At dawn very morning, my father and the men would go to work, leaving me to my devices. That was when I missed my mother the most. I kept playing her last words to me in my mind. She told me to listen to my father, not to get into trouble, to make good use of my life and never to cut my plaid. I would hug my one set of well mended spare clothes tightly. I made friends with the ‘tok tok mee’ man and I would help out at his stall to earn myself a few cents. I got to eat half a bowl of plain noodles too.


When my father returned at night, I helped him cook porridge with firewood. I always had a bowl of watery porridge with black bean sauce. Sometimes my father would fry me an egg and I was over the moon. After dinner, I would go to listen to the story teller tell stories. Once in a while, my father visited the letter writer to help him write a letter home and he would send whatever money he could afford.


My father was introduced to opium and he became addicted. He often borrowed money from the triads and when he could not pay back, he got beaten. I often went to the temple to pray for my family in China and for my father and I desperately hope my ancestors’ gods would answer my prayers.


One day I saw my father talking to a neatly dressed braidless Chinese man with weird looking clothings and pointing at me. Later that night my father told me he had agreed to let me be that man’s son and I had to change my surname to Tan. I would be able to attend a mission school and I would never be hungry again. I burst into tears and begged my father to let me stay with him but father said it was the best way for me to better my life and when I grew up, I could look for my mother and sister and look after them.


That night while my father was sleeping together with the cacophony of snores, I gathered my one set of tattered clothings and quietly slipped away into the frightening darkness. I had decided that I would not let my ancestors down by changing my surname into a Tan. As hot tears ran down my cheeks, I told myself I was not going to be disobedient to my mother by cutting my plaid, it was the mark of a proud Chinese man; and what happened if my mother could not recognise me anymore? I walked and walked along the five foot ways until I was dog tired, passing by many vagrants who made themselves comfortable sleeping on newspapers lined along the five foot way. Soon I melted amongst them covering myself with a large sheet of Nanyang ‘Siang Pau’ I had picked up from the ground.


And so my days were passed by my wandering around the alleys, rivers and climbing trees. Sometimes I would join in the mindless games of skipping ropes, throwing marbles and hide-and-seek with other children along the five foot ways. Often, their mothers would chase me away after seeing how grubby I was. When my stomach growled, I would take food at the roadside left by worshippers who left food offerings to the earth god. When I felt brave, I would even go to the temples and steal the buns and fruits left at the alters by worshippers, hoping the gods would understand and forgive me. Sometimes I would earn my keep by running errands for the shop keepers. However, often they bullied me by not paying me for my efforts. The nights were the worst, before I went to my spot to sleep, often I would surreptitiously go and check on my father. He was also reduced to sleeping outside the clan association. He was unkempt with wispy hair straying out of his plaid. His face was sallow and he was always coughing and spitting out to the ground. I caught him being kicked and beaten by the triad’s men until he lay writhing on the ground. One night he was beaten so hard that blood flowed freely from his nose and mouth, he was beaten with thick logs until he was bruised blue black all over. He lay on the floor limply as if all his bones were completely broken. I was very frightened and wished I could chase the bullies away but I could only watch silently from behind a pillar across the street. When the bullies had gone, I ran swiftly to my father and held him in my arms. That was when I made a decision – I would go and live with the neatly dressed plaidless man and call him father. I told my father my decision and saw him give me a forlorn smile.


Hence, that was how I became George Tan Wei Lin. I attended a mission school and learned English. I was always smartIy dressed with my hair combed with grease. I spoke to my adopted father in English and my adopted mother and grandmother in Malay. I learned to eat spicy food. My new family treated me well but whenever I could, I would go and look up my birth father who continued to work at the dock. He had managed to kick his addiction, probably his guilt at being a disappointment to his ancestors helped him to do so. As for my birth mother, I may not see her for a long time, and I had started to forget the dialect we used to speak…