Blog review Term 3

Article 5
Title: Rise in number of Abortions, teen cases also up

Along the years, Singapore has had a falling trend of abortion and underage sex cases since 2000. But this trend reversed last year, with an increase in such cases. I feel that this is a worrying trend and issue as it involves two very controversial issues. It also concerns the affected teenagers and their future.
Firstly, I will talk about the impacts of underage pregnancy. The young couples are most likely still in school and not working, much less earning money. As such if they do not receive support from their parents, many difficulties will be faced bringing up the child. Their lives will also be very much interrupted by the arrival of the baby. They have to sacrifice personal time, for example time to go out with friends, and maybe study time in order to make time to look after the baby. The baby may also affect the couple’s relationship, making the raising of the child even more difficult. Sometimes, the father may be irresponsible, and leave the pregnant mother to cope on her own. Both the previous situations will affect the child during the growing up process, as well as the mental health of the mother. Ultimately, all these factors lead to the most difficult decision – whether or not to abort the baby. Usually the one who will suffer most will be the mother. Imagine the intense pressure on the poor young mother! With both the vicious comments made by others and the decisions she has to make, it is really very stressful.
A recent survey showed that the numbers of abortions are going up. But what I am concerned, and personally a little appalled by is that there is a small number of women who see abortion as an “okay” means of getting out of that sticky situation that is underage pregnancy. If a woman or girl really cannot cope or survive if she kept the baby, or if they had any other GOOD reason, then maybe abortion would be the only way out. But if there are people who go around with the impression that if they get into this situation, “then just abort lorh.”, then I think something really has to be done. Abortion is like taking a human life, depriving someone with potential to live his RIGHT and CHANCE to live. It’s almost legalized murder. If they go around having sex and that they can just abort the baby if they get pregnant, then its like saying “I’m doing this for fun or curiosity, and if something happens lets solve it by killing someone! There’s really nothing to it!”

Even though sex education is already embedded into school curriculums, teenagers are still going to want to try it out. It’s most likely done on a moment of instinct and lust, till the extent that consequences are forgotten. As such there is really no way to prevent such things from happening, unless we reprogram the human mind. Perhaps funds and counseling programs could be set up for young mothers and parents. The most we can do to improve the situation now is not to prevent it, but to help the affected people.




Article 6
Title: Life after Live Earth

Live Earth, a series of worldwide concert held on 7th July 2007. it was supposed to promote environmental awareness, but has it done the environment more harm? The amount of litter left behind after the concert was overwhelming, and the amount of electricity used for the shows, as well as maintain twenty four hours of air-con, lights and television for viewers all around the world. Its total carbon footprint, including the artists and spectators' travel and energy consumption, was likely to have been at least 31,500 tonnes, said John Buckley of Carbonfootprint.com - more than 3,000 times the average Briton's annual footprint. So was it really worth it?

What I feel, is that the concert had probably attracted viewers for the wrong reason. Most viewers watched the concert only for the performances, hardly for its underlying message. Many youngsters watched Live Earth to see idols perform, but went it came down to the environmental message, hardly any of them probably took it seriously.

Also, I feel that when talking about the problems of climate change and what contributes to it, we should not talk and slander events such as this. We should look at the bigger picture, not just point out the folly of a single event. We should spend our time on ways to improve the situation, not criticize what others have done to worsen it. We should appeal to the younger generation, our future, but also make sure that the message gets to them crystal clear.

As quoted by Bryan Walsh in Time, "It's time to get past the obsession over carbon footprint size and offsets, over who's an eco-hypocrite and who is truly green. We need to use energy far more wisely, both individually and internationally, but with hundreds of millions in the developing world getting richer and producing more carbon every day, the threat of climate change is far, far bigger than our personal conservation habits. It will require technological change and painful political choices such as carbon taxes, gas taxes and mandatory greenhouse gas emissions caps. That means, especially for the young, the un-rock star act of voting."

Term 2 english book review (It dint appear the last time!! aaah!)

ok this is very screwy. very early this month i thought i had posted this post. it hung at the "publish succeeded!" page so i thought that it had already been posted. but when i checked back today (yes my blog is dead.. i know) i realised that it WASN"T THERE! aaaah of all the posts it had to be my blog assignment!!

Term 2 English Blog Assignment

Article 3, Education
Title: Students of top schools worry more about elitism
Date: Friday, 18th May 2007

According to a survey conducted by the Straits Times, students in top schools are taking the topic of elitism more seriously than those in neighbourhood schools. The most common concept of elitist behaviour is to look down on academic weaklings.

As a student in a top school with friends in neighbourhood schools, I feel that being in a top school breeds a certain level of competition within students. The main reason that elitism is more of a worry in top schools is that students in top schools are more concerned about results than those in neighbourhood schools. Being more competitive, students in top schools tend to compare their results with each other, resulting in the weaker students being picked on, whereas such a problem is less seen in neighbourhood schools. Elitism is a very serious issue that must be addressed quickly, especially if students with a mindset that they are better than others take it with them into the working world. We have to realize that results are not everything, and that many other things are taken into account to determine what makes a person.

Article 4, Social
Title: The ayes of the beholder
Date: Sunday, 3rd June 2007

Often, we tend to judge other people based on appearances and first impressions. We judge people by the way they look, speak, smell, talk and walk. We jump to conclusions about people based on the food they eat, the clothes they wear, the degrees they have, the company they keep, the colour of their skin, the size of their girth.
In fact, according to a study conducted by Princeton University in the United States last year, people decide whether another person is trustworthy within a tenth of a second just by looking at his or her face. It’s really not a very nice thing to do, judging especially when you don’t know the facts.


This article has made me reflect and think about how often I have made and still make this mistake. Very often when meeting new people I tend to decide whether or not to like them just by looking at them. I remember a time when I had a teacher who looked very fierce, and from the way I saw her scolding other boys I had already written her down as scary. However as time passed, I began to discover the nicer side to her and my perception changed for the better. So when I meet secondary one students who are now taken by this teacher, I tell them not to fear her, as well as to recount incidents that showed what a nice person she could be. Often they do not really believe me but I trust that after spending enough time being taught by her they too will also see.

However, I too, have been judged by others based on my appearance. Due to my utter laziness, I tend to leave my haircuts till the very last moment, where I would already have received warnings from prefects. As such, my hair would sometimes grow unkempt and long, occasionally even past my eye. Also due to my laziness, I dress myself by just picking the clothes on the top of the pile in my closet, and as such my dress code is almost always to wear black. All this coupled with the fact that my teeth arrangement have somewhat affected my jaw, giving me a perpetually pissed of look, make the word “emo” pop up in the minds of strangers whom I meet. In this case, emo would refer to emotional, like those punks who wear makeup, think too much about how their lives are miserable and keep on contemplating suicide. Well for those who know me better, I am not really like that. I also give off this vibe of a quiet, shy boy, but to those who know me better I can be quite talkative and wacky.

I have been trying to correct this nasty habit of mine but so far it has not been a very successful venture. At least once a day, I find myself passing an uninformed and uncharitable opinion about someone I do not know. If I haven’t walked in her shoes, lived his life, seen what they have seen so what gives me the right to be the supreme arbiter of what’s right or wrong, good or bad? It’s not an easy problem to fix. From now on I will try to bite my tongue each time I want to say something nasty.

Create your own Friend Test here

I GOT BRACES TODAY!! AAAH!! NOW IM LIKE ROHAN!!! lol.

aniwae just saying dat dere are other badges in de works(if u hate naruto). for ri rg and rj ppl we are cre8ing house badges (LOL) and for everyone else we have something more relevant to our project. a road dat leads to an open book, and caption is RI BBLC roadbuilding project 2007.

sadist pic of the day:

Btw de badges are to raise funds for a road building proj in Cambodia haha. And for those hu culdnt see Pinocchio (which is all of you)…

Yay CHIBIS!!! Lol not finalized but deyre gonna be badges.. so tell mi if u wanna buy one.. its 1 buck I think.

















LOL pinocchio

recently ive been amazed and wowed by the german wheel. well it wasnt dat recent but its still fantastic.

if anyone bothers to actually sit here and watch..





0.0 and i found this. lol i dint see it until it moved. nice shot.

lol i did more..

others are in the works but im bored..





o and dis is friggin farny.. not to mention cute..



akatsuki copywright kishimoto

lol went to try abel's test thing.. im mostly de same as him xcept dat im mature 0,o

and

You Are 10% Left Brained, 90% Right Brained

The left side of your brain controls verbal ability, attention to detail, and reasoning. Left brained people are good at communication and persuading others. If you're left brained, you are likely good at math and logic. Your left brain prefers dogs, reading, and quiet. The right side of your brain is all about creativity and flexibility. Daring and intuitive, right brained people see the world in their unique way. If you're right brained, you likely have a talent for creative writing and art. Your right brain prefers day dreaming, philosophy, and sports.

Are You Right or Left Brained?

Your Personality is Very Rare (INFP)

Your personality type is dreamy, romantic, elegant, and expressive. Only about 5% of all people have your personality, including 6% of all women and 4% of all men You are Introverted, Intuitive, Feeling, and Perceiving.

How Rare Is Your Personality?

You Are 100% Shy

You are beyond shy - you are most likely have a social phobia. Seek help, and you'll be able to enjoy life instead of fearing it.

How Shy Are You?

You Are 83% Grown Up, 17% Kid

Your emotional maturity is fully developed, and you have an excellent grasp on your emotions. In fact, you are so emotionally mature - you should consider being a therapist!

How Emotionally Mature Are You?

lol.. and im bak from camp le.

haiz.. im starting my goth-ness series..
here are de first 2..
took abt 10 mins for de guy (screwed his hand cos so rushed) and 20 for de gal (cos i did her first)

Well SOME ppl say dat im not zi lian enuff to put my fotos online.
well im SHY. got a prob?
burp doesnt actually look like me (it onli does cos of de jacket)

wow. its been quite some time...
forgot all about what i wanted to blog about le..
de other time.. on tues i went wif abel to the DHS choir concert..
but b4 dat i bought another turtle.. named it Blasphemy.. dun ask me why..

burp*

den abel used it and waved it around during de concert...
freaked ppl out.. some of the singers had to hold de laughter in..
immaturity.

Today.. Rohan Xd and some Kenneth guy came by my house for job week..
made dem pick up dead leaves in my garden and pull out weeds. LOL.. dey said deyd kill me..

found out i can draw pretty well wif wacom tablet w/o doing on paper first..

meh.

English Article Review: Term 1

Article Title: First El Nino, Now La Nina
The Straits Times March 3rd 2007

Rationale for choosing this article:
Global warming is a very real threat, and its good to know more about what is happening, and its effects on the rest of the world.

Summary:
Just when u thought that since El Nino is over, things can settle down again, but La Nina returns to the scene.
The El Nino effect is associated with the warm sea temperatures in the Pacific Ocean. It affects weather patterns, making already devastating natural disasters even more severe.
The La Nina effect is the opposite of El Nino, characterized by colder sea temperatures. It affects airflow and rainfall patterns around the world. In this system, there is an unusual cooling of the sea, together with wind and air pressure changes that can affect weather across the world
A La Nina system may be forming in the Pacific, and there is a likelihood of an above-average Atlantic hurricane season. This threatens coastal populations, as well as some oil and gas industries. It will cause different drastic effects to the weather to different places, such as having more hurricanes in the Atlantic and fewer in the Pacific.
I feel that the return of La Nina has alerted us of the fact that the situation regarding global warming has not improved. We should educate the people on the steps we should take to help the situation, as well as to prevent it from worsening. If we sacrifice some of our creature comforts, such as conveniently using plastic bags and using products with CFC, we can all help to make the world a better place. For all that we’ve done to our earth, the returns are natural disasters. Harm the earth and it harms us. As such, I feel that as residents of this planet, we must all play a part to preserve it.






English Article Review: Term 1

Article Title: Freedom is a right; Self- Restraint is a virtue
Posted January 25, 2007
Url: http://news.com.com/5208-1040_3-0.html?forumID=1&threadID=2725&messageID=231715&start=-1

Rationale for choosing this article:
Game addiction is very real, and it is still going on in our societies. I feel that this issue would affect us more directly, since we are teenagers and tend to like to play games.

Summary:
Games were originally created for recreation and pleasure when you need a break. However when taken too far, gaming becomes your “life”. You get so hooked onto it, it becomes so hard to stop. And the only people benefiting from this are the game companies. Eventually it will ruin your life, affecting your relationships, your career or your studies.

My Reflections:
I feel that even though this is an article written based only on the writer’s point of view, I agree with it very much. This is because I have known people who have been victims to this “disease” known as game addiction.

I once had a friend in primary six, who was so obsessed with a game, his life practically revolved around it. He spent so much time on it such that he stayed up late playing, then slept during class and paid very little attention. It affected his grades very much, but he did not care. Seeing as his game was more important than almost anything else to him, we tried to dissuade him but to no avail. The hard reality hit him when his game account got hacked. Everything he worked so hard in the game to obtain was gone. It was only then that he saw the error of his ways, but it was too late. By the time it had come to take our Primary School Leaving Examinations, there was not much time left for him to study, and he did quite badly for the tests.

I feel that even though the games themselves are enticing to the people who play them, we cannot really do anything about it, like shutting it down, since it would affect so many of the people who play it. The correct measurement to be taken now is to get gamers to exercise more self- control. Playing occasionally to get rid of stress or to relax is okay, but to do it such that it becomes part of your life is unhealthy.

I feel that parents should play a part in preventing this sort of addiction. They should limit their children’s access to the game, to prevent them from spending too much time on it. However, the more serious matter is the self- restraint of the gamer. Even if preventive measures are taken, an addicted player will go all out to find a way to play. I feel that signs of addiction should be quickly identified, and the player quickly sent to see a counselor, before it is too late.

Overall, as quoted in the article, freedom is a right, but self- restraint is a virtue. We are mostly free to do whatever it is like, but we must be able to practice self- restraint. Instead of immersing ourselves in games, we can release our stress in other areas, such as taking up a hobby. As quoted in the article, “I'll bet exhibiting self-control and proving to yourself that you are in control feels a great deal better than leveling up.”

well on thursday we had a talk in school by theresa tsu, a 109 year old woman, still doing charity work at her age. one of de only talks that i paid attention to in school. quite funny lar.. for more info go to Rohan's blog..

Well, actually my bro, my mom and i are involved in the hear2heart movement where we help needy families who are not qualified for help from de government. LOL. so every last Sunday of the month we go down to Theresa's home in hougang to collect and deliver food. got so many ppl her house cant take it. its not really her house per se... she used to have a mansion her sister left behind for her, and she used it as an old folk's home. but after she was FORCED to retire, dey onli left her a small space under the building as her home. well. last month's was more meaningful. visited an old lady.. very old, living by herself. shared her life story lar... bout how she came to S'pore looking for work as a Samsui lady.. interesting experience lar.. left a ten dollar note under a box on her table.. hope she found it. haha.

picture we took today at Theresa's home.



sharana rao on de left, theresa tsu third from right.

LOL ystd i lost my file.. and today de contents turned up on my desk.. WITHOUT DE FILE WTF!!!!! so cos of dis i had to finish my geog assignment in one day.. which i did.

de day b4 kevin and kimwee were playing around with de bunsen burner.. lol dey put de splint in de airhole.. den it got stuck. LOL. for sum reason dey got green fire so dey kuikly put it out.. haha.

naruto shippuden came out lyk dunno how long ago but i dint see till recently.. its good!!.. i think.

i did rohans generator thing and dis is wad i got.

Name: Light Dude
Secret Identity: Sean Yap
Special Power: Kinetic Breath
Transportation: Nuclear Train
Weapon: Gamma Blade
Costume: Alligator Robe
Sidekick: Black Dan
Nemesis: Marvin the Deadly
Tragic Flaw: Narcolepsy
Favorite Food: Lasagna

i do slp randomly and i do LOVE lasagna sooo much... wow.

lol but my bro is like

Name: Light Dude
Secret Identity: Ian Yap
Special Power: Somatic Fart
Transportation: Magnetic Motorcycle
Weapon: Psionic Pistol
Costume: Fibersteel Coveralls
Sidekick: Hermione
Nemesis: John the Unspeakable
Tragic Flaw: Laziness
Favorite Food: Clam Chowder

dats so not him. lol.

well shinobi. *insert spoiler warning* its about dese 2 lovers, hu happen to be in rival villages, so its kinda like romeo and juliet. den de emperor fears dese 2 villages, so he says to get de 5 best ninjas from each village to take part in a duel to de death thins, sumwat like doa. onli one village will win, and deir chief will become de shogun.

but his actual intention is to let de 5 best nins kill each other, so he can attack de villages. de bastard.

well in the end they all die xcept de girl.

trailer at http://www.apple.com/jp/quicktime/trailers/shochiku/shinobi/m.html

List of nins. lol.

Village hidden in the mountains.

Kouga Gennosuke - can move so fast everything is slow-mo. main dude.
Muroga Hyouma - tracker, but otherwise noobshit.
Kagerou - seductress dat can spew poison mist.
Kisaragi Saemon - can change his appearance by feeling de victims face.
Chikuma Koshirou - very basic weapons guy. amazingly survived quite long.

village hidden in the river.

Oboro - main gal. has de eyes of destruction, gives off waves when she makes eye contact that implodes de blood vessels. can be turned off.

Yakushiji Tenzen - baddy. has worms in his body dat regenerate him. lived for 300 years.

Mino Nenki - stupid wolverine guy dat died first. stupid, just stupid.

Hotarubi - controls butterflies wif powder. acts as destraction, willing to lay her life for oboro.

Yashamaru - uses a special kind of hair whips dat he can stiffen, lengthen wadeva at will. quite gay but i like his design.

YASHAMARU BISHINESS.

Well, seeing as im going to malaysia and i really need to go quickly, ill make it quick. changed her hair, coloured de top part. be bak in like 3 days or sumting. credit to my cousin for helping wif de neatening of de lines being the perfectionist she is. let her try de hair too.

Did another "chiobu". dis one is Dawn, de main character of de fic. dis is just de inking b4 de clean up and colour. will post finalised version next time.

i tried out cal-vin's style of colouring. learning from de master isnt easy. did de lineart as well, unlike calvin. dis is sum super tall mime dude dat uses genjustsu... his 2nd layer of jacket kinda sux.. and no i wasnt aiming for him to look like orochimaru. i onli realised after i was done.

well as an expression of my hate for valentines, i did this. it was done in like less den 3 mins so dun blame me.

... for ppl hu noe about de operation i had on my abcess, well i nearly had another one. i went to see de doctor but lucky he say still can lar. but if thursday get worse de must cut out 0.o. dang.

lol today we had two PE periods, in de first and last slots. damn weird. dis was cos de first period on thursday got switched wif assembly period, which was PE. lol de last period one sucked. we had like mass pe in de hall where all we did was stretches. bet we did get to see Mark mess up on stage. kind of.

when i came bak to my room, i found dis beetle on my doormat. it was friggin cute. it wasnt moving so i kept it in a container. it was white with these weird brown makings on its back. kind of like some small scarab. dis would mean its my first catch in like, 2 years!! LOL. before i went out for dinner i left like 3 stalks of brocolli in de container. when i came bak wat was left was like a few itty-bitty leaves and some beetle poop. i was like WTF!?!?! so hungry meh. i always tot those kind of beetles liked to stone. LOL. should i release it in school? it would be fun but i dunno if it can find food. i'll try to find another one and see if dey are opposite gender. if dey are i may be able to pull off another successful breeding attempt!
provided i haf time
wish me luck on recovery from dat stupid bump on my butt. T.T

oh yes and calvin has taught me the prodedness of his colouring technique. cant wait to try out for meself.
im gonna try earning money again. de last time i got like 20 bucks. want to draw for dat kids magazine called eggplant. should read it. lol de contents are by kids for kids. gonna try my hand at doing some art for de mag again...

Well i found this on Deviantart. its damn funneh especially for fans of Full Metal. original context from

http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/39157833/?qo=45&q=by%3Asnapesnogger&qh=sort%3Atime+-in%3Ascraps

Kudos to snapesnogger for another work of creative genius (not really haha)

i was inking late into de nite, my 2nd attempt at colouring... den i saved it and offed de comp. den dis morning i opened de file and ZOMG!! i saved it as Jpeg!!! noooo all de layers gone... colouring it w/o layers was hell.. yea and his feet suck. so FAT. somg no ankles..

Well heres Willow as promised.. coloured by calvin again.. TY!!



and den i decided to do de ice elemental for another story. hes school- going so hes more human den the others ive done.



dis is his sword



well iceman was done in the park on a rock 0.o dun ask me why. well i was doing dat my neighbour did a little doodle and it was so cute i gave him tips to colour it. he did it with a pencil and red and blue and green pens. pro rite.



well Kang Jie is into designing clothes 0.o. since i had a character and he had de clothes we put em together.



den deres dis guy. dunno wad he does but i'll change him. his hand looks weird, and i just recycled his face and hair from other characters -_-.

Well seeing as rohan adopted a monkey, i figured dat adopting a turtle would be most appropriate. check it out!!

zomg. today, i was designing lucifer for abels new fic and den rohan came along and was all like "ZOMG!! its JADE SEAH!!!" and i was like WTFFF!?!?!?!. so he made me change de image and asked me to post it. NOT MY FAULT. (cos it aint dat good)

o well i coloured de guy. hope i dint take too long. its a new attempt and even so it aint dat good so well here goes. colouring by me. duh.

lol third time today. just finished this one. this would be what i would want my character to look like if i had a trainer for my pokemon. LOL.



and then theres kiuta. he was SUPPOSED to be entered in a Deviantart competition for Yensen. dunno if im still gonna do it.