Saturday, August 13, 2011

Blog Comments

http://2i303la2011.blogspot.com/2011/08/majulah-singapura.html?showComment=1313286332454#c1534251251742216568
chester

http://2i303la2011.blogspot.com/2011/06/gentleman.html?showComment=1313286552997#c503179366294965535
chester

http://leeliakghee2i310.blogspot.com/2011/08/reflection-for-cip-activity-on-racial.html?showComment=1313286759201#c7378881942593516027
liakghee

http://leeliakghee2i310.blogspot.com/2011/07/racial-harmony-day.html?showComment=1313286919334#c3129764931920199249
liakghee

http://leeliakghee2i310.blogspot.com/2011/06/being-gentleman.html?showComment=1313287276702#c4560374200342723604
liakgee

http://chuachengtat.blogspot.com/2011/08/mp-uses-phone-during-national-anthem.html?showComment=1313287481754#c1543984741075666159
chengtat

http://chuachengtat.blogspot.com/2011/06/gentleman.html?showComment=1313287843784#c6031451649685077422
chengtat

http://chuachengtat.blogspot.com/2011/08/deepening-of-reservoirs-under-review.html?showComment=1313288066769#c7547961674171657635
chengtat

http://2i3-12.blogspot.com/2011/07/peer-pressure.html?showComment=1313288315253#c6993330819139392576
weikiat

http://2i3-12.blogspot.com/2011/06/true-gentleman-3.html?showComment=1313288502022#c1373483670249687708
weikiat

Sunday, August 7, 2011

Term 3 Math Test 1 ---> Some Personal Reflections

Recently, I took my first math test for term 3, 2011.
I scored a very, VERY pathetic 21/40 for the math test.
I feel that this is credited to a number of things and I felt a need to reflect on them in order to help me improve myself.

Initially, I knew that I was weak in math. Somehow, I had this feeling even before the test. This feeling was the feeling that I was not going to do well. The worst part, was however, I did not take subsequent action even after harboring that thought. Knowing that I was weak in this topic, what I could have done was to do more practices. This way I can assure myself and at the same time bring back better results.

I also thought that I lacked a lot of discipline when it came to doing practices. My study table is a platform for both my work and my computer. Essentially it meant that distraction was less than arm's length away from me. 9/10 occasions when I conduct self-study, I find myself hopping on the computer. I would tell myself 'just a while, it won't hurt'. This would repeat and repeat, until a certain point in which I get too tired and fall asleep. When I wake up, I realize that I have achieved nothing! Procrastination is a big problem in which for the rest of my life I must face and learn to overcome.

I felt very set back by the results, which is my rationale for this post. I feel that I need to change to be more mature. At the end of the day my results are mine and only to affect myself. I should learn to be responsible. Hence, I decided to spend less time on the computer. I have also decided to place my computer in the bag when not in use, rather than leaving it on the computer and distract me. This way I can improve my results!

Friday, August 5, 2011

Name Calling

Recently, there have been a few cases of offensive name calling happening in my class. Just a week ago another fight was sparked off. One of my classmates started calling this other classmate offensive remarks pertaining to his physical qualities. The victim was obviously enraged and it was a chain reaction.

For privacy purposes, I cannot name the students specifically. Hence, let Student A be the perpetrator and Student B be the victim.

Firstly, the case was evidently sparked off with the name calling. Student B states that Student A had called him offensive remarks such as 'black' and 'chicken-eyed'. Student B felt extremely insulted as it felt very 'racist' although Student B was not exactly of any culture with darken skin tone. But still, it was an insult. Student B reacted with violence.

I feel that in this case obviously the insults were not right. We should learn to accept each other for who they are. We should not be finding opportunities to alienate anyone from the class. Bad qualities are existent and each and every person. What is important is not bad qualities. They do not help anyone, they only spoil our day! It is a lose-lose situation- so what for pick on it?

Secondly, I feel that how Student B reacted as the victim was not wise. I am sure we all have been guilty of throwing such insults at people. The ultimate goal is to see reaction by the other party. Eg. To make them angry, to make them do something. Similarly, when the other party DOES NOT react, they lose their goal. At this point, they don't see the point in continuing the attacks. Hence, sometimes, holding yourself back is very wise and clever too.

Ultimately name calling is very immoral and mean, we should not practice it. Respect is a virtue, and should not be compromised at any time!

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Land Scarcity Crisis in Singapore- How our government solves it!!

Singapore is a very small island. In fact, it is one of the smallest nations in the world, as we would all probably know by now. To top up to that constraint, Singapore is extremely populated. With 5 million people and such a small area of land, we rank the 3rd in the world in terms of population density. This just tells you how much Singapore is so cramped up and squeezed up. Hence, we definitely need more space to increase our space.

Over the years the government has been very efficient in ensuring that every inch of land put to its full use. The government has been strategic when it comes to selecting the areas to built infrastructure and also the type of infrastructure. For example, in many HDB flats and even some condominiums, it is common to spot retail shops usually at the ground level of these buildings. This way the land use is mixed. The Pinnacle and Paxton apartment is a good example of a building that serves retail and residential purposes. Suntec City would be a decent example of a building that serves both commercial and retail purposes. We also observe that buildings are densely built. Tessellation plays a helpful part in increasing land space.

We also observe that the structure and features within the buildings itself are also designed to conserve space. Many buildings make use of multi-storey car parks. This 'stacking' can further increase the efficiency of land use. Essentially building upwards is multiplying the piece of land by the number of storeys you choose to build. If there are car parks above ground, there definitely are underground car parks that are mostly used in private buildings. These two types of car parks are so commonly seen nowadays!

Transport has been very cleverly designed to save space as well. MRT stations and interchanges are quite common nowadays. It is also very common to see an MRT station or interchange that is located above ground. Examples of such would be the Choa Chu Kang MRT Station and the Woodlands Interchange. Expressways for private vehicles are also underground. Examples are the Central Expressway and the Kallang Paya Lebar. Similar to the car park example above, expressways are built to be above ground too. An example would be the Bukit Timah Expressway.

In addressing the issue of land scarcity our government has undoubtedly done a very good job. In future, we are certain to prosper. (Well maybe not with a slightly new cabinet).

Monday, August 1, 2011

Should A Leader Be Judged According To His Personal Life? - Yes!

One of our current affairs recently was pertaining to the question 'Whether leaders should be judged according to their personal life?'. I shall voice my personal opinions rather theoretically, as I am not exactly knowledgeable in this field and don't exactly have much of particular case evidences.

I think that a leader should, and must be judged according to his personal life. The issue we are dealing with here is the issue of respect. Leaders are here to lead, but think about it- why do the people allow themselves to be led. The reason is respect. Leaders are people who have shown in their records and portfolio to be outstanding and above other people one way or another. You would definitely not see a random coffee shop waiter to be Singapore's next Finance Minister. It just doesn't make sense. Why doesn't it make sense then, you say. The reason is, once again respect.

In order to lead, and convince the people to let you lead them, you must gain their respect. This is why we follow our parent's advice and directions. They have spent so much effort in order to bring us up and support us, hence we have a certain respect towards them. Similarly, we respect leaders as they, during elections have presented themselves to be charismatic, capable, reliable and worth trusting. Their portfolios are decorated beautifully by the abundance of certificates while their reputation builds upon it. This is why we trust our leaders- they are accountable.

Then, the issue of personal life comes in. It definitely affects your accountability. How would you feel if a policeman who drinks in his police car orders you to stop your car for speeding? Naturally, the level of respect and trust is lowered, and you probably would not even care about him. If a leader goes around toying with stocks and loses thousands of dollars because of it, and goes on to talk about his new financial plans of Singapore, would you believe him? No, you would not. Society is all about the people. We, as the common citizen trust people who are wiser than us common people. When these 'cleverer' people fall down to standards of common citizen or worse, then how is he valuable as a leader anymore? He is not fit to lead anymore; it defeats the purpose of such intense selection of leaders like him.

Hence, leaders must be judged according to their personal lives as it reflects their accountability and their leadership qualities. These reflections affect the way people see him, and most importantly- the level of trust between him, and the public.