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| 24 November 2009 |
| Thinking too much? |
FADE IN INT. JJ'S ROOM - NIGHT People tell me that I think too much. After reading my posts about my "impending death", Potato went "relaaaaax", Gab told me to focus on my A Levels and Ginseng dismissed my worries as rubbish. Perhaps they are right, but their responses made me think even more. Today, I realised that I was thinking too much about how I was thinking too much. FML But JJ cannot stop thinking too much. That is the way I am. Reflective by nature. The philosophical side of JJ will not go away. It has made me a better person and spurred me on. It has helped me overcome so many obstacles over the years. Experience has shown that if I do not think, I will screw up. In chess, White has 20 possible first moves and Black has 20 possible replies. After just one pair of moves, there are 400 possible positions. How about for an entire game? There are over one goggol (10 with 100 zeroes) possible games of chess. Even if we discard ridiculous ones (such as both players dropping pieces on purpose), the number would still be astronomically gargantuan. To JJ, life is a game of chess, with nearly infinite possibilities. Each of the 4.5 billion people on this earth (and the billions who are now dead) will have a unique game (for those who die as infants, theirs could be Fool's Mate). I do not know how my game will turn out and I cannot predict beforehand which of the many possible outcomes will occur. There are so many variables - some within my control and some beyond my control. If I play Black, I cannot control how White plays and have to react to his moves. I can only control the Black pieces and play at my best. But even my best may not be enough, especially if White is the chess machine Hydra. Unfortunately, the challenges I will face in 2011 seem as powerful as Hydra. In chess and life, I need to plan ahead or I will lose. Since I cannot predict or control White's moves, I need to prepare different responses to different White moves. But there are too many possible outcomes and I cannot prepare for every single one, no matter how hard I try to (and I do try to, which is bad). So what should I do? Be willing to accept failure. Keep doing my best and not be deterred by the prospect of failure. Be prepared for failure and have backup plans, while not overplanning. Make the most of what I have. Thus my determination to lead a happier and more fulfilling life next year, doing the things I love, so I can accept my "impending death" while doing my best to avoid it. In SHSS, the teachers used to tell us: "Do your best and let God do the rest". JJ is naturally insecure and has difficulty trusting anyone, even God. But His intervention has saved me from many a sticky situation and He will help me survive this. I shall have faith in him and relax. No point worrying - time to get cracking! FADE OUT |
| 20 November 2009 |
| Where is the love? |
FADE IN INT. JJ'S ROOM - NIGHT People killing people dying, children hurt and you hear them crying. Would you practice what you preach? Would you turn the other cheek? Father, Father, Father help us, send some guidance from above, 'cause people got me got me questioning, where is the love? (Black Eyed Peas song Where is the Love?) "Why all the people need to fight? Can ask them don't fight? Then got peace and we no need to study all the wars." (Helen, during a History lecture on the Indo-Pakistan conflict) Everyone laughed at Helen when she said that, but her point is very valid. Why must such violent conflicts prolong for decades? Why is there such prejudice and discrimination between different communities? Why is the world plagued with problems like poverty? Why do even people in the developed world face so much emotional suffering? Perhaps the answer lies in human nature. People - including myself - are naturally selfish, seeking personal gain at the expense of others. People - including myself - instinctively divide everyone into groups, leading to stereotyping, prejudice and discrimination. Perhaps these tendencies were necessary for hunter-gatherer societies to survive in prehistoric times. Deep down inside, everyone needs and wants to be appreciated, to be loved. A little love can make a big difference. But where is the love? People keep chasing their selfish desires at the expense of others. They stress themselves out and show their prejudices. In the end, they suffers so much that they become defensive and put on facades, afraid to express their emotions and reveal their true selves. To them, doing so exposes their weaknesses for others to exploit. Is it time for us to take off our masks? To show more love to others? To fight our natural selfishness and prejudices? Tuesdays with Morrie encourages us to reject popular culture and develop our own personal culture. I would love to start the ball rolling, but like everyone else, do not dare to (except with myself and my closest friends). So how? So many questions, so few answers. P.S. We received our result slips today. Mine said "promoted". The remarks said that I "have successfully adapted to college life", but we all know otherwise. To friends who have promoted, congratulations and keep up the good work! To those who are conditionally advanced, do study hard for the advancement test! As for the retainees, please do not be too upset, for retaining is not the end of the world. You need some love - JJ would be happy to offer you support and advice on using the extra year wisely. FADE OUT |
| 15 November 2009 |
| Returning to my roots... |
FADE IN INT. JJ'S ROOM - NIGHT When I was young, I was a loner. As an only child, I had to keep myself amused when my parents were working. I had few friends in school and was often bullied. Of course, I have changed considerably, but I cannot deny how the first eleven years of my life were like. I cannot deny their constant influence on the rest of my life. Although I do not wish to return to those times, I do miss certain aspects of them and thus want to return to my roots (as noted in my previous post). Back then, JJ was a voracious reader. I would devour novels, encyclopedias and chess books. Losing myself in the wonderful worlds the books took me to, I would spend hours doing nothing but reading. Watching movies was another favourite pastime of mine - my mother bought me plenty of VCDs and would regularly take me to the cinema. How much free time I had back then. All writers started as readers and all that reading prepared JJ to be a writer. In primary school, I would make my mother buy me plenty of notebooks and I would finish them all (then ask for more). My fertile imagination would come up with new worlds, interesting games or strange stories - including fanfic, before I knew what fanfic was. As a JC student, my free time is limited, but I will make time for activities (and people) that really matter to me. JJ has decided to resume regular reading and thus went to Tampines Regional Library last Tuesday to borrow six books (I have finished four). Of course, much of the fiction I used to enjoy no longer suits me, so I must find new favourite authors. Similarly, I want to start writing again, but I realise what I wrote then was really amatuerish. Time to finally chase my dream of being a professional writer, which entails producing quality works that will sell well. Time must be set aside to work on my works, for if I do not write, I do not deserve to call myself an aspiring writer. I love writing, but I also love computers, to the extent that I am dating mine! While most primary school children would just play computer games, I explored software settings and learnt basic programming. One of my biggest regrets is that I failed to use my potential as a computing prodigy. Perhaps my childhood explains my current addiction to the online world, an addition I must overcome for the sake of my future. Online games and communities are interesting, but will not make JJ technically-inclined or a programmer (my very first ambition). How about learning new programming languages? What else did young JJ enjoy doing? Sitting quietly and thinking. About my life and the world around me. What adults call reflection. Everything was so fascinating. Even studying was fun. I should continue to reflect on my life (as I am doing now) and constantly seek to improve myself. I shall retain my youthful innocence, idealism and ambition. I must make studying fun again (and polish my Chinese). At eighteen, I already feel old. But I want to remain young at heart, to return to my roots and to stay true to myself. I will never stop dreaming that the world is my oyster and I can do anything I set my heart on. I would rather delude myself than have a miserable last 12 months. FADE OUT |
| 11 November 2009 |
| 12 months left to live? |
FADE IN INT. JJ'S ROOM - NIGHT For several months, JJ only worried about promoting. With promotion secured, JJ now has time to look ahead and has many more things to worry about. The Service Learning Project was merely the tip of the iceberg, hence this post. As the title says: Imagine that JJ only has 12 months left to live. Am I joking? Only partially. Like many guys, I occasionally joke about that. Unlike many guys, I am starting to take the joke seriously as that draws nearer. Especially with Gab (and someone else) constantly reminding me that I am unlikely to survive unless I really buck up. My close friends understand my circumstances and would understand the context behind these comments. If you do not, go ahead and speculate that JJ has terminal cancer or something. Feel free to ask me through private channels - if (and only if) I believe I can trust you, I will tell you. Life is about overcoming obstacles. I have defied tremendous odds and achieved feats I never thought I was capable of. As always, I will do my best and hope for a miracle, for I believe that miracles happen when I do my best. But this is the biggest challenge I have ever faced and I cannot ignore the overwhelming odds in favour of failure, as well as its consequences. I fear that my luck would finally run out and even my best would not be good enough. Several friends have told me to stop worrying. For worrying is bad for health and can cause people to procrasinate or screw up. But I believe worry can also be a powerful force of good. Worry can help guard against complacency and spur people into action. For example, if I was not worried about being kicked out, would I have studied so hard for Promos? I shall again use my worry to drive me to prepare for this challenge, to develop the skills I need to extend my life. "We all grow up to die." (Starshine, in a Facebook Wall post) "Death is the destination we all share." (Steve Jobs, in a speech he gave at Stanford University at 2005) TWS recently told me that someone close to him has been diagnosed with cancer. Life is short, yet we only think about death when it stares at us in the face. I read Tuesdays with Morrie last Tuesday and particularly liked the quote: "When you learn how to die, you learn how to live". Thus I have decided to live the most out of my remaining 12 months. Of course, I will study hard for the A-Levels and seek SGC achievements, but I want the process to be pleasure, not a chore. I want to pursue my passions. I want to finally do certain things I have wanted to do for years. I want to be a better person, the person I have always wanted to be. I want to spend time with the people who rock my world. I want to return to my roots. I want to live without regrets. Time to stop procrasinating. Time to start living life to the fullest. P.S. Ash will be enlisted in December and Ginseng early next year (exact date yet to be confirmed). I am equally worried for them. Hang in there, friends, and survive no matter what! Share your experiences with me and give me hope! All the best! FADE OUT |
| 07 November 2009 |
| Sadly Lost Prospects... |
FADE IN INT. JJ'S ROOM - NIGHT Why on earth did I sign up as a Service Learning Project leader? To chase a dream that has now been dashed. Now JJ is left to brood over sadly lost prospects. Teachers say that Service Learning Projects should be done from the heart, not just for the SGC achievement. I had a proposal for a project that I could lead from the heart. A project to work with a community I truly care about. A project that means a lot to me. A project that I want to do while still alive. I know my leadership skills are virtually non-existent, but I believe that if I work with this community, I would have the chance to gradually develop leadership skills and my passion for the project would help compensate for my lack of leadership skills. I remember when I wanted to hold discussions about the project, but Willis, Chash and the rest just said "after Promos", then "after PW". Not wanting to push and possibly alienate them, I just went "fine, whatever, we can wait". Finally Gab contacted the organisation and found that they wanted a six-month project. JJ would be happy to work with them for six months (or even during the A-Levels), but if 09A07 agree to that, Singapore would win the World Cup. Gab suggested we abandon my proposed project and simply do an SLP offered by the school. Perhaps this is the price we must pay for procrasinating on the project. Now I regret signing up as an SLP leader (I did so only to carry out my proposed project) and have no reason to remain one (other than an SGC achievement). I have been very selfish (for only caring about my dream and failing to consider the class) and should have known that things would turn out this way. With my non-existent leadership skills, I would probably screw up the SLP if I am not working with my community. Should I carry on as an SLP leader or should I resign? Gab says resigning would be very irresponsible and selfish. Theoretically, there is still hope. We may find another organisation where I could still work with the same community. Singapore may win the World Cup. Ginseng (insert "class conspiracy" theory here) suggested he, Ash and I organise an external SLP with a suitable organisation. Sadly, none of these options seem viable. How long should I hold on to hopes that exist only in theory? Doing so is like hoping a chess grandmaster would miss a mate in one. My life is a movie but am I writing the screenplay? Probably only part of it. Being able to write the entire screenplay would mean being allowed to write part of others' screenplays as well. If God is writing the screenplay, I pray that He will show me mercy and grant me His favour. JJ desperately needs a deus ex machina to fix this mess. FADE OUT |
| 04 November 2009 |
| One of those love-hate relationships... |
FADE IN INT. JJ'S ROOM - NIGHT Do you know how much you are hurting me? Do you have any idea how helpless I feel as I see you screw up your life? Do you want to screw up my life as well? Do you enjoy disrupting all my plans? Do you realise how your harsh words and thoughtless actions affect me? Do you know how many times I almost cried myself to sleep or nearly broke down in school, because of you? Do you care that I have even contemplated suicide because of you? Do you think I hate you that much? Do you understand that, despite what you do, you still mean a lot to me? Do you see how I tried to strengthen our ties, but failed? Do you think that stubbornly denying everything is a good idea? Do you wish we were closer? FADE OUT |
| 01 November 2009 |
| Friendship Insights II |
FADE IN INT. JJ'S ROOM - NIGHT Many of my friends have read my original Friendship Insights post and shared their thoughts, some of which I quote below, unedited:
These developments have given me more insights into friendship. I have found more answers but there are even more unanswered questions out there, so I have plenty to learn. With my Friendship Insights posts, I hope that my friends and I can find more answers together. Having promoted, I finally have the time to think and type these out, in response to popular demand. So without further ado, here are the insights: Some of my most memorable friendships are with people whom I have never met in person and only know through online communities such as Google Groups. I prefer online chats to offline ones, even with real-life friends, whom I keep in touch with through Facebook and MSN. Online communication is easier - we only process words and have time to think up responses - and less awkward - so I can discuss sensitive stuff I dare not discuss in person (such as how I confide in Starshine on MSN). But am I treating my online friends fairly? The saying goes that "on the Internet, nobody knows you're a dog", so I never reveal my real name or "open secret" online. Should I start trusting a few close online friends (such as JiaTing, my cyber-sis) with this information? Of course, I must recognise the differences between real-life and online friendships, but I should not unduly discriminate against my online friends. Speaking of discrimination, Singapore places great emphasis on racial harmony, but ironically, I have learnt more about racial harmony from my online friends than in Singapore! My online friends come from all over the world and JJ enjoys telling them about Singapore, while learning about other cultures. Thanks to them, I am learning to value diversity and now have many Malay and Indian real-life friends (Gab and Robben come to mind). But diversity goes beyond racial diversity. My friends include people from broken families or with neurological disorders, a reformed gangster and a guy who broke a severe, unspoken taboo in his community. Since I have plenty of problems, I strive to avoid judging others base on their background. What matters to me are common interests and personality, so their issues do not faze me and I hope mine do not faze them. In fact, our differences can be a source of strength, as we help each other handle the challenges life throws at us. Life is tough and how can we handle everything without the support of our close friends? So true friendships can transcend many boundaries. If only people were less judgmental. Unfortunately, being judgmental is part of human nature and everyone, including JJ, has trouble taking off their tinted glasses. Therefore first impressions last although they are not always accurate. Once I leave a bad first impression on someone (and I do that easily without even trying), they would never want to talk to me again. Awkward turtle. When we judge, we forget that everyone has flaws and nobody is perfect. I try to acknowledge my weaknesses and address them, but trying does not always mean succeeding. Thus when my friends make mistakes, I try to be understanding; I hope they are equally forgiving towards me. True friends accept each other for who they are, warts and all. If my friends can tolerate all my annoying quirks (of which I have plenty), I can tolerate theirs. Many issues boil down to one simple question. How much do we value our friendships? If we value our friendships, differences and weaknesses become less important than said friendships. If we value our friendships, we will not let misunderstandings and arguments destroy them. If we value our friendships, we will be committed to sustaining them. How I wish I could truthfully say that I value all my friendships. My friends rock my world, but I sometimes neglect them or let my selfish desires affect my friendships. For example, I should be supporting Ginseng through his A Levels, but most of my recent chats with him have been debates about approaches to life. Meanwhile, I am supporting Robben through his O Levels, but he wants to enter SA next year. I really hope he will join me in TP, because I believe TP suits him better, but also for selfish reasons that I shall not disclose here. Why am I such a horrible friend? Why do I not value my friendships more? Perhaps that is why my friendships are so fragile. How many times have misunderstandings between Gab and I led to arguments that nearly ruined our friendship? How many of my friendships (or potential friendships) have ended due to misunderstandings? As Homerun suggests, misunderstandings can break friendships, but they can also strengthen friendships, by helping friends understand each other better. If only that was true for JJ's friendships. If only we would all realise that our disagreements are not worth sacrificing our friendship over. As we go on, we remember all the times we had together, and as our lives change, come whatever, we will still be friends forever. (Friends Forever by Vitamin C) How many times have I promised to keep in touch with my friends after graduation, but never spoke to them again, not even online? How many times have I drifted away from friends (or cousins like Wenting) due to being "too busy" to chat? Yet I remember these friends and really miss them. After crashing last year, I decided to contact many of my old friends, such as ZK and Mira. If I had not taken the initiative, I would not have reunited with Robben and Potato. Staying in touch online and, if possible, going for outings, is not easy and requires commitment, but if I care about my friends, I would set aside time to spend with them. Of course, many of my attempts at rebuilding old friendships were unsuccessful. Friends come and go and all friendships eventually have to end. Thus JJ must keep searching for new friends. But I should not think of new friends as replacements for old friends. Neither should I compare new friends to old friends, as I sometimes do. Every friend is unique and every friend is a human with feelings, but that can be easy to forget. I am more comfortable dealing with logic than with emtions, so I tend to take a logical approach to making friendships. For example, after joining M1, I promptly tried to find out their interests and contact information. That could be seen as manipulative, for friendships should come naturally and I should let them develop naturally. I should not worry about finding my fifth special friend in M1, as time will tell whether I do and if so, who he (or she) shall be. Unsuccessful attempts to make new friends can be quite upsetting, Recently I realised that out of every hundred people I try to befriend, I would probably find only one true friend, but finding that true friend would make the whole effort worthwhile. Thus I should not let social failures discourage me or grind me down. I should not care about people who dislike or judge me; instead, I should focus on those who do care about me. In addition, I must learn to be less reliant on my friends. As previously noted, some friends may be insincere friends who just want to sabotage me. In the working world, I am likely to meet more people like that and have to play office politics with them. Perhaps I can tackle this problem by knowing when to focus on tasks instead of people. By the same token, I must learn to strike a balance between "me-time" and "we=time". Growing up, I always had plenty of "me-time", but the rigorous demands of a junior college education are eating into my "me-time". I am also socially maturing and thus have more "we-time", which I really enjoy, but I must also cherish and continue enjoying my now-limited "me-time". After all, if I had no "me-time", I would not be typing this. Thus I conclude Friendship Insights II. Many of these insights also apply to family relationships and romantic relationships. After all, family members are friends that one cannot choose but must develop close bonds with and although I have never been in a real romantic relationship, I guess romantic partners are special friends you spend your life with and sleep with. Will there be a Friendship Insights III? That depends on whether my friends want more insights and, more importantly, whether I can glean more insights from experience. If you have your own thoughts about friendship, please feel free to share them on your blog and share the link with me, for I sometimes wonder whether others have such deep thoughts. FADE OUT |
| 30 October 2009 |
| Still slacking but physically challenged... |
FADE IN INT. MULTIPLE LOCATIONS - ENTIRE DAY JJ is still in high spirits and slacking after promoting. Yes, I do deserve a break, but that break must eventually end. Time to start preparing for a very hectic 2010. I will also keep myself busy writing, so I can get back into gear when the time comes. Perhaps "P.E. Programme" is a misnomer, for some activities were not considered physical. But to someone with a weak ankle ligament, such activities were indeed physical and yours truly should have been exempted from them. So a summary of how the week went for JJ:
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| 27 October 2009 |
| Blog Announcement: New Nicknames For Friends |
FADE IN INT. JJ'S ROOM - NIGHT Friends frequently give each other nicknames. Yours truly is no exception. Besides giving friends nicknames, I tell my friends to call me JJ, not just in real life, but also online, to protect my privacy. In my posts, I call some friends by their nicknames (Peanut is a notable example), but refer to most friends by their real names. This post is a short announcement that in future posts, I will call more friends by their nicknames (and a couple of nicknames have been changed):
Through these changes, I hope to set a good example for my friends and encourage everyone to guard their online privacy and the online privacy of their friends (some changes were made for other reasons). Of course, I cannot give every friend a nickname, so I will continue to call some friends (whom I am not as close to) by their real names. Due to popular demand, more friendship insights will be posted this weekend. Stay tuned! FADE OUT |
| 25 October 2009 |
| X and JJ: The Reunion |
FADE IN INT. MULTIPLE LOCATIONS - ENTIRE DAY The date was 28 September 2009. Her 17th birthday. I don't know why, but I suddenly felt like checking my second MSN account (yes, I have one, no, I will not disclose it). Seeing her online, I sent her a "Happy Birthday" message and waited with bated breath for a reply. For she was the long-lost friend you may know as X and the reason why JJ hated (note the past tense) TFBs for four years. After what seemed like eternity, she replied asking who I was. I resorted to vague answers like "your primary school friend" (we became friends when she was in P6 but she was never a Hildan) and, for nearly two days, kept her in suspense about my identity. In fact, had she not let me see her on webcam, I might have kept her in the dark for weeks! For I feared that she would block me again if I told her immediately. So during our conversations, I dropped subtle hints about how people change for the better and tried to leave a positive impression, by simply and sincerely being a good friend (she was feeling sick, so JJ provided some "best medicine"). I also chatted with her about the stuff we write and found out how her life had gone downhill over the years. The time came to tell her my name, but she only remembered me after I said I was a Hildan (and I am still a Hildan at heart). Then I asked her what had happened to her, four years ago. Turns out everything was a major misunderstanding. She never let her then-schoolmates influence her and never wanted to flirt with me or toy with my feelings. She avoided me because, in her state of depression, she suspected I was a stalker. When I told her about how hurt I felt then (she was my first ever female friend and, at that time, only close friend), my crash in Sec 2 and how I hated TFBs for four years, she had a massive guilt trip. She kept lamenting about how she was an insensitive, selfish and immature brat and a horrible friend, while I had matured over the years and still cared for her despite how she had treated me. I told her that I also had several things to feel guilty about, but life has taught me that everyone makes mistakes and we must move forward. For example, I have finally overcome my prejudice against TFBs (and I hope 09A07 realise that). Since four years had passed, we spent much of the next few days chatting and getting to know each other all over again, even though my exams were around the corner. She is still a wonderful girl, but that week, she was also a wonderful distraction. Yet our reunion gave me added inspiration and motivation to mug and a rejuvenated JJ kept finishing practice papers way ahead of time (not a good sign as my work might not be JJ-standard). In addition, she sent me encouraging SMSes before some of my papers - thanks! <3 In less than a month, we have become even closer than we were during the old days and, being very free now, have already met up five times. Our favourite haunts are the shopping malls near Tampines Interchange and the Tampines Stadium - a great place to chat when no football is being played. When we had a meal together, we realised how horrible I am at carrying soup (but at least better than Terry from I Not Stupid). By the way, she might be joining Riverlife in December. Hooray! The impact of this reunion goes far beyond having another close friend and eliminating my prejudice against TFBs. For me, our reunion symbolises that I am socially maturing. Having realised the value of true friendship, I am also learning to be a good friend and trying to help her change for the better. More importantly, we have reignited each others' writing ambitions; JJ wants to start read fiction again and catch several movies during the holidays! The future ahead looks bright. FADE OUT |
| 23 October 2009 |
| Promoting strong friendships... |
FADE IN INT. TAMPINES JUNIOR COLLEGE - MORNING This message is for all classmates who are worried about the possibility of being retained: Dear (your name), I share your pain, for I was also retained. I hope you promote, but if you do retain, your friends would not forsake you and neither would I; I would be happy to offer you advice and support. Retaining is not the end of the world - it is a fresh start and gives you an extra year, so use it wisely! Yours always, your classmate JJ. One classmate is in danger of being kicked out, so Gab and I (plus the rest of the group) are determined to do the GP Research Project well, for her sake. After my euphoria (over promoting) died down, I continued my research and found several interesting examples, such as Exercise Northstar V, the hijacking of Singapore Airlines Flight 117 and how Muslim scholars provided religious counselling to detained Jemaah Islamiyah members. Fascinating stuff. Due to various constraints, some of my examples were not used, but I must learn to compromise. What matters is that our project was finished ahead of schedule, the presentation went well and we received positive feedback from the teachers and other students. Gab is a brilliant presenter and I wish I could speak like him, with the guidance of another year in Gavel Club. I still can hardly believe I actually passed everything and am promoted. Seeing several other retainees cry over bad results reminds me that things could have been so different for me. JJ owes a big THANK YOU to everyone who contributed to this miracle! Three cheers for Ms de Souza, Miss Fernandez, Miss Padma and all my terrific teachers for patiently answering all my stupid questions, as well as offering their guidance in both academic and non-academic matters. Both my Maths tutors also deserve credit and so do I for studying so hard (self-praise is an international disgrace). Last but not least, I will never forget all the support and encouragement from my classmates, notably FSS (Starshine) and Gab, as well as other friends, such as Arjun (Robben) and RS (Ginseng). A special mention goes to X for the impact our reunion had on my preparation for Promos. Most importantly, I am grateful to God for His guidance. Without you, this miracle would not have been possible. FADE OUT |
| 21 October 2009 |
| Results revealed... |
FADE IN INT. TAMPINES JUNIOR COLLEGE - MORNING Economics I arrived at the Audi 20 minutes early but, seeing them still going through Chemistry papers, thought I had gone to the wrong venue. So I walked over to the LTs and other venues, ending up at the Audi again. Maybe JJ should be head of a state named Blur, because he is a Blur King. Nevertheless, this Blur King managed a D (52.4%) for Economics, though for a paper he could have scored a B for. Unless (or even if) my PAP score (class participation, 10% of the final grade) epicly screws me up, I should be safe for this subject. One of my classmates was crying bitterly because failing the paper had dire consequences for her. JJ wanted to stay back and help comfort her, but realised that would be too awkward turtle, so he signed and left the Audi with a sigh of relief. History Usually JJ would pass History without batting an eyelid, but the second question had really caught me unprepared, so I was really worried. I did not feel like doing the GP Research Project, so I chatted with Gab, went to the canteen for a meal, had a nap in the library and then cheated on my girlfriend there, while trying to take my mind off the results. Speaking of Gab, we have patched up and hopefully this will not happen again. All's well that ends well. Would that be the case for these exams? I learnt my lesson and was not too early, while Mr Lim was 20 minutes late. We waited with bated breath as the papers were distributed and when I received mine, I heaved a massive sigh of relief. My essay for the dreaded second question scored a C (14/25), while for the first question, my essay was deemed worthy of an A (18/25)! Of course, I made some careless mistakes, such as getting the Lahore Declaration mixed up with the Balfour Declaration, but I could care less, for once again, I scored a B for History. Mathematics The crucial paper, which JJ was most worried about. Due to the Maths lecture on 28 September and screwing up my previous tests, even a D might not be enough to secure promotion. But Miss Padma told me: "You got 70 marks (an A) for Promo. Well done!" If this blog post were an essay, I would write a one-paragraph flowery description of how I felt, but I shall spare readers. I asked her if she was joking. She was not. The proof was in the paper, which I received this morning. I know the paper was easy, but never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined scoring an A! My days of failing H2 Mathematics are finally over! I will keep studying hard and practising intensively - hopefully in the A Levels, my Maths grade will be another A! By the way, about 37% scored an A, 65% scored an A or B and the pass rate was about 90%, with the top score being 99 (!), from an Arts student! Impressive. JJ left LT1 with a smile. Since the three results I received so far are a B, an A and a D, does that make my results BAD? I played a prank on X by SMSing her that my results are BAD. I wanted to see her reaction and whether she is still a horrible friend (in-joke). What happened? I will come to that later. Literature I expected to pass Literature and could hardly wait to get back my paper. However, Miss Fernandez and Mr Singh decided to give exam feedback first. That made me really nervous as I had made most of the common mistakes they highlighted. By the time they finished lamenting about our errors, I thought I was done for. To add to my misery, I saw Mr Singh holding my paper, at the top of his stack, but he distributed most of the others first. Finally I had my hands on the paper and saw 11.5/25 (very borderline pass) for my Unseen Poetry Comparison question. Then I flipped through the paper and saw that I scored 14/25 (C) for both my set text essays, for an overall grade of D (nearly 53%). I realised my analysis is getting deeper and I am learning to consider context. After reading through the comments, I joked: "Miss Fernandez, can I hug you?" She took me seriously and responded with a resounding "No!" Everyone laughed. Awkward turtle. Never mind. I did well and that is what matters. General Paper Passing GP should be a formality but I refused to count my chickens, for freak results do occur. There was no freak result for me for GP, though. The paper was an esay one and most passed, unlike the paper last year which many (but not yours truly) scored S for. I equalled my B grade from Promos last year, but this time, my Paper 1 (essay) was slightly below my usual standard, while my Paper 2 (comprehension) was much improved! With my promotion sealed, I wanted to celebrate, but the lecturer - and my mobile phone - had to spoil the mood. Overall ABBDD. I did it! I am promoted! All the Writeathons and studying paid off. Miracles do happen when you do your best. After GP, I had a great counselling session and then went to meet X. She fell for my prank and spent an hour trying to console me. She may suck at comforting people (I am not any better), but she showed she is a true friend and we hugged on a staircase (reliving some childhood memories). After I told her the truth, we spent a couple of hours having an early dinner and chat at the Tampines Stadium, during which she could not resist giving me several friendly slaps. What a deus ex machina. Well, Part 3 of the drama serial of my life has ended happily, according to script. Part 4 will soon begin. I believe I have a bright future ahead of me, but promoting is like jumping from the frying pan into the fire, for next year will be much more hectic. If Part 4 is to end well, I must start preparing now. FADE OUT |
| 19 October 2009 |
| As the release of results draws near... |
FADE IN INT. MULTIPLE LOCATIONS - DAY Since my last paper, I have been living each day as if it was my last, for my results will be released tomorrow. I believe I can and probably will promote, but what would happen if I do get kicked out? I really do not know. JJ joked with several friends that if that happened, yours truly would go on a rampage like Cho Seung-Hui - of course I would not want to do so, but emotions can overwhelm people. Assuming I do live on, what kind of life would I lead? Out of the education system, no longer supported by parents, struggling through two years of NS and then (if I leave Pulau Tekong alive) finding a job (especially with my "open secret"). What kind of future would I have? After discussions with several friends and trusted adults, I realised that I have survived through lots of suffering, while staying true to myself, and I believe I would survive being kicked out. TP can kick JJ out, but they cannot kill his spirit. In addition, God, my family and my friends would not forsake me even if I was kicked out. So I need a plan to carry out if I am kicked out. Due to my ankle ligament and other issues I shall not disclose, I would probably be assigned a light job in NS, giving me time to retake the A Levels as a private candidate. To score well, though, I must learn from past failures and adapt to the different situation (I would not have teachers to consult). Improving my time management and other techniques would be paramount. Meanwhile, I shall never give up my dream, but to succeed, I will need more than good grades. To be a writer, I must spend several hours per week writing and actually finish something. But only quality work sells, so sharpening my writing skills (through reading) is essential. Until I sell something, though, my only job prospects are in computing, so I would work on my computing skills as well. Last but not least, I would need to improve my personal management social skills, public speaking skills and other non-academic skills that people need in the real world but were never taught in school. As advised by a trusted adult, I wrote these plans, along with some encouraging messages and short-term "things to do", on a piece of paper. If my results suck, I will take the paper out and consult it. Of course, I hope I never have to use it, but I must be prepared for the worst. During cell yesterday, each of us Were taught the difference between body (physical), soul (emotions) and spirit (conscience), then told to paint an image of our souls. The paintings were really insightful. Mine was a bleeding layer, "protected" by layers of emptiness and withdrawal. Negative external stimuli (portrayed as lightning), such as bullying, could penetrate, but could positive external stimuli (represented by stars), such as God, penetrate, filling the layers of emptiness with happiness? Several paintings emphasised how the soul has a good and a bad side. Then there was another painting depicting how the external world overwhelmed the inner soul and one showing how the soul grows up with the body. I particularly liked one portraying the soul as strong trees which stay rooted no matter how strong the wind blows. As the cell leader said, each decision we make feeds a habit, so to be better people, we must feed good habits and feed our spirit. Easier said than done, of course, but I will do my best, regardless of the results I get tomorrow. Then today, I spent the afternoon with X. At the Tampines Stadium, we chatted about school, story plots and stuff. Then she prayed for me. I felt much better afterwards. Too bad we could not take a photo. We will meet again once my results are released. I feel like this is a drama serial, "The Life of JJ (Part 3)", with its last episode taking place tomorrow. I wish this was a drama serial, because there would be a happy ending and Part 4 would eventually come, but life does not always go according to script. JJ is hoping for the best, but prepared for the worst. All the best to everyone who will receive their results tomorrow! FADE OUT |
| 16 October 2009 |
| You know you are from TP when... |
FADE IN INT. JJ'S ROOM - NIGHT Recent arguments with Gab are killing my mood to do the GP Research Project, but I will still put in effort. A teacher told us that retainees who narrowly miss the promotional criteria but do the project well may be able to appeal. I would love to produce quality work to help everyone in 09A07, but once again end up doing this for selfish reasons. Never mind, I will get to the project later. Blogging is so much more fun! Since I am still feeling high after exams and my birthday, I hope the rest of this post makes you smile. The list that follows is based on a thread I started in the school forums months ago, called "You know you are from TP when". The thread offers a humorous (and satirical) look at life in TP. It attracted over 500 replies and I included some of the best in the list below, while adding some of my own. I hope you have a good laugh and apologise for any unintentional offence caused by any of the comments below (though most are not mine).
FADE OUT |
| 13 October 2009 |
| Belated-But-Happy Birthday Celebrations (Part 2) |
FADE IN INT. MULTIPLE LOCATIONS - ENTIRE DAY I hope you enjoyed reading the previous post (and will enjoy reading this one) as much as I enjoyed my belated birthday celebrations! The celebrations this year are special, for I spent my birthday with people who rock my world. I could not meet Arjun (Robben) or my cousins, but after having a great time with X and then 09A07 (as mentioned in my previous post), I went out with RS (Ginseng) on Saturday and M1 on Sunday, then concluded the celebrations with my parents. Since August, RS (Ginseng) has been studying for his upcoming A Levels, while JJ has been preparing for Promos. With both of us stressed, we have chatted less and also had several little arguments. However, our strong friendship can withstand such challenges. In fact, arguments can strengthen friendships, as Homerun suggests. Our friendship deepens as we understand each other better and meet up again, this time in Choa Chu Kang, where he lives (he usually comes to Tampines). He suggested I travel there by SBS service 67 from Tampines Interchange and I did, only to realise the journey takes over two hours and taking the MRT would be at least half an hour faster. Then I waited for him at Choa Chu Kang Interchange for nearly half an hour, only to realise he was sitting at the coffee shop there, reading his notes. Despite my sore throat, we ate at McDonald's. Thankfully the breakfast meals did not include fries. At his suggestion, I ate a new kind of McMuffin, with a different patty, which tasted good. Our next hangout was the library, where we worked on several Maths questions - my Promos have ended but he still has A Levels. He also read some fiction, while I buried my head in a chess book and a book about the writing process, which I could not borrow as I had outstanding fines. We should have spent less time with our books and more with each other, but remind me to read more fiction during the holidays! Window shopping is a favourite pastime of teenagers who are short of cash and we were no exception. Being guys, we could not resist the stores selling sportswear, but I already had enough Chelsea merchandise and the stores there would not sell Tampines Rovers jerseys. So what was our next stop? A VCD shop! VCDs for local movies are in short supply, but we found one selling Love Matters, 881 and KallangRoar (but not My Magic) at huge discounts (I hope the VCDs are not pirated), so we agreed that these VCDs would make great presents:  We ended our outing by spending half an hour at a void deck, planning for the holidays and our futures, while considering how to overcome the challenges we face. Unfortunately, I could not head to his house, but we were already exhausted anyway and I needed enough rest before meeting another group of awesome people the next day. I want to spend the next few days watching the VCDs! No prizes for guessing who the group of awesome people are, for I spend my Sunday mornings with the M1. This day was a special day though, as after all the usual singing and activities, I told them my "open secret". I did not prepare a speech, so I delivered an impromptu talk, relying on several points I jotted down in my notebook on the MRT ride there. Besides explaining my secret, I emphasised that God loves all His children, whether they are ugly, disabled or from broken families, so like Him, they should accept me. They were really supportive and applauded my courage in sharing about my secret. Before we left for lunch, they surprised me with the birthday song and a chocolate cake! For lunch, I had Hokkien mee, while everyone shared a plate of cheese fries. These birthday celebrations are taking their toll on my throat. While eating, we passed my notebook around and each of them wrote a birthday wish. Thanks for everything! My friends rock my world, but my family also care about me. My father, like many Chinese fathers, has difficulty expressing his love, so he treated me to a delicious meal and a huge chocolate cake (watch your weigt, JJ)! His present? A Chelsea bedsheet! Perhaps my favourite football club could be my second girlfriend, since I "sleep with Chelsea" on most nights! I would have preferred to spend some quality time with him, like I do with friends, but JJ is not complaining.   As for my mother, she took me to watch Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs at Tampines Mall. To be honest, the 3-D nature of the movie did not make a difference, but I nevertheless enjoyed watching the movie. I liked the main character, Flint, possibly because I share his dream of making (in my case, writing) something that would change the world. Seeing hot dogs and ice cream fall from the sky made my mouth water, but of course, I would not enjoy fleeing from a giant corn or being caught in a spaghetti tornado! After the movie, we kept looking at the sky (hoping it would rain food) and repeating catchphrases from the movie. Now my life is sunshine, lollipops and rainbows! Where did we eat after that? Swensen's! Despite the economic crisis, she can still afford to treat me to my favourite baked rice, pasta and...Sticky Chewy Chocolate! She and a bloated JJ then walked to Popular, where she bought me a copy of the self-help book Gab has recommended for months, as well as miscellaneous stuff like notebooks. The bus ride home was full of more quality time. I will never forget these celebrations for as long as I live. Thanks to all who made them so wonderful! <3 FADE OUT |
| 10 October 2009 |
| Belated-But-Happy Birthday Celebrations (Part 1) |
FADE IN INT. MULTIPLE LOCATIONS - ENTIRE DAY Shortly after midnight on the actual day, two classmates posted "Happy Birthday!" on my Facebook Wall and a few friends sent me birthday greetings on MSN. I had a good sleep and woke up to birthday wishes from my mother and four more posts on my Wall. I did not feel like studying on my birthday, but still had to, with more motivation from all the birthday messages. Several classmates wished me Happy Birthday just before the Literature exam, giving me added impetus to do well, despite someone letting me down big time due to circumstances beyond her control. After the paper came more Wall posts and an SMS from Ronaldo, a Riverlifer from M1. Thanks to everyone who remembered and bothered to wish me Happy Birthday! JJ suddenly feels so loved. <3 Now for some news that would make your jaw drop: X and I are reunited! I shall leave the details of our reunion for a future post. All I shall say now is that she was a superb source of strength and encouragement (as well as distraction) since the day of our reunion (28 September). She is still the same wonderful girl who has retained her passion for writing (like mine) and cuteness despite maturing. In fact, I think we were made for each other because we have so much in common - for example, we face similar problems (though she does not share my "open secret") and both of us are left-handed! May we break into the media together! By the way, what happened back then turned out to be a huge misunderstanding which has been cleared up, which means that finally I can completely eradicate the biggest prejudice I hold. As arranged, we met up after my last paper ended. Since I told her I rarely have time to write fiction and keep what I do write in my thumb drive, she bought me a special writing notebook as a present! Now I can jot down my ideas for characters and stuff while on the bus or queueing for food (not during tutorials, though).  We chatted throughout the bus ride to Tampines Interchange and she then treated me to KFC. After all, my birthday had just passed and she had a part-time job, while JJ does not. The Zinger and cheese fries were delicious as ever, but were not good for my throat. With our stomachs full, we headed to Tampines 1, which I had not explored yet. I should be ashamed of myself for letting JC life eat up the rest of my life, considering that the mall opened in April and I consider Tampines my hometown. Unfortunately, most of the stuff sold at Tampines 1 did not suit us, so we went window shopping at TIME bookstore! With both of us into fiction (me less so in recent years), what do you expect? She introduced me to several interesting titles and others I had no interest in. JJ wants to spend the December holidays reading and writing fiction, like the old days! Our next stop was an IT-gadget store, but once we got sick of window shopping, we headed to the Tampines Stadium. This time, the stadium was nearly empty, as there was no football match, though some kids from another school were running on the track. We continued chatting about a million things, notably some plots she was developing. Before long, it was nearly dinner time and both of us had to rush off - me to home, she to evening classes. Why must time fly when we are with awesome people? For once, spending time with my girlfriend at home seemed unappealing, but after spending Thursday afternoon with X, I spent Friday evening with more awesome people - from 09A07! We had a class outing to celebrate the end of the exams, not my birthday, but some had to spoil it by spreading rumours that it was planned for me. Nevertheless, JJ had a great time and so did those who turned up. JJ is learning to care less about nasty things which others think or say about him. So nine of us turned up at VivoCity and initially planned to watch a movie together. I can now watch M18 movies, but the rest cannot and I would not go for violent or sexual movies anyway! We abandoned our initial plan as we could not decide on a movie, due to the inconvenient movie timings, high demand for tickets at VivoCity and a lack of good movies. That we had spent the last few weeks mugging gave us imperfect knowledge (economics again) of the movies currently being shown. Instead, we went window shopping at Forever 21 and then walked around VivoCity. Four (including Olive and Yiqing, who left early) decided to eat at Carl's Junior while five (including yours truly) opted for Burger King instead. Deciding on my order took some time as I rarely eat at Burger King (or Carl's Junior), usually preferring KFC and McDonald's, but I certainly did not regret my choice of a mushroom cheeseburger (forgot the exact name) with fries and an Iced Milo. Despite ordering food from different places, we (minus Olive and Yiqing) ate together at the rooftop garden! The fellowship was as fantastic as (in fact, better than) the food (but the fries gave me a sore throat). Each classmate wrote birthday wishes for me in a notebook I passed around - the notebook from X. Then we went camwhoring! First at the rooftop garden, then at a staircase from where we could see the harbour. I lent them my digicam as the other had run out of batteries. We came up with several really weird poses, such as the in-the-air pose when jumping. I wish some of the really awkward turtle photos had not been uploaded to Facebook for my online friends (and stalkers) to see! Here is one of the better photos:  FSS (Starshine) wanted a pet rat, so we headed to the pet shop next. The girls kept going "so cute!" (we saw hamsters running on wheels, the origin of the term "rat race") but she could not decide on one. Suddenly Pavi's mother called and we all decided it was time to go (though Willis, Peanut and I continued to chat on the MRT ride home). Parents - can't live with them, can't live without them. Stay tuned for another post about my celebrations with RS (Ginseng), M1 and my parents! FADE OUT |
| 08 October 2009 |
| Thinking Over Promos... |
FADE IN INT. TAMPINES JUNIOR COLLEGE - DAY General Paper Paper 1 (essay) had two Media questions, but neither was particularly appealing, and no Discrimination questions. I picked "The mass media is only concerned with the sensational" over "Movies are mindless entertainment" because the former was broader, dealing with all types of media. Points for the antithesis were harder to come up with, because, unfortunately, the mass media has really becomed overly sensationalised. If JJ goes into the media, yours truly will strive to write stuff that is not sensational. Paper 2 (comprehension) was about technology and its impact on our lives. Since I usually score better in Paper 1, I was determined to do well in Paper 2 this time. That meant more meticulous paraphrasing, but thankfully JJ managed to complete the vocabulary, questions, summary and AQ with several minutes to spare. The AQ (in fact, the whole passage) was fascinating stuff - I wrote beyond the space alloted (though the size of my handwriting was a contributing factor). After the paper, I was determined to build on my good start. Onward! History Why do schools torture students with three papers in a day? At least I have gotten used to the torture and History, like GP, is one of my stronger subjects. When I read the first question, about how religion prolonged the Indo-Pakistan conflict, I felt I might finally score my first A. All I needed to improve on was linking my information and arguments to the question. Then I saw the second question: "Assess the impact of religious fundamentalism on regional security from the period 1970-2000." Since the teachers had indicated that no question would cover both the conflicts we studied, this came as a rude shock. I did remember some content we had covered in class, as well as additional content from last year, so I threw them together with paragraphs on how religious fundamentalism affected each conflict, which in turn affected regional security. I will probably pass, but an A is out of the question - I would be happy with my usual B, but may score a slightly lower grade this time. Predicting my performance for such surprise questions is almost impossible. Economics Despite having the weekend to study for Economics, I only managed to complete one practice paper and memorise my notes. My preparations were affected by a wonderful distraction, poor time management and complacency. RS advised me to prepare for a possible killer question such as "Assess the various policy measures that the Singapore government currently adopts to achieve efficiency of resource allocation and equity in income and wealth distribution". Thankfully the paper did not have such questions. On the contrary, one of the essay questions was very similar to the one I spotted (on the benefits of large firms) and the other was a standard Market Failure question. Since I remembered my content this time, I hope my essay-writing skills see me through. Although they do not teach us time management policies, I managed to finish the paper. That includes the case study on the transport system in Singapore, which was pretty doable (though case studies are usually unpredictable). Literature The first really crucial battle. On the day JJ turned 18. Many remembered and their encouraging messages really made my day. Thanks everyone! For much of the day, I was worrying about something, but I need not have worried about the Literature paper. Miss Fernandez and Mr Singh said it would be manageable and it turned out to be, as promised, pretty manageable. Ironically, I spent too much time on the Unseen Poetry Comparison, which I usually tackle last and lack time to finish. I would do fine as long as I do not misinterpret the poems, which were relatively straightforward compared to what we usually analyse. I also spent too much time meticulously planning the essays for my two set text questions, leaving myself with slightly over an hour to actually write the essays. Somehow I managed to complete both essays on time. Perhaps the thorough planning (and secret weapon) helped JJ write as if his hand was possessed. One less paper to worry about, one paper left to fret over. Mathematics Last but not least came the do-or-die paper. Dying looked like the more likely possibility, as my brain broke down during tuition the night before and I had another shock in the morning. Fortunately, the school decided to set an easy paper. JJ managed to finish the paper (apart from a couple of little parts) and even had time to catch two careless mistakes! In fact, after the exam, the teacher told us: "Anyone who fails this does not deserve to promote!" JJ really wants to finish with a flourish. Nevertheless, carelessness could still kill my marks and even if I pass this paper, other factors (such as my actrocious performance in the mid-years) could pull down my overall grade. My fate may be decided by a Maths lecture on 28 September. Overall The prospect of being kicked out has forced my work ethic to improve over the past few weeks, but I did drop the ball occasionally. Is this a case of too little, too late? I do not need to learn more lessons from this experience; I just want to be in JC-2 in 2010. I have changed so much this year but only promoting will make everything worthwhile. My chances of promoting are, in my opinion, about 70 to 80 percent, but probabilities are funny and can really screw people up (like what happened last year). Now I will just keep my fingers crossed and pray, then enjoy life (such as my belated birthday celebrations) until the results are released. There is no point in further worrying as it will not change the results. Should I consider how to handle a worst-case scenario? I simply cannot contemplate it. FADE OUT |
| 07 October 2009 |
| Touching Story V: The Rotten Potatoes |
FADE IN INT. JJ'S ROOM - NIGHT HAPPY BIRTHDAY JJ! I am now officially 18. But I still have two papers left, so I shall wait until tomorrow to celebrate. Wonder if my classmates will remember. Thus I decided to share a story I grew up with. A story I heard several times in SHSS. Enjoy! A teacher told each child in the class to bring along a plastic bag containing a few potatoes. Each potato will be given a name of a person that the child hates, so the number of potatoes that a child will put in his/her plastic bag will depend on the number of people he/she hates. So when the day came, every child brought some potatoes with the name of the people he/she hated. Some had 2 potatoes; some 3 while some up to 5 potatoes. The teacher then told the children to carry with them the potatoes in the plastic bag wherever they go (even to the toilet) for 1 week. Days after days passed by, and the children started to complain due to the unpleasant smell let out by the rotten potatoes. Besides, those having 5 potatoes also had to carry heavier bags. After 1 week, the children were relieved because the game had finally ended. The teacher asked: "How did you feel while carrying the potatoes with you for 1 week?" The children let out their frustrations and started complaining of the trouble that they had to go through having to carry the heavy and smelly potatoes wherever they go. Then the teacher told them the hidden meaning behind the game. The teacher said: "This is exactly the situation when you carry your hatred for somebody inside your heart. The stench of hatred will contaminate your heart and you will carry it with you wherever you go. If you cannot tolerate the smell of rotten potatoes for just 1 week, can you imagine what is it like to have the stench of hatred in your heart for your lifetime?" I have finally overcome my biggest prejudice and shall soon reveal why. But this applies to exams too. If you hate Maths, would you study and do well in it? FADE OUT |
| 06 October 2009 |
| Touching Story IV: The Blind Boy's Sign |
FADE IN INT. JJ'S ROOM - NIGHT I found this story on the college forums and think I should share it with all readers: A blind boy sat on the steps of a building with a hat by his feet. He held up a sign which said: "I am blind, please help." There were only a few coins in the hat. A man was walking by. He took a few coins from his pocket and dropped them into the hat. He then took the sign, turned it around, and wrote some words. He put the sign back so that everyone who walked by would see the new words. Soon the hat began to fill up. A lot more people were giving money to the blind boy. That afternoon the man who had changed the sign came to see how things were. The boy recognized his footsteps and asked, "Were you the one who changed my sign this morning? What did you write?" The man said, '"I only wrote the truth. I said what you said but in a different way." What he had written was: "Today is a beautiful day and I cannot see it." Do you think the first sign and the second sign were saying the same thing? Of course both signs told people the boy was blind. But the first sign simply said the boy was blind. The second sign told people they were so lucky that they were not blind. Should we be surprised that the second sign was more effective? The moral of the story? To quote the last paragraphs: Be thankful for what you have. Be creative. Be innovative. Think differently and positively. Invite others towards good with wisdom. Live life with no excuse and love with no regrets. When life gives you a 100 reasons to cry, show life that you have 1000 reasons to smile. Face your past without regret. Handle your present with confidence. Prepare for the future without fear. Keep the faith and drop the fear. Treasure what you have and remember to study hard! FADE OUT |
| 05 October 2009 |
| Touching Story III: The Carpenter's Final House |
FADE IN INT. JJ'S ROOM - NIGHT Yet another story. Enjoy! An elderly carpenter was ready to retire. He told his employer-contractor of his plans to leave the house-building business to live a more leisurely life with his wife and enjoy his extended family. He would miss the paycheck each week, but he wanted to retire. They could get by. The contractor was sorry to see his good worker go & asked if he could build just one more house as a personal favor. The carpenter said yes, but over time it was easy to see that his heart was not in his work. He resorted to shoddy workmanship and used inferior materials. It was an unfortunate way to end a dedicated career. When the carpenter finished his work, his employer came to inspect the house. Then he handed the front-door key to the carpenter and said, "This is your house... my gift to you." The carpenter was shocked! That may happen to us. Hopefully not me. I hope I have studied hard enough and that my results will reflect that. So back to Maths practice. FADE OUT |
| 04 October 2009 |
| Touching Story II: You Can Make A Difference |
FADE IN INT. JJ'S ROOM - NIGHT I hope you liked the story about changing your course. Here is another story, about making a difference: One day, when I was a freshman in high school, I saw a kid from my class walking home from school. His name was Kyle. It looked like he was carrying all of his books. I thought to myself, "Why would anyone bring home all his books on a Friday? He must really be a nerd." I had quite a weekend planned (parties and a football game with my friend tomorrow afternoon), so I shrugged my shoulders and went on. As I was walking, I saw a bunch of kids running toward him. They ran at him, knocking all his books out of his arms and tripping him so he landed in the dirt. His glasses went flying, and I saw them land in the grass about ten feet from him. He looked up and I saw this terrible sadness in his eyes. My heart went out to him. So I jogged over to him and as he crawled around looking for his glasses, and I saw a tear in his eye. As I handed him his glasses, I said, "Those guys are jerks. They really should get lives." He looked at me and said, "Hey thanks!" There was a big smile on his face. It was one of those smiles that showed real gratitude. I helped him pick up his books, and asked him where he lived. As it turned out, he lived near me, so I asked him why I had never seen him before. He said he had gone to private school before now. We talked all the way home, and I carried his books. He turned out to be a pretty cool kid. I asked him if he wanted to play football on Saturday with me and my friends. He said yes. We hung all weekend and the more I got to know Kyle, the more I liked him. And my friends thought the same of him. Over the next four years, Kyle and I became best friends. When we were seniors, we began to think about college. Kyle decided on Georgetown, and I was going to Duke. I knew that we would always be friends, that the miles would never be a problem. He was going to be a doctor, and I was going for business on a football scholarship. Kyle was valedictorian of our class. As he started his speech, he cleared his throat, and began. "Graduation is a time to thank those who helped you make it through those tough years. Your parents, your teachers, your siblings, maybe a coach...but mostly your friends. I am here to tell all of you that being a friend to someone is the best gift you can give them. I am going to tell you a story." I just looked at my friend with disbelief as he told the story of the first day we met. He had planned to kill himself over the weekend. He talked of how he had cleaned out his locker so his Mom wouldn't have to do it later and was carrying his stuff home. He looked hard at me and gave me a little smile. "Thankfully, I was saved. My friend saved me from doing the unspeakable." I heard the gasp go through the crowd as this handsome, popular boy told us all about his weakest moment. I saw his Mom and Dad looking at me and smiling that same grateful smile. Not until that moment did I realize its depth. While stressed out over the exams, we should not forget our friends, some of whom are also stressed out over the same exams. Support them and study with them! You never know how much your little actions may mean to them. I was once in situation similar to Kyle at the start, but a smile from Aihui and encouraging messages from Wikipedian friends convinced me against doing the unspeakable. On the other hand, I was once there for a friend who was contemplating that possibility. I will try to arrange a chat and group consultation with Gab tomorrow, while sending encouraging messages to some of my classmates. Yet I, too, could do with lots of encouragement as I practice some killer Maths questions. FADE OUT |
| 03 October 2009 |
| Touching Story I: Change Your Course |
FADE IN INT. JJ'S ROOM - NIGHT I forgot to mention that some events on (and following) 28 September have given me added motivation to mug. In between mugging sessions, I found several touching stories online. Since I do not have time to blog, I decided to post them here to inspire friends who are taking their Promos, like me (though remember to return to mugging after reading this): Two battleships assigned to the training squadron had been at sea on maneuvers in heavy weather for several days. I was serving on the lead battleship and was on watch on the bridge as night fell. The visibility was poor with patchy fog, so the captain remained on the bridge keeping an eye on all activities. Shortly after dark, the lookout on the wing reported, "Light, bearing on the starboard bow." "Is it steady or moving astern?" the captain called out. The lookout replied, "Steady, Captain", which meant we were on a dangerous collision course with that ship. The captain then called to the signalman, "Signal that ship: 'We are on a collision course, advise you change course twenty degrees.'" Back came the signal, "Advisable for you to change course twenty degrees." The captain said, "Send: "I'm a captain, change course twenty degrees.'" "I'm a seaman second-class," came the reply. "You had better change course twenty degrees." By that time the captain was furious. He spat out, "Send: 'I'm a battleship. Change course twenty degrees.'" Back came the flashing light, "I'm a lighthouse." We changed course. If we only consider our point of view, the consequences could be fatal. Sometimes we must see things from a different perspective. Sometimes we need to change our course because we are heading in the wrong direction. This applies to exams and to life. In fact, I wonder whether my life is on the right track and what other perspectives are there. Alright, back to Economics practice papers. FADE OUT |
| 18 September 2009 |
| Victories over hatred |
FADE IN INT. MULTIPLE LOCATIONS - DAY SELAMAT HARI RAYA to all my Muslim friends! Please tell me more about your culture, such as how you celebrate Hari Raya! "I hate my father." (Leigh Botts in the novel Dear Mr. Henshaw by Beverly Cleary) Hate is probably too strong a word, but why must he constantly disrupt my Writeathons? When I am typing an essay, he would shout at me to turn down my music. He can annoy me (and the neighbours) with the loud songs he blasts from his CD player, but I cannot play soothing, lyricless tunes to help me concentrate. By the way, is sleeping early really more important than studying and finishing assignments? Evidently he does not care that I could be suspended for not completing my homework and that the average JC student sleeps at 1am (I conducted a survey on our school forum). If he wants me to promote (and so do I), he should let me focus on my work, instead of constantly spoiling my mood. Well, I am learning to cope with the problems he gives me. "Do not let the bastards grind you down." (popular humorous saying in Dog Latin) I hate P.E. too. I hate sitting under the sun and seeing the others run or play football. I hate being reminded that I suck at sports and that my ankle ligament will take forever to heal. I hate wasting time I could spend reading Economics notes, doing Maths tutorials or even finishing Literature assignments. Others may enjoy P.E. lessons, but to JJ, they are a complete Waste Of Money, Brains And Time (WOMBAT). Thankfully I was allowed to sit in the shade during today's P.E. lesson. Since the JC-2s were having exams in the hall, I fled to the canteen extension and continued with my Maclaurin's Series tutorial. I saw Helen walking to the toilet and waved to her. She joked that she misses reading my comments about TFBs. I have not mentioned them in my posts for three months, thanks to my progress in overcoming my phobia of them. Nowadays I rarely cringe or think of X when I see them, unless they come too close or in large groups, and Charsiew and I are now firm friends. Today JJ reached another milestone. P.E. lesson had just ended and I was still stuck on the last question of my Maclaurin's Series tutorial. I looked around and saw a girl eating at the table next to mine - the (for lack of a better word/acronym) TFB from Chess Club. I asked her for help with the question and although I did feel uncomfortable sitting so near her as she explained the question, I kept my cool and lasted the ten minutes. As Helen would say, time to "sing carols". If I can overcome this phobia, I can overcome anything - including my Promos. Speaking of Maths, I have yet another victory to announce. JJ passed a Maths test for the first time since November 2007! Binomial Theorem, Arithemtric & Geometric Progressions and Mathematical Induction are among the easier topics, but 8/15 (a D) is nevertheless an achievement. But JJ must not be complacent, for yours truly struggled with the Maclaurin's Series tutorial and is now struggling with the Integration Techniques tutorial. Once those are complete, I will through ten tutorials in the TBYS (Tay Boey Yiong Series, named after the TP teacher who compiled the tutorials). Practice makes perfect, but (as one of my "armour quotes" says) what if you practise the wrong things? Most of my recent posts have been essays, because in recent weeks, my life has mostly been about writing essays (with occasional meetings with M1 or friends like Gab sandwiched in between). I post these essays to assure all readers that JJ has not died from stress (yet). So please enjoy reading them and provide feedback. FADE OUT |
| 15 September 2009 |
| GP Essay: Does society remain intolerant of those who are different? |
FADE IN INT. JJ'S ROOM - NIGHT Writing good GP essays takes ages, so I decided to use a polished version of my submitted in-class assignment, which scored 31/50 (B). I hope the essay on my blog deserves an A! However, I still have lots to learn, so all are invited to enjoy and evaluate the essay. Note that the stances I take in the essay may differ from my real stances (I oppose LGBT rights), as my focus is on writing a high-scoring essay (or learning to write one). The Question: Does society remain intolerant of those who are different? My Essay: People are born different in many ways, such as race, gender and physical attributes, and have diverse religious and political views. They naturally associate and form communities with others who share common characteristics. This tendency may lead to intolerance, prejudice and discrimination against people with different characteristics or views. Thanks to various global developments, there is less intolerance in the world than before, but it remains a severe international problem. Globalisation and the traditional dominance of Western countries have led to increasing awareness of human rights and the rise of liberal democracy. Both ideologies emphasise the inherent equality of all human beings and their freedom to make choices. As these ideologies spread, people become more receptive to other opinions and tolerant of differences. Moreover, they become more willing to assert their identity, as seen by the emergence and acceptance of many subcultures, such as the punk and emo subcultures. People may also use their freedom to start or support campaigns against discrimination, such as the civil rights and women's rights movements in the USA in the 1960s. Contemporary campaigns represent diverse groups, such as the disabled, the autistic and the physically unattractive. There are now more opportunities – such as travel and online communication – for interaction and communication between members of different groups. This helps them overcome their innate fear of other groups, realise their similarities and understand each other better. Another powerful global force against intolerance is the media. Educational TV programmes and online resources can increase our exposure to and understanding of other cultures. Social media, such as blogs, allow the proliferation and discussion of diverse views, which are harder to repress. Fiction can also raise awareness of, and promote campaigns against, intolerance and discrimination. The novel I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings offered a frank portrayal of racism in American society, while the novel The Handmaid's Tale warned how traditional values could lead to discrimination against women. Such developments have contributed to greater official and societal tolerance. Many countries have introduced laws against discrimination. In Singapore, racist speech and actions are punishable under the Sedition Act. The USA has passed legislation protecting certain groups, such as the Americans with Disabilities Act and Age Discrimination in Employment Act. Besides helping groups which face discrimination, these regulations influence, and reflect changes in, mindsets towards such groups. A survey by the Pew Global Attitudes Project found that over 70% in Canada and most European countries consider homosexuality acceptable. In 1979, Margaret Thatcher became the first female Prime Minister of Britain and in 2008, Barack Obama became the first African-American President of the USA, indicating that people now believe ethnic minorities and women can represent their countries. However, many societies remain intolerant of differences, as seen by the many manifestations of prejudice and discrimination across the globe. In Europe, racist chanting during football matches is common. Although the media can help combat intolerance, it can also perpetuate prejudice. Some websites, such as the white supremacist Stormfront and anti-Semitic Jew Watch, promote racist views. In 2005, Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten published cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad as a terrorist, and in 2008, Dutch politician Geert Wilders produced Fitna, a short film arguing that Islam promotes terrorism. University professor Jack Shaheen reviewed 900 portrayals of Arabs in American films and found over 800 to be negative. Such stereotyping would affect public perceptions of affected groups, leading to intolerance. At the national level, some countries still practice institutional discrimination. Economic and education policies in Malaysia favour Malays and indigenous people, at the expense of the Chinese and Indian minorities, due to the intolerant perception of the latter as immigrants. Institutional discrimination has sometimes sparked violent ethnoreligious conflicts, such as the conflict between Sinhalese and Tamils in Sri Lanka. Such disputes cause opposing groups to hate each other and many of them – for example, the Arab-Israeli and Indo-Pakistan conflicts – remain unresolved. Intolerance also persists because of subconscious biases. A study by the University of Chicago found that job applicants with black-sounding names were 50% less likely to be contacted for interviews. Physically unattractive people are more likely to leave bad first impressions during job interviews and may thus face employment discrimination. Subtle biases are also found in the American legal system; according to a University of Georgia study, black or male criminals received harsher sentences than whites or females for offences of similar severity. Such biases are usually unintentional but are difficult to eradicate because most people and institutions are unaware of such prejudices, some of which are part of human nature. Unfortunately, intolerance remains widespread and we will never completely eliminate it. That should not deter us from continuing to tackle it, for plenty of progress has been made. Tolerance is the key to a peaceful and prosperous society. (794 words) FADE OUT |
| 11 September 2009 |
| Literature Essay: To what extent does Proof show a link between geinus and madness? |
FADE IN INT. JJ'S ROOM - NIGHT In the actual exams, I will not have four hours to write an essay, so I have decided to start timing myself when writing essays. This essay was written in 90 minutes, which explains the low word count, but this is nevertheless a JJ-standard essay. I hope you enjoy reading the essay and give some feedback! The Question: To what extent does Proof show a link between genius and madness? My Essay: Three major characters in Proof are mathematicians – Robert, who went insane; Catherine, who worries about becoming mad; and Hal, who tries to be normal. Through their lives, dialogue, actions and relationships, the play examines the common stereotype that genius and madness are inextricably linked. Robert is a typical example of a genius who developed mental illness. When he was young, Robert was a phenomenal mathematician who "made major contributions to three fields", but he eventually turned into a madman. He believed that "aliens were sending him messages through the Dewey decimal numbers" in books and that he was writing an important new theorem, which was actually nonsense such as "Let X equal the cold". These manifestations of madness reflect Robert's obsession with mathematics, suggesting that genius causes madness. Since his life revolves around mathematics – to the extent that he turns the phone off because "it's a distraction" and work takes priority – it is a part of his identity and his way of expressing himself. However, when Robert is insane, his genius deserts him; an example would be his gibberish proof mentioned above. His daughter Catherine inherited his mathematical talent and wrote a brilliant proof, but she worries about going mad. Hence she is reluctant to embrace her talent, as she is "afraid [she's] like [her] dad" – that she will either inherit his illness or become insane due to doing mathematics. Catherine shows some signs of mental instability – such as calling the police and reportedly being abusive to them, then sleeping for a week, refusing to eat or talk – but they are insufficient to clearly conclude she is crazy. After all, she had "dropped out of school" and "spent her life" looking after her sick father, who was her only companion. After his death, she is devastated and confused, even commenting that "being taken care of, it doesn't sound so bad", as well as socially alienated. Under such circumstances, her behaviour is understandable and does not appear to be caused by a mental illness. The third mathematician in the play, Hal, tries to be normal and does seem normal. He plays in a band with several other mathematicians and he says that "they play sports [and] get laid surprisingly often". To him, this should make people "question the whole set of terms" pejoratively associated with mathematicians and other geniuses. On the other hand, he later says that "mathematicians are insane" and describes the conference in Toronto as "forty-eight straight hours of partying, drinking, drugs, papers [and] lectures". Although socially awkward, Hal shows no signs of mental instability and thus defies the stereotype of geniuses as madmen – however, this may be because he is not as naturally talented or obsessed with mathematics as Robert and Catherine. In conclusion, Proof does demonstrate some link between genius and madness, but the reasons for this link remain unclear. In my opinion, madness is neither inherited nor a natural product of genius. Instead, certain characteristics of mathematics attract eccentric people to the profession and make mathematicians prone to becoming mad. (504 words) FADE OUT |
| 09 September 2009 |
| Economics Essay (Elasticity Concepts) |
FADE IN INT. JJ'S ROOM - NIGHT HAPPY BIRTHDAY JIATING! Dear cyber-sis, we may have lost touch, but I will never forget you or our friendship. Thanks for being a wonderful cyber-sis and I wish you all the best in your endeavours. Happy birthday also to Emma, one of my Hildan juniors. Now for another essay, this time an Economics essay on the elasticity concepts. If only the Economics syllabus taught students to manage their most valuable resource - time. Please enjoy reading the essay, feel free to provide feedback and stay tuned for more essays! The Question: "Rising incomes in China have caused retailers of domestically produced luxury goods and services to struggle to win a share of consumer's wallets, resulting in rash proposals for expansions through the opening of new outlets." (adapted from The Economist, Aug 3rd 2006) Discuss the relevance of price elasticity of demand, income elasticity of demand, cross elasticity of demand and price elasticity of supply in explaining the effects of the above-mentioned situation in the market for China-made luxury goods and services. My Essay: When the real incomes of Chinese consumers increases, they can afford to purchase more goods, so their demand for normal goods, including luxury goods, increases, ceteris paribus. This increase in demand causes prices to rise and local sellers of luxury goods respond by increasing their quantity supplied to boost total revenue. Price elasticity of demand, income elasticity of demand and cross elasticity of demand are useful in evaluating the extent of the increase in demand, while price elasticity of supply can determine the extent of the increase in quantity supplied – these concepts help retailers make business decisions. Demand for luxury goods like shark's fin soup is generally price elastic, because their degree of necessity is low and their high prices mean each luxury good comprises a large percentage of a consumer's income. However, as wages rise, Chinese consumers may consider luxury goods more necessary and each luxury good takes up a smaller proportion of income. Hence the price elasticity of demand for luxury goods has fallen, but remains high. Raising prices would cause a more than proportionate fall in demand for luxury goods, leading to a fall in total revenue, ceteris paribus. Although the impact is smaller when incomes are rising, increasing supply of luxury goods is a much better way to maximise total revenue. This is because demand for luxury goods is income elastic and will rise more than proportionately when consumer incomes increase. Even if prices stay unchanged, total revenue will increase, assuming the retailer does not face a shortage of luxury goods. As production of luxury goods in China increases, more of similar types of luxury goods will be produced by different companies, making substitutes for each luxury good more readily available, ceteris paribus. Domestically produced luxury goods also have to compete with luxury goods imported from abroad, such as Japanese cars. Demand for luxury goods becomes more cross elastic, so retailers will closely monitor the pricing policies of their competitors and may engage in price wars. Sellers of luxury goods also use product differentiation to make their products distinct from those of competitors. Besides decreasing the cross elasticity of demand for their products, product differentiation aims to shift consumer tastes and preferences in favour of their products, increasing demand for their luxury goods. Having more outlets is a form of product differentiation, as their products are more conveniently accessible and awareness of their brand increases, possibly leading to greater loyalty to their brand. Retailers may also consider providing better customer service, advertising their products (using nationalist themes to discourage consumption of imported luxury goods) and holding sales (which is particularly effective for luxury goods, which are expensive). Meanwhile, producers of luxury goods may improve the design of their products and introduce new features to attract consumers. On the other hand, supply of luxury goods in China is price inelastic, due to the high costs of factors of production, such as gold and silver, which are used to make jewellery. Increasing production and opening new outlets entails constructing new buildings, ordering more machines and hiring new workers – these are all very costly and take time. However, the rise in consumer incomes is likely to be a long-term trend, so increasing supply in the long run is probably worthwhile. The elasticity concepts are clearly useful in helping us evaluate the market for Chinese luxury goods, but they have their limitations. In reality, firms primarily aim to maximise total profits instead of total revenue. This requires reducing total costs, which is difficult for retailers of luxury goods. Elasticity values are difficult to accurately determine and they change over time – for instance, a sudden recession may reverse the trend of rising incomes. Furthermore, the ceteris paribus assumption rarely holds true in reality and we must consider the influence of other factors, such as government policy. (635 words) FADE OUT |
| 07 September 2009 |
| History Essay (Religious Fundamentalism) |
FADE IN INT. JJ'S ROOM - NIGHT Note that Mr Ali said that in the actual exam, we would not have questions dealing with both conflicts at once. Nevertheless, since he did give us this question and I did not complete it in class, I might as well post it here. It may not be JJ-standard but nevertheless, read, enjoy and evaluate. The Question: Without the rise of religious fundamentalism, both the Arab-Israeli and Indo-Pakistan conflicts would have been resolved. Examine the validity of this viewpoint with reference to the impact of religion on the two conflicts for the period 1970-2000. My Essay: Despite peacemaking efforts by the involved states and the United Nations, the Arab-Israeli and Indo-Pakistan conflicts have not been resolved yet. Religious fundamentalism is prominent in both conflicts and without fundamentalism, resolving the conflicts would be easier. However, there are other key factors, such as secular ideologies and the Cold War, which would prevent peace even in the absence of religious fundamentalism. The roots of both conflicts lie in religious differences. In the Arab-Israeli conflict, the Jews, who practice Judaism, and the Arabs, who are Muslims, are fighting over land which has religious significance to both groups. Jews believe the West Bank and Gaza Strip are part of the Promised Land of Greater Israel, which God gave them, while Arabs believe they are Muslim holy land. Since 95% of Pakistanis and 75% of Kashmiris are Muslim, Pakistan believes Kashmir should belong to them instead of India, where 80% are Hindus. Pakistanis also consider Hinduism and Islam fundamentally different and fear that Muslims in India would face discrimination by the Hindu majority. Since both conflicts have religious origins, religion played an integral role from the very start. These religious differences eventually led to the rise of religious fundamentalism. The Likud coalition of Israel and the Bharatiya Janata Party in India both won national elections and came to power. They were unwilling to make concessions to the other side, causing peace processes to fail. Moderate ruling parties also have difficulty making compromises, as they risk angering hardliners and fundamentalists in their country. For example, after the Oslo Accords in 1995, Israeli leader Rabin was assassinated by a religious fanatic. Extremist also engaged in violence that exacerbated animosity between the different religious communities. Islamic militant groups such as Hamas, Hezbollah and Islamic Jihad committed terrorism against Israel, while Islamic fundamentalist organisations such as the All-Party Hurriyat Conference attacked the Hindu and Buddhist minorities in Kashmir. Hence the existence of religious fundamentalism prevents the conflicts from being resolved. On the other hand, we cannot overlook the influence of secular factors which thwarted resolution of the conflicts, notably the secular ideology of nationalism. Nationalism is the belief that a nation – a group of people with a common ethnicity, history, language and culture – should have a self-governing state. The Arab-Israeli conflict resulted from a clash between Zionism, Arab nationalism and Palestine nationalism – which arose due to secular factors like discrimination – and each side was reluctant to give way due to their nationalist ideology. Meanwhile, Kashmiris believed that their distinct identity was being suppressed by India, fuelling discontent with Indian rule and worsening the situation. Furthermore, some of these nationalist ideologies contributed to the rise of religious fundamentalism – for instance, Arab nationalism led to Islamic fundamentalism. Thus nationalism is a major obstacle to peace. Insecurity and mistrust also hampered resolution of the conflicts. Due to their history as a persecuted diaspora, Jews developed a siege mentality and dislike other parties proposing peace plans. They rejected the idea of a Palestinian state and refused to negotiate with the Palestine Liberation Organisation in 1988 due to fears over terrorism. In the Indo-Pakistan conflict, both sides perceived themselves as vulnerable minorities. Feeling insecure, both sides to develop and test nuclear weapons, raising the possibility of a nuclear exchange between the states. Unless all sides feel more secure and trust each other, the conflicts will not be resolved. Peace agreements failed to bring about peace as each side interpreted them differently. Although the Oslo Accords did not indicate that Israel should stop building settlements in the Occupied Territories, the Palestinians believed this was implied and were unhappy when Israel continued building settlements. Likewise, India believed the Simla Agreement, signed after the 1971 Bangladeshi War of Independence, superseded past United Nations resolutions and removed the need for a plebiscite, but Pakistan disagreed. These disagreements will stop peace processes, regardless of the presence or lack thereof of religious fundamentalism. Last but not least, the Cold War obstructed resolution of the conflicts. In the Arab-Israeli conflict, the USA supported Israel and the USSR backed the Arabs, while in the Indo-Pakistan conflict, the USA supported Pakistan and the USSR backed India. Both superpowers vetoed United Nations Security Council resolutions on the conflicts, so the United Nations was not a viable venue for resolving the conflicts. In addition, the superpowers provided economic and military aid to their allies, allowing the involved states to engage in wars. Without religious fundamentalism, the Cold War would still have made the conflicts difficult to resolve – but the Cold War ended in 1991. In conclusion, there are many factors hindering resolution of the conflicts and religious fundamentalism is by no means the most important one. In fact, the factors are interlinked – for example, nationalism was a cause of religious fundamentalism. (789 words) FADE OUT |
| 05 September 2009 |
| Ten tips for failing exams (and ten tips for acing them) |
FADE IN INT. JJ'S ROOM - NIGHT Guys, why study so hard when after your A Levels, you will die in NS? Girls, why study hard when adulthood is going to really suck? You might as well retain and extend your life by a year. So here are ten tips for failing your exams:
DISCLAIMER: JJ shall not be held responsible for the consequences of trying any of the tips above (especially the second type). Although I thought up some of the tips, most came from other online sources. FADE OUT |
| 25 August 2009 |
| Testing Times... |
FADE IN INT. TAMPINES JUNIOR COLLEGE - MORNING HAPPY BIRTHDAY WENXIN! I swear, if the Ng family lived in Tampines, I would have run away from home long ago. Well, if I pass my Promos, pass the A Levels with flying colours and survive two years of NS, I plan to run away from home and join the Ng family. The daily commute to NUS (or NTU) would be much shorter and JJ would be much happier, with three new "siblings" and better "parents". Even my closest friends do not understand why I am doing Writeathons now. My motto has changed from "JJ just wants to write" to "JJ just needs to write until his fingers drop off to avoid being overwhelmed by all his problems". Gab says I am running away from my situation. Perhaps I am, but the harsh reality is that when I do confront them, I only make things worse. With the Promos six weeks away, I simply do not have the time and energy to spend addressing my other issues. Failing and being kicked out would completely destroy my world and JJ may respond like Cho Seung-Hui. At least my results are, to a large extent, in my own hands, and I will do all I can to secure my academic future. I love writing and always have, to the extent that I want to spend my life writing, so I will keep writing and writing and writing. If I do promote, I can work on other areas, such as my Service Learning Project. A transitional era of my life has become a make-or-break stage of my life. As the title notes, these are testing times and that my mid-term tests (a misnomer, as the term will end in two weeks) are in progress is not a coincidence. Last week's Economics test was a disaster and the two Literature tests did not go well either. The GP Comprehension test today was much better and although I did not study for the History test yesterday, I feel fairly confident for that too. Tomorrow I shall have another shot at passing a Maths test for the first time since November 2007. Will JJ succeed? Only time will tell... Time to get back to my Writeathons! Besides Literature essays, GP Reading Logs and Maths questions, I will soon have Economics essays and writing assignments from my CCAs. Two articles for TPJClink and a Gavel project speech or two. Ms de Souza also informed the class about an essay competition organised by Unifem, about immigrants. How fascinating! These will keep me busy and contribute towards my SGC, half of my ticket to my dream media course in NUS or NTU. However, I will also find time to blog - after all, blogging is also writing (so is writing for Wikipedia, which I have not done for months). P.S. Looks like Wenxin's birthday is also a lucky day for the football clubs I support. On 25 August 2007, Chelsea defeated Portsmouth 1-0 at Stamford Bridge; this victory was then-manager Jose Mourinho's 100th consecutive unbeaten home league match (including 36 home matches with Porto). Today, Tampines Rovers recorded their fourth victory over Geylang United this season (three in the S.League and one in the Singapore League Cup). The Stags had just registered three consecutive losses to Albirex, SAFFC and Home United before beating Balestier, so this win over our archrivals is a welcome morale booster ahead of our Singapore Cup double-header against Albirex, a chance to exact revenge. If Tampines advance to the semi-finals, they may play the Eagles again, but they have to overcome Albirex first - I may watch the home leg with Gab and cheer the Stags on through the sun and rain, while spending quality time with a friend who could change my life! FADE OUT |
| 23 August 2009 |
| Economics Essay (Large and Small Firms) |
FADE IN INT. JJ'S ROOM - NIGHT My Writeathons continue unabated and continue to eat up my time. Here is an Economics essay on the question I am spotting for Promos. Enjoy and evaluate! The Question: Larger firms enjoy lower costs thus they can charge lower prices. (a) Explain why large firms may enjoy lower costs. (b) Discuss the view that large firms are beneficial in the view of the cost savings they enjoy. My Essay (part a): As firms expand production, they are able to lower their cost of production, as they benefit from several types of internal economies of scale. Technical economies of scale enable large firms to produce more efficiently through methods that are not viable for small firms. Large firms can have multiple production stages – for instance, making the engine, windscreen and seats of a car – in one factory, thus reduces the cost of transporting factors of production. They can also produce at higher capacity by automating tasks with specialised but expensive machinery that small firms cannot fully utilise. Workers can specialise in specific tasks and by repeating them, become highly skilled and more efficient at carrying out their tasks. Similarly, large firms benefit from managerial economies of scale, as they can hire experts to manage each stage of production, as well as areas unrelated to production, such as marketing and customer support. As a result, production becomes more efficient and less costly. Marketing economies of scale also help large firms lower production costs. Due to their higher purchasing power, large firms can obtain factors of production at lower prices. They can buy in bulk and buy directly from producers instead of wholesalers. In addition, the average (per unit) cost of advertising is lower for large firms. Last but not least, financial economies of scale give large firms an advantage in obtaining credit. Banks consider large firms more trustworthy borrowers, as they have more assets and can pay off debts more easily. Therefore large firms are able to secure huge loans, on better terms such as lower interest. In conclusion, large firms have many opportunities to reduce production costs by leveraging on economies of scale. They should be aware of and take advantage of such opportunities. However, the application of these concepts varies from firm to firm, depending on factors such as the industry the firm operates in. My Essay (part b): Large firms have more resources as well as lower production costs and are thus more able to meet consumer needs, for several reasons. Large firms have wide networks and hence are able to serve consumers in many locations. For example, a supermarket with many outlets offers consumers convenience and accessibility, while a computer store with many outlets makes it easier for people to receive customer support. With their profits, large firms have the ability to engage in research and development. In oligopolies and working monopolies, they also have the incentive to innovate to stay ahead of the competition and thus increase their profits. As a result, consumers benefit from the introduction of better products. In addition, large firms are able to diversify and cater to many niche markets. For example, large car manufactures can produce cars of different colours and engine sizes; they can also make hybrid cars. This increases the variety of products available to consumers and consumer choice. Since large firms have market power, they are able to price discriminate. For example, airlines offer first class, business class and economy class seats at different prices. Likewise, transport operators charge children and the elderly lower prices. This improves consumer welfare by making goods more accessible to consumers with lower purchasing powers. By reaping internal economies of scale, large firms can produce more efficiently, obtain factors of production at lower prices and secure credit more easily. This reduces their production costs and they may decrease prices as a result. Consumers would benefit from lower prices. However, large firms have several disadvantages. Excessive expansion may cause internal diseconomies of scale to set in. To create new demand, overly large firms may have to advertise at high costs. They may also become more difficult to manage, as most communication is from superiors to subordinates, causing ill feelings. Moreover, large firms are unable to provide personalised services, so consumers may be sold products that are not entirely suitable for them. There is also a risk that large firms may exploit consumers for profit. Monopolies, especially pure monopolies have little incentive to innovate or produce at maximum efficiency. They may intentionally control supply to keep prices and their profits high. They may also engage in anti-competitive practices such as predatory pricing, price fixing or tie-in sales. Large firms in an oligopoly may form a cartel, agreeing on pricing and output decisions for the benefit of them instead of the consumers. Like monopolies, cartels may control supply, engage in anti-competitive practices or have little incentive to innovate or stay efficient. In conclusion, oligopolies are probably the best market structure, as large firms retain all their advantages but the risk of exploitation is much lower. However, some industries lack diseconomies of scale and are thus natural monopolies. Such monopolies may need government supervision or even state ownership. (785 words) FADE OUT |
