At the Hospital

Today, I went to see my uncle, who was in the hospital. Unfortunately, he met with a car accident one night while riding his motorcycle and broke his hip. As a result, he has been hospitalized for a few weeks now and is still recuperating from his injuries in the accident. I went to see him today and he could barely move. Just a slight move anywhere would cause immense pain to his body and he has also lost his appetite for a few days now. Seeing him really gives me much pain in the heart and sympathy for him. A man like him, just through a blink of the eye, an accident occurred that could paralyze him for life. It was then when I truly realised how a moment in life could just change everything.

After my visit, I really understood the importance of cherishing every moment of life now because you would not know what would happen next, when you will meet with a mishap and just pass away like that. I’ve witnessed how important it is to cherish every second of life before it is too late, before we become handicapped or die anytime. After seeing my uncle in his plight, I just want to spend precious time with my family and cherish every second of my life and live life to the fullest. It is extremely important that we understand this before it is all too late.

However, what I witnessed at the hospital and took away with me from the visit is not just this. What I witnessed was the smiles on the patients’ faces. No, I am not being sadistic or whatsoever by saying that they are happy because they are hospitalized, however, there are smiles on their faces because of their family’s presence and visits to the hospital. I saw another patient, having an expression of pain and sadness when alone and lonely. But when his family came, it seemed as though he became a changed person, with smiles all over his face. It really got me thinking how a family is so important. It is able to make a break a person’s day. I realised that with the support of a family, it brings much joy to one person, no matter how pain or hurt he seems to be. This man would be a very good example, becoming extremely happy as soon as his family came to see him and bring more joy to his life.

From what I have witnessed, I really understood the importance of family and knew that I had to cherish every moment of my life with my family, before it is all too late. I really want to spend just all my time with my family and never be away from them, as family ties are the most important and you family will forever be the most faithful and truthful to you.

In conclusion, I really understand the importance of family ties and that creating a very tight family bond is very important. Families are what make a person happy or sad. Families are the most important since they are in reality, the most truthful to you, even more reliable than whoever seems to be your best friend. Thus, I feel that whenever you have the time to spare, spend it with your family, because creating a close family tie is the most important.

Stomp

Looking at my title, some of you might be wondering what stomp is all about. Before I get into specific details of my topic, I will first explain what stomp is. Stomp is a website where people write in to complain or report about any immoral actions Singaporeans are doing.

So, what has this got to do with my topic for today? Recently, some secondary four students from Hwa Chong Institution left their classroom without locking the door. Our discipline master, Mr Sung, walked around the tower block in his daily routine and he realised that the classroom was left unlocked, with the students' valuables placed on their tables everywhere around the classroom, a real temptation to many. He felt that he should teach them a lesson and went into one of the classroom and swept away all the valuables from the classroom, from laptops to ipods. For every item he took, he took a picture of it for sharing with other students on keeping their belongings well. As a result, a student felt that the teachers violated his privacy and was enraged by this and decided to post it up on STOMP to get the opinions of the general public.

I feel that this student is making too big a deal out of it. He should know that if he had not kept his valuables properly, he should have expected that his valuables would have been stolen anytime. It is his just desserts and he should have expected it all the while.

When the students realised that their valuables were lost, they thought that a real thief actually had come into the class and steal all the valuables. They were shocked and extremely frightened. Although Mr Sung had posted a message on the SMB, those people whose laptops were confiscated would not be able to check the message. Furthermore, they are secondary four students who need to use a lot of their laptops for their work. If their laptops are being taken away, how would they be able to carry on with their lessons? Moreover, their minds would be constantly thinking of their parents reprimanding them, causing them to be unable to concentrate entirely in class. When they find out that their laptops are only being confiscated instead of being stolen, obviously they will be furious and thus, posting the message out of a moment of impulse.

I think that the root cause of this incident was the lack of communication between the teachers and students. If Mr Sung had written on the whiteboard that he had confiscated their valuables and asked the student to collect it from him after school, the students might not feel that angry for thinking the entire day that their valuables were actually stolen and can only blame themselves for being so careless and accept the punishment.

However, the students should also bear part of the blame as well. They should have put their valuables away in a safer place first before leaving their classroom. Therefore, since it is their fault, they have no reason to blame the teachers for confiscating their things which were left unattended and open to the public for stealing to occur. The school provides lockers for a reason and thus the students should fully utilize them so as to prevent this incident from happening again.

I strongly disagree with the student posting the incident up onto STOMP as it not does not benefit the school but cause harm instead. It will cause the general public to think that Hwa Chong's educational system is flawed as it fails to handle this case effectively and it will affect our school’s reputation significantly. The student should have discussed and voiced out their own opinions within the confines of the school and not blow it up to the entire public, making a big hullabaloo of this incident.

In conclusion, this incident was just a small matter that should not have been made public as it would just attract a lot of attention, making it look bad on not only the school, but also on the students of Hwa Chong, as people who only know how to complain about everything and do not know how to solve things amicably with the school and not being able to realise whose fault it actually is. Thus, I feel that this student should not have acted on impulse and should have had more self-control.

Well, what are your opinions on this? Simply share with me by commenting! :)

Orchard Road Flooding

Recently, Orchard Road had a flood that caused some detrimental effects on not just the many people walking around Orchard Road or the buildings and shops there, but also the reputation of Singapore.

It has been reported in our news, not just the newspapers, but also on the television about this breaking news, that Orchard Road has been flooding. You must be thinking now, how could Singapore's most famous, bustling city, possibly have a flood? Isn't the drainage system of our country one of the top? Even so, many of you might think that the flood is nothing much and everything will be fine after clearing up everything. However, have you taken into consideration how the flood might actually affect the image of Singapore as a country and how it will affect the tourism industry of people working at Orchard Road? You have to put yourself in their shoes and consider these few aspects and not just stay indifferent as long as it does not concern you.

Don't you find it scary that such a famous place that will supposedly have one of the best drainage systems will have such a huge flood taking place? Aren't you concerned for the well-being of Singaporean citizens and the world as a whole? It is clearly evident that the amount of rainfall has constantly been on the rise, mainly due to global warming. How then do we ensure that these disastrous floods will not occur again? Aren't you worried about it? There is obviously something the government has to do to ensure that the drainage system in Singapore is improved tremendously or similar incidents will happen again and again.

However, I am relieved to see that my Facebook wall is filled with posts concerning the flooding and how shocked they are. It can be seen that students are keeping in touch with the most recent news and how they are showing concern for these flooding cases. But with that aside, the most important thing I feel Singapore should do now is to have a top class drainage system in a place like Orchard Road where there are so many people there. It is a very famous and popular place where many people go to and thus, it is important to ensure that no cases of flooding occur there at all. Orchard Road is quite symbolic of Singapore as a whole and tourists who come to Singapore normally go there. If even the iconic location in Singapore is unable to prevent flooding cases from occurring there, wouldn't it leave a very bad impression of Singapore among many people? If that is the case, many foreigners would have a bad impression of Singapore and the tourism industry would definitely be affected.

Nevertheless, with my faith in the Singapore government's efficiency, I am sure they will improve the drainage system in no time or even find a better and more effective solution to tackle this problem soon. As such, Singapore's reputation will not be tarnished and the tourism industry or the people working there would not be affected greatly as well. In the end, I believe Orchard Road will still remain as a bustling place of Singapore and remain as iconic as it has always been.

In conclusion, I hope that such floods will not happen again as it would leave a bad impression on others of Singapore. I also hope that the government would act fast to improve the drainage system as soon as possible such that these flooding cases would not repeat themselves.

Well, this is just my two cents worth on the flooding incident in Orchard Road. So what do you think about the flooding cases in Singapore? Please share your opinions on them. :)

For more information on the flooding incident in Singapore, visit the following link: http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_541057.html

Discrimination Against HIV Positive Patients

Recently, I have come across many people discriminating against people with STDs (Sexually Transmitted Diseases), especially those like Aids. Many even take it as a joke and use Aids as a joke. However, I feel that Aids is not a laughing matter and should not be used to mock at people. Thus, I would like to share my opinions on discrimination against people with STDs like HIV.

Why would HIV discrimination be one of a hot topic in today’s society? I feel that this is because more and more people are contracting HIV each and every day, and the number of discriminating cases are getting more common and prevalent. Even so, when people contract HIV, people try to avoid these people as they see these people as dirty people. However, this is a mindset that needs to be changed.

HIV is actually a disease that cannot be transmitted through sharing saliva, etc. It can only be transmitted through sex, which is a fact known widespread. Therefore, these people should never be avoided because they are seen as dirty. The worst is when children born with it are discriminated against. They should never be discriminated against since it is natural and cannot be controlled. They should be accepted in society just like any other normal person.

Since it cannot be transmitted through other ways, why then do people discriminate against it? First, there is no cure for HIV and if it is serious, death can result from it. People with HIV are therefore seen as dirty people ill people whom people do not like to associate themselves with. Next, this topic involves sex, which is very sensitive and many immature students like to joke about it. However, are these reasons for discrimination against HIV positive people?

I feel that everyone should be responsible for his or her actions and since they did not want to have safe sex, they should bear the brunt of contracting HIV. However, they should not be discriminated against just because of this. They should still be accepted into society. Can you imagine yourself in their shoes, contracting HIV and still being discriminated and not socially accepted by others? After all, these people are humans and humans make mistakes. Don't you think they deserve a second chance? Look at the picture below. Don't you think that removing discrimination would already be a very big help to their emotional and psychological well-being?

I feel that it is still safe to interact with HIV positive people since the disease can only be transmitted through sex or blood. We should not avoid them just because we are scared of these people, but help them instead to live the rest of their lives fruitfully. Before we discriminate against them, always think, what is the point of discriminating against them? Do you feel better? Do they feel better? I feel that there is nothing to discriminate about and they should not be avoided. They are part of the Earth. They have lives. We should be kind to them and accept them, and not be so cruel to them.

Thus, I feel that the ‘red ribbon’ project is an extremely essential project carried out in Singapore. It reminds people to give the HIV positive people a second chance, and accept them into society instead of discriminating them. So I would like to emphasize my stand that I feel that discrimination against HIV positive people is not right. Instead, we should help them, encourage them, give them a second chance.
In conclusion, we should always give people chances, even if they commit a mistake, and not discriminate against them for it. So how far do you agree with me? Do you think agree with me that discrimination against HIV positive people should not be condoned? Share your opinions with me.

Result-Oriented Society

My title pretty much sums up what I will be going to talk about today. Results. Yes, many people are very result-oriented, and I admit I am pretty much one of those people. However, are results all that important?

Recently, I have already had a few tests. For these few tests, like the recent unseen poetry and mathematics test, I witnessed many of my classmates studying really hard for their tests, some even making thick, comprehensive notes for themselves in order to study in a better and more efficient way. For example, I have seen many classmates studying for their mathematics many days before and practicing a lot, even staying in class during recess to do their revision. Yes, this might be a little exaggerated, but it is true. They are willing to sacrifice their break time just to squeeze in that last bit of revision to get favourable marks and meet their expectations.

Yes, this can be said to be a very "kiasu" attitude held by these people, and it has also been a very prevalent trait in Singaporeans. Many Singaporeans are very afraid to lose and live in a very competitive society, thus putting a lot of pressure on themselves. But what for? What is the point of being so competitive? Does being this competitive help you to get better grades? Does putting this extra pressure on yourself let you obtain better grades?

This then brings me to my point with regards to Singapore being an overly-competitive society. I feel that people should not be this "kiasu" and being so result-oriented. For example, if one focuses only on their results, what is the point? I feel that one should not only be too fixated on their results, but on the character development as well. What would be the result if one does not show any gentlemanly behaviour, but has stellar grades? Would he still be able to become a successful person in the future? Personally, I feel that if you do not show any traits of being a gentleman, nothing you do in the future will succeed. The certificates are one thing, but the character is another and it is definitely much more important in the future when it comes to job interviews, etc. Thus, I feel that being too result-oriented is not necessarily a good thing, because having very good results does not guarantee you a high post in society in the future.

Next, I also feel that one should not put so much pressure on themselves by being so result-oriented. If one is too result-oriented, he would just have unnecessary pressure, which is something I admit I have occasionally. But what is the point of having this pressure? Does it help you with your grades? I do agree that putting this pressure on yourself would force you to study harder, but at what cost? You could have the grades, but psychologically and emotionally, would you be able to take the burden and pressure? Over the years, there is this sentence you hear extremely often by your teachers and coaches, "Your opponent is not your enemy, but you are your own enemy." I could not agree with this sentence more. What is the point of competing with others and giving yourself pressure? Why don't you just do your best and strive for the best by yourself, and overcome yourself instead of comparing with others. Only if you are able to do so, would you be able to study happily and carefree, constantly trying to get better grades by competing with yourself, but not so result-oriented that you would have to get the best in class for everything. This is something I have been trying to achieve all this time.

In conclusion, I feel that results are not everything. Character development is also something you need to have. If you feel that results can give you everything, you have to change your mindset. In addition, what you should aim to achieve is not to beat your friends, but instead, to better yourself every time and strive for excellence, just by studying hard on your own and not because you are trying to compete with your friends.




What are your opinions on this topic? What do you think about one being too result-oriented? Do you share the same opinions as me?

Integrity

Looking at this topic, you should already be bored. However, I feel that although this is a very common topic, it still has to be reiterated. You should already know about the importance of integrity. However, do you think that you are able to practice integrity properly? Are you able to resist all the temptation? You claim you know what is integrity, so why can't you practice it?

Integrity is an extremely important value one should definitely possess. It is part of our school's moral values in J-TIGERR, with the "I" being integrity. Having integrity is not just being a person who doesn't steal things and keep your hands to yourself. Integrity is more about being morally upright. Whenever you do something wrong, you should have the courage and honesty to admit your mistakes, face up to reality and admit whatever mistake you have. I feel that making mistakes are fine, best if it is minor mistakes. However, the worst ever mistake you can ever make is to make a mistake and not admit to it. My class has been having many theft cases since last year, and the thief is yet to be found. This shows that integrity is extremely lacking in this person, committing so many thefts and not admitting to it. The most frightening part of it is that he does it without even a blink. It is clear as when teachers ask time and time again, nobody shows any signs of regret or repent or struggle. It is almost impossible that someone can do something wrong and act like this, showing no integrity whatsoever. However, that is the case in my class.

Enough talking about my real life situation. I feel that having integrity is an extremely important thing. Integrity would not stay with you temporarily, but would follow you throughout your life. With integrity comes change, your desire to admit to your mistakes and to change. Can you imagine if you do not admit to your mistakes and drag someone else down with you when they have not done anything? Ever considered the detrimental consequences a simple action from you can make? It is extremely important to think before you act, exercising the value of integrity.

Lastly, integrity is also very important because it teaches one how to be down-to earth. If one is able to exercise integrity, then he will be an honest person. Honest people normally are morally upright and do not commit any crimes. In this way, one would not use the short-cut to gain success, through underhanded means. And this, in turn, results in inculcating a down-to-earth character in oneself. With this honesty and down-to-earth attitude, one would then be able to work himself up the rankings and eventually gain success. Thus, it is extremely vital to possess integrity.

In conclusion, I feel that if one has integrity, it would be extremely good for him. Having integrity also means being very honest. If one can have integrity, then he is able to work with a down-to-earth attitude. Even if you have made a mistake, you have to admit to it. It is impossible to hide it and if you keep hiding it, many detrimental effects would rise as a results. If you are able to practice integrity, to admit to your mistakes, you have already made a big leap to becoming a better person. The fact that you are willing to admit to your mistake, which takes huge courage, it means you are trying to change, to have the utmost desire to change and start afresh as a person with no tainted past records. If this is the case, he can still be able to change for the better and eventually become a person useful to the community and a person with a bright future, only if he decides to change before he makes another wrong move and everything is too late.

Well, what are your views on this? What do you think about the emphasis on the importance of this value?

What a holiday!

Finally, the long holiday is over. It has been a very long period of time since I last posted on this blog, since before the holidays. I hope that all of you have done what you set out to do, whatever homework, revision, gaming, anything. The holidays are the best time to do whatever you need to do. Now, I will share how I spent my holidays, having such a busy schedule despite it being the "holidays".

In primary school, when the word "holidays" comes into your mind, all you can think of is eat, play, sleep. Very few people see the holidays as a time where you will be so busy that you barely have any time to even do anything else. For me, my holidays was spent in quite a fruitful and busy way. First of all, like all other holidays, I have my waterpolo training that schedules us to train three times a week, occupying the entire morning. Furthermore, after every training session, I would already have been worn out by the strenuous training elements, falling onto my bed immediately when I get home, just wanting to sleep. However, throughout the entire holidays, it is impossible to sleep in peace. When you sleep, you think of all the work, the piles of work you have to complete by the end of holidays, and mine being reading novels and researching on war poetry. To be truthful, I procrastinated this and left almost most of the work to the end of the holidays. As a result, I always go home, knowing that I have all this work to complete, but I would have always been too exhausted to do anything, even too lazy just to get out of my bed. On other free days, I would spend those days going out, playing at home, or simply just slacking. However, from this holiday, from the way I spent, from how I had to rush everything frantically at the last moment and spending some late nights, my only piece of advise is that procrastination is bad. Seriously, procrastination will never lead to good things in this type of situations. It only gives you the psychological burden, having to think that you haven't done something throughout an entire month would make you extremely tedious as well.

Another main reason why I have been very busy during this past holiday is because of my project for Project's Day. As you should know, the semi-finals are approaching really soon and most of the project work should already have been done. Doing two projects, I had to carry out the necessary research and experiments for both projects since both involve scientific procedures. One of them, I had to be present in the lab only once, which was the entire afternoon. However, for the other project, it involved many protocols that I had to do, and they were extremely time consuming, honestly. I took many afternoons doing these protocols and preparation work and it spanned over the entire holiday. I really hope that both these projects can go far since we have really put in a lot of effort for both projects. However, still, if we cannot go far, it might just be fate and we have to live with it and face reality.

Well, this kind of sums up my entire June holidays and how I spent it. Although I got some work done, I am still not contented with the way I spent it. I should not have procrastinated so much and left everything to the last. It is a bad habit and I have to change it. Moreover, I should have used my holidays in a more fruitful manner, getting some revision done as well, instead of leaving everything to the last minute. So, how did you spend your holidays?