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?

LA June Holidays Assignment

Now, I will be doing my other assignment, which is to discuss the effects of war. My teacher instructed us to either read or watch war novels or movies respectively. Not being a fan of reading, I decided to choose the latter. I watched the famous war movie, "Saving Private Ryan". To be frank, it was one of the most grotesque movies I've ever seen. The gory, bloody scenes are very disturbing and I cannot imagine placing myself in one of those soldiers' shoes, watching your own friends die right in front of your very eyes, at the risk of being killed, and killing others. I can imagine just how traumatising this would be if I were there. Right from the very start, we are already introduced to the horrifying scenes of the cruelty of war, where the Germans kill the Americans at Omaha Beach. In on of the attacks, three of the four Ryan brothers in the movie were killed, showing how one war could ruin an entire family. How easy it is for all to get killed. After the small journey just to save the last Ryan, 2 out of the 8 people in the rescue team survived, with the leader being one of them who got fatally wounded. This just shows how easy men can lose their lives just for saving a man in a war. In the end, the leader died as well while Ryan survived and got home. This movie shows us the cruelty of war and the risks involved in it, so is it worth it having the war? Personally, I feel that it is not worth it having a war, thinking of all the negative consequences a war would result in. I do not understand why people cannot settle their disputes amicably and must always resort to violence. War would be the last thing on my mind to settle a dispute or conflict. Besides, war doesn't settle everything, it only makes the problem go away for the time being, with the winner being the last man standing, but there won't be an agreement reached ever. Rather, war increases the number of problems, causing such great damage to society. Thus, I believe war should not be introduced at all.

From the movie, we can thus infer some impacts of the war, as well as other kinds of impacts from witnessing the wars happening in other countries right now. This brings me to my task of crafting a mind map with the effects of the war. Hence, I append my mind map below.




Take a look at my mind map. Do you think there are more types of impacts in a war? Do you think having a war can solve all the problems? Share them with us.

LA June Holidays Assignment

One of our assignments for the June holidays is to read the book, "Merchant of Venice", by the renowned William Shakespeare. After reading the book, we are supposed to make a mind map on the plot of the book. This book is a play, a romantic comedy. After reading the book, I find the plot very interesting, having a twist in the end. The characters are extremely dramatic and it pokes fun here and there. Being the first play I have ever read, this gives me a very good impression of plays, making me more interested in drama and plays. Well, of course it is expected since it's by the great WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE. So below I append my mind map.

Take a look at my mind map and enjoy it! :)

Home Learning Task 2

Rainbow Death

America did not foresee
Green, pink, purple and other colors death potpourri!
Expecting others to pay a high price.
Now thinking twice?
Toll on the innocent and unborn.

Omnipotent and disregarding who will mourn.
Reflective about all the illness, birth defects and prematurely dead.
All the deceit continues to spread.
Nefariously America led astray -
Generations untold WILL pay -
Execrable effects of agent orange spray!

Point of View --> First-person.
Unbiased / Candid / Truthful
Evidence:"America did not foresee / Green, pink, purple and other colors death potpourri!
"Expecting others to pay a high price. / Now thinking twice?"
"Nefariously America led astray"
"Execrable effects of agent orange spray"
Elaboration: The poet is an American who fought for America in the Vietnam war. However, here he says that America makes a mistake, being "led astray". He also sets this poem after he himself has experienced the effects of Agent Orange, and is very infuriated by it. Hence, we can tell that this is an unbiased and truthful point of view, not siding with his own country, saying that there is nothing wrong.

Situation and Setting --> In a war, the Agent Orange had been used and the effects are dire, to both sides fighting the war. In this poem, the poet feels emotional for the use of Agent Orange after seeing the aftermath of the usage of it. He clearly feels that Agent Orange should not have been used as it causes great damage to both sides in the war, and the damages affect not only his generation, but subsequent generations as well, being born with defects, etc. In a sentence that covers it all, it means that the war doesn't end even when it is said to have ended. In simple words, it means the damages done in a war carries on even after the war is said to have ended.

Language and Diction --> Oxymoron
Emphasis or words
Evidence: "Rainbow Death"
"Death potpourri"
"Nefariously America led astray"
"deceit"
Elaboration: The usage of the title, "Rainbow Death", is an oxymoron. Rainbows normally connote something joyous and positive, but it is put together with "death", making it an oxymoron altogether. It gives the reader suspense as they will wonder, a death due to a rainbow? In the end, they will realise that it is true, death due to the different agent colours.

Next, "death potpourri" is also an oxymoron. Death is used to show something negative, which is described with something solemn. However, Hubert uses "potpourri", something fragrant. He should be being sarcastic at this point, showing that death can be so colourful and pleasant, caused by the different agent colours, but it is untrue that death will be colourful and pleasant.

On the other hand, emphasis of words are used in this poem. Hubert writes the word "WILL" in capital letters. This is to place emphasis on the line itself, showing that the subsequent generations will definitely have to suffer due to the effects of the war and America's rash actions of using Agent Orange.

Lastly, Hubert displays America in a negative light, saying that America was "led astray" and that she uses "deceit". This is showing how much Hubert disapproves of America and is furious about the fact that America used the extremely harmful Agent Orange.


Personal Response

Hubert is trying to criticise America in this poem, showing how it "did not foresee" the "execrable effects of agent orange spray". He also says that America is "omnipotent and [disregards] who will mourn", showing how heartless America is, causing great harm in the war, to subsequent generations who are innocent people as well. Hubert is trying to make known to everyone how America's actions could affect the world greatly and hopes that war will not enfold again, because the war does not end when it has ended. The damages carry on to subsequent generations. He wants to show that war is nothing but harm to both sides and there is no absolute victory, because both sides will have a huge amount of suffering after a war. I personally sympathise with all the Agent Orange victims, "all the illness, birth defects and prematurely dead" and that those "generations untold WILL pay". I support Hubert in feeling that America should be held responsible for this great damage done. If it was not for America, the damages wouldn't have been so dire for both sides. I feel that his main message here is to say that war is harmful and war should not occur, and I totally support his view about war, because war causes great damages and if war doesn't erupt, the world will have a much better peace and people will not be subjected to such gruesome suffering.

Home Learning Task 1

Rainbow Death

America did not foresee
Green, pink, purple and other colors death potpourri!
Expecting others to pay a high price.
Now thinking twice?
Toll on the innocent and unborn.

Omnipotent and disregarding who will mourn.
Reflective about all the illness, birth defects and prematurely dead.
All the deceit continues to spread.
Nefariously America led astray -
Generations untold WILL pay -
Execrable effects of agent orange spray!

This poem is about America making use of a poisonous substance, "Agent Orange". The poet is saying that America used the Agent Orange, in a bid to make the enemy in the war suffer, but in the end, it backfired and the Agent Orange was used against herself. In the end, both sides of the war gets affected and it causes negative impacts, like how Agents "Green, pink, purple and other colors death potpourri". This Agent Orange affects not only the generation itself but the future generations as well, when he said that "generations untold will pay". In this poem, the poet, Hubert Wilson, is trying to say that in war, it causes great damage and the damage will never be only to one side, but to both sides. And when the damage is done, it does not only affect on generation, but the damage can carry on for many subsequent generations. The conflict depicted in this poem would be how America's plan backfired and caused great harm to herself, being "nefariously... led astray", and how the damage done will carry on to subsequent generations. This conflict shows that there will always be damage done to both sides involved in a war and that a war is not over even when it is over because the damages of a war will carry on even after the war has ended.

Now, to understand better what the poem actually means and why the poet would write this, we have to first look at his background information.

He is a Vietnam War veteran who served in the USAF Security Service. He, along with many others, prepped for about 14 months at Kelly AFB in San Antonio, Texas, before anticipating being sent to Vietnam or elsewhere in Southeast Asia in 1970. About half ended up in Da Nang (an Agent Orange hotspot) in the 6924th Security Squadron. The rest of them were assigned to Shemya Island, Alaska, with the 6984th Security Squadron, a more contaminated environment than Da Nang.

His health problems started with unexplained headaches and limb pains. His central nervous system radically deteriorated with Parkinson type tremors, severe headaches, progressive limb pains, etc. No physician has ever diagnosed the specific illness. His number one educated guess is the heavily contaminated drinking water at Shemya during his year there as an intelligence analyst. Organo-phosphate toxins may not run their toxic course until 20 to 30 years after initial exposure.

According to Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 4.8 million Vietnamese people were exposed to Agent Orange, resulting in 400,000 deaths and disabilities, and 500,000 children born with birth defects.

From 1962 to 1971, Agent Orange was by far the most widely used of the so-called "Rainbow Herbicides" employed in the herbicidal warfare program. During the production of Agent Orange (as well as Agents Purple, Pink, and Green) dioxins were produced as a contaminant, which have caused numerous health problems for the millions of people who have been exposed.

Hence, this poem was written because he personally experienced the feeling of being attacked by Agent Orange and how it could affect not only the original target, but you yourself as well. He is aware of these harmful consequences of war and hopes that war will stop because it will affect the subsequent generations as well. The title suggests how harmful war can be, causing "Death". "Rainbow" symbolises Agent Orange, Purple, Pink, Green, etc. These agents are what caused the death and harmful consequences of many, and the poet is showing that war is harmful and it never ends when it ends because the damage will carry on even after the war.

Global Warming -- Is it that Pressing an Issue?

Hey guys. I'm back. Today I am doing this extremely important topic on global warming. As most of you might know, global warming is become an important issue these few years. However, is it as important an issue as it seems in the newspapers and reports?

You might have seen advertisements or posters or even heard from your friends or teachers to perform the 3 Rs, Reuse, Recycle, and Reduce. Let me give a brief introduction on what these three Rs are about. Reuse. What does it really mean? It is to tell you that instead of using a new item everytime, you can reuse it if it doesn't cause much harm. For example, toothbrushes can be reused until a certain period of time. Recycle. When you use something and find no more use of it, you can recycle it and the material can be made into something else for another purpose. As for reduce, we have to reduce the usage of natural resources as we have a depleting supply of natural resources, with the only resources coming from imports.

Why then, are we asked to preform these 3 Rs. It is important to know the importance of these 3 Rs so that there is no wastage of materials in this world. For example, plastic is not biodegradable. This means it takes a very long time for plastic to be removed from the world, maybe a few thousand years. Therefore, instead of wasting our plastic by throwing them away time and time again, we can actually use the plastic for other uses by recycling or maybe reusing, unless you want a plastic filled world.

However, this is not the main focus of my topic today. My topic is about global warming. Global warming is when the world temperature is increasing, causing dire consequences, such as the melting of ice bergs and glaciers. How is this going to affect us then? Once the ice melts, it turns into water and soon, the Earth will be covered in nothing but water. Then, we will have nowhere to live. You might think that that will be in the future and we need not care about it now. But there is more to it.

Studies have further proven that in a few decades, the situation will worsen by a lot, and everything will turn for the worse, unless we take action now. And for those who think that global warming is in the future, can you live with this conscience? This is just irresponsibility on your part. This is an extremely selfish thinking! You should always think for your future generation because it is very important, your future generation carries your blood and maybe, your family name. You shouldn't be so heartless to leave them to die.

Hence, the main gist of this post is that, global warming is a pressing issue which can cause dire consequences in no time. If it isn't controlled, the world coming to an end will be within a few decades. The only method to solve this problem, to me, is global cooling. But as far as I know, technology and science have not proven this theory yet. Thus, I plead with all of you to start performing the 3 Rs, in order to slow down the process of global warming, so that there is still time for technology and science to think of ways to solve this problem, hopefully.