The Lottery

Hey all,
Referring to the final question in the worksheet of the Lottery, I think that we should learn to put ourselves in others shoes and imagine how the party suffering would feel like. We should not be like Mrs Hutchinson who only realised how unfair the villagers actions was when she was stoned to death. Had she not being the one chosen, she would probably have never realised the cruelty of their actions. This is very relevant to our society today as many crimes happen due to the fact that some people are unable to put themselves in others' shoes. Just for an example, let's say you attack a friend of yours over some monetary disputes, have you ever thought what it would be like for this friend and his family? Just imagine the unbearable pain that they would have to go through. If all of us are able to put ourselves in others shoes and be less self-centred, the society would definitely be a better place.
Regarding the question whether we have our own form of "lottery", I am not very sure what this means but I am sure that our lotteries are definitely not as life-threatening as the lottery mentioned in the story, and thank god for that:)
Jeremyz Signing off,
Gdnite

Importance of Being an all-rounded student

Hey all,
This topic just suddenly popped into my mind as I was having a hard time thinking about writing a post that has relevance to us today. Okay never mind that, let me now share about the importance of being an all-rounder.
Firstly, what is te definition of the term "all-rounder"? Basically, it means to be good in many areas. For students, it will be studies, sports, aesthetics etc. People may ask," Why is it important? Only academics are important. You can't make a good living next time with sports and aesthetics unless you are really good at them, can you?" But let's ponder over this question, is it just enough to be good at academics and studies while neglecting the joy of being good at other areas?
Singapore's education has been critisised for being too focused on academics. Compared with the International schools, I totally agree. Everything is down to academics. If you aren't smart, smarter students look down on you. Teachers may give up hope on you and would rather focus on the other smarter students. Basically, they are only able to look at your grades while neglecting the fact that you might be strong in other areas. This is not to say that I think that studies is not important. Of course they are, but for those who aren't as good in studies, schools should try to unearth the talent hidden in them in other areas rather than just say, "Oh, this guys hopeless."
For the smarter people, remember to try to balance out studies and other areas. This is an important balance to ensure that we are able to rest and relax and not get too stressed out. It is good to play an musical instrument or enjoy a game of badminton or soccer after a long periond of mugging. For those who realise that they are not that good at studies, don't be demoralisd. Everyone has their strong points and I am sure you have yours. So try to dig up your strong points and make full use of them. And you would be successful in your own way:)
Jeremy signing off,
Byez

NTU Student's violent Attack on Professor

Hey all,
Recently in the news, it was reported that a student from NTU stabbed his professor with a knife and then commited suicide by plunging to his death. It took many people by surprise. When I read this news headline, two thoughts immediately popped into my mind. The first one was what had triggered the attack. The second was the disturbing thought that people that commit suicide nowadays like to drag others into it by attacking them before ending their tragic lives. Many such cases happen in America where the law that states that possesion of registered guns is legal is causing many social problems such as mentioned above.
After reading more about this case, I found out that this attack was probably due to the fact that the student was not doing well for his project which would decide whether he graduates. Firstly, if he did not graduate, who does he have to blame? There is a famous saying"fate is in your own hands". It is only you that can decide your fate and your future. Of course, the people around you can influence your thoughts and so on, but ultimately it is still up to you. He probably spent too much time playing computer games as mentioned in the newspaper. So there you go, if he fails, he should take this as an important lesson in his life and a motivation for him to do well for the years ahead.
Secondly, if you want to end your life, then why drag in other innocent ones? They dont deserve all your fury and misery to be thrown at them like that. This professor is really lucky that he escaped death or serious injury this time. There are many others that have died as a result of mentally unstable people deciding to go on a killing spree. Their deaths are definitely not justified as most of them did not do anything to harm or hurt the attacker. These people are already bad enough to think of ending their life against god's will(which is punishable by god), killing others would just make themselves and their families more hated. If they "argue" that they wanted some people to accompany them to the afterlife, how selfish of them! It is against the will of this person to do that, so they should just leave it as that. Thanks guys for reading this yea. And by the way, our tennis team lost 4-1 to Catholic High(Haiz...)
Jereman signing off,
BB

Angles Tournament

Hey guys,
Darn, none of our Pro-Ed speakers won any of the top three prizes despite all the hardwork they had put in. But I have to admit that the other speakers were really good too. However, we all thought that Elvis would be one of the top three speakers as both his speeches were quite well done, especially his impromptu speech. Well, never mind(nvm), Elvis has claimed that he will win something at the triangles tournament. Hmm......
Jereman signing off,
BB

Hey all,
During Monday's assembly we discussed about the topic "bullying". I feel that I should emphasise a bit on why the bullies bully. Firstly, I think the main reason is that they want to have some friends but just don't know how to make them. An example was in Primary 4. I was then sitting beside this really big-sized boy. He enjoyed playing pranks on me. But as he matured, he stopped and we became friends. So there you go, I suppose what the bully really needs is some friends he can turn to. So give a helping hand guys!
Another reason is that he might have come from a broken family or a family that has violence or internal conflicts. So a counsellor would definitely help the situation. The counsellor would be able to advise him on how to feel better in this kind of situations and the bully too would be able to share his problems that he does not wish to let his friend know with the counsellor. Therefore, I feel that schools should not be too harsh on this kind of people and instead of giving them really strict punishments, try to put themselves in their shoes and give them an oppurtunity to mend their ways.
Jereman signing off,
Bb

Discussion questions on the story"Flowers For Algernon"

Hey guys,
I have chosen to answer the question" Should Science be used to artificially improve Someone's Intelligene or External Appearances?" I think that Science should not be used to artificially improve someone's intelligence or external appearance. I feel that that is an abuse of Science and technology. We should be satisfied with what god has decided to make us into and try to make the best out of that. Once we use Science and technology to change our intelligence level or appearance, it is considered not naturel or fake. Now, it won't feel good going around with people gossiping behind your back about your operation would it?
Once you oppose nature, there will alays be side effects. You probably will not be able to adapt to the change as, to put it simply, you were not made to have that kind of appearance or intelligence level. We have to be realistic and should realise that if we are simply not good in an area, there is surely to be another area that we are good at. We would just have to uncover this talent inside ourselves. Remember, everyone is special. Everyone has their area of talent. With that, I think I have made my stance very clear and I hope that people would accept who they are and not go through all kinds of operations(especially those actresses)
Jeremy signing off,
BB

About the Taximan's Story

Greetings Everyone,
I read the Taximan's Story over the weekend and found it very interesting and captivating. I am now going to answer some of the questions on the worksheet I was given.
Firstly, I am not really sure about the irony of he story. I think that it is the fact that the Taximan enjoyed fetching young people in his taxi for extra money even though he says that they are irresponsible and not trustable. You can take it that he dislikes the teenagers now but enjoys fetching them to earn extra money.
I think the themes raised in the story is about the actions of the young teenagers nowadays and the excuses they give their parents for coming home late. The authour also wants to pass a message to parents advicing them to watch over their children. I think this story is quite realistic as you can see the matter raised in the story happening nowadays, especially to those teenagers that alked the wrong path of life.
I think that the taximan cares for his children a lot compared to some parents. Therefore, I think he makes a very good father. I feel sympathy for him when he had to experience the pain of seeing his daughter become one of the teenagers he mentioned. But I think that he is quite pleased that the daughter learned her lesson.
I feel sympathy for those teenagers mentioned in the story as they might not have turned out like that if their parents had given them enough care and concern instead of just being obsessed in their pursue of wealth. I hope that parents would learn from this story and realise that money is not everything.
Jeremy the tired and bored man signing off,
Byez