Hall FOC

1st sem, scrabble

2nd sem, china trip

year 2 sem 1

JLPT

snsd concert

Japan F&E trip

Ok since I have not written in a bloody long time, I shall just do an article on JC kids(since i went back to my JC today) hehe

The types of personalities and characters you find around school...

1. High-flyer

Always seen, always heard. These students are involved in almost every aspect of the junior college. Orientation camps, cheering events, school carnivals; you name it, they're in it. Ever so prominent and well-liked by the teachers, they are a definitely a noticeable pressence in school. In fact, almost all of them belong to leadership positions in the student council, and have a very large following of supporters. I also noticed that most of them come from the feeder schools of the JC(eg. MGS->ACJC, SJI/CHIJ->CJC), which pretty much explains their enormous amount of adherents(Just to put it in perspective, many council presidents of JCs were also council presidents in their secondary schools)

To be honest, one can easily see that they were already being groomed for leadership positions in secondary school. Good academic results, impeccable CCA records, and flawless disciplinary record are all traits of the high-flyer. Upon going to JC, they are also given a lot of responsiblities(which they so willingly undertake). The JC administration is more than happy to provide them with all the opportunities; after all, it greatly increases the chance of producing a top scholar, which in turn enhances the reputation of the school. Many of them go on to be leading figures in the private and public sector.

2. The Prince/Princess

Usually the heir of a family business, these students have wealth that many others could only dream of. Money is never, and will never be an issue to them. After all, they already have a huge bank book waiting at home, so what is there to worry about? Often seen associating with other royalty, there is a certain air about the way they do things, not to mention the branded bags they display as they walk around school.

Popularity is also high, because commoners like to be seen hanging around rich people, as it gives the impression that they are rich as well. Teachers generally refrain from criticising them too much; but this is unnecessary, as most are quite well-behaved in class and wish to avoid trouble on the home front.

In spite of all this, there are also the arrogant and the lazy. The arrogant ones have a habit on stepping on the toes of others, usually by flaunting their wealth and criticising those who are poor. To them, humility has no meaning, and it is customary for them to compare the wealth of their families with others. Not surprisingly, friends are few. The other lazy type, are those that have a lack of interest in studying, because they already have a vast amount of fortune. They do not see the need to finish school and go to a good college, and thus spend these 2 years languishing in school. Ultimately, they already know that their parents are prepared to send them overseas to a university; and hopefully, they do use the time there fruitfully.

In short, the business leaders of tomorrow(for most).

3. Brainiacs

Wearing a pair of thick-rimmed spectacles and hanging out with others of similar appearance, these are the braniacs who represent the school at all the olympiads. All the sciences are under their control, and they take pride in solving questions of increasing difficulty. Not surprisingly, many of them are members of the Science and Math Council, while others choose to take up a mundane CCA that gives them ample time to concentrate on their studies.

Personality-wise, most of them are humble and amiable. The choice of conversation topics may not be much though; and it is very likely that they are unaware of the prevailing fashion trends or latest music. Current affairs also do not strike a chord with them, and most couldn't care less whether Obama's health care reform bill was passed or not. But make no mistake, these people are extremely intelligent. Their level of understanding in science is deep and insightful, and one may someimes feel embarassed to ask them for help in solving a simple question. Most go on to study science and engineering at the universities.

The scientists/technocrats/engineers/innovators of the future.

4. Loner

The one who always sits alone in class whenever you walk in. He does not speak much, and somehow prefers to keep to himself. Everyone else can be laughing away, but he continues sits in the corner with an un-smiling face. Even the teachers wonder if he is alright.

Sits alone in the canteen during breaks, or with 1 or 2 close friends. Somehow does not see the need to interact with his classmates. Behaviour is generally good though, and most loners are responsible learners who go to class punctually/do homework dilligently/pay attention in class. In fact, they would easily be favourite of many teachers if they didn't have such a weird personality. Group projects are the toughest by far, as communicating is essential to a succesful project.

Nonetheless, most manage to graduate from school with pretty decent A level results.

5. The loud rebel

Noisy and rambunctious, they are a persistent problem to all teachers in the school. Enjoys distracting the class with their antics, they can always be seen monkeying around in the lecture theatre throwing paper balls and what not. However, most are quite obedient when reprimanded, and stop playing as soon as they are chided. However, this does not last very long and the mayhem starts again as soon as the teacher is not noticing.

They have very fun-loving personalities, and see school as merely a phase in their lives which also can be enjoyed. Obviously their entertainment comes at the expense of students who are really paying attention to what's going on in class. But they do add a touch of "vibrance" to an otherwise mundane school life.

6. The anti

The type of student that views all forms of authority as a burden and restrictive, they find the most ways to break/bend the rules. Almost every single regulation stipulated has been broken, and more often than not the people in this group have been caught for keeping long hair, ear studs, ankle socks, eating in class, etc.

They find no need at all to conform, and some are just bent on wrecking havoc within the school premises. In fact, one can only wonder why they bother going to school in the first place. They have absolutely no interest in any lesson(assuming that they actually do go for it), and refuse to do any homework given to them. Their parents have been called down countless times, but no discernible change in behaviour is observed.  

Most graduate with terrible A level results, and are seldom heard from after that.  

7. The average kid

So this is your average guy. The one who just tries to get along within these 2 years. Joins a CCA and goes for it every now and then, lessons usually attended with the occasional "skip", homework done 80% of the time, and disciplinary records relatively clean. Nothing noteworthy about him, not when he does not make an attempt to stand out nor isolate himself.

These 2 years are just to study hard and get into a university. Will never be a high-flyer without the passion and enthusiasm, but would not languish in misery as long as he does work consistently.

As the title says, the average kid~

Yeap, that's about it for now. Personally, I think I'm a combined average kid-loner. lol.

Do any of you know what the difference is between a high elf and a night elf? Well most of you don't, so let me try to enlighten you. Back in the days of yore, the night elves practised a form of magic based on nature. However, a group of high-society night elves(equivalent to the aristocracy of the middle ages) felt that they were superior to the common night elves, and decided to try a magic based on demonology(which was more powerful). Traditional night elf society was outraged and thus exiled them to another continent.

Ok now we have 2 groups of elves, the original ones, and the exlied ones who took the name high elves(so much for being forced to leave). The night elves stayed true to the druidic path and continued their use of natural magic. The high elves on the other hand, continued to practice demonic magic. Living under different conditions, both elves adapted to their respective environments and thus evolved independently of one another. Now they did not change very much, and upon sight one can easily distinguish between a night elf and a high elf. The night elves retained their violet skin tone and height, while the high elves became smaller in stature with very pale skin.

If you have read up to this point, you must be thinking what is up with this senseless article. Well, actually I just wanted to explore the concept of race Singapore.

Singapore, as you know it, is a new nation with many different "races". The government broadly classifies them into 4 different ones, namely the chinese, malays, tamils, and others(?!). However, it is now possible for a person to put races such as European, Eurasian, among others(no pun intended). Initiatives have also been announced recently to let a newborn take the race of either his mum or dad(before this a child had to follow his dad's race). The Straits Times forum had an active debate recently about the need state a race at all.

The subject of race might have been relevant in the early days of the founding of modern singapore because at that time, the groups of people within the country were very distinct. For example, you had the malays who were on the island long before the british, the chinese who mostly came from southern china in provinces such as guangdong, and also the tamils who largely originated from the state of tamil nadu in india. To make this distinction even more evident, communities often bunched up together in a specific area or region in Singapore(eg. Little India) and generally did not interact as much with other races as they would today. The British thus found it easy to classify the people of Singapore into "races" because of the following reasons. There were only these 3 main groups at that time, they seldom inter-married, and they lived in well-defined communities in different parts of Singapore.

This classification worked well even after Singapore became an independent state. But recent decades have posed a series of questions that have made the issue of race a hot topic.

Globalisation has linked Singapore to almost every corner of the globe. We depend a lot on our exports for GDP and also on firms to come to Singapore and invest. In the light of a declining birth rate, Singapore also encourages plenty of immigration into the country. The movement of goods and people in and out from Singapore is unprecedented. Now with the influx of immigrants who hail from countries as diverse as south america and russia, can the same concept of race the British used be applied in this context?

What would be the race of a person from Brazil? Brazillian? South American? Native American? Others? How about someone from Kyrgzstan? Central Asian? Kyrgz? Chinese? Eurasian? Stuff like these make the idea of race seem almost archaic in the modern Singapore.

Furthermore, with the rise in the mixed-marriages, the issue would only get more complicated. It would be unfair to compel the parents of a child to select a race when the child is clearly descended from 2 different lineages. Choosing either one would seem to be an indication of it's superiority to the other.

How about taking a step back and looking at the whole origin of race in the first place. With reference to my elvish story above, the history of humanity is actually quite similar. Humans are often thought to have originated in Africa, and then branched out to other parts of the world. Unmistakably, they have adapted to the environment and climate of the places they decided to settle in. Wooly hair, fair skin, and epicanthal folds are just some of the traits you see expressed in the different populations in different parts of the world. In fact, the differences are so obvious that you can instantly tell whether a person is more likely to be chinese or european, and it is true that some races are more prone to certain illnesses than others. So then, the concept of race holds true? Maybe, but even then, the difference in genetic makeup goes right down to the individual, so while a certain population has a whole may have a certain trait, that particular individual also has his own unique set of genes, which by extension of the argument, makes him a race unto himself.

But all these could well be a thing of the past. In the ages where travel was difficult and arduous, people often married in their own communities or neighbouring ones. Rarely did they travel to different parts of the globe(It would be near impossible for a Japanese to marry a European in the 1500s). But given the ease of air travel in today's world, marriages from completely different parts of the globe are taking place at an increasing rate. Naturally this would mean the concept of race has to be questioned, as a world separated by homogenous populations is fast disappearing. Perhaps it is time we rethink the whole idea of race, and not let an individual be defined by his skin colour or hair texture

Sitting in the comfort of my bedroom typing this, I have spent the past few weeks thinking about my journey through the much-dreaded national service.Though it ends in a matter of weeks for me, there is a certain uncertainty and hesitation about leaving the fleet. Perhaps I have become too accustomed to the routine; the endless hours out at sea keeping watch. For one, serving the in navy is radically different from being part of a land division. You actually feel useful.

As a Radio Operator(now given the fancy title of Communicator) on board, these 2 years have been rather interesting. I have been given the opportunity to go to different places and work with people of different nationalities, and even visit other countries. It has been quite an enriching experience.

Yet despite all this, being part of a ship crew has it's fair share of trouble. Being asked to do more than your fair share of work, staying back late to finish your tasks, life in the navy is not all that rosy. But I suppose this has made me a better person, being able to tolerate the injustice that occasionally occurs and learning to deal with different kinds of people. A bit of give and take.

Now that this chapter is coming to a close, it would be good to take some time to sit back and reflect, and live the moment for eternity.

Do you fear growing old? I do. I hate it. Every year that passes makes me one year older, and inevitably one year closer to death.

Such a terrible feeling, the thought of growing old. Mortality is unfortunately one of the aspects of being human, though I would jump with glee should immortality ever become a reality.

Nonetheless, any time remaining on earth should be well spent.

It is difficult for friendships to be sustained. As we move on in life, we deviate from the things that we once shared in common. When that disappears, the friendship will slowly fade out along with it. Very disheartening, and I dislike such a feeling.

I used to have a very good friend in secondary school and we even went to the same junior college. But after entering NS, we just gradually stopped contacting each other. A huge contrast, when you consider the fact that we used to spend hours talking to each other on the phone in secondary school. Now, not even msn. Everything is now probably a distant part of memory. I treasure all my friends. I really do. That is why I feel uneasy when we seldom talk to each other anymore. It's awkward.

Having said that though, we also make new new friends at a rapid pace. Some last just a day, others months. But ultimately your true friends are those that would stick out their ass for you. And such friends, unfortunately are a rare gem nowadays. So treasure your friends at all times, and they would go to any length with you.

 

My writing skills are terrible. I can barely complete a single sentence. All the glory that once was now resides in the trash can. I'm going to list out words that come to my mind, and determine how many I actually know the meaning to.

Belligerent Intransigent Quixotic Inflexion Ruin Tonal Nasal Banal Naive Nostalgic Bigot Aggrandise Self-fulfilling Compromise Savage Engulf Encapsulate Elucidate Illustrate Reflex Reluctant Rampageous Rambunctious Eloquent Random Unjust Justice Democracy Law Chaos Arrow Astringent Caustic Catalyse Coax Ostensible Reprehensible Polarise Infrequent Combustion Implosion Critical Paradox Suffice Astute Demand Complex Congruent Congregate Surd Arithmetic Algebra Calculus Needs Wants Supply Inflation Deflation Imports Investment Potential Rebate Regressive Backward Pivot Fulcrum Unbridled Asymmetric Defence Budget Administration Martial Totality Finale.

So there. A load of words that make no sense to me(or at least right now). Darn NS...be gone and never be seen again.

 

Someone wrote a letter to the forums asserting that many of the values we have actually originate from religious sources. Interesting hypothesis, but not even the least convincing in my opinion.

Well honestly, I find it an absurd claim. If everything the writer mentioned was true, I shudder to think what our world would be like without religion. I do not steal because my religion forbids me to. So if I do not have a religion, I would be the biggest bad-ass thief on earth. But wait, my religion forbids me to kill too, so safe to say, without it, millions will die at my hands.That certainly isn't very nice and personally I'm quite sure that even without religion, many of us will not be murderers and thieves.

Even if the dogma has events which demonstrate a particular value, isn't it logical to suggest that such values had already existed prior to the creation of that religion? Caring for the weak is obviously praise-worthy, but surely it did not take the advent of religion for us humans to realise that. The less fortunate deserve our care. I know it because I am compassionate and kind. They need all the help they can get to get back on their feet. Helping someone does not demand any payback, it is a reward in itself. How can such a noble idea be derived from something that cannot even be proven? Absolutely mind-boggling.

Another point to note is that laws, not religion, regulate the behaviour of people within the country. If religion was so powerful and convincing that all of us follow it with utmost zeal, then it is safe to have a lawless(literally) state. But religion cannot do so, because it is shrouded in myth after all. It has no claim to legitimacy, contrary to it's stand of being the divine truth. If it cannot be proven, then how superior can it be to a belief that digimons exist? And on that matter, I can also learn a lot of values from watching digimon. Values such as love, empathy, and benevelonce feature prominently throughout the series.

In any case, the article does a good job of defending itself by telling us how kids learn from examples in the religious books. I find no fault with that, and the only fault lies with the assertion that because of this, we can conclude that religion gave rise to these values. This is most untrue and I know we humans are able to discern between fact and fiction.

Now to continue with the second part...

Clubbing, as fun as it may be to the many who enjoy it, hardly appeals to me. I think it a waste of time and money to deploy myself in a crowded area with hardly any room to fidget, much less move about. Sure there is the company of friends and all, but given a choice, I would rather spend time with them simply chatting away. Getting into a situation with crowds and loud noises is at the bottom of my favourite activities list. How enjoyable can it be to have to shout at the top of your voice just to communicate with your friends?

The next section is about grinding. Many friends who frequently club tell me that they do so because they derive pleasure from grinding(wikipedia can help plug the gap if you do not already know what the word means). Well, let's just say that I find it a totally strange and bizzare activity. I mean, how fun can rubbing your body against another person be? Obviously the word rubbing would mean something to the intelligent reader like yourself. But how on earth is that enjoyable? If I needed to do something, the red light district would be the place, not some club where I can hardly move. Very, very queer.

Drinking is another reason for people to club. Under the effects of alcohol, the average guy in the street would be tipsy downing glass after glass. Supposedly, it gives a light-headed feeling that makes one feel relaxed and completely at ease with the world. I do agree with that, but more often then not, many fools do not bother controlling their alcohol limit, and end up getting dead drunk. This only puts their friends in a pitiful position where they are forced to find ways to evacuate him from the building and send him home. The sorrier sight would be when the fool actually pukes all over the floor or in the worst case, onto your brand new shoes. Yucks. So much for that friendship.

In conclusion, the author strongly feels that clubbing is a waste of time and should be discouraged. In fact, since clubbing is at night, the best way to spend time would be sleeping! Yet despite having said all these, the author is not immune from the siren calls of his friends, whose persuasive voices have convinced him to yield to their requests. And once again, he steps into the darkness that he so much loathes.

Dota is a game that I started playing in secondary 3. Starting from a noob inexperienced player, I have somewhat grown into less of a feeder and more of a pro. Of course this does not come easy. Having wasted so many nights staying up late just to play that one more game, I can only imagine how much more I could have done with my precious time.

I played dota all the way to JC, stopped for awhile during the start of ns, and then resumed my addiction which unfortunately lasts till today. My interest in dota has fluctuated to various levels at different points in my life, but ultimately I don't know why the game still sticks with me. I haven't gotten bored.

So why have I not gotten bored?

First and foremost, Dota is a game that becomes almost easy to play once you get the hang of it. Unlike normal warcraft which requires one to control many units at once, or rpgs that demand you invest hours into the game, dota puts everyone at square one when the game starts, and in control of only one unit. Thus any victories or losses before hand do not matter, and no player has any discernible advantage over the other.

Dota is also a game that continues to update itself with newer versions that include new heroes and and items. The rapid development of the game forces people to continue playing, or risk being left far behind in the dota community. Each update gives new possibilities, new ways of fighting, and ultimately new paths to victory. It puts the creativity and innovation of the players to the test.