journal
Monday, March 24, 2008
-7:47 AM
DUDES! I've moved my posts [no matter how scarce they are] to http://www.neoquintessence.wordpress.com
Reason 1: better compatibility with Word 2007
Reason 2: Bringing back simplicity into my blog designs. Yes. I've converted to simplicitism
Reason 3: Wanted a more formal-looking layout and interface
Reason 4: Had a lot of spare time. Not. Suppose to have 5 homework tasks lined up behind and I'm compromising on it =.=
Reason 5: Old blog. Like my previous one, once the 100th mark it is reached, I konk it into a sort of webdump.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
-5:58 AM
Look at this:
-5:17 AM
The life of a business studies student - diabolical! Unlike most other subjects which are relatively simpler, the whole concept of Business Studies and Religious knowledge is absolutely foreign. There is this air of misconception that Business Studies is like Economics, but it is not. I've asked my Business studies teacher questions relating to clarifying Business Studies with the Economics background I knew. Apparentely, these subjects run different courses down the river, surely they started out from the same stream.
Life in England is expriencing a slight retardation into a nice walk from the inital accleration resulting from acclimatation, adaptation to foreign concepts, overwhelming society differences and a whole new school structure to meld into. School has become more enjoyable as students intermingle with each other and there is no such thing as cohort gap. Everyone knows what everyone does - scary, but rather amazing. As much as we in our clsoe circle of friends, they talk on the same level as do with the other years and classes.
For me, I see most of my classmates everyday. From monday to fridays at school, friday meetings, sathurdays at business studies and work party and Sunday at church meeting. Drawn to the familiarity of these people, i might as well consider them a sort of family. Maybe in time. I find myself intrigued by this structure which I'm being introduced to. Encouraged, to say the least, to learn more about these people whom I would see everyday for many years. Word. Interesting, i see all the 6 letters of 'family' in the same order in 'familiarity'.
Missing home a lot though, but to be honest, there is so much things to do here, so much things to complete that it gives little room to miss home. Only to the isolation and boundaries of my room, each time I sleep am I given the opportunity to reflect. I reinstate that I'm quite at ease now, from the initial stubborness to adapt.
People are happier here, much more happier here. Good for the health. I wish this concept could be carried forward to those I know, maybe, if there is a chance to let them experience it.
=)
____________________
Tracie Ooi Year 12
Human Resource Management
A. Revision Questions
1. Why is it important that an organisation challenges its existing employment structure each time an opportunity to do so emerges?
An organisation should challenge its existing employment structure at every opportunity to move the workforce into the direction of the firm’s objectives. It also allows the firm to reassess their workforce skills and make decisions concerning the workforce such as recruitment, retrenchment or training. Another reason is that the firm would want to get optimal efficiency of the employed in increase output and quality to gain more profits. Lastly, it is to maintain a good employment turnover rate. A firm can analyse what the workers need and employ policies and benefits that gives the employees the incentive to stay and reduce cost of recruiting new employees.
2. Why do ‘job descriptions’ and ‘person specifications play an important part in the selection of appropriate personnel?
Job description and person specification allows the firm to narrow down and select candidates who are capable of running in that position from thousands of job seekers. The job description draws the candidate who is willing to render their services for the price the company pays and the benefit he gets while the person specification ensures that that person satisfies the criteria needed in carrying out the job.
The person specification enables job seekers to understand the specific duties and responsibilities of their new position. Employees can refer to the specification and use it to measure whether the candidate can meet expectations in performance. A proper job description and person specification allow the recruitment of suitable candidates to achieve the firm’s objective.
3. What advantage does the process of internal recruitment offer to the business over the appointment of individuals from outside the organisation?
The process of internal recruitment would motivate the employees within the organisation as the feel that the employers value good progress and loyalty and there is a way to increase their potential instead of remaining stagnant in the same position throughout their term in the organisation.
Secondly, an internal recruit would have been familiar with the culture of the organisation: the objectives, the clients, the overseers and subordinates and co-workers, policies, products and services and corporate atmosphere. This also brings us to another point that it would save time and money in organising orientation session for an external recruit.
The Human Resource Department would already have had the employee’s data in their archive, they have ready access to the progress folio of the worker, their work habits, achievements and appraisals.
Internal recruitment saves money by eliminating the process of externally advertising for a new recruit and administration to shortlist candidates which require large amounts of time and money. Since the HR Department has their folio at hand, and has monitored their aptitude and behaviour, it makes it easier for employers to single out suitable candidates from within the company.
4. Identify three benefits to a firm of using assessment centres in selection key staff?
At assessment centres, the candidate is thrown into simulations to test his response and decisions which can determine what decisions he might take in the job. Well-trained observers can assess the candidates behaviour in the situation and decision is not made by one but by many judges. This reduces the chance that the recruiter is being swayed by the candidate’s personal charm and wit. They see what the candidate really is made of.
This process of assessing candidates performance is a successful approach in determining leadership qualities. The recruiters would be able to evaluate whether the candidate has more potential to move on to higher positions and lead which is sought after. Although, assessment centres are costly so the this strategy is use to fill in higher positions
As this involves a number of potential recruits, the centres enable employers to examine the interpersonal skills in the simulated work conditions. They can see whether the candidate works in a team or works by himself.
5. What is the cost of not training:
a. new supermarket checkout operators?
Not training new supermarket operators leave them unfamiliar with the counters that they need to use. Items may not have been properly checked out and may not be reflected in the receipt, the item is not paid for, or the items may have been entered in multiple times without the knowledge of the operators. This would result in loss in profit for the supermarket and a gap in the accounting department and the poor checkout service quality might deter customers from coming again.
The operators might not be able to handle customer relations such as being courteous to the customer and how to handle their goods properly. This might damage the reputation of the supermarket as their workers are deemed incompetent in serving and the company might lose profits and eventually market share as customers sought alternative places to buy their goods.
The new supermarket operator may not be able to operate special machines for other payment methods such as credit cards, debit cards, privilege cards and vouchers. As many customers use these payment methods, it might cause a delay as the operator needs to find one who is able to carry out the transaction. Yet again, poor service quality would deter customers as operators are most of the time, where workers represent the supermarket in providing service.
b. crowd stewards at Manchester United?
IF crowd stewards are not properly trained, they may not have the necessary skills to control and marshal the crowd, usher them into their respective seats and ensure compliance with the arrangements. They also may not be adapted to the different situations posed by the crowd.
They may not be able to ensure the people’s safety when they cannot manage the crowd. This may have a damaging effect on the reputation of the recruiters such as Manchester United and people may think that they have poor control over the crowd or have too brute a team of crowd stewards.
If the crowd goes out of hand during their matches, it would also damage their reputation as their matches would have stirred up alarming reviews on ill situations concerning the crowd. Stewards may not be able to defuse difficult situations, avoid any arguments or rowdy confrontation with the crowd and promote an atmosphere of goodwill.
6. What is the main purpose of ‘induction’ training?
The purpose of induction training serves as a place where the company culture is explained, company policies is clarified such as pay, sick leave, holidays and means of payment. The recruit gets to know what benefits are installed for him in the company and Health and Safety procedures are clarified. The whole process within the organisation is made known to him.
The recruit is also brief about the organisation’s hierarchy, his overseers and subordinates, his workplace and amenities. He is also introduced to his future workmates. The objectives of the organisation, the overview of their position and expectations are also restated. In all, induction training ensures that the individual is made ready to join the company.
7. How can a form of market failure result when a firm is considering training its employees?
In economics, market failure is characterised when the market is deemed not to be efficient. This can result from allocative inefficiencies of resources such as material and labour, productive inefficiency when the firm is not producing at its lowest long-run average cost and X-inefficiency due to extra cost due to unrefined administration processes.
To train current employees may cost much more than to recruit new ones who already have been equipped with the required skills. The investment in time and money needed is considerably higher. Due to this increased costs, the total cost of production may go up and profit levels will fall assuming price is maintained. However, as the firm incurred short-term opportunity costs of not recruiting new employees which would have been much cheaper, the firm is not operating at the lowest cost, resulting in productive inefficiency.
Secondly, as the work schedules of the employees are disrupted, the employee is not working at his full capacity since time is allocated to training and refining skills. Employees under training are thus under-employed and the firm is not working on the production possibility frontier, thus labour is seen to be inefficiently allocated.
In conclusion, the productive and allocative inefficiencies resulting in training current employees contribute to market failure, although, many unions and government policies encourage firms to train their workforce.
8. What benefits might a firm derive from achieving an Invertors In People award?
Receiving an ‘Investors In People’ award firstly enhances the reputation of the firm. It is reputed to look after its workers and is a place for employees to discover their potential. The company is seen to be looking after the interest of their workers. This would encourage more people to buy their products or utilise their services and the business earns more profit from the enhanced reputation.
With a good reputation, the firm gains notice of job seekers and the pool of potential recruits are drawn to the company that allows them to reach their fullest potential. This provides a wider variety of people and more numbers of candidates to choose from that they believe can meeting the firm’s objectives and have great potential.
Current employees have a greater incentive to stay as they are motivated to get better jobs, hold bigger responsibilities as the company values their effort and performance. Thus this allows the company to prevent poaching from other companies, maintain high employment turnover rate and boost the morale of the workers which can increase productivity.
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
-12:00 AM
A paper which I did for summer assignment:
Development occurs with the reduction and elimination of poverty, inequality, and unemployment within a growing economy. In the development of a country, it is essential to have a resource of skilled and knowledgeable workers that are beneficial to sustain the country’s economic development. Not only should the development of a country be determined by economic prosperity but also the social standards. The standard of living amongst the people, social stability, literacy and racial integration are social factors, influential in shaping the country. A sound and efficient government is another salient factor of development that pilots the course which a country should undertake to achieve maximal prosperity. Developing a country requires the resource of knowledgeable and skilled [educated] population. In my opinion, education is the most deciding factor in the development of a country.
Education is the process which an individual’s mind and character are developed through teaching through a formal institute. Individuals would learn a myriad of academic subjects to broaden their perspectives and knowledge of the human and physical environment. As an integral part of acquiring knowledge, students build up analytical skills and process skills that demands of them to translate acquired knowledge into applications. With the acquisition of theory knowledge and the preparatory skills in analysis and application, students can progress to building up job skills in the universities. Vocational training provided by the institutes and collaborations enable students to mould themselves into the demands of the jobs. Therefore, by building a pool of skilled and knowledgeable workers to integrate into their productive workforce, a country can achieve economic growth.
By building the foundations of a local pool of productive skilled workers from a young age, a country would be more inclined to sustain economic development in the long run. Rather than importing foreign talents to build up the economy, a fresh young population of income earners would contribute to the development for a longer period of time. Education is an economic investment.
As much as education develops the mind, it also matures the character. Through education, an individual develops life skills and cultivates good moral values. As he progresses down the education pathway, more responsibility is demanded of him and he would establish a spectrum of values.
In Singapore, government institutions encourage integration between students of different race, religion and gender. This enables students to break down social barriers, build awareness and tolerance to differences which is crucial in the social stability and social development of a country. Values such as patience, honesty and honesty which are nurtured over the years can unify the country and enable it to cohesively lead the country to higher levels of development. Thus education enables us to shape the social development of a country.
Education prepares the young, physically, mentally and emotionally for the challenges in their career and lives. In Singapore, students are placed in an environment with people of different personalities and characters and are required to function as a body to progress efficiently and cohesively. Project Work requires tolerance to peers, ideas and many points of views, interdependence amidst individuality and teamwork. Building up people relation skills and promoting teamwork is paramount when one goes into the workforce. Almost all jobs require everyone to function as an organisation to move the development of the company and eventually the economy. Deadlines in handing up assignments teach them the importance of punctuality, effective time management and arranging of priorities. Therefore, education is seen as the preparatory stage for effective living and career management which is essential in promoting social and economic development.
Education is beneficial especially to lower income groups. If they are not deprived of a good education, students from lower-income families would undergo the cumulative process of knowledge and skill acquisition. The higher the education tree he climbs, the higher his level of skill and knowledge. Higher qualifications obtained would normally open the doors to higher-paying job. This would enable them to move out of the lower-income levels and improve their quality of living. Education would improve the equity of the nation, and avoid anomies arising from the exclusion of lower-income earners which is detrimental to the fabric of the nation.
However, education is not the only important factor in the development of the nation. Political stability and efficiency of the government is crucial as the governmental body is the one who decides on the best way for a nation to grow. Poor governmental leadership and mismanagement of the country’s resources would prove deleterious in the growth of a country even if the people are highly skilled, socially stable and potentially economically productive. The leaders of a nation need to be carefully elected and dependable to make wise decisions on the behalf of the citizens to spearhead the development of a nation. Thus a good governmental body carries significant weight in the development of a country.
Social cohesion is essential for economic stability and development of a country. No man can build a nation with his own hands and it requires the concerted effort of the multitudes to move the country forward. Race and religion are sensitive topics to many societies and alienation from one another and discrimination would build social barriers and may lead to conflicts which may arrest development of the society and the economy. Thus racial and religious tolerance is practised and citizens should be encouraged to work together to reduce fear of one another and bring about development.
Technology is another important factor of development. Technology includes research in the sciences and engineering that would allow development through new angles and dimensions. Technology enables businesses to function efficiently and quickly to meet demands. Latest technology in the military makes it a stronger deterrent to invasion and insurrection that would stall development. Progressive advancement in technology continues to increase the rate of development.
I stated above that education is the most important factor in the development of a country as it also has a bearing on the governmental leadership, social cohesion and technology. A good, holistic education can mould future leaders; elected officials in Singapore are usually very bright scholars with strong interpersonal skills. Schools provide an environment where people have to work in cooperation and surpass differences, thus social cohesion amongst the young is encouraged. The acquisition of knowledge and research skills during the course of education provides a base for research and provides a pool of local researchers to bring about more technological advances for the development of the nation. Education can bring and end to poverty and inequity and prepare people for their careers. Thus education can bring about economic and social prosperity which leads to development of a country.
Education is an investment for development in the long run as it continually supplies the country with new potentials to replace the older ones when they step down. I re-establish that education is the most important factor. However it must work in tandem with the other factors to effectively bring about development.
Labels: economics, Education
Friday, June 29, 2007
-8:54 AM
Exams are over!! Unfirtunatly it is not play for me. There is still a humongous 'IN' pile in my work list. No time to rest. A'levels seems to demand more than your commitment. It seems to demand your soul. Chinese A'level Orals is this afternoon, and I'm NOT taking! Thank goodness I'm not taking chinese H1.
Decided not to lament on my exam papers too much. Biology, was relatively easier to the rest of the papers. Maths was a suicide mission. Economics was I guess i can say I did my best there. Still they were really hard papers, much more than the practices that were given during the holidays.
Ok, before I forget: Insert this questionnaire that Bobby tagged me to do. :P ok...so for the fun of it, here goes:
Grab the book nearest to you, turn to page 18, and find line 4.7 Habits of highly effective teenagers. "Our paradigms are often incomplete, inaccurate or completely messed up" It is just something about perspectives and what you se is what you get.
Stretch your left arm out as far as you can.Okay....
What is the last thing you watched on TV?Something about the risks of day trading...but that was weeks ago. Barely watch TV, i'm more of a computer person than a TV person.
Without looking, guess what time it is.9.10-ish. Not having lessons today but just going for the sake of revision.
Now look at the clock. What is the actual time?9.07am. alright..my biological clock is rather accurate
With the exception of the computer, what can you hear?my Mom and her friend engaged in an animated conversation. :P
When did you last step outside? What were you doing?awhile ago. to go out of the home.
Before you started this survey, what did you look at?Was reading the 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teenagers by Sean Covey and my music scores.
What are you wearing?Innova Junior College PE attire.
Did you dream last night?I don't think I dreamt last night.
When did you last laugh?Last night with 'Cow and Chicken' a Capella group. Having a celebratory outing of our middies survival and upcoming rehersal.
What are on the walls you are in?Family portraits and framed pictures.
Seen anything weird lately?My friend Gerald managing to contort his tall frame into the small cupboard shelf of the seminar room 1. Still, it is 'not' that weird.
What do you think of this quiz?lol...i guess it just passes time.
What is the last film you saw?Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
If you became a multi-millionaire overnight, what would you buy?1) Buy A'level guides 2)Save up a few millions for me and my siblings university educations. Parents get some too. 3)New piano 4)Start a buisness with my dad in charge 5) Put remainder in the banks.
Tell me something about you that I don’t know.A Capella group performances on 21st and 28th July!!
If you could change one thing about the world, regardless of guilt or politics, what would you do?
Too many things...
George Bush:He has his good points and bad points...Some of his decisions I can agree and some I oppose
Imagine your first child is a girl, what do you call her?Isabel Cadence [Surname]. I would wish her to take a middle name.
Imagine your first child is a boy, what do you call him?James(Jamie) Constantine [Surname]. Yet another middle name.
Would you ever consider living abroad?Yes. If opportunities allow, I'll base in the UK, US or New Zealand.
What do you want God to say to you when you reach the pearly gates?That I am in the Book of Life. ^^
Taggies to do this questionnaire:1. Eunice Oon
2. Karen
3. Darren
4. Kong Cheng
5. Si hui
6. My muffin Pei Xian =)
My whole week was perforated with exams and lined with non-stop studying. Basically I wake up and go to school at 7am in the morning, then take exams at aound 1pm in the afternoon. After which, I would descend to Sem Room 2 o study until 9pm and go back home to study until 2am. Crazy. That nagging feeling that I left something out in the course of my revision compelled me to study even more. I think I've become a workaholic. Burn!!
After some research both online and some medical books. I've diagnosed myself with stress. My hair is shedding, muscle pains and brain drain. I've decided this weekend to be a REST weekend! There is just friday left and I'm awaiting my well-deserved time off from academics...
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
-1:56 AM
Definitions of Basic Terms:
An argument is a set of statements one of which is being argued for on the basis of the others, those others therefore being describable as the statements being argued from. To argue for a statement is to present reasons for thinking that it is true; to argue from one or more statements is to present them as reasons for thinking that another statement is true. (Note: the word “argument” has a number of different meanings. Here what we are talking about is good or bad pieces of reasoning, not arguments in the sense of quarrels or fights.)
The conclusion of an argument is the statement being argued for. (By convention, arguments are thought of as containing just one conclusion each, and note: in oral or written presentations of arguments, the conclusions are not necessarily presented at the end.)
The premises of an argument are the statements being argued from. (Arguments can have any number of premises. It’s often assumed that every argument has to have exactly two premises, but this is false. Arguments can also have unstated premises; arguments with unstated premises are called enthymemes.)
Definitions of Evaluative Terms:
A lousy (or crummy) argument is an argument that is such that even if its premises are true, its conclusion is no more likely to be true than false. (Lousy arguments admit of various degrees of lousiness. The extreme cases are arguments such that if their premises are true, their conclusions have to be false.)
An inductive argument (or an argument of at least some inductive strength) is an argument that is such that if its premises are true, then its conclusion is more likely to be true than false, although it could, at least conceivably, be false. (Inductive arguments admit of various degrees of strength. An inductive argument is a strong one if the truth of its premises makes the truth of its conclusion very likely. But note: even the strongest inductive argument can have true premises and a false conclusion.)
A valid argument is an argument that is such that if its premises are true, its conclusion has to be true. The conclusion of a valid argument is said to be entailed by the premises, or to follow from them, or to be deducible from them, or to be a logical consequence of them. (While a valid argument can have a false conclusion, one or more of its premises must be false if it does. In other words: no valid argument can have a false conclusion if all its premises are true. The term “deductive argument” is often used to refer to arguments the conclusions of which are supposed to be deducible from their premises whether or not they actually are, and if we use it thus, we can obviously speak of both valid and invalid deductive arguments. The term “inductive argument” can be used analogously, but arguments that are inductive in the sense defined above are never valid.)
A sound argument is a valid argument all of the premises of which are true. (It follows from the definition of a valid argument given above that a sound argument cannot have a false conclusion.)
An argument is a good argument in the strict sense of the term just in case it is either (a) a strong inductive argument with true premises or (b) a sound argument the conclusion of which isn’t included among the premises and the validity of which isn’t merely a function of its conclusion’s being a statement that couldn’t conceivably be false. (Note 1: the point of the first qualification in (b) is that circular pieces of reasoning shouldn’t qualify as good arguments (even though they are valid), and the point of the second is that we’re equally far from having a good argument in any such ridiculous “proof” of a mathematical or logical truth as, say, “Grass is green, hence 2 + 2 = 4” or “Whales aren’t fish, so Plato was a philosopher unless he wasn’t.” Note 2: valid arguments and strong inductive arguments are sometimes called “good arguments” even though they have false premises simply to indicate that the inferences they embody can’t be faulted on logical grounds alone. Maybe we should say that such arguments are good arguments in a loose sense of the term. Nothing can be faulted about the reasoning in such arguments.)
A rationally compelling argument is a good argument in the strict sense of the term all of the premises of which are known to be true and for the falsity of the conclusion of which there is no argument that is equally good. Some hold that the term “proof” should be reserved for those rationally compelling sound arguments the premises of which are indubitable, but the term “proof” certainly does have other uses. The fact is that the various disciplines and enterprises in which there is talk of proof typically have canons of proof all their own. A mathematical proof is one sort of thing; proof of innocence in a court of law is something else altogether.
A rhetorically effective argument is an argument that succeeds, at least typically, in persuading those to whom it is presented of the truth of its conclusion. (It is perfectly possible for a rhetorically effective argument to be a lousy argument, and it’s possible for good arguments—even proofs—to fail to be rhetorically effective.)
Argument Assessment Strategy:
To evaluate arguments, one first has to be able to identify them. There’s no mechanical procedure for doing this, but the presence of such expressions as “since,” “for,” and “because” (which often serve to mark premises) and “therefore,” “consequently,” “hence,” and “it follows that” (which often serve to indicate conclusions) frequently serves to signal the presence of an argument. It may also help to consider such questions as these: “What, if anything, is the writer or speaker trying to establish? What, if anything, is he or she trying to prove? What’s his or her thesis? What’s the view he or she is defending?” If you can find an answer to such a question in relation to any given passage or set of remarks, you’ll typically have spotted a conclusion—and, you’ll recall, the statements containing the writer’s or speaker’s reasons for thinking that the conclusion is true are the premises. (But don’t forget: there may be unstated premises to reckon with, and in both written and oral presentations of arguments, one may encounter statements that aren’t premises because they aren’t parts of the argument at all).
After you’ve got the premises and the conclusion of the argument identified, ask yourself—leaving aside for the time being the question of whether the statements that make the argument up are true or false—which of the following things would have to be granted even by someone who initially thought that the conclusion was false:
The truth of these premises would guarantee the truth of this conclusion.
The truth of these premises would make this conclusion more likely to be true than false—although the conclusion could turn out to be false nonetheless. In other words: the truth of these premises would not guarantee the truth of this conclusion, but it would make the chances that this conclusion is true better than one in two.
The truth of these premises would do nothing to make this conclusion more likely to be true than false.
If the answer is (a), the argument is valid; if the answer is (b), the argument is a more or less strong inductive argument; and last but not least, if the answer is (c), the argument is no good at all (it’s a lousy or crummy argument—one that either offers no support for its conclusion or that tends, if anything, to show that its conclusion is false).
All that remains is to ask yourself whether you think the premises are in fact true. If they are, then if the argument is valid, it’s sound and its conclusion can’t be false. If they’re true, but the argument is merely inductive, then its conclusion is, of course, only more or less likely to be true, and you can see if you can figure out just how likely it is to be true and start considering other arguments pro and con. If the premises are true, but the argument is a lousy one, then of course you know that the conclusion is at least as likely to be false as true, and if you like the conclusion, you can start hunting around for a better argument. On the other hand, if you think the conclusion is false, then if the argument is valid, you know you’re going to have to get used to the idea that at least one of its premises must be false too, and you can get down to work on figuring out which premise or premises to reject. If you think the conclusion is false but that the argument is only an inductive one, you can set about celebrating (or trying to reconcile yourself to) the inconclusiveness of inductive arguments. Finally, if you think that the conclusion is false but that the argument is anyhow a lousy one, you can go ahead and reject the conclusion with a clear intellectual conscience—at least until someone comes along with a better argument for the same conclusion.
Concerning Some Common Confusions and Misunderstandings:
1. Arguments cannot be true or false. The terms “true” and “false” are properly applied only to statements. The evaluative terms that are properly applied to arguments are those defined above under the heading “Definitions of Evaluative Terms.”
2. Statements cannot be valid or invalid in the sense these terms have in logic. Statements can be true or false, but only arguments can be valid or invalid in the sense defined here.
3. Contrary to what you may have been told in your English composition class, giving examples is usually a very different thing from presenting an argument. Typically, people give examples for the purpose of illustrating the meaning of the claims they make, not for the purpose of establishing the truth or the plausibility of those claims. The one noteworthy exception is the giving of counterexamples. When one’s aim is to show that a generalization is false, all one has to do is to come up with a single case the generalization fails to fit.
4. Presenting an argument for a claim is offering a piece of reasoning designed to show that the claim is true, and this is very different from giving a causal or psychological explanation of one’s belief that the claim is true. If one says, “I believe in God because of my religious upbringing,” one has not presented an argument for God’s existence; one has merely offered a causal explanation—conceivably a true one—of the fact of one’s belief. Similarly, if one says “I believe in God because I want to avoid even the possibility of eternal damnation,” one has not presented an argument for God’s existence; in this case, one has merely given an account—again, perhaps a true one—of the motives underlying one’s belief. This is a point worth thinking about, because while the question “Why do you believe in God?” can amount to a request for either a causal explanation or a statement of motives concerning the fact of one’s belief, it can also amount to a request for an argument, and of course the same thing is true of any other question of the form “Why do you think that that claim is true?”Labels: arguement
Thursday, June 21, 2007
-9:52 PM
Divine Chocolate, a British company, which has been operating since 1998, lately set up a sister company in Washington, America. Their aim was to bring “fair-trade chocolate” to the mainstream U.S. consumer. The company pays farmers an assured minimum price for their cocoa beans in an effort to protect them from market fluctuations and help relieve them of the paucity of bare essentials that plagues Africa’s cocoa-producing expanses.
Even though the company, as the role of the chocolate manufacturer aims to maximise profits, its other aim and basis of the formation of the company is to provide a stable income for the cocoa farmers in the Ghana cocoa regions. Divine Chocolates are processed in Germany, its cocoa beans originates from Ghana, supplied of the Kuapa Kokoo collective of cocoa farmers. Farmers are paid a minimum of $1600 per ton. In a situation when the world price is higher than that minimum, farmers are giving an additional “social premium” of $150 per ton.
This bold move sought to implement ‘fair-trade’ policies to prevent the exploitation of developing countries, their workers and safeguard the income of these primary producers. Cocoa is a primary product and it requires time for it to be cultivated. Farmed in Africa, a low-income country, cocoa output is more dependant on the environmental conditions such as rain and temperature. Thus it has an extremely low price elasticity.
Firstly, one of the measures that prevent the exploitation of the farmers was to form the co-operative Kuapa Kokoo, now currently consisting of more than 45,000 cocoa growers. Some of their missions were to increased power and representation within the market for the farmers and come out with environmentally sustainable production processes of cocoa. Member farmers are no longer cheated, due to their illiteracy, by other cocoa buying companies. Kuapa also buys items such as agricultural tools at bulk purchasing rates, again passing these savings onto the farmers.
By selling their cocoa to the European Fair-trade market, they were able to receive a relatively stable and rational income, both for sustenance and for further expansion of their skills.
Fair trade is a social movement which promotes standards for international labour, environmentalism, and social policy in areas related to production of Fair-trade labelled and unlabelled goods. The movement’s focal point was exports from developing countries to developed countries.
Fair trade's strategic intent is to deliberately work with marginalised producers and workers in order to help them move from a position of vulnerability to security and economic self-sufficiency. It also aims at empowering them to become stakeholders in their own organizations and actively play a wider role in the global arena to achieve greater equity in international trade.
Some of their principles were: Creating opportunities for economically disadvantaged producers, develop producers’ independence, ensure prompt payment to their partners and, whenever possible, help producers with access to pre-harvest or pre-production financing as well as encourage better environmental practices and the application of responsible methods of production.
They were also formed to relief ‘unfair’ international trade, microeconomic market failures, commodity crisis which was increasingly marginalising farmers of developing nations i.e. cocoa farmers of Ghana.
Unregulated competition in global commodity markets ever since the 1970s encouraged a price "race to the bottom". Until 2000 period, prices for main agricultural exports of developing countries, such as sugar, cotton, cocoa and coffee, fell by 30 to 60 percent. The European Commission stated that, “the abandonment of international intervention policies at the end of the 1980s and the commodity market reforms of the 1990s in the developing countries left the commodity sectors, and in particular small producers, largely to themselves in their struggle with the demands of the markets”. Today, “producers… live an unpredictable existence because the prices for a wide range of commodities are very volatile and in addition follow a declining long-term trend”.
The total loss for developing countries due to falling commodity prices has been estimated by the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) to total almost $250 billion during the 1980-2002 period. With the deflation of world market prices for commodities, farmers were increasingly burdened with losses and a harder task of coming out of the poverty cycle.
Millions of poor farmers are dependent on commodities and on the price they receive for their harvest. In about 50 developing countries, three or fewer primary commodity exports constitute the bulk of export revenue. Many farmers, often without other means of subsistence, are obliged to produce more and more, no matter how low the prices are. Overall, the decrease in commodity prices made it harder for these agriculture dependant nations to move forward.
Digressing back to cocoa, Divine’s success story despite coming into heavy competition with mature companies such as Cadbury and Nestle was its collaboration with Kuapa Kokoo. By helping provide a sort of welfare to the cocoa farmers in the collective, it has drawn support from eminent figures, activists that heavily endorse the brand – advertising it. It has also tapped into non-traditional sources of finance such as charities and welfare organisations because of their affiliation with Kuapa Kokoo. Also because Kuapa Kokoo owns 45% of Divine’ shares, and two of Divine’s board of directors are representatives of Kuapa, the farmers benefit directly from the sale of fair-trade chocolate of Divine. A dividend which is soon to come would directly go into cocoa farmers’ pockets, thus giving the cocoa farming community another chance of a more promising future.Labels: chocolates, economics, fair trade
Saturday, June 02, 2007
-8:43 PM
And thus concludes the end to the week long dedication and sacrifice for the one night of performance. Allow me to run through the choir's journey for that one week.
Until tuesday, tension high. It was barely time left for error yet, we had trouble in our songs here and there. Fast forward it since it was really just practising and practising.
We also saw people dropping out time after time. Our choir is but only 15 members strong now.
From wednesday to thursday was the climax of our preparations. A few of us, Seok Hui, Derrick, Fanella, Jia Yuan and Miss Lim stayed back overnight to discuss 'preparations' but it was more of a bonding session for all of us. Went out to the tennis court to look at the stars...talking talking sharing. Gerald stayed back until quite late but went back since he didn;t bring extra clothes tchange. So we saw Derrick helping him climb over the fence to get outta the compound. And there, me and my quarter had a brain wave - you see, D and G are playing Raoul and Phantom in the Phantom medley which the choir put up. And if they were to get into an accident that night...phantom parody. You'd see the Phantom in a wheelchair being pushed by Raoul with a bandaged arm. Seriously, Christine would get a laugh outta it. Ok, i'm not funny if i'm not spontaneous. ahh wells...
That night, we had to prepare for tapestry. Oh my gosh! I think my internal rhythm clock is totally screwed. Cannot seem to sing to the darned rhythm. By then, the voice had gone CUCKOO! The song called "a capella'
I think i slaughtered it more than anything that night. That night was so eventfull. We clambered to the rooftops of the college and then to the volleybal courts. And us girls had the pleasure of being 'serenaded' as Fan so wittily puts it. Also, Gerald attempted to squeeze into that small confinement of ashelf in the seminar room 1. Goodness know how he did it, but i happily stuffed whatever spaces he left with the stuffed animals a few of us brought.
Oh, the stuffed animals. This is an account of what we brought: Derrick: Cat, Seok Hui: Lamb and Carebear, Fanella: Piggy, Tracie: Two Horses, Yi Ling: Bear.
Hmm what else....oh yea, i really should commend Jia Yuan for staying one more night with us. He had NMA camp the days before and was totally shattered out when he came. Derrick's laptop also went kabonkers. It crashed....he was really unhappy man....and had to do all his works and the programme notes again. And i think he didn't even sleep. Went to get Photoshop again and redo it. Applauds Derrick!!
I slept in two places. First in the seminar room, i lined up 4 chairs next to my fav object..the piano and slept onnit. It was real hard....but slept for awhile until about 2 somthing. woke up because it was too cold and then shifted to sleep on the table outside the LT2. give me a flat suface and i'll sleep on it. NPCC has hardened my back enough to not make me complain . :)
woke up and thatwas the end of a fitful sleep. Practise practise....ahh...voice is tired.
friday! D-Day~! On the nervous high. But glad everyting went well. There was a few hiccups here and there. But it ended of well. Missed thecue for the Mule Song!! OMG. craps. silence my soul was great fun. But it was strange that on that day i could barely sing out that song. Nutters. Mr Phua was amazing as an alto. I saw jaws dropping when he sang. ahh! He is so good. Oh yea, My Tay's solo was amazing too when he sang during the rehersal, seok, fanella and me were waving waving like in some concert -pardon the pun-. said somethign about bf being able to sing...ahh...
Curious Attack and the bass were good! A bit sad that Mr Ng could not come. He was rather jovial on tuesday.
The phantom medley was not perfect but at least we completed it!!! Ganbatte people!!!!! Also commend Sofi for her exceptional playing!!! she really inspired me to play harder!! She is also so cute!!! when she plays with the lamb...although i met her but for a while...she's great!! The 4 of them did well for the phantom medley - Seok, Fan, Derrick and Gerald. Mannnn....you guys gave your all!
Mr Leslie Tay is a good speaker. Can command the crowd's attention. Of course he does...with his distracting specs and tie..ok just joking. But he has like a lot of very attention grabbing acessories -i.e. his specs. He is a great choir teacher. so patient with us even though we can really get overboard. commend him ofr that!!! GOGO mr tay!!! haha He's going to the manhatten uni to study music....dream dream dream....sigh such a good opportunity.
The quintet sang 'Gift of Song' for Mr Tay. I hopehe loved it. Mom said that the sopranos could not be heard. Maybe it was due to the fact that we were sharing the microphone. hmm oh wells. maybe we should sing it to him before he leaves for New York. NY!! GASPS!!!
I extend my thanks to the friends who were able to make it for the concert: Eunice, Janis!, Darren, Teng Loong, Yi Xiong and for bringing his friend :) and Teacher Evelyn!!! A bit sad stuart could not make it but nevermind another time!! Greatly appreciatd it guys.
Had pizza party at the end of the concert. Frolicked among the choir members like siao and wished the JC2 well since they are also coming out of choir to concentrate on their A's.
Thank you:
Seok Hui for being my numero uno in choir! My other half in choir! Never fail to make me laugh. Share you ups nd downs! Come crash into choir pract sometime soon! Love your lamb. hope you'd be bringing it down again!
Fanella, my quarter since Seok is myhalf and you are her half too. Haha... you're natural cuteness, and you're charisma nver fails to brighten up the day. Also a good fun person to be around with. Joking about phantom parodies... rock on my quarter!
Gerald, hmm you have two sides, one: when you are tired you are stoic...then i try to make you crack. and the other one when you are not tired and onthe same plane as us. Oh yea, my other half too as Seok proclaims. Another vibrant person to be around with ja ne?
Derrick, for your support even though you are not an IJC student you you give your attention to helping this choir and being such a great pal to all of us. Really working hard overtime to make this concert a success but most of all be a friend and a leader to us. GOGo!!
Mr Tay, even though i know you for more than slightly more than a month....i think it was late april when i joined. I find you such a great teacher with a lot of PATIENCE, charisma and quirkiness that amde practise enjoyable. Really enjoyed my time while you were there! Made singing fun! Mr Leslie Tay, you rock!! haha. Wish you success in your endevours in NY!! maybe you'd be the star of the manhatten opera! whoo!!
Sofi, for your dedication and friendship which was founded. You are such a talented person. Looking up to ya!! I wanna play with the bear man...haha. Thanks a lot!!!
Family, thanks for being there for the concert. Really thanksful that you made time to rush from malaysia to come back in time to see my first performance. haha. was shocked when i saw you coming in halfway during the rehersal. but glad you enjoyed it all of you.!!!
IJC choir members!! continue to give your support. I commend you guys for working hard and able to put up a concert within 3 months. That is really something that is amazing. especially those without musical background, i really applaud you for you hardwork and dedication put into singing these pieces! you are an amazing group of people to work with!! i learnt a lot from you guys and you make choir such a joy to be in!
Thank you Miss Lee and Miss Lim for your effort and support you gave to the choir! Buying us the food and providing us a platform to jumpstart our CCA. Thank you lots!!!
Sunday, May 20, 2007
-8:03 PM
somehow, in the tags of this pic ture, it stated 'mozart's clavichord'. how true it is, i don't know. but most likely it is not true. Mozart died a pauper, most likely his posessions minus his archived manuscripts were lost in time. especially a clavichord. i'm not so sure that a clavichord of tha era can exist so well kept until now. oh well. who knows?
been thinking that i wasted my O level years. should have pursued music intensively then. now, i'm old and there is no time for such intense non-mainstream passion. regrets. but just move on. maybe i should have joined the choir then. i never know so many people who shared the same interest with me. or such a great teacher either. ok, and that also includes my piano teacher too :). ahh. wasted my secondary school days, when that was the time where you could do somethignand get noticed for your passion. now it is all.....sstudy study study science, crap mainstream stuff. i want to quit the syllabus and pursue music. directing and composing. i know my performing days have been ousted by prodigies. neither can i be a teacher...not my field. i love imagining songs in my head. iove analysing music for hours. reading up. maybe composing and directign is the best choice for me.
if only if only i could have pursued music intensively, maybe i would not need to study A''levels? but then, i would not have met all those great friends in choir. and i really do not regret suddenly showing up at choir practice that wednesday, instead, i felt that it was actually the best decision i made this year....so going into IJC was a blessing in disguise for that reason.
Labels: music
Saturday, May 12, 2007
-6:52 PM
yet another pregnant pause after my last post.
so here is a quick two pence on what i've been up and about doing lately.
last sathurday, Da, Ko, Si and Pe were at the Esplanade [my 2nd home] watching Phantom of the Opera. Glad they enjoyed it. met them before they went in but could not meet them after since i had to go home.
had a hard time persuading some of my PW members to take a photo in the end i gave up, frustrated.
sunday - church
monday - most eventful time. rushed off halfway from sch to go for the A*star interview. the rest of the contenders were from VJC, CJC< SAJC, RJC...and I...IJC. =.= interview was quite ok. God helped calming my mind and i really thank God he kept me from being too nervous. Also it was quite unrehersed, so i thank God that He put the correct words into my mouth. :)
rushed off back to school to go for that Public speaking competition. Had a topic on censorship which i had no idea seriously on how to talk. just go and do a verbal diahorrea, talked about porn, children etc etc. recieved a most divine object for my belated birthday from my such wonderful companions from WRSS :) thanks guys for the phantom mask. really loved. hahaha.
tuesday NAPFA.....aiyah. standing broad jump was crap. retook it on Fri and got SILVER!
wednesday was Choir day. choir really rocks depite being a rather nascent choir. we are frankly not that good as compared to a lot of other choirs but the people there are great people who wants to work hard and have a passion for music. reall nice people. thats what i enjoy most of my CCA. the instructor is quite ok la. can sing very wells especially in the higher register. can sing soprano ranges. imagine he can sing higher than a lot of us girls. O.o"
thursay- uneventful in a way. chem SPA was a disaster in the making. i forgot to bring my analysis sheet
friday - whee another round of choir man..! played Phantom of the Opera scores which some of them brought. Later went for public speaking workshop. was fun but i knew nuts about acting. Jas was really into her role. we were suppose to contribute two character roles into a pot and then pick one from the pot and act it out. people had to guess. i wrote: pirate captain who loves to play with dolls, love to collect a lot of dolls from around the world. 2nd character was: emo boy with a self-blame, self,-hate persona. whahaa can;t imagine i wrote the hardest characters to act out. i gotthe role of: 1. a superhero without superpowers. 2. a sadistic monk. =.=" 1st role had not a fig how to act out. 2nd role: was spewing out ave maria, cross signs and some benificto watchamacallit then stangled the next person beside me. it was crazy. the whole group wrote ridiculous roles. but was fun.
the last part was a short play we had to get into grps to do. so i grouped with Jas, Gerald who came in after chinese, and an indian girl. we chose to do a tragic love story. so we made it into a quadri love triangle. Jas was playing the girlfriend and Gerald was playing the boyfriend. then i'm Jas's best friend who had a secret love for Ger and The india girl kinda was like the girl who was secretly in love with Jas. So the indian girl's character spouting lies about Jas's character being a les and ask him to lok for someone else [points me]. then out of spite he crosses jas and my paths and takes my hand. Jas slaps me and points a gun at me. [it is suppose to be macabre in a way] Gerald tried to defend but was shot to death. tragic love story yep. and it ended up with two of us crying and the indian girl's character laughing and claing that jas was hers. O.o" that was super gore la. but gerald is a darn good actor. no wonder he is playing Phantom in our choir musicallette. heard that he was super absord into the role..hmm...?
sathurday- sick had a sore throat but had to isng anyway. sang: pastime, yellow sub and good night sweetheart. choir teacher left after that and then we did our own practising for our self produced phantom musical cum skit. singing the soprano part inevitably means taking the lines of Christine. imagine singing a realy high A. voice box became ballistic. the quartet that is playing the roles of phantom, raoul, christine and meg are quite good too. singing an old time favourite was fun funfun. no need to bother memorising new lines. the minute the voice came to a high A, almost died of brain overload. Some of the choir members said that they should let Mr Tay be christine since he was the only person who could reach such unearthly notes with more ease. >.< imagine male christine....not right at all. n'ways the last part was the high high C which i thank God i need not sing. haha. later wwent for PW and then slept off my sickness. now on com blogging. ok byebye.
Monday, April 30, 2007
-8:22 PM
Believe by Tres Ooi
You have dreams, aspirations. Who would not want to be the best? Sometimes we have dreams and aspirations, but often we do not believe that we can overcome such feats. Believing, ladies and gentlemen is the formative step in achieving what you have dared to dream of.
What is stopping you from believing? Believe in what you feel is right, believe in yourself. Society may seem like the biggest stumbling block when it comes to motivating ourselves. They may set barriers that you must conform to, stay within the status quo. Tell you what you can do and what you can’t do. They assess your potential and put you through all those sorting and stereotyping. So often we fall into society’s grave trap to keep us within their reach. That is when we stop believing we can do great things and leave nothing but dreams.
Perhaps the biggest mountain in front of you is yourself. Our acceptance in what society wants us to conform to, rules, norms &c...makes us stop believing and trust ourselves. Remember that Galileo Galilee was mocked and scorned for heresy - for believing that the world was round. He did not kowtow to the demands of Church with was overlord over people’s beliefs in that era. He is but a person, and so are you. What makes him different than you?
Make it GI-NORMOUS and start by believing you were meant to succeed. This is the very reality you must convince your mind of believing. Begin by telling yourself that you can. You were destined for something big, bigger than yourself, bigger than those who undervalue you but most importantly you were destined for something bigger than all your derelictions of duty and dreams.
Don’t limit yourself. Many people limit themselves to what they think they can do. You can go as far as your mind lets you. What you believe, remember, you can achieve. Dispel away nonsense beliefs if ‘I can’t’.
Don't be subject to the blinding barriers that society's set for you. See past that, see beyond that and say to yourself that as a human being it is your God given right to make something of yourself, to unleash your greatness and make it visible. Somewhere along the way you’ll find your raison d'être.
It is your God given right as a Man to rise above those negativities intended to drown you. Beyond that, it is your God given right to perform in front of life those great means, capacities and dreams of yours without the needs to impress, serve, or prove anything to anyone other than yourself.
Anatole France once said “To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan, but also believe.”
And remember “The depth of your belief and the strength of your conviction determine the power of your personality.”
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I love this little writing thingy which i did at the spur of the moment waiting for public speaking classes. hyper blogging. well...just lazy as i did these for other activities and reusing them.
-7:23 AM
well, i haven't done a personal post yet for ages. guess this blog deserves my two-pence for today. today....
i'm blogging at school at around 7 something in the morning. not doing any homework, too tired finishing my PI to do anything anymore. PI is the type of torture which makes us stay up into the unearthly hours in the morning. the latest i slept on PI is about 4am. was planning to pull an all-nighter that day.
my life in a flash so far....
it's been great, having fresh classmates, great classmates which provide a relaxing enrironment. 0711A. rather ok school. mediocre food though, and a really military styled PE to boot. CCA's fun everything's normal. got this A'star interview coming right up next monday, anxious. it's been ok. cried a few times in frustration of my subjects. yep, struggling with 2nd intake work as well while doing term 2 work. ah wells.... don't know why friends from other JC who are on par with skills as my, more relaxed, it is like their JC lifes is such a breeze. not saying that it is too good a breeze though, but definatly more relaxed than me. my social life is ZERO, i don't go out anymore, my faily hardly sees me unless after about 8 everyday, home becoming a hotel. is education meant to be that torturous. i alwasy envisioned education to be something that is to be enjoyed, not made into a competition.
well, what can i expect if i live in such a competitive society, everything, anytiome, there must be THE BEST! THE BEST IN THIS the best in that. honestly what is the world gone to nowadays when peopl just appreciated things as it is. hmmm?
Sunday, April 29, 2007
-10:05 PM
The Virginia Tech massacre sparked an ongoing debate on whether the current gun laws gave leeway and opportunity for such atrocities to occur. Gun laws in Texas allow shooters the liberty to shoot to kill is there was substantial reasoning and there was no chance of retreat, therefore giving law-abiding gun owners, to a certain extent: a license to kill.
Texas Gun Laws allow sales of guns without the need for a license, no background checks at state level, no safety standards, no registration and no safety training. Any organization is restricted from pursuing gun manufacturers in court for advertising, design or method of marketing handguns. Despite multitudes of opposition from anti-gun violence campaigns, the domestic arms market still continues to prevail quite indomitably in the cowboy state of Texas.
So is this why a deemed mentally-ill student of Virginia Tech able to obtain his instruments of murder? – The lax gun laws. Apparently, Cho Seung-Hui bought both guns within the arms of the law. Despite eligibility criteria that opposes permits for the mentally ill to obtain firearms, Cho was still eligible was he was not involuntarily committed to a mental institution.
Cho bought both the Walther P22 .22 handgun and the Glock 19 within a span of two months. A person above the age of 21 is allowed to buy one firearm per month, thus he was purchasing them legally. As the law also required very little clearance, Cho was able to take home his purchased gun the very same day he bought it.
There is this common misconception that criminals are able to obtain their weapons from shadowy illegal markets – most criminals obtain their tools illegally. Although this may be true in most cases, the root cause is actually a loophole on the legislation’s side.
Most illegally gained firearms in the United States start out as a legal product manufactured and imported by licensed companies by the federal government and sold by licensed dealers. From there, the firearm takes its course downstream into an illegal market by resellers, ‘straw purchasers’ or gun shows. Sources state that 30% to 40% of the criminal firearms recovered were of legal origins. A solution to curb blooming of such illicit trades is to put a leash on the supplies of these firearms.
A gun lasts longer than most other consumer product, being non-perishable and it is used multiple times. The federal law requires only the first sale to be recorded, but after that…the gun can go through the hands of many others without it being documented.
Digressing from the illegal firearm markets, non-criminal gun deaths, which chalks up a significant figure in unnatural deaths in America, has causal links to the mainstream gun industry. This should be another cause for concern in the effectiveness of gun laws of America.
In a national survey, States were given scores based on the toughness of their gun laws [out of 100%]. On one side, Massachusetts scored a solid 76 and Hawaii followed up with a 71, at the other extreme, was a number of states [mostly ‘cowboy’ states] chalking up negative scores! Two of them - West Virginia and Texas.
Most of the time we witness the government legislate against the misuse of guns – laws that punish the perpetrator after the act has been committed rather than preventing it. True that there are gun laws that are passed for the prevention of such acts but they are rather ineffective relative to the gun crime rates in the states. In such absence of effective preventive legislations, there have to be alternative, feeble ways in regulating gun use such as metal detectors in public buildings such as courtrooms, lawsuits against the gun industry [which seems to fail in gun rampant areas such as Texas, where there is a bylaw that prohibits lawsuits against a gun company], and public awareness campaigns.
What is alarming is that the National Rifle Association works to instill rights for people to enjoy free ownership of guns. And as ‘major political force and as America's foremost defender of Second Amendment rights’ as stated in their website, many anti-gun campaigners face this problem of overcoming this impenetrable wall.
Despite having all those measures to curtail the misuse of guns, nothing beats the legislative actions to impose law to regulate the movement of guns within the community.
It is true that the American society realizes the need for more invasive actions to be taken against the prevention of gun violence; they realize that easy access to destructive tools hold a causal link to gun violence. The public also realizes the need for firmer restrictions on the manufacture, retailing, ownership and tracing of guns.
State laws should coincide more with federal laws. In some states the minimum requirement for gun ownership can range from 14 to 16 years old but on the federal level, it is 18.
If more efforts are raised to strengthen the legislative power over gun handling and ownership, it would bring tremendous effects on the local American community. The hoi polloi realizes it and what we are waiting is official action to be carried out. Maybe the Virginia Tech massacres or other previous incidents would not have occurred if tougher gun laws were imposed….
Thursday, April 19, 2007
-10:05 PM
This is such a nice story:
By Tartar Sauce
There are few things in this world as beautiful as the sound of a perfectly tuned piano playing in sync with an equally perfect violin—until they are joined by the glorious crystal clear sound of a trumpet.
That’s the way I saw them. The three of them were a trio—the exact traits and parts to balance one another out into the most peculiar and spectacular piece.
Watching them play together, they fit with each other like a puzzle; each had a specific place in the final movement. But alone, not only did they advertise their individual isolation, but also that they were fractured and jagged in ways that refused to fit with any other.
He was the piano—flowing with the same rhythm of his hands, swift and quick in his movements with ranging thoughts like the keys to fit everyone’s needs. He was grand like a piano too. Always, he was slightly taller than anyone else, dark and sleek, dreadlocks often tipped with beads that jingled when he moved. Still, he was secretive--always speaking of others and sharing nothing; too mild mannered to be trusted as he refused to take lead. And so for it, others shut him out, calling him suspicious and sly.
He was the bass of their music with his strength and his patience.
She was the violin—bright and haunting in her music and eyes, once drawn out of her polished shell. She was light and waving as her bow, moving from any emotion with a single stroke of a string, and soothing to the soul when she brushed their cheeks with her tiny hands. But still, she was too sweet, too shy--like putting too much sugar in one's tea; she left a bitter taste in their minds and a small, shadowed vision in their hearts. Never more than a soft whisper in the world, never fitting the true tune just right. And so others removed her from their pieces to be lost in their sound.
She accompanied their music with her love and her balance.
At first, they were alone; outcast in all that they had. They held close to each other, and floated as driftwood, tossed violently through life, battered and wary of all the grander things.
Until him.
He was a phenomenon in their world--a bright and glinting trumpet full of vibrancy and life in their slow waltz. His voice, his red hair, his smile full of crooked teeth and blunt words: all were too wild and loud for any of the others. No matter what he tried, he could not force his way into a niche of his own, and for it he was shunned too.
Shut out and singing solo, his lone sound caught their attention.
She started it; playing a sweet pianissimo sound that flitted around his bright tune with promises of joined laughter and long days of happiness together. And because her voice was so soft, he found he must restrain himself to hear it, over time teaching him patience and the ranging levels of piano. Soon, He joined them as well, his unwavering strikes giving purchase to His frantic blasts and guiding him where he was lost.
The silver trumpet at last had his piece, and to it he found he had much to offer:
Where she was quiet, his forte pushed and hurried her to be distinguished from the rest and wrapping her up in a flying rendition of The Tempest. Perhaps, his greatest trick with her was that just as she reached the peak of their crashing voices, he would cease, leaving her to play her loudest and best alone in the spotlight for all the world to hear her.
Where he was soothing and easy-going, he found a constant and undeniable fight in his friend, both as they played and as they lived. One he quickly learned, he could not pass or solve without rising to the challenge with a fast tempo and passionate notes and words that forced him, unknowingly, into subtly controlling the piece.
Only a trumpet could crawl under a piano's skin to leave such an angry itch.
He was the melody of their music with his fire and his force.
And now, lurking here in the dark of the room, watching them gather their things to wander back into their own private world, I am reminded once more of the indescribable peace that hangs over them. Much like that breath-taking feeling at the end of a masterpiece that seams to whoosh back at you, giving you a quick feeling like you have just touched on something beyond you. It lingers in their smiles and permeates the room as she wraps her arms around her boys in a happy hug, tugging my own mouth into a grin.
Each instrument, once alone and unheeded, has now found its voice in a trio of extraordinary people.
And through this trio, I, among all others, have glimpsed the Most Beautiful Sound.
Monday, March 12, 2007
-3:54 PM
So many things that I have to play in my schedule.
Officially, I might not be able to do aikido since my dad would strongly encourage me to take up a part time certification in business administration which is held on monday and thursday nights. ah well.
so here goes, the things which i need to sort out:
Youth flying club
School CCA [hopeing to form Kendo]
Aikido [probably a lost cause now...sigh]
Part-time BA
Junior College
Studies
Project Work
so hark, there goes my secondary school life in a flash. funny, one particular incident made me reflect on how short life can really be: was walking from econs lecture and there was my primary one from teacher Mrs Ang helping out the woodgrove primary school sports day in the innova JC track. talk about crossing paths. imagine, i used to be in her class when i was primary one, and now...i am in JC1 and i meet her again. haha....was so exhilarated meeting here after all these years. Although i could only sneak one wave at her, i was quite satisfied. sigh....time...
I'm posted to this school. better make the best of it. in 0711A the bio chem maths H2 plus econs H1 class. trying to catch up desperately with the lessons. flailing in homework piles and dad ain't helping by sending us for more holidays. not gonna get distracted for A's/. it is hyper important that i must do well.
Joining jap cultural club. hope i do not regret it. making sure we set up aikido or kendo or something, that club needs help. i think.
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
-9:50 PM
oh shat man. one stumbling block after the another. why must another scar mar my tablet. PSLE...O'levels....now the JAE results. how much more can I withstand. All my motivations, aspirations. There were only illusions to a far-high future, wasn't it? le sigh. i may be all happy and jolly this afternoon. but my pride and my heart was really breaking one piece at a time at the situation I'm in. Frankly, I'm miserable in that school.
Pros by being in that school:
Be with the friends I have made in secondary school
Newer equipment
Cons by being in that school:
Insecurity
Not comfortable with the general studying environment
My drive to become better is not there in that school
Not much competitive motivation
No fresh start
Teachers who call those who did not put that school as their 1st choice: rejects.
Over commercializing of the school
CCAs not those which I would want
I must digress that this is all personal preference, not to say that the school is a really hopeless case for me. I just get no motivation by being there.
I really wish I can go to a Christian-based school. Like ACJC[but i can stop dreaming about it already], Catholic or St. Andrews.
In the 1st school I appealed to, the staff were cold and calculating, only asking for the O's score. The form only wanted us to write the score, no achievements? no external qualifications? It was a 'hand me the form and just leave, we'll call you' kind of system.
but the 2nd school, we were attended by the teachers themselves. personally assessing us one by one. met Joel there. really wish he and I can go to that school. Being there for a couple of hours made me feel, kind of attached. I talked with the canteen vendors, who claimed that the students were such a friendly bunch and they could really play and also really study. Maybe I felt some sort of difference because it vaguely reminded me of the really wonderful experience in a TRULY bibically-based christian academy in the UK.
the 3rd junior college, at least the principal is a really sensible person. The staff are more friendly than the ones in the 1st institution. Everythign about that school was in a way, appealed to me as sensible. And it was during the evacuation of the school, due to tremors that the principal told the students to be sombre for people were dying of an earthquake and told them to pray for them. Attached as many qualifications as possible. I really hope i can get into the Christian school.
Tired and clammy of the orientation in that JC. i just feel like a misfit there. trying my best not to cry, so hard to keep an 'it's okay' face. Moody, crummy, not in the best shapes. Ah well, living through it. Gotta do it. I know I can be upset and rant to let out all the steam. It's good to talk it out, especially if you have someone sensible to talk to. Really ashamed of my misconduct today, total meltdown crazy. Got to get on my bike and ride of to nowhere'sland and give one good scream. To bad, nowadays there are no open clearing you can find that no one can hear you. haha
Despite all that, all that being angry, moody and upset stuff, just gonna get over with it and really have faith that God, my enabler and provider is paving some kind of way for me, though may not be my idea. Even though it feels down to honest sick not to be good enough for a lot of extra stuff, not the aptitude for those prestigious colleges like Anderson. Just rest in the faith that my God is a miracle worker. Something immaterial good will come out of it.
Holler it out. And control your anger, Tr.
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
-3:15 PM
Kanna Sakyonosuke - British Civilian Secret Agent. No affiliation to any military that is.I took this still and it is so much clearer than those below which were taken by others.
Akidzuki Youjiro the Eternal Assassin - always silent and a brooder [but he seems to talk more since Ep10]
Kakunojo Yuyama - Chief of the dance troupe, probably the 2nd eternal assassin?
Found a new anime addiction: Bakumatsu Kikansetsu Irohanihoheto. I mean, who the flipping heck concocted such a long non-catchy name for such a high powered anime?
The plot is beautifully twisted and the characters has a tendency to fall on either side. Especially Kanna Sakyonosuke. Soutetsu has crossed over to the dark side - was expecting that though. And nobody must harm Sir Katsu because he is really such a great guy.
Somehow, I really do not want any romantic elements in this anime - it is getting far too cliche having an outspoken [but rather vunerable] heroine getting the loner-type anti-hero to eventually love her. It is not that I do not like the romance, but can I see at least one anime that has not this romantic sideline? Death Note was rather good. Except L died in the end =.=" Misa was getting quite overbearing. Haha.
Away from Death Note, Bakumatsu's neutral party anti-hero is this 17 year old man, hardly out of boyhood - Akidzuki Youjiro. Hey, he is about my age and I'm here in typing away safely in front of the computer while he is exposed to all that extremities? Food for thought. But when one has been trained to be an assassin from the age of 3, mized with the Shinsengumi, it is quite possible that one would have to mature faster to withstand that tough life.
Kakunojo is the main heroine, I really like her as a heroine, great character. But please, no romance. So far, sources say that she has this lunar tear sword similar to that of Akidzuki's. Romantic tie-in? Please no. Destiny? I don't mind. So in the end, there was some kind of 'fate pulling strings' since the first episode.
Wondering whether defeating the Hasha no Kubi requires both their swords, since Akidzuki has been striking it numerous times and he still fails to destroy it.
Either Ibaragi is a god or he just likes being there at the right place at the right time. Whatever he writes for the Kabuki troupe really comes to life. This Soutetsu guy can be quite unnerving with his weird center parted hair and oh well 'the suspicious' vibes. Not so sure if he is really neutral like Akidzuki or the really crossed over to the dark side character. Looks more like the latter.
Kanna, well, he is most likely created for the adoration of fangirls. That eye-patch kinda adds the mysterious aura around his persona. Plus, who wouldn't like a sharp shooting, gun totting, trigger-happy, semi-neutral, Anglo-Jap with a troubled childhood? Pity his seiyuu did not get many projects to work on, i really like his voice. Like Kanna, hopefully he does not cross over like Soutetsu did. He has a high tendency to. And at least this anime explains why he has blond hair, being half white. Unlike other Japan centered anime with character sporting green/red/orange and rainbow hair? Ok, the dyed? but how about those school goers? No flamers please.
Nakaiya Jube is the most confounded character that i despise in this anime, bad guy - naturally. Annoying horse laugh, a blimp for a body, weird beard, can't seem to die - hopefully he dies of some kinda heart attack since he is so fat? And he spouts lies to get Kanna to join him [for awhile - thank goodness]
Parkes - this British dude is seriously twisted. Maybe for the benifit for Britian, but honestly, Kanna, just shoot him. Parkes is more bad han neutral. Neutral is mostly due to that he is the rep of the British empire. He wanted to get the Head for Britian, if not it must be destroyed, and almost at the cost of Kanna. He forced Kanna to not give a heck about the Japs lives. And forced him to vow. Geez.
Glover - another meddlesome buisnessman helping Nakaiya. Too bad Tooru Ookawa, seiyuu for Roy Mustang and Vincent Valentine, is voicing another irritating fickled bad guy.
Seems that Akidzuki, Kakunojo, Kanna and Soutetsu are going the be the main characters, judging from the complete character info at the official website. Only 4 of them have complete bios. Plus the alternative artwork has only them in it. So in the end, I'll concluded that Soutetsu will be the ultimate baddy, Kanna, Kakunojo and Akidzuki has to be the good guys. Kanna will find out why Kakunojo strongly resembles his mother, might die in the end. Kakunojo and Akidzuki will end the reign of the Head and hopefully, but most unlikely due to strong cliches, no romance between them. Got this feeling that Akidzuki might die. Cross fngers, he will survive.
More added next time. If possible.
Gonna take up Aikido at Aikido Shinju-Kai school! Later if i have $, then might take up kendo. Love bushido.
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
-9:01 AM
Snowing really heavily
CHanging of the Guards Ceremony. Love horses abandonly.
Ok. I was runned down by this crazy 4x4. Ouch.
The Prestige: Outside Her Majesty's Theatre, Home of Phantom of the Opera!
Lovely gardens on Peniel Grounds
Welcome sleet and snow.
Saturday, February 10, 2007
-3:03 AM
Help me... bending towards the cliff of despair...
NO!
You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, 'I have lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.' You must do the thing you think you cannot do.
You must have long term goals to keep you from being frustrated
short term failures.
- Charles C. Noble
Even though I strongly believed that I could have pushed myself even further than what I did, I chose not to. And this in a bare truth could cost me a path in the International Baccalaureate Programme which I had so aspired to enter in. Nevertheless, what's done is done. I'm not going to complain about my results - anymore. It is an OK result that I feel is quite deserved may it be over or under. I put my trust in the Lord that He is at the helm of my life and wherever He wanna take me, I shall obediently follow.
There is still chance to go and do medical. So since He has not given me any diversions, shall continue to this path though slightly off what I thought could be my path. However, I might just want to take the chance again, since God, being a miracle worker, in Him nothing is impossible, try to get into the school of desired choice. Patience and fortitude conquer all things.
Every moment in this church community is such a wonderful happy experience. I love the place here and all the people that I've come across. Having wonderful friends both old and young. I'm gonna miss:
Auntie Judy, Shammy, Oldest Uncle Peter
Kevin, Claire, Caleb [KK]
Uncle Doug, Aunt Ruth
Susanne, Danielle, Bobby
Virginia, Pranis, Emma
Mrs McGahon, Mr McGahon, Alice, Grace [whom I so love to take care]
Ruth, Dean, Polly, Michael, Ben, Joshua, Dr Thorpe
Terry, Tries, Terry2, Dr Kent Hodge
Year 12: Amy, Anna, Sade, Stephen, Katy, Felicity, Rose, Edward
Year 13: Tasha, Ben Hodge, Daniel, Shekinah, Elyskia, Hannah
Some of the other younger students
Oliver, Evangeline, Lucy etc.....
Mr and Mrs Russell
Mrs Hodge
Mr Whitaker
The Computing Teacher
Mrs Weily
Anthony[taskmaster :P] and Anna Graziano
Other Older Uncles and Aunts
Mrs Pring
Mr Duval
Bishop Reid and Mrs Reid
many many more....
I cannot help but be very very happy about my time here despite having known this dreadful results...haha! This church experience has been amazing and this spiritual journey is exhilarating. The Bible had become more alive to me than before thanks to the Theology classes. Hermeneutics has made me gain a broader more open picture of the Bible. So is New Testament and Islam Theologies. Instead of feeding of one side of a preacher's message. I am indulged in open arguments on ideas of events and purposes of the meanings behind every verse. I thank God for this wonderful experience.
Come hell or high water, no matter what, I know by the grace of God my life has been transformed into something more purposeful since coming here. I'm very grateful for this experience as it draws to a close of one of it's chapters.
My eyes has been opened up to the wonders and on the other extreme, the atrocities of the world during my stay here. As the meaning of being a Christian is much more than devoted religious practices and praying. It is also like Christ, getting up and standing for what's right in the eyes of God. Privilege to be able to participate in the anti-sexual orientation rights protest march.
And the snow came in 4 inches deep to signify the finale of my trip. The horizons were buried in moist big thick snow.
At Brizes Park, we were given about two hours to play in the snow. We were allowed snowball fights. It was adrenaline pumping as people whizz past you, stuffing snow down your necks. The minute Mr Russell came out to join us, Daan was automatically rooted to one spot, silently but accurately chucking football-sized snowballed one after the other, second by second at the poor Headmaster, who did not stand a chance by any other means. Felicity and a few of us built a snow fortress which was towering. Then we moved to the front yard of the 78 acre compound to toboggan down the hill. Now it was my first time tobogganing down REAL snow. So I got up the sledge and of all people, Daan was the one to push me. He went, 'MWAHAHAHA! HEADS UP!', forcefully pushing my back and WHIZZZZZZZ! DOWN I went till Daan fell from the sledge being too past and I flew over the snow ramp, effectively landing on which I could not sit on for awhile.
Snowball fighting ensued. And came the snow rumble where everyone was tackling the other into the snow. Guys and girls, who care about the gender, just push each other and the heads into the snow. Or stuff some down the ear.
Had lessons after that. But at the end of the school day. I was one of the first to come out, alongside Tasha's brother and Ben Hodge. So another round of snowballing kicked-off. Snowbeing stuffed into my face and my camera. The lens being so fogged out gave that McDreamy Effect. The boys were so fast that you could hardly catch them. It was so much fun snow balling. The really cute younger children in their wellingtons and thick coats joined in with us older ones and lets say.....we TRIED to be as gentle as possible. Not. The younglings were just as good an arm of us.
Went for a play at the Piccadilly Theatre: Guys and Dolls. It was the most heart racing, rhythmic and colourful play I've seen. Being about 7 rows away from the front. The singers were absolutely amazing! I'll describe it further in detail some other time. But on that day, a most horrific event occured. My cousin's mobile was pick-pocketed right under our noses. We were going through some cosmetics at Boots when this lady with a manicured hand bumped into her. And ...self-explanatory.
Alrighty. coming back in a day's time. Au Revior
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
-9:26 AM
Helen Keller (1880 - 1968)
Was playing with the lamp next to the computer. This was taken unedited untransformed. Love the lighting which gives this subtle aura.
Played badminton. Weird rule system here. Didn't understand. Forget it.
Cracked my kneecap.
Packed and ready to be fedexed home. Baggage bursting at it's hinges. Tired. Need H-O-M-E.
Kevin was soooooo [place word here]. Almost made me so annoyed. Maybe it is cuz if that irritating pain in the knee.
Finishing Anthony's 'I'm Happy' CD cover. love th e vector art i did for it.
Getting more inspired to be a doctor that CARES after watching Patch Adams. Being a doctor is more than just studying the anatomy and assessing the sickness. It is about the relationship between the carer and the cared, being given the joy and better quality of life that overrules any relief drugs can achieve.
Saturday, January 27, 2007
-6:49 AM
Eccentricity is not, as dull people would have us believe, a form of madness. It is often a kind of innocent pride, and the man of genius and the aristocrat are frequently regarded as eccentrics because genius and aristocrat are entirely unafraid of and uninfluenced by the opinions and vagaries of the crowd.
Edith Sitwell(1887 - 1964)Taken Care Of ,1965
I've just gotten back from church tonight. Bishop Reid talked about one of the most crucial things in life. Faith in the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and he stresses much on the topic of total depreciation.
We are born into sin, not by our deeds we have sin. Thus, no matter how much we try to em better ourselves, do good, penance or fast. It is all useless in God's eyes as means of getting our place in heaven. Because, if we do that, then the sacrifice of Christ would be a worthless cause. So that is why God sent His only son, because through Him, can we find salvation.
I believe what I learnt in this sermon, that is:
Who am I, being just all praying and religious when there is no action, not being witness of the person of Jesus Christ?
We should not have this notion that our actions determine that God will call us to His side. Nor should we ever think of us falling from grace, for grace once given by the Father can never be lost. Indeed, we can go astray, susceptible to temptations and reverting back. But it is because the Lord has already chosen and beckoned you, that you are always within the reach of God.
1) Personal acknowledgment of sin
2)Believe in Christ's substitution for our price of sin
3)Claim the personal share of what he did
Being born again, is not in the mind of the person but it is the sovereign work of God, when and where He chooses.
Thus, there is nothing in me that can take me to salvation, but the grace of the Father. :)
Thank God! He did not leave it up to me to find salvation and forgiveness. Because, I know, I'll totally screw up. :P
When I was looking for me, He found me first!
-------------------------------------
Year 12 and 13 are becoming more acquainted with my presence in their school time. At first, we were all staring curiously at one another, exchanging verbal politeness, gradually, both parties find ease. And whalla! New friends!
The first lesson of the day was maths taken by Mr Whitaker. I'm not so sure of we Singaporeans take a higher calibre of maths in A'levels than the British because today, they were starting on easy trigonometry, like the ones we did in e-maths [sin 30, cos 60], graph drawings
from A-maths [y= sin 2x etc.] I have to say it was easier nonetheless, but since my brain had not been active from the end of November, it kinda needed a little choker to gear it back up again. The method of instruction on determining things like cos [-30deg] is diff from our SATC quadrants. Still, it is do-able.
The rest of the day was pondering about the JC's which I aspire to go. Catholic JC is shooting up my list since I recently found that it has FENCING! Raffles has fencing too but I don't think that I would want to subject myself to stress emotionally, physically. Anyways, I don;t think I can attain such low points. So, wicked.
Mr Russell [the teacher who subconsciously called me Nancy?!], was not here so no physics. First time i really have a strong distaste for physics. But it is not for the subject. It is more of that pride in me telling me not to like it since I cannot understand the contents being midway through their A level syllabus which I have not done yet. Pride. Idiotic. No matter what, I must prevail in physics, it being the first lesson on Thursday is not good. Many a times, I need to draw something to stay awake.
Getting a bit of friendly competition in the studies with the rest of the guys, it is quite fun. We enjoy pitting the Singaporean 'method of question tackling' against theirs. And both of us learn from each other. Neat!
Today at first break, we celebrated Mrs Coleman's birthday and had tucks to go around. I took a nice bursting blueberry muffin [because it reminded me of a certain muffin of mine.] Ben Stephen were inviting me to go get the muffins cuz it was ladies first, but I chose to let the Peniel girls take them first, and also, the younger ones were all fanatically trying to reach into the basket. Not gonna risk my life. :) Sweet of them to invite me. In the end I desisted and thus took my share of the blueberry muffin. Played a game of traditional chess with the younger boys. It was this life size board which was painted on the road and the chess pieces were HUMONGOUS!
On 2nd break, we had lunch. Rice, some kinda taco beef with sauce and mixed veggies. the lemon cake which came after was simply delectable. I love their dinners, they get better and better. The angel delight yesterday was fantastic. So were their lasagnas and pasta.
After that, I look forward to the cleaning up, because that was when I could really 'fellowship' with them, helping Ben, Stephen, Hannah and Rose and Aunt Ruth with the cleaning up. Ben and I did a bit of utensil washing until Ruth called him to throw away the rubbish [which he insisted he was being degraded.] Haha. That Brad, the cheek of him, helpful he was, snark remarks he had. Cleaning up is so funny. We are all hectic and trying to make everything spic and span without making a blunder in our clumsiness. Enjoyment in the chores.
Dan stole the last of the apples! I wanted one. sob sob. His tall physique makes him quite the intimidator but he is like those gentle giants, soft spoken. He apparently came from Belgium along with his brother Tries, sounds like Trees, and who also is in my Intro to Islam class.
Apparently, chilvary is not dead here in England. Well, in this church school that is. The guys are perfect gentlemen to me. :P On the 3rd day of my visit, we were setting up the gym for the younger children. So I was standing in front of the equipment room when I failed to dodge the bar coming out of control towards my head. Relenquishing my fate, was about to close my eyes for protection when this hand sticked out to grab the bar. Opening my eyes, I saw who caught it and it was none other than Ben Hodge. Very grateful that he spared me the pain on the face so I flashed a grin in appreciation. :) Honestly, he has a very nice counter-smile.
Went for cross-country around the 78 acres of greenery around Peniel, i thought i could have died. Was panting breathlessly and sudden;y had the notion of writing my will. Heart beating painfully fast, but the encouragement from my friends urged me to perservere and I prevailed over that ordeal. The students were very encouraging to one another. Seeminglly, the younger ones took a liking towards me and started dragging me to play netball with them. So I did. Sharday and Amy band theri heads against one another, it was really painful but they got better after a few minutes. Had to put an ice-pack. Hannah was with me with the younger ones. On opposite teams, but since being the older ones, we agave a fighting chance for the youngers to [play so we ended up being goalies, talking about whatnots.
I love it here. Really gonna miss this place and the friends which I made here.
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
-7:50 AM
You must know... surely, you must know it was all for you. You are too generous to trifle with me. I believe you spoke with my aunt last night, and it has taught me to hope as I'd scarcely allowed myself before. If your feelings are still what they were last April, tell me so at once. My affections and wishes have not changed, but one word from you will silence me forever. If, however, your feelings have changed, I will have to tell you: you have bewitched me, body and soul, and I love, I love, I love you. I never wish to be parted from you from this day on.
Imagine if someone should ever say that to a significant somebody. I would give the world for such a declaration.
Journeying down the Essex countryside had sparked a rekindled love for Jane Austen's Magnum Opus, Pride and Prejudice. The trees fly swiftly past me, beyond which lies vast greenery that reminds me of the mysterious magical meadow lands and the shades of Pemberly which the author so carefully paints.
The movie and the TV show, which I happened to chance upon, when I took care of Grace for the McGahons, ran parallel in the aptitude of the Regency period writer. Alas, if only my skill in the language was even the fractions, as good as hers, I would have been a good writer.
The days in the Kingdom draws slowly to a close. In three weeks, I will not see this land for years to come. The journey so far had been filled with smooth sailing and the potholes.
Studying part-time at the Peniel Academy is a very enriching experience. The students, despite having quite a substantial amount of free time in their time-tables [since only having four examined A-level subjects], are doing remarkable well for their GCSEs and A-levels. There is this intelligent young man, Stephen, who took 13 subjects for GCSEs and emerged 5th in the country with straight As. No one had less than 6 As, I reckon.
The close-knit Year 12 class of 7 are a lively community. Amy Wilkinson, Sharday, Stephen, Anna, Roseanna and etc. So are the Year 13s, Natasha Lee, Ben Hodge, Hannah, TJ, Brad [if memory serves me correct], Dan and etc.
Astounding table-tennis players. Astonishing grades.
The Bible college coursemates are a lively bunch. For Hermeneutics with Dr. Samuel Thorpe, there's Dean, Polly, Joshua, Richmond, Benjamin. New Testament with Dr. Kent Hodge, there's Dean, Joshua and Benj again, Tres, a French lady, Martha, oh ninny i forgot the other one's name.
My memory fails me. How idiotic.
Anyways, enjoying life here to the best of what I have left. Trying to finish that CD cover that Anthony has so carefully entrusted to task me with. [I brought it upon myself to do it.] The perks is that I learn new things, get to know them more and have my own makeshift deskspace with an Mac with mind-blowing adobe programs.
Painted the video room without a splatter on my faded jeans. Hats off, man.
Almost went to watch a Barclaycard Premiership match if not for my classes. =.= and the Arsenal versus Man U 2:1 rawked! Dean could not wear his Man U scarf to college today. awww...
Hope Joshua gets better. He busted his kneecaps. Ouch.
Tired and moody. Not feeling well. Augh....feeling round and aiii geez. Back to singlish again, me guess. LOL <- the ultimate disaster vocab killer.
