Reality is a persistent illusion

Tunnels

Wed, 12 Dec 2007 06:57:08 +0100

There comes a point in life when you think you are reaching the end of the tunnel only to find that someone had extended the tunnel. Its pitch black again and you wonder when it will end.

Lets just hope all things will clear in the end...

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Economical Stress

Thu, 23 Aug 2007 11:54:31 +0200

Oh no. Economics is such a memory intensive subject at my level. Oh yes, we must understand. However, we are plagued by the need to be actually memorize most, if not all the classic examples and graphics.

Exams in 2 weeks.. Talk about stress. Arrgh.

Still need to read up on Monopoly, monopolistic competition and oligopoly. I really prefer macroeconomics.

Then there is a interesting topic on the United States Sub-prime problem. I aren't really clear about it. All I know is the banks are lending money to the people with low credit profile. This is now seen in the mortgages.

Oh someone please enlighten me.....

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Blog reloaded

Thu, 23 Aug 2007 11:53:59 +0200

I've decided to do away with my previous URL and start afresh with a new URL.

SO here it is.

Too bad this site doesn't enable you to change your URL from your previous ones. It would be good though.. At least you don't loose all your posts....

So I taken time and reposted a few of my previous blog posts....

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Convergence of technology (Previous Blog)

Thu, 23 Aug 2007 11:52:23 +0200

Yup that’s right... Technology and classroom impendent convergence or I should say, increasing degree of convergence is beginning to see light of the day.

The government’s efforts to promote the use of technology in the classrooms is successful to a certain extent. Many colleges and schools have wireless access or high-speed broadband network.
Various schools are implementing tablet PCs as learning tools, some going as far as totally dependent on tablet PCs and online portals..

But is this wise? Students have notes on their computers. Many do not have a hard-copy of it. While learning using the computer increases interectivity between the content and the student, hard-drive failure and other cons of computer also applies.

As technology and classrooms converge, students eyesight my also be one of the costs, on top of over-reliance and addiction.

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Exam Withdrawal Syndrome (EWS) ?? (Previous Blog)

Thu, 23 Aug 2007 11:51:30 +0200

Thought it would be a nice first few days of rest after the exams..
But got Exam Withdrawal Syndrome instead. One moment you're mugging for 2 weeks 24/7 and then suddenly you do not have to do so anymore... It really feels weird. Got urge to study but no motivation to study. Very paradoxical.
Well I'm not the only one. A few of my friends are feeling the same too. Haha, wondering whether to start studying something extra.

Well I kept myself busy. Been trying to teach myself C++ and Flash/ActionScripting. Been brushing up on my CSS skills and usage also. Will be rolling out a new website design. Moreover thinking of building a CMS (content management site) to put history essays. But I guess that will come later.

Went to watch the Exocism of Emile Rose. Can say quite errie. However, the first show on exocism : "The Exocist" was scarier than this. However, this show is enough to spook anybody or even get them to start praying. 6 demons althogether. Permit me to exclaim : "my God!!!"

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Os Levels -- Half-way through!! (Previous Blog)

Thu, 23 Aug 2007 11:50:35 +0200

Wow. What a week! *takes a deep breath*
This is it.. D-Day! Concluding 4 years of Secondary School life,
I'm (or rather Sec 4 Students) are already into the 5th day of the 2 week long Cambridge-Singapore 'O' Level Exams.

Currently, Social Sudents, E.Maths, English Language, Biology,History 2158 (World Affairs), Literature are done with, including Chinese which we sat for in June.

My goodness! The questions asked can be really weird. For instance, History 2158. So many specific qeustions came out. out of 31 essays, 22 of them were specific. I've never seen so many specific come out in the previous years.
Than there were some that were almost... (well I cannot find the correct word to describe it.)
For example, one of the questions: Outline the main events in the history of the Weimer Republic duting the years of 1919 to 1929.
If they want to cut the essay timeline, then cut more. That esssy is not much different from the 1919 to 1933 timeline. The difference is only one sentence which is "Hitler became the chancellor and rose to power in January 1933".
And what the he**!? An overlapping question of pacific war and SCAP?? If we were to write everything, from the bombing of Pearl Harbour , then the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, finally SCAP recovery of Japan, it would take us about an hour, way past the time limit of 1/2 hour per essay for 5.
Even our teacher, when found out about some questions like Tiananmen Square massacre and Deng Xiaoping came out, she control herself from exclaiming "those *~censored~* !!"

Biology Multiple Choice Paper 1 was almost relaxing. A 1 hour paper left most of us freezing in the air-condition hall for 35 minutes as most had already finished it in 25 minutes. You could hear some people stretching themselves in the hall.
Although that cannot be said for the Biology Paper 2. There was an essay on eutropication (isn't that supposed to be in Chemistry??). Well I really hope I can do well in Biology. I don't really have high hopes. My fault actually. I cut myself during the biology practicals about 3 weeks ago. And it was a deep one. It took 2 days for it to totally stop bleeding. It just healed, with the outer skin / or you may called the epidermis (onsisting of the gradular and conified layer) still forming.

Just finish E Maths paper 2 today, and never did I expect the fibonacci sequence would make its way into the paper. Well, thankfully they did not ask how to find the n^th term. That would have taken some time. Anyway, can say we had enough time to do the paper twice... a situation totally the opposite from out prelimss. The prelims were disastrous, with many not completing the paper. Even though I completed the paper for prelim, I still got a B3 as I lost over 15 marks due to careless mistakes.

Anyway, taking a 3 day break before the next paper which is Additional Mathematics.
Thats 5 papers off the list, with 4 more to go!!

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Rocket Fuel and IRO (Previous Blog)

Thu, 23 Aug 2007 11:48:40 +0200

I wonder whether the coming exams as well as the Chinese 'O' level results which will be coming back sometime this month has caused everyone to be acting strangely. Andy went round our class, trying to pass thru a tennis racket.

On the other hand, out form tutor seems to have taken rocket fuel. Slides after slides of the powerpoint presentatiion were flashing past our eyes as her "trigger-happy" finger tabbed on the 'enter' key. She didn't even stop much. As a result, we finished the chapter of 40 over slides within one lesson. We were clueless as to what she was teaching or talking about. A few were even sleeping!!

RME today was fun. The guest sheduled to speak, called in informing the school he was going to be late. By the time he arrived, it was the end of the lesson. However, it was quite a hilarious session as our deputy principal Bro Mike turned the whole thing into an part-entertainment lesson. All the talk about those "bloody" terrorists had us falling off our chair. It was not just all laughter. Bro Mike, as a memeber of the Inter-Religious Organization (IRO) talked to us the importance of IR relationship. He also told us about the 4 levels of IR relationship:

Level 1: building of inter-religious friendships, and accepting people of other ethic background as a friend.

Level 2: working together, whether it is for a common goal/cause or any other projects

Level 3: telling or explaining your faith to people. REMEMBER: the aim of this is not for you to convert them, but rather get them to understand you and your religion better. When you understand and respect other people's religion and beliefs, you have qualified to be in this stage.

Level 4, being a bible / Quran / Sutra or any other religious academic. This has a more far reaching effect than Level 3. The basic idea is still the same. Explaining your relgion to others abeit to a larger community. Conventions are also held to enable people to discuss the their / or others religion, allowing you to gain knowledge of others. It is important to remeber that the aim is NOT for you to convert others. It is only to educate others about the religion.

Most Singaporeans should have qualified for the first 3 levels since we are living in a multi-racial and religious society.
Overall, it was quite an eye-opener, especially when we found out that their meetings are held in Geylang....

Auditions for teachers day was held yesterday, but the results are still unknown. Don't know if we were able to get in. However, the comments were quite favourable...

Well... we just have to continue waiting....

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Pity (Previous Blog)

Thu, 23 Aug 2007 11:47:20 +0200

Two days! only two days! When I didn't have time to check my email and I get over 50+ spam and virus ladden emails across my 4 main email aliases. I even got emails saying my email addressed got spoofed.
I hate to think about the other 10 email accounts I have not check for weeks.

Just what the hell is going on in the morass of neurons those virus writers and spammers have. It is tough finding an answer to their idiosyncratic behaviour. To think they could have used that intelligent brain of theirs to help people instead of stepping over the blue line - over to the other unglamourous side of the law.

It would be understandable if they are kleptomaniacs, but that is rarely the case. most are just sadistic. Lapping up the joy of bringing a company or a person to their knees.

Choosing to use their knowledge of programming and computers for nefarious purposes.

It's a pity they will never realise that it takes twice as much courage to do something right as opposed to doing something wrong.

It's a real pity...

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Gold...(Previous Blog)

Thu, 23 Aug 2007 11:46:30 +0200

Aurum Est Potestas: Gold Is Power

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The pursuit of immortality (Previous Blog)

Thu, 23 Aug 2007 11:45:28 +0200

"You do not need to live forever. You just have to know how to live..." Sounds confusing but is actually very relevant and true.

How to live eternally, if not, longer, are some of the questions I am sure many people will come to think about. But is there a need for a person to live longer if all that is expected of the person is done and he has accomplished whatever he/she has set out to do?? Is there any need to extend your live if you have lived in contentment and had a very fruitful life?? I am sure there isn't a need for that. A person will wish to live longer only when that person still has somethings that he/she cannot let go... for example, an unwed child.

With life, there must certainly have death, before there is a complete cycle. As a person grows older, gradually he /she will look at things from a wider angle. To live and let live. To forgive and forget. Fear of death and then seeking of immortality is not the answer to everything.

Man has ventured into cloning in hope to keep endangered species from dwindling in there numbers till the extent of perishing. However the theory of cloning a person has already materialize in many of scientists, though there is much hesitation on venturing into this forbidden ground.

Pet owners want this technology to clone thir faithful bloodhound so that they will be with them forever. 'Dolly' the sheep was an example of how far technology had advanced . Though the cloning was a success, the clone did not live long and died due to accelerated aging. There are still many things that are beyond mankinds' control and understanding.

Therefore, whether mankind will take a step into these voids will be left for the current and future generations to decide.

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Singlish (Previous Blog)

Thu, 23 Aug 2007 11:43:23 +0200

Singlish - The Singaporean English!

There is much hype about Singlish nowadays, and is under fire from appalled teachers and foreigners alike. They have complained that Singaporean students are using broken english and sentences were structurally incorrect. Many were also said to be not "adept" at switching between English and Singlish when the need arises.

The Singapore government has already started a campaign - The "speak good English" campaign years ago. But should Singlish ever be phased out?? Well, it depends on which point of view you take.

Language activists would certainly flip over the idea of phasing out Singlish. However, many would argue that Singlish is what defines us Singaporeans. Even some of the language researchers marvel at how we had woven these intricate languages of all 4 majors races in Singapore into one, although it had left many foreigners perplexed by it. After all being a multi-racial society, having a "combined" language like Singlish is quite pertinent. It maybe "crass, uncouth and annoyingly loud" but we just have to learn to live with it. For a place that lacks a long history and culture like China, Singlish has become an identity to many Singaporeans.

Yes, there are better reasons other than Singlish to be proud of Singaporeans, but the most prominent of all is still Singlish.

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