Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Hi everyone, today I would be discussing about J.K. Rowling's last book of the Harry Potter Series. It is a book full of adventure, and it is definitely a pick if you have troubles choosing a book.

As usual here are the questions:

18. What would the main character be likely to do if s/he visited your classroom?

This answer is simple. Based on Harry Potter and the Order of Phoenix, Harry Potter went around teaching the people about defending against the dark arts, when it was banned by Dolores Umbridge. Hence, we would plead him to teach us some tricks should he come into our class.

30. Write a different ending to the book. Tell why you changed it. A good paragraph will do.

Instead of Voldemolt dying in the end, we could change the story so that voldemolt killed harry potter.

Harry lay there, motionless. Standing beside him, panting furiously, was Voldemolt.

“Look who’s talking now, Harry Potter,” he grinned and laughed.

“Now, I am the true owner of the Elder wand, and no one will stop me!”

Everyone around them shivered in fear, not knowing what their future would be…

36. What part would you change in the story, and why?

I would change the ending, where harry potter grows up had a family, and they lived happily ever after. Instead, I would change it in a way that there are more interesting things and adventure, and thus more books would be published.

57. Tell about the most exciting part of the book. Be sure to give at least three reasons why.

The most exciting part of the book is the discovery of Harry potter as a horcrux by harry potter himself . This is because J.K. Rowling writes this book in a limited third person perspective, making his discovery unexpected. It is also exciting because Voldemolt himself does not know it either, although he was the one who placed the horcrux into Harry. It also makes things more interesting as Hrry learnt that he had to kill himself in order to kill voldemolt, since this is the twist of the story.

The Kite Runner

Hi all!

After reading the Kite Runner, I have a few thoughts and feelings about the story. Let me share them with you all.

23. Pretend you are one of the characters in the book. Write a diary about the happenings in your life for two consecutive days.

Well, if I am Amir:

Day 1:

I plan to move to a smaller apartment that is near to General Taheri's house. This is because we get to be closer to the general and his family, while paying cheaply for the apartment. I also intend to sell Baba's BW bus. Recently, Soraya and I have been considering for adoption because we are unable to have any children regardless of how hard we tried. However, I do not know how General Taheri would react to this. We would only have to wait for tomorrow to find out more.

Day 2:

Today, I have managed to find a one-room apartment just a few streets away from General Taheri's house. In the afternoon, I sold Baba's BW bus and had just enough revenue to pay for that apartment. During dinner, I discussed with Soraya's family regrding adoption and as I expected, General Taheri was totaly against our ideas. However, we are running out of options. What should I do, Baba? I hope you would be able to guide my to make the correct decisions.

32. Find one word that describes a character in your book very well. Give reasons for your choice of word.

I think the best word to represent Amir is "STRONG"

Although he is weak on the outside, why is this so?

1. He dared to go to Afghanistan during the period of the Taliban.

2. Although he loved Baba so much, he had tried to be strong after his death.

3. He was mentally strong, with a will to win the kite competition.

48. The climax of any book or story is the exciting or interesting part. Tell what you think is the climax of the book and why.

I think the climax of the story is the time when Amir returns to Afghanistan. This is because it is the turning point of the story, where Amir realises the total change of his country, from his worm and comfortable hometown to a place of terror.

53. Is the title a good one or a poor one and why?

The title "The Kite Runner" is a good one as it represents the days of his young age before the change of this town, and it also represents Amir's friendship, and lastly it represents Amir's will, not only to win the kite competition, but also the different wills in life.

Should US have dropped the atomic bomb on Japan?

During the last days of WWII, the United States dropped two atomic bombs - Little Boy and Fat Man, on to Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Was this the wright thing to do?

If the atomic bombs were not dropped on japan, the war would may have continued. As such, more countries and states would be conquered, and it would be increasingly difficult for the Allied forces to win the war. Japan would sooner or later gain the upper hand, and it would take a longer time to end the war, without knowing which force would win.

However, after the bombs were dropped on Japan, both Hiroshima and Nagasaki were devastated and took many years to rebuild. The extremely high radiation levels in both states after the bombs were dropped caused the water to be poisonous, the land to be infertile, and threat to the lives of human, plants and animals, and this last for the next few years.

But, the two atomic bombs had caused the war to end, resulting in peace and harmony in the world.

Therefore, the US should have dropped the atomic bomb on Japan.

Term 2 Home Learning

"Enemy in sight!" I yelled.

Reacting to that, everyone held out their weapons to prepare for battle. Instantly, shots of machine gunfire roared in our directions. I immediately attempted to find cover. Hiding behind a wall, I waited for the signal to return fire.

That hand sign. It was the cause of everything - it caused Iraq to become a war zone, it caused many lives, and, it caused the state I am in. That hand sign:

Fire.

We turned around the wall and fired at the enemy. One by one, they fell, and we fell too. I could remember the person beside me getting shot in the neck, and he lost his life instantly. The bloody scene made my eyes sore, but I had to fight to survive.

When the gunfire ceased and there were no return fire, it was the end of a phase in the war. We surveyed the sight: blood, flesh, more blood. A gruesome sight indeed.

"Andy, get down!" but it was too late. My arm felt a piercing pain as my flesh was ripped apart by a series of bullets. The pain was unbearable and I fell instantly to the ground, withering. After taking those shots at me, that dying, but very alive, man shot himself.

"Andy! Are you okay?"

"Andy! Answer me!"

Everything was a blur, as I drifted in and out of consciousness.

When I awoke, I found myself lying down in a military hospital. I tried to move my right arm, but there was no response. I knew that it was my fate. My fate to loose an arm in a war. A war that does not benefit my country at all. Of all those death in this battlefield, it was not glorious at all.

I could remember when I was still in America, I wished to become an engineer. Things will not go as planned with my current state...

Bog prompt 14/4

Hi all!

Today's blog prompt will be:

Do you think that crisis brings out the best in man?!

In my opinion, crisis brings out both the best and the worst in man.

Why would crisis bring out the best in man?

11 March 2011, an earthquake and tsunami strikes Japan. This caused a lot of damage and brought about a nuclear crisis in Fukushima Diichi. Everyone from all around the world came helped Japan in one way or another. But the most touching scene is that the people of Jpan themselves, being homeless already, still donated money to help aid the nuclear crisis. This shows that even though they are poor enough, they still sacrificed their money for the country. Moreover, a team of nuclear engineers, also known as the Fukushima Fifty, sacrificed their own lives, exposing themselves to radiation of dangerously high levels, to save their own country from a nuclear meltdown. This shows that crisis brings out the best in man.

Why would crisis also bring out the worst in man?

When Hurricane Katrina struck the USA, people began to rob shops that had been damaged by the disaster. They took advantage of the situation to rob when the shops are unattended. Thus this shows that crisis brings out the worst in man.

Blog prompt 31-3

Hi all!

Today I will be discussing the following topic:

What are the qualities you look for in a potential MP?

What qualities must a potential MP have in order to gain support from the residents?

In this world, there are countless number of qualities each person must have. During the previous elections, many candidates for election displayed any different qualities that gained many resident's votes and thus are able to secure that seat in the parliament. Well, I will be talking about the few important qualities that a MP shouldn't lack.

Firstly, a potential MP must have experience.

Experience is very important as the residents would have confidence in the candidate, because they would know that these experiences is very important for the future of the area. Why is that so? Simply put, when a MP has more experience, there would be a higher chance him/her to make the right decisions for the community, and in the long term, guide the community in a way that makes both the MP and the residents will benefit.

What would happen if a MP lacks experience? The worst case scenario would be that the MP makes made the wrong decision that would lead the residents into a dead end, causing both parties to suffer greatly from the losses.

Hence, experience counts and is very important if an MP wants to achieve votes from the residents.

Secondly, a potential MP must be able to make good decisions.

What is making wise decisions? A person first have to weigh the advantages and disadvantages from a decision, and find out which decision is the best for him/her and best for others too.

Making wise decisions is very important for MPs in order to gain trust and confidence from the residents. Nowadays, most of the younger generation finds it hard to make good decisions due to the lack of experience. Once a MP is able to make a good decisions, then the game is over. He/She would be more outstanding than others and his/her chances of being elected would increase. This is because he/she has gained the trust and confidence from the residents.

Thus, decision making is a necessary skill to be a good MP

Lastly, a potential MP must be able to keep promises.

During the election seasons, many MPs tend to make promises during rallies. When a MP makes a promise, no matter how much effort he/she has to put in in order to keep their promise, he/she would still have to do it. Why must he/she do so? When a MP makes a promise during the rally, he/she is giving the residents high hopes and admiration, and in return these residents will give him/her confidence as well as admiration.

A MP that keeps his/her promises will always be the like of the residents, and he/she would have a good chance in winning the next elections. However, a MP that always breaks his promise would be thought as a lier, thus losing popularity and morale from the residents. This would lead to him/her having less chance of winning the next election.

Therefore, being able to keep a promise is important for a MP.

The experience. The ability to make good decisions. The ability to keep promises.

These are the qualities that a MP must possess, so as to maintain a win-win situation for him/her and the residents.

The general elections will begin very soon. We shall see who are the future MPs, because these MPs have the qualities that make the residents happy.

Online Lesson - Descriptive Piece on War

Hi all!

Today is the online lesson! I will be picking a photo from the slideshow and write a descriptive piece. Then I shall write in the voice of the character or one of the characters, with focus on the atmosphere, mood and emotion. Enjoy!

BOOM! An explosion caused pieces of shrapnel to fly everywhere at high velocities. Raising my head after the explosion, all I saw was debris and corpse scattered around the area, once known as the city of harmony.
We then heard a moan of pain.
Jeremy was lying down in an awkward way, twenty metres away. The faint but terrifying cries for help sent shivers down my spine. Is Jeremy seriously injured? Would I lose a friend? These were the thoughts that raced through my mind at that point of time.
Samuel and I quickly rushed to Jeremy's aid. It was the worst case scenario. Jeremy was bleeding in his chest, as a huge piece of debris pierced through him.

"Samuel... Andy... Don't worry about me. After all, this is war. I feel happy to die for the country..."
Jeremy laughed and immediately coughed out blood. Unable to further coupe with the pain, Jeremy passed out, with a smile on his face.
"JEREMY!" I yelled, "Wake up!" I tried very hard to shake him and hoped that he could respond.

It was useless.

Tears filled my eyes and Samuel was crying out loud. We knew that we had lost a friend.

"CURSE YOU! Air Strikers!" Samuel yelled.

Looking up at the skies, the once hazardous airplanes that has just bombed this harmonious town peacefully drifted away. And this destroyed town had finally achieved peace from this war.

This is the end of my descriptive piece. I hope you have enjoyed it!

Blog Prompt 24-3

Tell us whether or not you tend to pay attention to events in other parts of the world and why?

Why should we care about what happens in places far away from where we live in general?

Well I do tend to pay attention to these events, and care about what is happening around the world.

I think that these events affects my daily life as the impact caused by other parts of the world may cause us to suffer severely. As you should know, the recent earthquake and tsunami that happened in Japan affects our economy in many ways. The tsunami destroyed countless number of homes, and caused many companies to stop production. This would cause Singapore's economy to drop as Singapore would have less overseas partners to co-operate, and thus business would turn bad. Moreover, the damaged nuclear plant in Fukoshima may cause a radioactive leak, contaminating animals and plants near the 20-30km radius from the plant. When this happens, we would not eat the contaminated food from Japan, and Singapore's import and export trade would suffer heavy losses.

This is why I tend to pay attention to these events, so as to keep myself updated and aware of the situation and events that are happening around the world.

Blog Prompt 21-2

Hi all!

Today I will be voicing my opinions about the following topic:

Can the Machine Ever Replace the Teacher?

Well, I think that Computers can never and will never replace teachers.

Computers, are the modern technology that contains information form all over the world. Of course, computers are somewhat more accurate and reliable than teachers. Computers can also do much more than several subject teachers combined. However, teachers have many characteristics that a computer do not have at this point of time.

Teachers. They do not break down. Even if they are on a medical leave there will always be a replacement to help teach the class, and you do not have to pay a thousand bucks for that. However, If a computer breaks down, you would have to get a new one in order to continue with work. Therefore, the teachers are better than computers in this point.

Another thing that computers do not have is a heart. Teachers, because they have a heart, teach wholeheartedly, and sometimes show you the light in life. This is not the case for computers. Computers teach only subjects, and they will not lead you to become successful people in the future. They would only pass on to you what you Want to learn, and not what you Need to learn, that is important for your future. Thus, teachers play a more important role for your future than computers.

Lastly, I would like to say that the lessons that teachers teach is much more interesting than computers. The lessons that teachers teach are more interactive and two sided, as there is a lot of communication between teacher and student. However, lessons taught by computer is more of a one-sided learning, when the computers say all that it wants to say, and the lesson is done. You don't even have a chance to voice your thoughts. This shows that the teachers' teachings are more interesting and enjoyable than the computers' lessons.

Although computers may be better than teachers in certain ways too, but I think that it will never be able to replace teachers in the mere future.

Blog Prompt 17-2

Hi Readers!

Today I will be discussing with you about what I think about the song Where is the Love Black Eye Peas.

The lyrics talked about the discrimination and violence in the world.

These are the lyrics (not in order) that suggests discrimination:

Whatever happened to the values of humanity

Whatever happened to the fairness and equality

Then you only leave space to discriminate
And to discriminate only generates hate
And if you hatin you're bound to get irate

Lyrics (not in order)that suggests violence:

Overseas yeah we tryin to stop terrorism

Nations dropping bombs

Chemical gases filling lungs of little ones

People killing people dying
Children hurtin you hear them crying

And so on...

What do I feel about this song? I feel that the the discrimination has led to many racial riots, causing dismay to both the rioting races. Furthermore, bad relations between countries has led to war between the countries. Riots and wars often cause people's lives, and bring about unhappiness and fear in people. This should be prevented and the Black Eyed Peas are attempting to promote harmony between countries and races, thus trying to prevent wars and race riots.

The Black Eyed Peas did the right thing to sing this song, so that more people can understand each other through this song, and it might lead to peace between countries, or races in the future.

Thank You.

Blog prompt 7-2

I think that meritocracy is what will lead to success, and not good genes. It is possible to have a parent that has graduated from a top university, and have clever children too. However, that does not mean it is the majority. I have friends whom parents are extremely clever and wealthy, but they only know how to spend the money of their parents, and not study hard. Therefore, they turn out not to be so smart. Thus, good genes does not usually lead to good children.

I also have friends whom parents are not wealthy, but they worked extremely hard and thus they got into a good secondary school. This shows that meritocracy is what makes people successful in life. In fact, some children of clever parents worked extremely hard to be like their parents, thus achieving success. This is meritocracy too.

Therefore, I think that meritocracy is what leads children into achieving success instead of their parents having good genes.

Setting

Hi all!

I would be describing the setting in this picture.

My pencil was shivering fearfully as I thought of what to write. The silence was screaming into my ears, threatening to pop my eardrums. The only sound I could hear was the incessant ringing in my ears and the rhythmic footsteps of the invigilator. The atmosphere around me stretched till it seemed it would snap. Occasionally, the flipping of papers sent shivers down my spine, as I began to worry I would be too slow. As time was almost up, I could feel my pencil speeding up uncontrollably, as if it had a life of its own. As I dropped my pencil and heaved a sigh of relief, the silence was broken by the shrill of the teacher.

"Stop Writing!"

Time stopped when my paper was being collected. And once the invigilator announced that we were dismissed, all hell broke loose.

It was finally over.

Blog Prompt 31-1

Hi all!

Today, I shall be talking about having friends from another race.

Well, I do not have a close friend from another race, but I really do want to have some.

It is important and necessary to have friends from another race, so as to learn their culture and religion. I personally think that having more variety of friends makes you more exposed and aware of the world we are living in currently.

I know that there are some people that are racist against a certain race. It is easy to spot some of their actions, but it is definitely not easy to stop your own actions. Sometimes, our words and actions would be indirectly signalling that we are discriminating them.

Although the majority of the people here in Singapore are Chinese, however, since Singapore is a multiracial society and has its official language of Mandarin, English, Malay and Tamil, we should understand each other and make out the best of both worlds, or maybe the best of all worlds.

Comic Strip

Hi all!

This is the comic strip that I have done about discrimination.

Have fun reading!

Mindmap on the Civil Rights Movement

Hi all!

Here is the mindmap on civil rights movements

Blog Prompt 27-1 (Why Chinese Mothers are Superior)

Hi Readers!

Today I will be sharing with you what I think about the recent newspaper article "Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior".

I agree with the issue that Chinese mothers, although very strict, are very effective too. The article states that there are requirements, although more like rules, that the children have to meet in order to please their parents. If any of them were not met, they would be reprimanded. Yes, this is true, as I myself was and currently is one of these children. My parents are strict, and although not as strict as the writer of the article, they are effective too. When I was Primary Six, my mother set rules for me to obey so that I could do well for my PSLE. I obeyed, and I did reasonably well for my PSLE. Although I know some of these do not apply to some people, but at least I know that this method is quite effective.

There are some children who attempted to disobey they're parents, and even if they have successfully disobeyed their parents, they would most probably mix with bad company and end up doing bad in their studies.

Some parents set requirements for their children because they do not want their children to walk the wrong path in their lives.

However, others do that so as not to embarrass themselves. Some parents always like to compare their child with other parents' child. And when their child loses in the comparison, they get mad and their child would have to face the music. Must some children suffer this kind of fate just because of their parents face? I think not. Parents should realise that their children are not things that you use to compare and compete with others. Thankfully, this is only the minority of the parents population in Singapore.

Overall, I think that majority of the parents lay rules for their children to abide and set up requirements for them to meet as they think that their children has to learn the hard way in order to ace their future career instead of becoming useless in the society in time to come.

Blog prompt 20-1

Is it better to have never known something than to have known something and to ultimately lose it later?

Well, I think it would be better to know something and lose it later. Well, if you never want to know something, it would mean that you would never find out what that thing would be, and it will eventually be a loss to you, as people would know one more interesting thing that you don't. However, if you know something positive, and lose it later, even if that thing will never return to you ever again, you could still adapt to the new surroundings and continue with life, as time heals everything. Moreover, you may, from time to time, try to remember it when you are feeling down if may make you happy.

That is what I think. Comment on this post to agree or disagree on what I think. You can also voice your own opinions. :)

Prompt 19/01/2011

Yes, I have. When I am a CIT in Ortus Council, I remembered that during the Secondary One Orientation, as I wasn't really in charge of that event, I was made a station master instead of a buddy. Moreover, my contact number and email wasn't recorded and hence I did not get to have a SOO T-shirt of my own. Hence, everyday my attendance wasn't marked, and when everyone was in their SOO shirt on the first day, I was the only few wearing PE attire. I wouldn't say I was treated very badly, but I find that the event wasn't really well planned when it comes to manpower. I was taken as an 'Extra'. However, I really enjoyed myself overall, as I found the cheering very refreshing and exciting, and the group I was temporarily with was extremely enthusiastic and they cheered their hearts out.

Prejudice, Discrimination, Stereotype, Biasness

Hi readers!

I will be explaning the differences between the four words mentioned above.

Stereotypes are formed when a person notices another person is a small group of people who has a quality ( positive/negative ) and assumes that the rest is like him.

This will lead to the person being bias. When a person has stereotypes of two different groups, one better than another, he will be bias against one group, and towards the other.

When the person is bias against a group, prejudice takes place. He would try to avoid them and spread rumours about them to other people.

Discrimination takes place when a person directly offends another whom he was prejudiced against.

Thats the differences between the four words.

Acts of Prejudice

Hi all,

Today, I am giving you all some examples regarding acts of prejudice.

1. An act of prejudice would be when a white discriminates a black, without any valid reason.

2. A good student and a mischievous student failed to hand in their homework. When the teacher reprimands the mischievous but not the good student, this is an act of prejudice.

3. An example of an act of prejudice is when white collar workers look down on odd job workers.

4. A teacher queued up behind a student to buy their food from a canteen. It is an act of prejudice if the vendor serves the teacher first.

5. It's an act of prejudice if normal people look down on the mentally disabled.

Targets for 2011

Hi readers!

Well, this is a new year and there will, of course, be new resolutions.
I have already set targets for the year 2011.

You may ask me, what have I done well last year? It's not much, but well, I will just tell you.
Apparantly, I prepared well for poetry and hence scored well in that section.

However, there are stuffs that I went wrong too. The worst was comprehension. I did not really know how to answer the questions properly, and after the teachers' explanation, I still didn't get it. Therefore, I did not do that well for this section.

What are my targets for 2011? It's simple. First, I shall try my best in improving on my comprehension. Afterwards, I need to improve on my other sections. Finally, I need to maintain my standard for poetry.

How do I work towards these goals? I would have to work hard to improve my different sections, but work harder on comprehensions. I would also need to frequently revise on my poems so as not to neglect it and end up unexpectedly doing badly for it.

I really hope to achieve at least most of these results, to make myself and everyone else around proud :)

Thats all for now,

Marcus Neo