My Father Perseveres

Weather:Sunny
Mood: Fine

All along I always thought he was lazy. I thought he only knew how to play sports and to enjoy life. I was wrong, very wrong indeed. There was another side of my father, the side I never knew. He was a very capable and hardworking person. He had suffered much in his childhood in a small village with few people. In the end he was able to overcome all obstacles to become what he is today. I admired him for his courage to take risk and his perseverance.If he did not persevere, I will not exist today!

My father was born in Malaysia in an very sparsely populated village. He grew up in a not very clean( at that time) environment. His family was quite poor. His family consists of his parents, seven sisters and a brother. There were eleven members in the family including him. Every morning, before he went to school, he had to help my grandparents to tap rubber( collecting sap from the rubber tree to make rubber) It was a tiring job I must say. After helping, he still had to go to school. Sometimes after school, he still had to help his parents roll rubber sheets. His family could barely make ends meet as there were so many mouths to feed. Life was indeed hard then. This was something I could not understand.

At the age of 23, he came to Singapore in search of a better life. He worked in an auditing firm as an audit assistant but his pay was low as he did not have a degree. In Malaysia, more Malays had a higher chance to go to the university then. Only the top few of the Chinese race could get in and my father couldn't. This turns out to be a blessing in disguise.

It was in that company that he met my mother.It was there where my parents love for each other blossomed. They dated for years and later got married.It was because he came to Singapore so he was able to meet my mother. My father at that time was studying very hard to pass the professional exam in accountancy( ACCA). It was organised by an accounting body in U.K. If my father passed the exam, he would have a degree that was better than the accounting degree you get in a university. The exam was not an easy one. It was very tough according to my father . Many people had tried but failed.Some have failed so many times that they gave up in the end. Only 20% of the candidates were able to pass sooner or later. The (ACCA) consists of 18 SUBJECTS. Six to be tested in the first year and 4 subjects each for the 3 subsequent years. He had to pass all the subjects in a year in order to move on to the next year. My father passed the first yearbut failed the second year. He took the second year exam again and passed. For the third year he failed twice before he passed on the third time .For the last year, he failed twice more before he actually passed the whole exam. For the four-year-exam, he took 6 years to complete altogether. The exam was very tough.

After he got the degree, he had a much higher pay. It is because of his perseverance that we can have a better life. If not for his perseverance we would not have what we had today. ( I may not even be born come to think of it) He is living a much better life now, relaxing sometimes and still working at times. We are able to have a good life now because of the fruit of his labour.I really admire him. He now owns a small accounting practice, be his own boss.

I feel perseverance is very important in life. Without it, many things will not be completed. Let's take rich people for example. Not all of them become rich because of their rich ancestors. Most actually work hard to earn money. They put their heart and soul, sweat and blood to persevere to become what they are today. Peseverance plays an important part in getting work done. If one does not have perseverance in life, he is a failure in life. He will not have any achievements at all.The lazy streak in you will take over and destroy your life. We must persevere like my father, persevere to achieve our goal, in hope for a better life in the future.

WE MUST PERSEVERE!!!

Tick Tock Tick Tock...

This blog entry was inspired by one of my friends

Weather: Normal
Mood: Sad

Time is a wonderful yet horrible thing. I am sure you have heard of the phase, time and tide waits for no man. How I wish it was not true.

Time was something I had taken for granted for many years.Time has fly so fast that I can't adapt to the all so big changes to my life. Leaving my primary school life behind, a new chapter of my life starts to unfold.It is going to a secondary school, the part of my life that I dread the most. Before, I became a secondary student, I thought time will always be there for me, waiting patiently to be use. It soon dawned on me that it was not so. However, now time is not in my control. It continues to tick away, bit by bit, soon it will be gone. Now, it is a relentless struggle with time. I trying my best to cope with all the assignments that pour relentlessly on me, the homework that drown me and the CCA that left me lying on the floor, panting, with tiredness searing through my body. There was many tests that I had to prepare, which I feared of failing. Failing was not an option and never will be. Having to study to the wee hours of the night, Tiredness, without fail, would overwhelm me the following day. Have the teacher no mercy? I dread everyday, as I had lost hope of the teachers lightening our loads. Every single day is a race against time, which I always lose. How I wish I had more time, more time finish my work.

As I looked back on my childhood that time had cruelly taken away, I realised that my childhood was the happiest. How I wish I could turn back time and tide to the time I was in Kinder garden. How I wish I could relive the happy memories of my ever so carefree life. It is very funny, when we live in the present, we feel that time has tick so slowly, feeling that time moves so slow, but as we look back on our past, it is only then that we realised time has flew so quickly. I had never cherished time with was abundant then, it is only now, when time has passed, that I regret the days I took time for granted. As time passes, the longing for a second childhood grew within me. But, time is irreversible. I had my chance but I did not cherish it. I only have my self to blame. It is only now,too late that I realise the importance of time.

Time is not all bad. Time allows us to exist. Without it, we will be wiped off the face of the Earth. time has given us the opportunity to live our life to the fullest. I allows us to experience feelings and do things that one desired.

Time, time, time, how I wish time could be altered so I could return to my , happy and carefree life. At the present moment, It cannot be done. I will be hoping in wait of a new machine which could fulfill my long desired wishes. For now, the happy times of my childhood will remain as memories deeply etched into my mind forever.

Health beats the rest

Health is the most important. People often neglect their health. They work and work , earn and earn. I really wonder how they could live until today. Many people tend to overwork. Some may even die from it. We must always have sufficient rest. If not , we may not perform in our tasks. For example, the day before a test, we must not study late into the night. We will be so tired that we would not absorb information. On the day of the test, we will be so grouchy and tired that you could fail or even sleep in the tests even though you had done enough preparation. Not having enough rest can lead to illnesses. You will be sick and in the end no work can be done. So I feel rest is the most important.

Next, your diet should be nutritious. Do not eat too much fast food like Mac Donald's. It is high in calories and low in nutrients. Overeating of sweeties can make you overweight. It is very unhealthy to be overweight. When fats are formed on your body, you need to work doubly hard to burn them. So I suggest that we eat food they are high in carbohydrates like rice and noodles. They are easier to burn. Too much ice-cream is a big no. High in sugar food can be easily turn into fats if they are not burned. You know what I drink to keep healthy? It is herbal soup. These herbal soup are very nutritious. It helps the body in many ways. Some make you feel warm while others cure or prevent illnesses. You may think they are very bitter, actually some are not bitter at all. It is true that some are bitter but it is good for your health. My mother was right to force me to drink herbal soup since young. That is why I am healthy and not sickly like some other people. Drinking herbal soup should be a habit. At every dinner , there should be a bowl of herbal soup to drink.

Another or actually the most important is you get a lot of exercise. Exercising train your cardiac muscles and all the other muscles too. It also builds up your stamina. I highly recommend swimming and running. Swimming trains stamina and almost every muscle in your body. Running does the same too. I always go running with my sisters. My sister runs when she is free and she can complete at LEAST 10 rounds at one go. I can't accomplished that. So I must train more. I also play tennis as a CCA in school.The training is extremely tiring but it is very good. We do a lot of physical training to build stamina, push-up, sit-up, shuttle run, long distance run, skipping you name it.I recommend you get a sporting CCA as it trains you to be fit before you go for NS. Exercising also burn fats. It is a good way to slim down.

The obesity rate in Singapore is on the rise. We must watch our diets and regularly exercise. We must also watch other peoples' diet to prevent them from becoming obese. After becoming obese, it is very difficult to become fit and return to your previous size. So start caring for your health. If not.....( it will be bad)

FOBT is free for anyone above 45 years old

What is FOBT? It stands for faecal occult blood test. It tests if there is any non-visible (occult)blood in your stools. It there is blood, it is possible that you may have colorectal cancer. This disease is the number one killer in Singapore and not heart disease as most people assume. The government strongly recommend anyone who is above 45 years old to go for their annual Colorectal Cancer screening using the FOBT kits which are issued free-of-charge for those above 45 years old. Apparently, most Singaporeans are not aware of this as they do not care much for their health. They only know how to work hard and earn money, thereby neglecting their health.

I came to know about this test because my doctor-in-training sister had told us about it. It was during one of her public health screening exercises that she participated that she collected the FOBT kits for my parents to test. Thank goodness my father was cleared but not my mother' s. She had to go for colonoscopy. It is a procedure where the doctor examines the inside of your bowel using an instrument called a colonscope. During the operation, the doctor found out that there is a polyp( growth) in her large intestine. It was removed on the spot and sent for further test. Luckily it was benign and not cancerous. If such polyps are not removed, they may turn cancerous over time. By the way, my mother did her colonoscopy at NUH and the day operation cost only about $500 and can be fully paid by medisave. After this, my mother collected more free FOBT kits for my grandparents and my uncles and aunts to test.

Luckily for free FOBT kits that my mother had found out early that she had a polyp in her intestine. I greatly encourage you to tell your parents to go for this test.Adults above 45 years old are more susceptible to such risk.

The free FOBT kits are available at the Singapore Cancer Society at the following two addresses: (1)15 Enggor Street
# 04-01 to 04 Realty Centre
Singapore 079716
(2) Blk 22 Boon Keng Road
#01-11 Singapore 330022

I feel that health is the most important. Your health should be the first priority. If you are not healthy, you are not able to do anything well. Your mood will be affected and your work efficiency will be lower . We should always go for such health test to check that we are always in tip top condition . We must also encourage our loved ones to go for such tests. It is to ensure that our loved ones are healthy. Who knows, your loved ones' lives may be at risk. You may be the only one that can save their lives. So encourage others to go for health tests often especially the elderly.

Going, Going, Gone Mobile phone Vanishes

Weather: Hot like dessert
Mood:Relax

Yesterday, something serious happened in my class. A mobile was stolen. The teacher had to conduct a search of our bags and nothing was found. The back door was not locked. My classmate who lost his phone had put it on the table before he left for the morning assembly. When he got back, the phone had vanished. At first, we thought other people had come into the class and stolen the phone. However, the phone was later found on the window ledge.

The position of the lost phone showed that somebody in the class was the culprit, whether he stole it out of greed and put it back as he was afraid he would be exposed by the teacher or someone had played a prank. Both of which are bad. I wonder why the culprit had taken the phone. He should know he could get into a whole heap of trouble. Was it greed or mischievousness that made him do such a thing? I would never know as the culprit did not have the guts to admit. My teacher said that students must have the guts to admit the mistake. Admitting to your wrongdoings is true courage. Not everybody have the courage to face the music.We should always think before we act. That way, many such incidents could be avoided.

I believed that such cases occur in other schools too. Another way that these cases could be prevented is that the owner should take better care of his belongings. If the owner had carried his possessions with him, there is no way the thief could steal it, unless the thief is so skilful that he could steal from under the owner's nose. My friend was also in the wrong for leaving his mobile phone on the table. This would tempt other people to steal his phone. So my classmate is actually indirectly causing his phone to be stolen. If people take better care of their valuables, many cases of thief could be avoided too.

So to conclude, I feel that the two parties, the owner and the thief are both in the wrong. Everyone must do their part to keep their belongings safe and by doing that , we can reduce the number of thefts in Singapore.

Bullying is very bad!!!

Weather: Fine
Mood: Happy

Today, My principal has been talking about bullying in school. I am not saying that my school had many bullying cases. No, no, no, the principal just wanted to tell us more about bullying so we are more aware of this problem.

I really don't understand why people bully others. Is it for fun, bored or they love the feeling of torturing people. In my primary school, bullying was common, very common. The most common cases of bullying are teasing and taunting. Apparently, my class was very good at it. They would gang up and continuously SHOWER the victims with taunting.I feel quite sad for the victims. Being different from others would lead to being bullied. The victims told the bullies not to tease them anymore , but they would not listen.

I really wonder why people like to bully others. I have heard that people bully others because they want attention. It was found out in a research that most bullies ( physically bullying) comes from broken families. Perhaps bullying was the only thing the bullies thought they could do to get attention. They must be pretty desperate to desire attention to that extent.
Perhaps they think bullying was " cool". Teenagers nowadays want themselves to be " cool " They are willing to do silly things to be "cool"even if it requires them to emotionally disturb or physically hurt others.

Let me share with you a past incident. I was ever bullied. I remembered vividly about that incident. I was in Primary one. Everyday, I would take the school bus home. One day the biggest boy extorted $5 from me. ( It was a big sum to me then) I was so frightened that I gave him my money. (I wasn't thinking straight. That was a Primary one student's mentality) After alighting from the bus, I told my parents. My parents told the school about it and the boy was severely punished. I want to tell all the victims out there, if you are bullied, don't be as dumb as me to give in to the bully's demand. You must be brave and stand your ground, tell an adult about it , do not hesitate at all. This message is for all the bullies out there that bullying will get you in heaps of troubles, trust me. Bullying have dire consequences. Is it worth it to bully to get fun and in the end pay dearly for it? I tell you, it is definitely not.

P.s I was never a bully. I am not so foolish to downgrade myself to such a childish behaviour. I may be a bit sensitive to this topic because I was ever bullied.

Sugarcane used not to make drinks?

Weather:Cloudy
Mood:Fine

Recently my teacher was talking about Chinese traditions in class.She was talking about a whole long list about Chinese traditions practiced during Chinese New year. The tradition that captured my attention was the Hokkien people will use sugarcane to pray to the gods on the seventh day of Chinese New Year.

This was the first time I have heard that sugarcane was use to pray to gods, I thought sugarcane was supposed to make drinks. My teacher asked us to find more about a Chinese tradition that we are interested in. So I went home to do some research about that tradition. Research on this topic was a bit difficult but I managed to get some information thorough the research. It was believed that long ago. the ancestors of the Hokkien clan was chased by a band of Japanese pirates. When they ran into the sugarcane plantation, they hid between the sugarcane trees. In the end, they managed to return home unscathed. As they believe the ruler of the heaven, the Jade Emperor, had saved them. To expressed their gratitude, they used the sugarcane to thank the Jade Emperor who they believed was the ruler of heaven.

While doing my research, I found out that in ancient China, their were many clans,such as the Hokkien clan, the Hakka clan,the Cantonese clan and many others clans which I could not remember their names.( I am from the Hokkien clan)That is why we speak so many different dialects in Singapore. From this research, I realise I have taken an interest in history, whether it is China's history or not. Recently, I have started to watch the history channel. I am starting to appreciate history too.

According to my parents, people of this generation do not know much of ours roots from China. We know little about our ancestors , the traditions they practiced and the reasons behind them.I feel sad that we do not treasure these traditions. These traditions must have some meaning or purpose so it is practiced until today. But because of westernisation, all these traditions will be lost. Furthermore, the people of this generation made not even know how to speak their dialect( like me). My sister is trying desperately to learn hokkien to communicate with the older generation. It is disheartening to see that one day all these dialects and traditions will be lost forever. That is why I will try my best to learn hokkien and I hope everyone would do the same so that these traditions and dialects would be passed on to the next generation.

Letter to scientists, Flowers of Algernon

This is an assignment.

Dear Dr Strauss and Dr Nemur,

I am Charlie Gordon, age 37. I have heard and considered your decision to take the operation to artificially increase my intelligence. I have pondered on this many times but I still decide to take the operation. I have asked some of my friends for their opinions. They dissuaded me to go for the operation. I do not understand why they said I will not get happiness when I am smart. Being smart can make you very lonely. They said when you become too smart people start to avoid you .All my life I thought being smart will make you have more friends, being smart make you fit in. With more friends, why will I not be happy? I really do not understand why intelligence is not equal to happiness.

I have asked Miss Kinnian for advice. She did not help me much. She said I have accomplished so much with so little, she said it is unfair that I am not so smart like other people. I deserve the operation the most. But soon after, she said the operation can have dire consequences. I may not be permanently smart. She said it was my choice.

Recently, I went to a church. The priest there said that all man are born equally in the eyes of god. So why am I different? Why am I dumb and not smart? This operation is my only chance to become smart. I want to become smart like almost everyone else. I do not care if the operation is a painful one. I will do whatever it takes to be smart. I really want to be smart, to fit in.

I feel it is unfair that some people like me are not as smart as other people. Everyone should be the same. After undergoing the operation, I want to use my intelligence to perfect the operation that artificially increases human intelligence so as to help other people to become smarter. I want to use my intelligence to do some good to the world, for mankind. Then,. Everyone will be equally smart. The world will be a nicer place.

I know this operation may be risky. I may not be permanently smart. In the worse scenario, it could even threaten my life but I want to help other people like me to fit in. I really want to be smart. I will do my very best to help and contribute to the people like me and the people of the world. So my decision will stand .I will take the operation .I grateful and honored to be given a chance to be the first human being to undergo an operation that artificially increases human intelligence . I am sure you will not regret your decision.

Yours Sincerely,
Charlie Gordon

Little Ironies, The Taximan Story( Discussions)

I have recently read The Taximan Story in the book Little Ironies.Here are my comments to the discussion .

What is the irony in the story?

The taximan in the story has been complaining about many young girls nowadays turning to prostitution. Almost the the whole story was about him expressing his utmost displeasure about these girls. When his daughter turn to prostitution, he was so furious and he beat her up so badly . This is evident that the taximan despises and hates these prostitutes.However, at the end of the day, the taximan is eager and like to earn money from these prostitutes whom he despises greatly. This taximan hates these prostitutes for their shameful behaviour but yet like them because he earn much of his income from them. I feel this is the irony of the story.

What are the themes raised in the story?

I feel that there are two themes raised in the story. One of them is family issues while the other is teenagers nowadays lack moral values. One of the family issues is that some parents focus more on work than their children. Being neglected, these teenagers feel lonely. They will hang out with their friends after school. Some of these friends are actually prostitutes and will influence these teenagers to turn to prostitution. Without proper guidance from their parents, they will be led astray. The teenagers' parent indirectly cause their children to turn bad. The other issue is that the family cannot afford to buy branded goods for their children. Most teenagers nowadays wear expensive branded clothes. Without money to spend, some teenagers will have to find alternatives to earn money. Some of them will turn to prostitution as it is easy money to earn.They do not care for moral values as their parents have no time to inculcate morals values in them.Why do they want to wear branded clothes? To put it simply, they want to fit in. A Quote from the book Flowers of Algernon,"Even a feeble-minded man wants to be like other man" Man have the need to fit into the society.

How realistic is this story?

I feel this story is very realistic. It is a common sight to see young girls dressed up to the nine along Orchard road. I do not believe that all of them are rich enough to dress to that extent. Some are prostitutes so they can earn such amount of money to dress up.Some even dress very scantily to attract customers along some roads. It is evident that many of these girls are prostitutes to earn money.

What do you think of the taximan? Do you feel sympathy for him?

I feel he is a responsible father. As a taxi driver, his income is not high, but he is able to raise eight children. This is not an easy task. This shows he is a hardworking and responsible father.However, he has only filled the material needs of his children. The children need their father to care and love for them,to feel the warmth of their family. He should not substitute love for money. By choosing to earn more money, he has neglected his children and therefore one of his daughters was led astray and turned to prostitution.

I feel sympathy for him. I know he has tried his best to be a good father. He has worked hard all day to earn and save money to send his daughter to a University.However, his beloved daughter had turned to prostitution. I am sure he is very heartbroken and furious.He has the right to be! But the way the punishment he meted out is wrong. I sympathise with him as he does not know that it is not right to use physical force to punish his children. This will not only hurt the children physically but also emotionally. It will also ruin the father- and- child relationship. This may have dire consequences too. The child may become more rebellious than before and not repent. The way he beats his children to teach them a lesson in the past could have forced his beloved daughter to turn to prostitution to oppose him. To teach his children to repent, he should talk to them patiently, advising them to change.If the child still refuses to repent after he has tried to talk to him or her, he should then seek professional help.

Do you agree with his lamenting?

No, I do not agree with his lamenting. Since he laments so much, he should do some thing to solve the problem. Sitting in his taxi complaining to his customers about these prostitutes all day will not get the problem solve. As he loves complaining, he should complain to the Social Welfare Department of Singapore, at least this will do some good. The department will look into the matter and the necessary actions will be taken. Not only does he make Singapore a healthier society, but also reducing the chance of his own daughter becoming a prostitute.

What about the other characters in the story? Do you feel sympathy for them?

I really sympathise with Lay Choo, the daughter of the taximan. From the way he punishes his children, I deduced that the taximan is very strict with his children. I am sure his children will live in fear, afraid that they would be scolded by their father if they did something wrong. I guess that Lay Choo and her siblings would have very little freedom too.

With little freedom, children tend to oppose their parents, therefore causing Lay Choo to lie in order to hang out with her friends. As she spends more time out with her friends than at home, It is more likely that she had mixed with bad company and thus being led astray. I really pity her. If her father was more caring and loving, she would not have been indirectly forced into a corner by her father and degraded herself to become a prostitute.