Project Finals Results

Alas! The much-anticipated results are finally out! I must say I am very satisfied and happy with my results. I obtained an A with a score of 10/15. It feels extremely good to know that all your hard work has finally paid off. It is also a comfort to know that I have already successfully gotten an A1 for my "Independent Studies" (IS) even before adding in any ACE points to be keyed in for IDS next week. The many hours invested in my project has finally reaped huge rewards.

Of course this would not have been possible without my mentor, Mr. Tan Kai Yuan. Though he is young, he has proved himself to be one of the best mentors and teachers in his field. He is self-sacrificial and spent precious time with my group. There was once we rehearsed our project presentation till 9:30p.m. in school. However, he did not mind at all. He only wanted the best for his students and mentees. The next day, we continued rehearsing at 7a.m. He is also very hardworking. I remember smsing him once at slightly past 2a.m. and he replied me within the next minute. I am sure there are teachers who stay up this late too. These teachers all deserve our admiration and heartfelt thanks!

Mr. Tan is a teacher that I will always have fond memories of. I will always remember the lunch and meals we had together, the trip to Starbucks we made after school as well as the many meals we skipped just to do our project. I have had the pleasure of working with him for the past 2 years for my projects. However, I plan to take a break from Category 1 next year. Firstly, Category 1 is really too exhausting for me. Next year is a very busy and challenging year. I don't think I can put in as much time as I did this year. Secondly, I think I should try my hands on other categories.

In conclusion, this year's project had been a really fruitful one. I have enjoyed everything about it. Thank you Mr. Tan!

End of All Tests and YOG Track Finals on Saturday

Today marked the end of all my tests. For the past 2-3 weeks I have been studying really very hard. I hope I can do well for all my tests. However, as usual, I think I won't do too well for my humanities. I am getting a little nervous as I am getting my Biology test paper back tomorrow. According to my Biology teacher Mr. Tan Kai Yuan, we did not do very well. I hope that I can get at least a B3 but that seems a little impossible as the average in Aphelion is C5. Anyway, wish me luck!

On a brighter note, I am going to watch the YOG track and field finals on Saturday at Bishan stadium. Thank GOD I live near there and not somewhere too far in the East or West. Actually Bishan is only 2 MRT stops from my home in Yio Chu Kang. I am sure it is going to be an exciting and fun-filled day. I would really like to thank the school for buying me this ticket. I am sure the experience gained will prove to be useful in my future competitions.

Project Finals

Project Finals will be held this Friday. Honestly, I am quite nervous. I have worked so hard for this project making many sacrifices. I hope all my efforts will pay off. I will forever remember the many afternoons in the biology labs, the endless research we had to do till late in the night, the script that we wrote only on the morning of the Semi-Finals at 3a.m. and last but not least, the satisfied faces of my group mates when we successfully collected our experiment results.

I must say I have really learnt a lot of things from my project. It is not just the scientific knowledge I have acquired but the values. Yes, the values. Values of what you may ask. It is the values of teamwork, understanding and trust that I have learnt.

I feel that I need to learn to be less demanding. Being the leader of the group, I expect a lot from my group mates. I expect work to be of the highest quality and to be on time. I am trying my best to learn. Maybe I should not be a group leader next year. That way I will be able to understand how it feels like to be under someone else.

I got to go study my Geography. I promise to post something soon. Wish me luck for my project finals!

My Project Update

Well, today I went to the biology labs to check out on my plants and guess what, my plants have grown quite nicely! I bet you must be thinking what is the big deal about my plants but let me tell you something. My plants are grown in MS medium contained in an agar plate. My plants seem quite tall and healthy, all ready for harvesting. I will then conduct some tests on them to determine the difference in Vitamin C and chlorophyll content. So far, I have successfully proved that plants inoculated with plant-beneficial fungi lead to augmented Vitamin C production. However, I have yet to do the same for chlorophyll. Doing so will definitely benefit people in the world with a lack of both Vitamin C and chlorophyll in their diet, both which are essential in our diet.

Here are some pictures of my plants

Sichuan Hosting

On Thursday, a group of 10-12 year old Sichuan students came to our school. We brought them to the heritage centre before taking them around the school.

On Friday, we met up with them again before they joined us for lessons. Luckily, two of our lessons were in Chinese, so they could understand what the teacher was saying. They were very friendly and approachable. Though they were a little shy at first, they soon opened up to us. During recess and lunch, we took them down to the canteen for their meals. My buddy ate hainanese chicken rice for recess and beef steak for lunch.

After lunch, we brought them to take a look at our EP3s. I will see them on Monday again. I guess I will miss my buddy a bit. Maybe I should get her a gift. What do you think?

My first day of Term 3

The "long" holidays which did not seem really like a holiday (since I was going back to school almost every alternate day) has finally ended. The first day of Term 3 was both a mixture of joy and despair for me.

In the morning, I dragged my tired body up the stairs to my classroom where I met some of my classmates. We were delighted at being finally able to see each other after about one month. We had a great time telling each other about our experiences during the holidays. The lucky and rich ones went for holidays while poor old me had to stay in Singapore. I am not complaining. I love Singapore and I am very happy to be here during the June holidays instead of being overseas.

The day started off with Malay. However, the lesson seemed to pass quite quickly as it was relatively fun. We had recess before proceeding to the science lab for our first Biology lesson. Our teacher was Mr. Tan Kai Yuan. To many people in the class, he is a "stranger teacher". However to a small minority of us, he is a familiar face. He is my mentor! He was my mentor last year and I realised that he is quite a fun to be with teacher. He is young and so we can communicate easily with him. He uses some slang and teenage lingo so treat him just like our friend but with the expected respect. Back to the lesson, he gave us a brief introduction of himself. We were amazed at his brilliant powerpoint skills. We have never seen a powerpoint so well done before. As we proceeded on to do the practicals, I accidentally broke a beaker. $4 flew out of my pocket. There goes my "mee pok" for lunch. This is the first unlucky thing that happened.

After Biology, we had two free periods as our Maths teacher Miss. Tong was not able to teach us. We took the time to finish the Biology homework that Mr. Tan had given us to do which had to be handed up to him at the end of the day.

The last two periods were Language Arts. It has been a long time since we have seen Miss. Low and I swear she looks younger! (Ok I am half joking with the intention of getting more ACE points, but seriously Miss. Low looks younger with a full month's rest and free of stress. That is the truth by the way :) ). We went through some poetry and prose before we ended lessons.

I went for a quick bite in the canteen (remember I lost $4 earlier in the morning?). I then went to the staff room to submit my Geography Ace to Miss. Yap, before rushing to the Biology labs in the SRC by 2p.m. to meet my mentor before conducting experiments until six plus.

My experiment is very tedious. I have to count more than 80 seeds which are the size of a full stop! I am not exaggerating. They are seeds of the Arabdopsis thaliana plants. In the process of the experiment I burnt my finger with fire. This is the second unlucky thing that happened to me.

I guess today was not really so enjoyable after all.

Rainbow Death

America did not foresee
Green, pink, purple and other colors death potpourri!
Expecting others to pay a high price.
Now thinking twice?
Toll on the innocent and unborn.

Omnipotent and disregarding who will mourn.
Reflective about all the illness, birth defects and prematurely dead.
All the deceit continues to spread.
Nefariously America led astray -
Generations untold WILL pay -
Execrable effects of agent orange spray!

Poem Task 2 Part 2

POV:

This small poem speaks of a modern day ingredient of warfare that has caused appalling death and suffering – not only to its intended victims, the Vietnamese people, but also the service personnel that used or even just came into contact with “Agent Orange”.

Wikipedia reports, “Agent Orange is the code name for a herbicide and defoliant—contaminated with TCDD—used by the U.S. military in its Herbicidal Warfare program during the Vietnam War.

According to Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 4.8 million Vietnamese people were exposed to Agent Orange, resulting in 400,000 deaths and disabilities, and 500,000 children born with birth defects.

From 1962 to 1971, Agent Orange was by far the most widely used of the so-called "Rainbow Herbicides" employed in the herbicidal warfare program. During the production of Agent Orange (as well as Agents Purple, Pink, and Green) dioxins were produced as a contaminant, which have caused numerous health problems for the millions of people who have been exposed. Agents Blue and White were part of the same program but did not contain dioxins.” To read more in Wikipedia go tohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agent_Orange

This poem may remind us that wars aren’t over when the wars are over.

"Rumors persist of still another more toxic color coded herbicide at the end of this deadly rainbow!

I am a Vietnam War veteran (as are my four brothers) who served in the USAF Security Service. I, along with a dozen or so intelligence school grads, prepped for about 14 months at Kelly AFB in San Antonio, Texas, before anticipating being sent to Vietnam or elsewhere in southeat Asia in 1970. About half ended up in Da Nang (an Agent Orange hotspot) in the 6924th Security Squadron. The rest of us were assigned to Shemya Island, Alaska, with the 6984th Security Squadron, and what eventually was a MORE contaminated environment than Da Nang!
My health problems started approximately 15 years ago with unexplained headaches and limb pains. Four years ago my central nervous system radically deteriorated with Parkinsonian type tremors, severe headaches, progressive limb pains, etc. No physician has ever diagnosed the specific illness. NO VA physician has ever rendered ANY medical assistance! My number one educated guess is the heavily contaminated drinking water at Shemya during my year there as an intelligence analyst. Organo-phosphate toxins may not run their toxic course until 20 to 30 years after initial exposure.

Since my brain still functions moderately well (and I have mobility issues), I have turned to writing just like my late Father and the late singer (and writer) Johnny Cash." ~ Hubert Wilson

Source: http://www.warpoetry.co.uk/2010warpoetry.html

Situation and Setting:

The setting is Shemya island, Vietnam. The areas and resources were contaminated and poisoned. Water was especially targeted. This wan meant to poison anyone who drank the water which in this case were the USAF security service soldiers. The soldiers who went there suffered many health problems in their life, many years after the war.

Language/Diction:

There is an oxymoron in the title "Rainbow Death". A rainbow is bright and colourful while death is dark and gloomy. The poem does not follow any particular rhyme scheme. There is a very queer word "potpourri". Potpourri is a mixture of dried, naturally fragrant plant material, used to provide a gentle natural scent in houses.

Personal Response:

This poem seemed strange to me at first, until I saw the last line that finally mentioned about Agent Orange. I have read about this Agent Orange before but that remained at the back of my head until I came across this poem that reawakened the spirit of the Agent Orange in me. I pitied the people who have and are suffering from the after effects of this deadly chemical. This poem also made me feel for the people that have gone through the tough trial oof warfare, where the war is not over when it stops and are still fighting battles of their own either physically or mentally. War has horrible repercussions that are unimaginable if started. Hence, I have understood and received the message that the poet was trying to convey and I hope that one day, war will be a distant thing of the past.

Children in the Darkness

There are children in the darkness
Who have not seen the light
There are children in the darkness
Who someone will teach to fight

Chalk and blackboards will not be
To this door there is no key
From this life they can not flee
And these children are not free

Could we simply light a candle
Could we give them half a chance
Could we teach them how to read
Could we teach them how to dance

Or will a war consume them
Their body and their soul
Will their life and blood be poured
Down some endless thirsty hole

Back into the darkness
From which there is no flight
Back into the darkness
Into which there shines no light

Henry M Bechtold

Poem Task 2 Part 1

POV:

The point of view is that of an adult who is mature enough to understands the plight of the children in Vietnam and the horrors of war.

He wants to free the children from all the suffering they are going through. This could be seen from stanza 4, which describes the horrors of war. The repeated use of 'could we' in stanza 3 seems to be suggest that it is a must for us to help these children.

Situation and Setting:

The setting is in Vietnam. Children are taught how to fight and then sent to war and usually to their deaths. Stanza 1 line 4 - 'who someone will teach to fight' tells us that the children were given training. It could be inferred from Stanza 2 ' there is no key' and 'are not free' that the children were unable to escape the horrors of war and that they would never be free from this abuse. 'their life and blood be poured down some endless thirsty hole' shows that the number of children dying would increase infinitely.

Language/Diction:

The rhyme scheme follows the ABAB style.

This is evident from:

Stanza 1: darkness, light, darkness, fight
Stanza 2: be, key, flee, free
Stanza 3: candle, chance, read, dance
Stanza 4: them, soul, poured, hole
Stanza 5: darkness, flight, darkness, light

Personal Response:

After reading this poem, I have learnt to pity the children in Vietnam and realise how lucky I am in Singapore where there are no war. I also learnt that children should never be dragged into war. In the first place, there should never be war.

Poem Task 1

Children in the Darkness

The poet was in Vietnam from 1967 - 68 and again in 1969. He was sitting in his hotel room in Saigon just before Christmas 2009 and he was trying to write a poem about the girls who worked in the park and how badly men treated them. He was angry and as such was unable to write anything. Then, he looked at the TV and the news was on. According to him, he did not understand what the news reader was saying but he said in the background was a photo of a small boy with a helmet and an automatic rifle. All of a sudden the words just came to him and he typed as fast as he could to get it all down as the poem flowed out

Projects Work

I love Science. That is why last year and this year I have chosen to do Category 1 Projects. This year I am investigating the plant-fungal symbiotic relationship through the production of Ascorbic Acid in Arabidopsis thaliana.

My team consists of Wee Yong, We Boon and Yi Fan. I am the leader. Honestly, we are quite laid back but we always make sure that our research is done on time.

Based on last year's experience, experiments take up a huge portion of our holidays. When our set ups get contaminated by bacteria, we have to redo the whole experiment. Also, we need to go back every two days to record data.

Our mentor is non other then the wonderful Mr. Tan Kai Yuan Zachary. He is very knowledgeable. He was our mentor last year. As such, we knew him better than most other students did. However this "special" relationship did not really put us at an advantage as compared to other students. This is because he treated everyone equally at the start of the year. When we approached him to be our mentor, he made it clear that he would not agree until we gave him a "solid" proposal. Thrice we failed. However, our team persevered nonetheless and we eventually managed to win him over :)

As quoted by Michael Jordan:

I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed...

ACE Work

Now that the tests are all over, I have been doing a lot of ACE projects. This term I have chosen English, Chinese, Maths and Integrated Humanities.

For English, I have done a few article explorers, two short stories and a movie review on "Dear John".

For Chinese, it is nothing but newspaper article reflection after newspaper article reflection. This gets kind of boring at times. I think the while point of ACE is that we should be allowed to do research in things that we enjoy and expand our knowledge at the same time instead of just doing ACE just for the sake of doing. For Chinese, our teacher only restricts us to just newspaper article reflections!

Maths is more interesting. We can do virtually on anything we like except that it has obviously got something to do with Maths! We are set tasks to find out more about certain topics. Plus I am a Math guy so Maths ACE is an enjoyment. However, Ms Low please don't get the wrong idea... I really enjoyed doing the movie review for "Dear John" too!

Integrated Humanities is kind of fun but at the same time not exactly very enjoyable. That is because I do not really like the Humanities. Ok I know you are staring at me again. But honestly, I like literature though at times it gets hard to understand the text. If only literature could be enjoyed without it affecting my marks.

ACE last year was so much of an enjoyment. Now it is just a chore... ok maybe not so bad but close to a chore.

Track and Field Finals

I am sctually typing this in the computer lab now. I feel so disappointed that I got 7th for my 400m Hurdles. I was first for the first 300m and for the last 100m I just could not find any energy to carry on at the same pace. Anyway tomorrow is the 51st Track and Field Finals. The C Boys should have no problem achieving the title for 10thconsecutive years tomorrow as long as we do not screw up. The B Boys are going to face a big challenge from SJI tomorrow. They need to win the title as this year will be their 20th consecutive year they will win it. I do hope that our B Boys can defend the title tomorrow.

I will be running the 4x100m relay tomorrow and I will be running the first leg of this race. If all goes smoothly, we will be the champions for the 10th consecutive year. Do wish me luck!

New Personal Best for 300m

Yesterday I took a 300m timing as instructed by my coach. A track is 400m long. I ran 2 straight routes and a curve route which totaled up to a distance of 300m (3 quarters of a track). As my nationals event is nearing, he wanted me to really do my best. My previous best timing was 43.2 seconds which is not exactly very fantastic. I badly wanted an improvement too, so I channelled whatever energy I had in my body to my run.

As usual, I would run my first 100m (straight route) at a fast pace and the second 100m (curve route) at a slightly slower pace before sprinting the final 100m (straight route). However, this time I decided to do it a little differently. I ran my first 100m at a slightly faster pace than usual, followed by the second 100m at a slightly faster pace than usual also before finishing off with a 100m sprint at the end.

My timing: 41.7 seconds

Many people do not know the pain of running distances above 200m. Usually when u sprint distances above 200m lactic acid starts to build up in your body which is extremely painful. You will start to go numb in your hands and arms and sometimes even your feet! 300m is a 200m sprinting race and a 100m mental perseverance. one must have good mental perseverance in order to finish the run in a good timing.

I am proud of myself and I hope to improve in the future. Also I hope to be able to help Hwa Chong Institution earn some points in my nationals. I am running the 400m hurdles, 4x100m relay and the 4x400m relay. Wish me luck!

Invitational Relay at ACS Independent

Today, our C-Division and B-Division boys went to ACS Independent for an invitational relay. Among those invited were Raffles' C-Division and B-Division boys as well as Catholic Junior College. As I had a very tough training yesterday and so did the rest of my team, we did not feel that we could give our 100% during the race.

During the SPH relays, one of the biggest relay competition in Singapore other than the Nationals, we were in the same heat as the Raffles C-Division boys. We lost by just a few inches as we screwed up our passing between our third and fourth runner. Anyway Raffles was disqualified during the SPH Relays as they had passed the baton outside the exchange zone. In the end my team got fourth, just a fraction of a second away from the top three.

So back to the ACS Independent Invitational Relay, we lost to Raffles' C-Division boys and this time it was by a huge margin. With the Nationals round the corner. We are not very confident that we, the C-Division boys are able to retain the champion title. We have done so for 9 years. If we fail this year, it will stop at the ninth year. I really do hope that we can continue this legacy and not let our seniors' efforts go to waste.

想当年 - The Good Old Days

As I take dinner at the dining table on a cold and rainy evening, drinking a bowl of delicious hot soup, I can't help but remember the good old days in primary school. I would remember during recess time, if it was raining, my friends and I would head down to the canteen together. We would buy a bowl of delicious piping hot soup with lots of meatballs, fishballs, crabsticks and dumplings. We would sit down together at our favourite spot and chat till our recess ended. This was the stress-free life I had in primary school.

Now, after more than one year later, I still miss my primary school a lot. I would remember the many happy moments the boys would play soccer together during recess. The many times we played catching with the track and field team. The boring mornings doing prefect duties. The uncountable number of times I got into trouble. The many ups and downs my friends and I experienced together. All these beautiful memories are nothing but the past now...

Now as a secondary two student in Hwa Chong Institution, I would dare say that life is a lot more stress than when I was in primary six before taking my PSLE. Life in Hwa Chong is basically one which needs you to manage your time well. I often find myself chasing deadlines after deadlines. There is always a never ending list of things I have to do.

However, one thing I like about Hwa Chong is that there is never a dull day. Life in Hwa Chong is full of exciting events and talks, lectures, lessons and activities. My parents said that I should learn to enjoy my secondary school life more as that is the point of time in your life where you meet your true friends and have the real time of your life. What do you think? Do you think this statement is true?

E-Learning Homework

Intrapersonal [pick one]:
a. Who would you want to be friends with in the novel? Explain.
b. Which character would you like to play in the movie version of the novel? Explain.
c. Write a diary entry for a major character of the novel.

I would like to play the role of Atticus Finch in the novel. He is full of wisdom and righteousness. His character is nearly the complete opposite of the general population of the town. He is a man without prejudice and racial hatred and is a good-hearted man of strong morals. He brings up his children the way he deems is right. Atticus sees past a man's colour and looks into the depth of his character. He has courage that not many people have. He knew that he was licked before Tom Robinson’s trial started and yet he still fought hard for him and saw it through the end. He was very optimistic. He knew that it would very rare for him to win the case but he believed that as long as he gave Tom the best defence he possibly could, that would be enough. He is also consistent. He is the same in his house as he is on the public streets. This is what gained Miss. Maudie’s admiration. Atticus is a man filled with lots of excellent qualities. He functions as the novel’s moral background. If given a choice, who wouldn’t want to be him?

MI Test Result

I feel that the test is quite accurate as the results are more or less the same as last year’s. Logical and Intrapersonal have the two highest scores. Knowing your strengths and weaknesses can help you a lot during your learning journey. We can improve on our strengths and tackle the problems of our weaknesses. This will let us to be able to excel more in areas that we are not so good at, thus helping us to become well-rounded students. With this information we can change our learning styles and patterns to help us get the best results.

Tests Are Over!

As of yesterday, I have finished all my tests already. Yesterday's paper was Maths and History. I was a little disappointed as I did not manage to finish my Maths paper losing 8 precious marks. History was quite tough too. Anyway I am glad that it is all over and I am looking forward to the sabbatical week. I am in fencing and I heard that it is going to be quite fun. I am definitely looking forward to it.

My 14th Birthday

1 year ago, I had just turned 13.
1 year ago, was the first day of Chinese New Year.
1 year ago, I was just new to HCI.
1 year ago...

What An Eventful Day

Well today was quite special in a sense that I was both happy, disappointed, surprised and a mixture of many other feelings. So I shall tell you what happened today.

This morning I went to church with my family as usual on every Sunday. Then we went to Bras Basah to send my sister for he Mathematics tuition. My parents, my other sister and I then went to a famous chicken rice stall for lunch. Before long it was time to fetch my sister from the tuition centre.

As we were taking the lift up to level four, my mother decided to sign me up for Mathematics tuition too. I protested violently but to no avail. I was quite disappointed as I do not like the idea of tuition and more homework. As we were making our way to my sister's classroom, we decided to take a peek at the Secondary 2 Mathematics class that my mother had planned to sign me up for.

To our surprise, the teacher was actually my father's ex-lecturer in Hwa Chong Junior College way back in the 1980s. My father was very surprised! As the Secondary 2 class had just ended, my father and his ex-lecturer had a long chat. My father told me that he was a very good teacher and urged me to join his class. Anyway what say did I have to stop my parents from signing me up for tuition? However, according to my father, his ex-lecturer was excellent with Mathematics. He even has a doctorate in Mathematics!

Well... maybe it is not such a bad idea to join his tuition class after all.

Hello everyone, I am Sean Lim. I am in the school’s Track and Field team. I love running and my main event is the 400m hurdles.

I have 2 sisters. In my free time, I like to play with my sisters and watch videos showing my favourite sprinter of all time, Tyson Gay. He is a very humble and inspirational man and that is what I like about him. You can check out some of his videos by clicking the links below.

Now, I shall tell you more about the subjects which I like and dislike. I like Mathematics a lot. I find it a thrill to solve difficult sums. The sense of achievement you receive cannot be described by words. I do not like History as there is a lot of memorising work to do. Sometimes, I may forget some facts and this will result in me doing badly for my History paper.

This year, I hope to do better in my History and Geography as these two subjects always pull my MSG grade down. I also want to improve in my Mathematics, Sciences, Language Arts and Chinese. I have introduced myself. Will you do the same to? Please leave you blog’s link when you comment so that I can check out your blog and get to know you better.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Y4ftPU6-U8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4U3x4Ohl8lw