I remember when I was in Australia for a holiday, I asked a shopkeeper, "You sell what ah?", to which he responded, "What?" I had forgotten that I was no longer in Singapore, and that I had inadvertently talked to him in Singlish, which is essentially broken English. Seeing my mistake, I rephrased the question to "What do you sell here?", and he immediately understood my question.
As we can see from the above anecdote, speaking proper English allows for greater understanding among people, especially among different countries whose people do not share the same native language. The fact that there are over a billion people in over a hundred countries [1] who can speak English shows how widespread the language is. Thus, good English can act as a bridge between people of different cultures and backgrounds, as there is a common ground to speak on.
If we are unable to speak proper English, it would be hard for us to communicate outside of Singapore, and this can be seen from the news article, where two Chinese nationals found that they were unable to practice English with their colleagues due to their poor English. If we only keep to our different forms and dialects of English, there would be a case where Londoners would be as confused with our Singlish as we would be with their Cockney. As such, speaking good English is instrumental for the mutual understanding of people.
Furthermore, using good English not only promotes understanding, it also gives clear meaning to whatever someone wants to say. For example, there is a sign in a park in Japan which says, "It's proharted open eny drum shop in the park, with out parmation of authority" [2]. Aside from the horrible spelling, it should be quite easy to understand, with its meaning of disallowing shops which sell drums. However, translating the Japanese version of the above instruction gives a meaning closer to "Soliciting is prohibited without express permission". This vaguely phrased English could lead to misunderstandings, most likely among tourists or other people who do not know Japanese. From this, we can see that if a proper English translation was used, the clarity of the instruction would be greatly improved, and its ambiguity would be removed. This is thus another main reason for using good English.
However, there are people who think that getting the gist of any message is the most important thing, and it does not matter whether the English used is grammatically correct. Furthermore, even highly educated ministers can slip up and use broken English, with a case in point being Mr Lim Swee Say, who in a speech about the CPF (Central Provident Fund) used a number of "lahs", "ahs", and "yahs" [3], with these expressions being characteristic of Singlish. This shows that this form of broken English is deeply rooted into our culture, and it is pointless to try and speak good English, since old habits do die hard and people in Singapore already understand each other with Singlish. Despite this, understanding between the same nationality or race is simply not enough in this globalised and internationalised world.
Since my somewhat embarrassing mistake in Australia, I now use different forms of English depending on the situation. When talking with friends, using Singlish is fine as we understand each other, but I have learnt to be able to code switch and use proper English when the need arises, such as in formal situations. This way, as many people as possible will be able to understand me.
(589 words)
Sources:
[1]http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=English_language&oldid=310149322
[2]http://www.engrish.com//wp-content/uploads/2008/07/araha-park1.jpg
[3]http://wayangparty.wordpress.com/2008/10/14/how-the-world-and-singapore-leaders-respond-to-the-global-financial-crisis/
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Friday, May 15, 2009
An ERP assessment thing!
Q5b)
"What are you playing? Let me try too."
Usually, I would have heard much nagging coming from my mother when she saw me playing anything looking remotely like a computer game, about how much time I waste on them. However, that day seemed to be an exception, maybe because she had nothing to do and had taken an interest in the game on the screen. I felt relieved that my ears would not start hurting, and rejoiced as my mother decided that playing computer games was not always bad.
I then started a new game for my mother to play. She had an excited look on her face as she took over my seat, like one of myself when I was playing a game. As she read the introduction to the game, she asked me, "How could taht nation havev fallen to the enemy when it was so strong?" Being a veteran of the game, I explained that some points in the plot would be explained later in the game and not in the introduction.
As I taught her the basics and controls of the gameplay, a barrage of questions came from her, typical of a newcomer to such games. It seemed as though we were not mother and son, but two friends chatting to each other. This was also a rare time that put me in a superior position over my mother, and it boosted my ego somewhat as I taught her how to play the game.
Being thirsty after much talking to my mother, I went to get a drink, but shortly after I had gone, I heard her shout, "Oh no, my character is dying! Quickly, help me!" I rushed back, bringing a glass of water along. Using my relexes, I quickly used the potions in her inventory to replenish the health of the character, and hastily escaped from the enemy. I explained to my mother that she was fighting a powerful enemy, saying, "Your level was too low, and your strategy was ineffective." I showed her the proper strategy to implement, and she succeeded the second time round.
As my mother progressed further into the game, I had to speedily correct many mistakes that she made, to prevent a "game-over" screen. My mother was also more receptive to my suggestions and criticisms than usual, which surprised me. Finally, when she stopped playing and I started on my homework on the computer, my mother reminded, "I still do not totally approve of computer games, so refrain from playing too much." However, judging from her tone and eyes, I knew that she was craving for more of the game.
After this incident, I have realised that although parents act serious and put on an authoritative air, they are still children at heart, and are like that to set an example to their children and other people. Furthermore, such gaming sessions continued with my mother, as I found out a new side of her.
(495 words)
"What are you playing? Let me try too."
Usually, I would have heard much nagging coming from my mother when she saw me playing anything looking remotely like a computer game, about how much time I waste on them. However, that day seemed to be an exception, maybe because she had nothing to do and had taken an interest in the game on the screen. I felt relieved that my ears would not start hurting, and rejoiced as my mother decided that playing computer games was not always bad.
I then started a new game for my mother to play. She had an excited look on her face as she took over my seat, like one of myself when I was playing a game. As she read the introduction to the game, she asked me, "How could taht nation havev fallen to the enemy when it was so strong?" Being a veteran of the game, I explained that some points in the plot would be explained later in the game and not in the introduction.
As I taught her the basics and controls of the gameplay, a barrage of questions came from her, typical of a newcomer to such games. It seemed as though we were not mother and son, but two friends chatting to each other. This was also a rare time that put me in a superior position over my mother, and it boosted my ego somewhat as I taught her how to play the game.
Being thirsty after much talking to my mother, I went to get a drink, but shortly after I had gone, I heard her shout, "Oh no, my character is dying! Quickly, help me!" I rushed back, bringing a glass of water along. Using my relexes, I quickly used the potions in her inventory to replenish the health of the character, and hastily escaped from the enemy. I explained to my mother that she was fighting a powerful enemy, saying, "Your level was too low, and your strategy was ineffective." I showed her the proper strategy to implement, and she succeeded the second time round.
As my mother progressed further into the game, I had to speedily correct many mistakes that she made, to prevent a "game-over" screen. My mother was also more receptive to my suggestions and criticisms than usual, which surprised me. Finally, when she stopped playing and I started on my homework on the computer, my mother reminded, "I still do not totally approve of computer games, so refrain from playing too much." However, judging from her tone and eyes, I knew that she was craving for more of the game.
After this incident, I have realised that although parents act serious and put on an authoritative air, they are still children at heart, and are like that to set an example to their children and other people. Furthermore, such gaming sessions continued with my mother, as I found out a new side of her.
(495 words)
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Why are we good?
I feel that there are three main reasons why humans are willing to do good to others. They are as follows:
Altruism
A mother would protect her child in exchange for her life. This fact is believed by most people, but thinking about it, this seriously contradicts Darwin's theory of evolution of the survival of the fittest. Why is this so? I feel that this is because among someone's blood relatives, especially among his immediate family, there is this bond that brings them together, because they share a common ancestor, like a grandfather. They can be considered under the same 'group', and since they share similarities, they would want to protect their own kind, and thus this selflessness comes into play, where someone would sacrifice anything to do something good for another one who is his blood relative.
Reciprocity
Whenever someone does something good to someone else, that person would have a sense of gratitude towards his benefactor, and thus would want to repay him for the good deed. This follows the principle of 'you sratch my back, I sratch yours'.
Personal benefit
Many people aim to get the best for themselves, and would do anything to get that, including being good to other people. For example, offering someone a bribe could be considered as doing something good to him, where the aim of the bribe is to get that person to give something back, for personal benefit. In a world where the fittest survive, such tactics have to be employed when dealing with other people, and in other words, we do good to other people to be good to ourselves.
Altruism
A mother would protect her child in exchange for her life. This fact is believed by most people, but thinking about it, this seriously contradicts Darwin's theory of evolution of the survival of the fittest. Why is this so? I feel that this is because among someone's blood relatives, especially among his immediate family, there is this bond that brings them together, because they share a common ancestor, like a grandfather. They can be considered under the same 'group', and since they share similarities, they would want to protect their own kind, and thus this selflessness comes into play, where someone would sacrifice anything to do something good for another one who is his blood relative.
Reciprocity
Whenever someone does something good to someone else, that person would have a sense of gratitude towards his benefactor, and thus would want to repay him for the good deed. This follows the principle of 'you sratch my back, I sratch yours'.
Personal benefit
Many people aim to get the best for themselves, and would do anything to get that, including being good to other people. For example, offering someone a bribe could be considered as doing something good to him, where the aim of the bribe is to get that person to give something back, for personal benefit. In a world where the fittest survive, such tactics have to be employed when dealing with other people, and in other words, we do good to other people to be good to ourselves.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Well, how many marks do I get?
1) The article talks about how young people are so engrossed in using their cellphones or music players that they fail to notice what is happening in their surroundings. The author talks about the increasing usage of such devices and how it can affect the users’ attention and reaction time to cause potential accidents to happen. The author mentions a test conducted by the New Paper, and states the results to show the possible adverse effects doing these things can have on people around the users. The author also highlighted on how teenagers did not care about such dangers.
(99 words)
2) Why not noticing your surroundings is bad for you
I remember one day when I was riding a bicycle and I saw someone right in front of my path. I instinctively rang my bicycle bell, but the person did not move out of the way. I continued ringing my bell but there was no response from the person, whom I noticed had earphones plugged into his ear. Of course, I almost knocked into the person, but not only did the person not apologise to me, he even used vulgarities on me as I went past. Thinking about this, I felt that when doing things that require attention, people should not be doing distracting things like listening to music or sending messages, since it could lead to accidents, and possibly even more undesirable consequences.
First of all, using cellphones or music players causes a person to be distracted from whatever he is doing, and this could cause accidents to happen. For example, if someone is driving and sending text messages at the same time, he could miss out on a pedestrian that is crossing the road, and knock the pedestrian down, causing a serious accident. This is a pressing issue, and can be seen from the fact that the RAC Foundation (a British non-profit organization) found that sending messages and driving simultaneously reduced reaction time by 35 percent. Studies by the Automobile Association of Singapore also find that distraction from handheld electronic devices is a major cause of road accidents. This shows that due to the reduced reaction time and increased distraction, it can hinder people from preventing accidents that happen due to carelessness, and cause unnecessary loss of life. Therefore, people should not use devices such as cellphones or music players while using the road.
However, there are people who think that using music players while using the road allows them to entertain themselves when they are outside, and ‘sets the mood’ for them, according to a user of music players. Top Guard Security Agency also does not ban earphones during work, as according to them, the job of a security guard can be monotonous and listening to music can alleviate the boredom and help keep guards awake and alert. Despite this fact, we must also remember that it is also possible for guards to concentrate on the music too much, and be unable to do their job properly.
Listening to music while doing heavy work or on a job that requires an alert mind can lead to disastrous consequences. As mentioned before, if a security guard listens to music while on the job, he might not pay enough attention to his surroundings, and might not even see a burglar trying to get in to the building that he is guarding. This is very dangerous, because if the building contains valuable objects, this would lead to a great loss in money and value for the owners. Of course, we should also not forget that the guard would very likely lose his job for doing this. According to the president of the National Safety Council of Singapore, plugging into music increases the risk of accidents because your attention will be distracted whether you are driving, crossing the road or doing heavy work. This shows that even when doing seemingly easy tasks, we should still not listen to music as it can lead to bad consequences when doing these tasks. Therefore, we should not listen to music when doing anything that requires our attention, as we do not want to be distracted by any outside influences.
Reflecting back on the event, I vowed to myself never to send any text messages or listen to any music when cycling, as I could put my life and the life of others in danger when I am distracted by such things. Certainly, this event has made me realize the potential dangers of doing things such listening to music while on the road, and the fact that accidents can and most likely will happen when doing such acts.
(674 words)
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
A better looking introduction
When I first read about streaking, I felt disgusted by the very nature of the act. How could someone run naked in a public place? Why do people actually think it is fun to do? And where do they get the audacity to do it? Even now, when I think about it, I am flabbergasted that there are people who do such things, since it is largely frowned upon by many Asian societies and it can lead to other more undesireable consequences.
Commentary practice: Streaking
I feel that streaking should be discouraged and frowned upon in Singapore. Streaking involves running in a public place while being partially or even fully nude. While proponents of this wouldd say that it showcases the youthful vigour of the young, this youthful vigour could be taken too far and can lead to serious consequences. Futhermore, Singapore is more conservative than other Western societies, and what is fine there might be looked upon with disgust here.
Supporters of the act of streaking claim that streaking shows the youthful exuberance and daring of the people doing it. We can see this from how streaking started, when people streaked because they had made bets on it. This shows that this was done as a dare, however word about the act travelled to a large number of people, and eventually led to mass streaking events because people thought that it would be fun to do so. These mass streaking events, although seemingly exciting, can cause much damage to the locations of where it happens.
With many people doing an act which can be considered an act of open defiance, this could lead to other more of defiance, and could end up wreaking havoc on the area. In UCLA's quarterly "Undie Run" (an event which involves streaking through the streets of Westwood west of the university), the turn up rate is usually very high, at nearly 4000 students. In addition, the Undie Run of June 2006 had students jump into a Shapiro fountain outside Powell library, causing damages worth nearly $25 000. We also have to note that UCLA police were also there monitoring the event at that time, which shows the seriousness of mass streaking. This also shows that streaking, despite being harmless in itself, can go on and lead to other acts that will definitely be harmful. Therefore, to prevent Singapore's infrastructure from being damaged, we should strongly discourage streaking.
Supporters of the act of streaking claim that streaking shows the youthful exuberance and daring of the people doing it. We can see this from how streaking started, when people streaked because they had made bets on it. This shows that this was done as a dare, however word about the act travelled to a large number of people, and eventually led to mass streaking events because people thought that it would be fun to do so. These mass streaking events, although seemingly exciting, can cause much damage to the locations of where it happens.
With many people doing an act which can be considered an act of open defiance, this could lead to other more of defiance, and could end up wreaking havoc on the area. In UCLA's quarterly "Undie Run" (an event which involves streaking through the streets of Westwood west of the university), the turn up rate is usually very high, at nearly 4000 students. In addition, the Undie Run of June 2006 had students jump into a Shapiro fountain outside Powell library, causing damages worth nearly $25 000. We also have to note that UCLA police were also there monitoring the event at that time, which shows the seriousness of mass streaking. This also shows that streaking, despite being harmless in itself, can go on and lead to other acts that will definitely be harmful. Therefore, to prevent Singapore's infrastructure from being damaged, we should strongly discourage streaking.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Argument: CCTs should be scrapped
I agree that CCTs (Common Class Tests)should be scrapped. Firstly, a CCT is designed to gauge the knowledge of a subject a student has, and CCTs are taken by students throughout the year so that teachers are able to better understand the student's strengths and weaknesses in that subject.
However, CCTs take up a large amount of time of students as they have to study for CCTs in order to do well. Students will also receive much pressure from parents and teachers as they also want them to excel. Thus, this will lead to the students being stressed before the CCTs as they attempt to cram as much as they can in a bid to ace the CCTs. Furthermore, we have to note that most students take at least nine subjects, and since the CCTs for these nine subjects are usually on consecutive days, this multiplies the stress that they have. The fact that CCTs are taken throughout the year only makes it worse for the students, as they often have to keep studying and revising throughout the year, and this increases their stress load. Therefore, if we take into account the students' well-being, we should scrap the CCTs.
However, CCTs take up a large amount of time of students as they have to study for CCTs in order to do well. Students will also receive much pressure from parents and teachers as they also want them to excel. Thus, this will lead to the students being stressed before the CCTs as they attempt to cram as much as they can in a bid to ace the CCTs. Furthermore, we have to note that most students take at least nine subjects, and since the CCTs for these nine subjects are usually on consecutive days, this multiplies the stress that they have. The fact that CCTs are taken throughout the year only makes it worse for the students, as they often have to keep studying and revising throughout the year, and this increases their stress load. Therefore, if we take into account the students' well-being, we should scrap the CCTs.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
What is an exposition?
After cheating and using a dictionary: An exposition is a writing or speech primarily intended to convey information or to explain.
After thinking: To me, an exposition is an argument for or against a point, where a writer attempts to persuade the reader to believe his stand. Of course, there has to be evidences to support his points, and the writer also has the job of showing how those evidences support the points. Furthermore, the writer also has to provide a contrary viewpoint so that the exposition is balanced and unbiased.
After thinking: To me, an exposition is an argument for or against a point, where a writer attempts to persuade the reader to believe his stand. Of course, there has to be evidences to support his points, and the writer also has the job of showing how those evidences support the points. Furthermore, the writer also has to provide a contrary viewpoint so that the exposition is balanced and unbiased.
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