My reflections from the article "From Sip to Slip".

From this article, it showed me that people only believed in what they want to believe in. This article is about alcohol being said to have positive effects on our hearts when taken in small amounts. When alcohol was said to do good, it somehow gave "hope" to those people who loved alcohol but was suppressed due to knowing what alcohol does to our bodies. Although it was stated that it is only beneficial when taken in small amounts, people ignored the "small amounts"-part, they only believed in the part of the sentence they liked, "alcohol is beneficial". There goes the gulping. From "alcohol is good for our hearts when taken in small amounts" to "alcohol is good. Even a little is beneficial, then more must be better!". That became their excuse for alcohol consumption, the actual reason is, they enjoy alcohol. This shows that people regard joy and relaxation as a much important matter than their very own health. It also told me that if somebody really liked drinking alcohol, be it drugs or games, you alone CANNOT stop them. The only person who can stop them are themselves. Even if you manage to suppress that person, he will still take every single chance he gets to get what he wants. You cannot be by him 24/7, can you? Thats the end of my reflection. (^-^) - By Brandon Low Leong Chow (36)

This scene shows a family of four having a picnic. They must to have prepared for their family acting days before as there is a picnic basket containing food. They seem to be enjoying their picnic as all the family members are smiling happily. The children in the picture look very interested at what their father is pointing. Probably, there might be colorful birds perched on a tree not too far away. The weather appears to be fine and the park they are having their picnic at looks beautiful. I think that this family had chosen the perfect day and location to have their picnic. I think that after having their lunch brought by the mother, the family would probably be going for a game of soccer as the boy in the middle of the picture is holding a soccer ball.

I think that having family bonding activities is very important to all of us. Despite our busy schedules, we should make time to spend with our loved ones. By doing so the family will become closer and they would know how much we truly love them.

This is a scene of a family escaping from the flood that probably had destoryed their home. I can tell that it was a serious flood because the water level so high that they had to swim and use the float and also, only the roof of the house could be seen. The man in the front is probably the head of the family because he is guiding the family to find rescuers. The two person on the float is the mother and the youngest son of the family, carrying two bags which i suppose is food and water in case there are no rescuers. I feel that it is very dangerous to sit on the float like that did because the left side of the float is higher and both the mother and son could drop off the float. They should spread their weight evenly to prevent this from happening. The man at the back helping his father is probably the eldest son of the family. I feel that they should have just stayed at their house and climb up the roof. In that case, rescuers in helicoper and spot them easier as they only expose their heads only in water. There is no way we could stop floods because it is nature, however, we can help out too even by donating money or food to the places. Every single thing counts.

jun yu

Reader's Digest 'The rise of cyber bullying

Cyber bullying is very common these days , where many people are able to afford computers and internet access at home and bullies can stay anonymous when they bully someone using the internet. This led to the increase in cyber bullying and the decrease in physical bullying. Cyber bullies are also more daring to do and say whatever they want as their identities are unknown.
I feel that cyber bullying is worst than physical bullying because the damage dealt is much greater psychologically as there are no people watching during physical bullying, whereas the damage is ampified when the person is bullied on the internet where there are millions and millions of viewers. Furthermore, cyber bullying can take place any time, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year unlike physical bullying, which usually takes place outside home.

jun yu

t This picture depicts a scene in a computer lab.I know this because i can see many computers and keyboards in this room.There are many elderly people suing the computers. From their facial expressions, i know that they are having a ball of their time. I pressure that this is a new senior citizens centre, and these people are having their first lesson on computers. Also, I can see a few professionals standing beside some of the elderly people. I think that they are teaching them how to use the computers. In the center of the picture, a man is smiling happily, including the woman wearing a suit standing beside him. I think the man should be surfing on the Internet and has found something funny.

In my opinion, the society should create more chances of this type for the elderly people. Many of them have already retires and enjoying their retirement life. To some people perhaps not. They may be lonely as their children are all at work or they are living on their own.Therefore,they ought to join more of this type of clubs.Elderly people are easily to get dementia if they do not work their brains, and instead doing nothing.They should do more thinking, go out with friends frequently and do some things like planting also.

RD reflection- searching for Marita

I think that this article has shed light on a very important issue- human trafficking. Living in Singapore, we don’t really see much of this going but in countries as far away as Argentina or even neighboring Thailand, human trafficking is rampant. Thousands of women are victims of human trafficking, many of them who are still young girls. They are either kidnapped or tricked into the human trafficking business. Some girls are tricked by advertisement claiming to be in search for models or actresses but in fact there is a darker intention to it. These young women are usually sold to brothels and bars. I truly sympathize with the fate of these young girls as at a young age, they have lost their innocence and purity. Also, their chance of a brighter future is snatched away as they descend and succumb into a dismal world.

These women suffered a great deal of abuse, both physically and emotional wise. They are forced into having sexual intercourse with total strangers and if they resisted, they would be mercilessly beaten and torture. Some were even forced to take drugs and if the women were to get pregnant, they are forced to abort by dangerous and cruel procedures. The trauma faced by these women is so extreme that I had never been able to know exactly how they feel even with my wildest imagination. I feel that the worse part of this situation is that they are unable to attain help and are completely cut of from friends and family. Also, the scars they suffer in their youth are certain to remain with the throughout their lifetime.


I really admire Susana who has went through extremes, even to the extent of dressing herself as a prostitute and going into bars and brothels in search of her daughter, Marita and of greater priority she is trying to rescue the women working in these places who were forced into prostitution. . I think that these women should not suffer so terribly so that one can satisfy his lust. I think that this issue should be eradicated immediately as it effects the lives of thousands of girls and I think that the people responsible for these acts are heartless and should be punished.

picture discussion

This is probably a scence of a people having picnic under a cherry blossom. This is probably in japan as the people there are Asians and the pink laternsw the are hanginf have japanese words on them. It is a custom that they celebrate the spring festival by having picnic under the cherry blossom trees. Despite having so many peole around, they environment is still quite clean. I think it is important to care for the environemt as we have been educated on how this has a neative effect to us. There are two main group of people sitting down to chat. I think it is a good way to improve their relationship and have fun together. Many people are at the pavillion, maybe they are helding some kind of competition or show. Most of the people are dress in long sleeves and cap. Probably they are still cold as winter has just past. However I feel tha the two groups should clear up soon as many people are looing for a space, to enjoy their food and the scenary. It is inconsiderate to take up a place for too long as this a public place. Eveyone wants to enjoy themselves on the rare occasion.

In all, I feel that spring festival is something special and we should not dampen the mood just because of our selfishness. They should keep up the good behaviour and keep the environment clean

Picture Description

This picture depicts a scene of an underground train station. There are many commuters boarding the arrived train and there are also some who are alighting. Judging from their skin colour, I presume that this train platform is somewhere in a western country. Looking at the crowd, I think it is a peak hour. Most of them look tired and is expressionless. They should be on their way home after a long day's work. However, in the middle foreground of the picture, a lady with plaits is smiling to another lady in pink in front of her. They may be friends and are going home together. A tall man with a sling bag in the middle of the picture seems to be shoving his way into the train despite the fact that there is another lady in front of him who is alighting. In my opinion, it is very inconsiderate of him and he is also causing inconvenience to others. When he does that, the lady in front of him will not be able to alight promptly before the doors close and will in turn push the others to alight from the train. The man should put himself in the shoes of the others. I am sure he will not like it if someone was to do something like he did to him. It is also dangerous when such shoving incidents happen. The commuters might argue, and worst still, break into a fight. It would then cause much trouble and inconvenience for the train staff and the other commuters.
On the whole, I think transportation has became an important part of our lives as someone who live in a busy city. As commuters, we should be considerate towards the other users of public transportations so as to ensure that everyone has a safe and pleasant journey.

This picture depicts a scene of a running track which seems to be in a stadium. The people in the picture seems to be holding some sort of a school sporting event as the children that seems to be in middleschool are already in their starting positions and they are all wearing the same uniform. The children seem to be rather excited, they are probably eagerly awaiting the signal to start the race.

Another group of children that seems to be competitors as well are sitting on the back of the current runners. They are probably waiting for their chance to compete. The adults around those children are probably their coordinators or teachers. They seem to be doing a rather good job in taking care of the kids as the kids are sitting down quietly and not creating trouble like most others would.

At the background of the picture, there seems to be a person standing on a field. He is probably another teacher of coordinator. i think he is in charge of sending the signals across the field as the field seems to be rather big. Hand signals made from the opposite side of the track probably cannot be seen clearly therefore they have placed teachers in the middle of the field, to pass on the signals.

The event hoster(s) must have done alot of work, to be able to allow this event to run smoothly. I am glad the children did not have to face the glaring rays of the sun.

Picture discussion.

I presume that this picture was taken in korea as there are cherry blossoms in the background. The winter season should be arriving soon as the grass and cherry blossoms are not blooming as brightly and the weather is probably a little chilly as the man is wearing a windbreaker and a cap while the other two adults are wearing long sleeves shirt.

I think that it is around an estate area as i can see cars, houses and people. There is a family sitting under a shady cherry blossom tree. I think that they are having a picnic as there is a mat on the ground and there is food and water. There is a pink lunchbox in the middle of the mat, which probably belongs to the toddler. Some of them had even taken off their shoes probably to make themselves feel more comfortable.

There is a toddler wearing a pink frilly hat and surrounded by three adults. All attention were focused on her and the adults seem engrossed in her. The lady in red seems to be talking to the toddler. I think that she is probably a relative or a close friend of her parents as the toddler does not seem to be on close terms with her and even seem a little intimidated. The toddler seems reluctant to talk to her as there is an irritated look on her face. The lady should not take it to heart as she is a toddler after all. The other two adults should be her parents and they seem to be trying to coax her to eat as the man seems to be holding something on his hand.

The toddler probably enjoys the attention and thus refuses to eat. I believe that she will eat when she feels hungry. I think that they would enjoy their picnic and they would go home feeling more bonded as a family as well.

picture discussion-by yuxin05

This picture shows of a small boy perched rather precariously on a sofa, and it can be deduced that he is in a house. From his facial expression, I can see that he is displeased, and he is trying to take something out of his reach. it is a dangerous position for him to be in as he might fall over anytime.
The slightly messy background suggests that the boy may have been creating trouble in the house. There is a mattress and a bolster underneath the sofa, so it might be possible that the boy doesn't want to sleep and is now throwing tantrums and reaching for his caretaker, most likely a maid, wanting her to carry him.
Many parents now complain that children nowadays are getting spoilt, and are now harder to take care of, compared to the older times. Even so, they continue to spoil the children, giving in to almost any demands they have. Yet, they blame the children for the results of their own doing.For example like in this picture when this 'naughty' boy may not think he is doing the wrong thing being used to it, bullying his helpless maid as his parents allow him. It is only until later when that becomes a habit and changes into things like rebellism and dequilency when the parent regret it and blames the child for being like this, even when he is brought up to it due to his parents' wrongdoing.
Times are now different compared to the seventies and eighties. Parents' methods of caretaking their children have also similarly changed. As the economy turns richer and people are now busier and can afford to employ maids to take care of children they have no time to take care of, they restrict their replacements to take care of children to not punish them or reprimand them. With no one to teach them the right things, it cannot be the child's fault that he does not know the right things to do. Even so, parents still forget, and blame the child for being bad. That is contradictive to what they did to the child when he or she is young.

erm.. i have a picture and i know what i wanna discuss.
but i have a prob here. i dunno how to post pictures..
can someone help me please?

Picture Discussion- Venessa Neo Shi Qi (22)

Picture Discussion

I presume that this scene is taken in a classroom because I can see desks with books under them in the foreground, a whiteboard in the background and a projector screen at the top of the picture. I am sure that this picture is taken in Singapore, as there is a Singapore flag on the top right hand of the picture.

I presume that these students are upper secondary students as I can see that they are wearing long pants. I think that these students are doing a presentation to their class as I can see that they are standing in front of the class and just in front of the whiteboard. The boy on the extreme left of the picture seems to be in fits of laughter while the other boys, which I presume are his group mates, are looking at him and seem to be laughing too.

I suppose that the student on the far left of the picture is doing the presentation as he is holding a script in his hands. I presume that he had said something wrong or that the advertisement he is doing is amusing and hilarious. I can see that he is laughing aloud as his mouth is wide open. He seems to be laughing with all his might and his left leg is raised up a little and he is leaning a little forward. Perhaps he is thinking that the advertisement he is doing is so nonsensical that he cannot help but laugh in front of the whole class. He also might be feeling embarrassed at the same time.

I reckon that the student wearing the tie is holding on to the advertisement that the student next to him was advertising. From what I can see, there are two women on the advertisement he is holding. I presume that they are doing an advertisement on slimming programs therefore that explains why there are two women on the piece of advertisement he is holding. He also seems to be amused at the student that is advertising as I can see that he is laughing. Perhaps he is thinking that the whole presentation is a joke and that the student presenting is making a fool out of himself.

I notice that the three other boys seem to be doing nothing but standing there and laughing together. They also seem amused by the way the student is presenting. Perhaps they are feeling lucky that they are not the ones presenting and they do not have to make fools out of themselves.

I think that the boy presenting is hysterical enough to not be able to present properly to the class. Perhaps he will even stop the presentation and laugh before he proceeds on. Following this presentation, I’m sure that the whole class will make fun of them in the future about their advertisement. I suppose in the future, they would not choose such an advertisement to advertise anymore.

I feel that a presentation is something you do to convey what you want to tell your audience. They should not treat it as a joke even though it is just a presentation in the classroom. In such cases, we should learn how to be more serious and more responsible for our own conduct.

By Venessa Neo Shi Qi (22)

This picture depicts a scene in the classroom with a man and many children. There is an alphabet poster pasted on the wall behind them. Some vocabulary words printed are also found on the notice boards. There is a group of students crowding around a man at the table. Every student is wearing a blue shirt. I think the shirt is their school uniform as they are all wearing the same blue polo tees.

I supposed that the man is the students’ teacher. He is holding a paint brush and seems as if explaining to them what it is. I assume that they are having an art lesson as I can see paintbrushes and a palette on the table.

The teacher could be asking a question as I can see the students raising their hands spontaneously. From their facial expressions, I know they are having a ball of their time. A few of them did not raise their hands. I think they could be lacking confidence in their answers in accordance to the teacher’s question.

The students’ actions show that they are enthusiastic and lively. Judging from the color of their hairs and their face features, I think that they are from different countries, and this could be an international school.
In my opinion, having an activity with people from different countries would be encouraged strongly in schools. This could improve their relationship and friendship.

TAI FUNG <18>

picture discussion

This picture shows a four youths hanging out together on the street. I see a few other people in the background and also a car. In my opinion,the setting of the picture is a city in the Western country as the four youths look like Westerners. The four of them are dressed in funky outfits and the two boys on my right are having outrageous coloured and spiked up hairstyles. The gang seem to be indulging themselves in beer. They seem like close friends because they appear rather intimate,with their arms around each other. They also do not appear to look decent and I can tell that they are just idling about with nothing to do. The four of them look young enough to be still schooling.I suspect that they have skipped school and hang out together on the streets.I also think that they could be juvenile delinquents. Their clothes look special and seem to be quite expensive. This shows that they are not from a poor family. Their eye-catching appearance seem to have attracted the attention of a curious young boy in the background. I hope that they will not have a bad influence on the small boy. In my opinion, the boy might be noticing them because their appearances are similar to those of rock -stars. He could be a fan of rock music and is thus attracted to people who look like his idols.

To conclude, I feel that these four people are very young and should have their own dreams. Instead of just wasting time fooling around in the streets, they should work towards their goal. They should also try not to consume too much alcohol as it will ruin their health.They should treasure their youth-hood or they will definitely regret it when they grow old.

Picture Discussion

This picture depicts a scene of a farmlife. This picture is most slightly taken in the rural side of a country where people are able to sherperd cattles due to the suitable environment , where grass and running water is essential for the cattles to graze and drink on. On the upper hand of the picture, there is a row of independent houses, which looks really tiny, which points that the area the cows are in , is far from the city side of the country.

From this picture, the ground which the cattles and little toddler is stepping on, which is obviously soft soil, goes to show that this place is far from civilisation. , which shows that this area is still under- developed.I assume that the people that lives in this area are probably farmers and people who does not like the buzzing city life. The cows in the picture may be cows from diary farms, which essentially needs the cow for its milk for production of cheese and fresh milk.

By glancing at the picture, we can also depict that the cows are well-tamed as the little boy goes on to stick out his hand as an invitation to associate with the cow which glanced at the boy with soft eyes. I think the boy and the cow might have grown up together, thus the mutual recognition of each other. As for the boy, i think he has grown up in that area, as he does not exude any indication of fear towards cattles bigger than his size. If the otherwise, most kids at his age will definitely cry, thinking that the cow will injure him/her.

In conclusion, I can see that living on this area seems nature friendly as the running water is only supported by stones or granites, which does not much to change the surrounding. I hope that the world will not change to become anything more than what we see in the picture, if not, mother nature would thoroughly be destroyed and be replaced by big buildings and tall towers , like the one in paris.

Mariati

After reading this article, it left me a couple of feelings. Although human traficking and prostitution is forbidden it is still one of the oldest trade in the world. I bet Susana is worried sick for her daughter, not knowing about her whereabouts or well being. Until now Susana has not given up searching for Mariati. Despite selling her house and cars and even her relationship with her husband has not shaken Susana a bit. Her courage and determination is truly amirable.

Not many people could not have gone this far for others even their loved ones. But i felt that Susana faking as a prositute to get more information is crossing the lines. Have she ever thought of the consequence that could have happen? What if she was found out and murdered? It is good to spent so much effort finding her daughter but not to an extent of endangering her own life. At first, she started out only to find her daughter but on the way she saved many girls. I believe she has indeed helped many that shared the same plight as Mariati. Susana has even received awards for her courageous act which i think she deserve.
by elvira

However, prostitution cannot be stopped as it as seen as a need to protect other innocent girls from those 'beast'. If it could be stopped it would not have been one of the oldest trade and the government would have bannd it long time ago. But I feel that forcing girls into this kind of job is inhumane. For me, I feel this job is disgusting and would never even think about it. Imagine you are been forced to the job, how does it feels?

I think we should spent more time searching for missing people such as Mariati as her families are worried. You might not feel anything now but if this were to happen on your beloved, I believe it is another story

In all I like to conclude that we should learn from Susana's determination and save those victims.

Words To Inspire

This pictures depicts a scene whereby a cat leaps into the air and kicks a dog's cheek, causing the dog to spit out saliva in the process of doing so. The background suggests that the cat and the dog are in a dark alley and in the dog's nature, it tried to attack the black and white furred cat. In retaliation, the cat had probably jumped up and kicked the cat. I can suggest this as it is common to see a dog chasing a cat to either attack it or do harm or distress to the cat. From the reactions made by the brown dog, i can tell that the kick from the cat is painful, as the dog had spit out saliva. Also, it would usually be 4-footed on the ground. However, this picture shows that the dog had lifted its left paw up, suggesting the severity of the kick and causing it to flinch at the attack made by the cat to defend itself. In my opinion, i would say that this is a rather rare occurence as by animal instinct, the cat would have fled upon the sight of a dog. However, the clash of the two animals and the precision of the picture taken suggest that someone was behind the plotting of such an occurence to happen suggesting that both animals were intentionally put together so to film or record what would happen in the event that the dog and cat would collide with each other. I would say that this picture was amusing as usually, the dog chases the cat and the cat with a smaller body size would take flight. The humour comes when the cats which is supposed to run decides to fight the dog, turning the tables and rather oppose nature. It is natural for a dog to chase a cat, but not the other way round. Also, the cat is an animal and would not have suitable martial arts training or self-defence taught to it in a proper manner. Thus the picture was purposely taken by a human to find out what would happen and during such an event, the cat would have ran and instead jumped and stretched out its paw, which had incidentally hit the dog. The picture was taken from and angle which made it look as if the cat was trained in martial arts and opposed the dog, bringing about humour. In a way, yes it is funny.

hahas-samuel

PIcture Discussion

This picture depicts a sence of a natural disaster. a tsunami. This is most likely taken place in an asian country as there is a temple like structure in the background. The people are obviously running away from the crashing waves that seem to be catching up to the peeple and engulfing those who are unable to run fast enough. I can see lots of vans and lorries on the road and also a man standing on top of a purple lorry. I think he is trying to take a photo of the disaster as he seems to be holding a camera in his hands.

The people who are running from the waves a very frightened as many are turning their heads around to see how close the waves are to them, afraid that it might sallow them. The person on top of the lorry appears to be very barve as he is willing to face the waves that are catching up to him. He is daring enough to go closer to the tsunami to get a better view and take a picture of it. He probably thinks he is safe just by standing on the lorry and that the waves will miss him however, I think he is facing danger from where he stands. I think the person who took this photo must be smarter and thinks more about his safety then the man on top of the lorry. He is quite a distance from this scene as I am unable to see the people's faces clearly. In the foreground, it seems the vans and lorries are abandoned and left on the road. The drivers of those vehicles must have seen the oncoming rush of water and have ran away in fear of getting killed by the water. I also notice that some of the people running are carrying umbrellas, it shoulb be because it was a hot they when this disaster struck.

I think alot of the people in this scene will get killed or seriously injured being unable to outrun the oncoming water. The aftermath of this disaster would be nasty as well as the amount of water rushing in seems strong enough to destroy everything in its path.

This scene must have been taken during the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami when it killed many lifes. The people in this scene are just a small part of this tragedy. However, I do hope the people here do not get killed by the tsunami. Maybe this terrifying incident would not have been so suprising if the people were to prepare for a disaster like this to strike. I hope this catastophe will teach everyone to be prepared for a tsunami.

By tiffany (09) (:

The above picture depicts a scene in a school field where a soccer match was held and most probably, the building at the back is the school that organised the match. From the looks of it, I think this was an inter school female soccer competition and the players in red should have won the match because looking at the lady with the beige beret, she seems very happy that her fellow schoolmates have done their school proud by bringing the glory to their school. Perhaps this was a crucial match that determined the winner for the first place and now that the match is over, they are celebrating their victory.

The players in the red jerseys and high socks must have had a great game with the other team in white, and I think that both teams have players with a great sense of sportsmanship, even though the winning team has been announced, both parties still stepped forward to congratulate, and thank each other for such a wonderful match. I assume they might be really worthy opponents. And I feel that this is the main point of sports, being able to stay humble even though you are victorious and being able to handle losing with a good attitude. I believe that if one wins and becomes very arrogant about it, his arrogance would be nothing but a way one ticket to a steep fall from grace and similarly, if one is unable to take losing a match and becomes a sore loser, that player would not turn out to be someone exceptional. Sportsmanship is something very important in sports, without of it, I think the player would not be any different from an immature three-year-old.

I think that sports should not be classified as a male sport and/or a female game, anything a man can do, a woman can do it too. Soccer used to be labelled as a male's sport and that females who play them could never reach the standard of males no matter how hard they tried, which I honestly believe is untrue. There are females who are very passionate and can perform better than males, so I think there is no such thing as a female or male sport, sports are meant to be enjoyed by everyone, be it watching the game or playing the game. As long as one gives it her best shot and shows passion in the game she is playing, the game would be one worth every drop of perspiration and I'm sure that everyone watching that game would feel the intensity and her burning passion for the sport. Just take a look at many different sports, women are playing soccer, men are playing volleyball, it is no longer what people used to think of it and these players have their heads in the game and take pride being a team player. And another thing I think is the very key to a team's victory is teamwork, without it no matter how professional the players maybe, they will never get anything done much less win if they do not work together. There is this old saying that there is no I in teamwork only we, which I truly agree with. I think, for a team to win it is like cooking, you need to have the right balance of everything, too much of something could cause the outcome to be something different than expected. It requires sportsmanship, teamwork, practice, passion and enjoying yourself wholeheartedly during the game itself, that is the secret recipe.

Time has changed many things and this is one of them. I feel that Singapore needs to take a leaf from other countries' book and learn a thing or two, for example, to start a national female soccer team or maybe a national female cricket team , and put an end to this conception that women cannot play soccer. They need to show Singaporean men that Singaporean woman are able to do something they are good at too and change their mindset about women and soccer.

Done By : Sherilynn Loh(11)

Picture Discussion

From this picture, I can tell that they are having a basketball competition or tournament.

There are two players from different teams in the picture. The player in white jersey holding on to the basketball seems to be looking in one direction. I suppose he is aiming for the basket. But the player in blue jersey seems to be trying to block the other player who is trying to aim for the basket.

I suppose this is a crucial moment, as their expressions show that they are very serious. The player in white jersey seems to be very determined to help his own team score and win. The player in blue jersey is also trying his best to block the other player from scoring.

From their body expressions, I can tell that they are using a lot of energy to play in this game. Perspiration can be seen on their faces; therefore this shows that the temperature inside the court is hot and stuffy, and the vigorous movements from the game also cause them to perspire so much.

Playing games, no matter what, it is not about winning, but is the sportsmanship that matters. If players only matters about the results, then the game will not be enjoyable, but rough.

by : Jia Yi (13)

Picture Discussion by Jia Yu (07)

The picture above depicts a scene of many people picking up rubbish from the ground. From the background, I know that they are in a public area, most probably a public park, as there is sunlight and trees present around the children. This is most likely a Community Involvement Activity ( CIP) and the people are also most likely to have come from the same school, or organisation, as they are carrying out the activity together. They are thus most likely to be students. However, the students, most likely teenagers ( as they are taller than children) , are not wearing school uniform. This is may be because, the activity is not taking place on a normal school day, but maybe on weekends or holidays. I can also infer that it is a school activity.

One of the girls ,the one wearing pink and white, must be enjoying this activity as you can see a smile on her face. This is good because she enjoys keeping her country clean. A boy wearing a green and white striped shirt is looking into his garbage bag. He may be examining the amount of rubbish he had picken up. He is holding a rather big and bulging garbage bag, so I can thus infer that he had picked up quite alot of rubbish. This activity is most likely taking place in the evening, because the sun is setting. Besides, it could not have been taking place in the afternoon, because it does not look as hot. The other students are also diligently picking up the litter on the ground. This is commendable, as there is no sign of complaint and fatigue present on their faces. This shows that although this is not an easy job, they still enjoy doing it, as they are playing a part in keeping their country clean.

It is selfish for people who enjoys throwing litter all around as they are making the cleaning job difficult for cleaners. Thus, it is good for the studnets to start learning and playing a part in keeping their country clean and green. Hence, the best way to educate the students is through hands on experience, it teaches them the difficulty of cleaning litter, and thus let them know that anyhow throwing litter is a bad habit.

By : Hong Jia Yu (07)

Picture Discussion- ChiangJunYong(28)

Stress!

I believe that this picture was taken in the home of a student preparing for a very important exam. The table is packed with books and the girl in the middle whom I presume that she is the student who is preparing for her exams, had laid her head down and appearing to be extremely pressurized.

I think the lady at the top left probably her mother, because her actions are like of those anxious parents who have high expectations of their children, thus pushing them to study, so they can excel in the future. And in the top left, the lady is probably her sister. She seems to be disturbing the girl who was studying. She might have already done her revision and realized that her sister have not, then began to taunt her sister.
I think that her actions are very wrong. She should’ve encouraged her sister instead of laughing at her sister’s futile effort in completing the piles of work. This might lead to intensifying stress for her sister or even cause major disputes between the two siblings when they become more competitive.

I assume that having her parent and sister about, the girl would be unable to complete her work and revision. With their presence, the acute pressure may cause the girl to suffer from depression or even more serious mental disorders.

In recent years, education is taking the front seat. It has become increasing important, and parents are having higher expectations of their children, because many parents believes that it is the key to achieve a higher status in the society in future. As a result, students are enrolled in many courses and given multiple tasks and huge amount of work to do.
They are also pressurized by parents and pushed to strive harder in life.

Also, in recent cases, we often read in the news, about pressure from competitive siblings, often make a child feel unloved and useless, especially when parents step in, and compares with the better of them.
In my opinion, I feel that quality education and diligence may not be the only factors of success. Parents should work on building the self-esteems of their children, giving them adequate space and leisure but most important, giving them encouragement.

Picture Discussion - YongLiang(34)

This picture depicts a scene of a man bringing a boy out to a park.

The park is full of trees with and without leaves and the ground of the park is partially covered with snow. Perhaps it had just snowed in that area as the area is covered with snow and people are bringing their skates and equipments out to play. It might also haven been the school holidays or weekends as the boy could come out to the park to play. I also assumed that this picture is taken from seasonal countries as it may be the season of winter as it snowed. Everyone in the park are wearing clothes covering the whole body and this tell me that the temperature there is very low.

The boy seems to be smiling excitedly ashe might be anxious of what he would be playing later on. It might also be his first trip to the park as he is much excited. The boy is also wearing a tag around his neck. The tag may have the information of the boy to help the boy in the case he is lost. The man holding the boy's hand might be his father as he is taking care of his son, giving him support and not to fall down in the slippery snow. The man is also carrying a broad smile as it may be the day he do not need to work and he could enjoy himself instead of working. Perhaps he is as excited as his son is as he might be looking forward to playing the skate he is dragging along. This photo might have been taken by the boy's mother as she is no where to be seen and it will be a incomplete trip if only the boy's father brought him to the park.

There are also quite alot of people in the park besides the boy's family. Perhaps it is the weekends and the adults do not need to work and have came to the park to enjoy and relax themselves.

I assume that the boy's family will be enjoying themselves with the equipments like the skates they have brought along and i think that the boy would definitely find it really fun. I wouldn't be surprised if many people are playing in the same area as everyone is trying to enjoy themselves.

To conclude, i think that the family is a complete one and the boy would surely receive much love, care and concern from his family. I think that each and every family should learn from them and get together and have fun sometimes. Without family bonds, everyone in the family would not be happy and arguements and quarrels would be common is such situations.

By : YongLiang

This picture depicts a scene of a basketball tournament. I believe that this is taken in an indoor basketball court as this type of basketball tournament where spectators come and support their teams are usually held indoors. It is also to make sure that the tournament could still continue whether rain or shine.

Two teams, one wearing blue jersey and one wearing white jersey are playing on court. From what I see, it seems to be a vigorous and tiring match. Most of the players face looks quite flustered, especially the man in white jersey with a number ten on it. And this shows that they might be running for quite some time and is starting to get hot and stuffy. All of players are perspiring quite a lot as their faces seems to be glittering as there are perspiration on their faces. From the picture, we can also see that their jerseys are wet with perspiration and it is starting to stick to their bodies. This shows that they are feeling hot. From the looks of their faces, we can also know that they are tired after running for so long. They look exhausted and seem to be panting and breathing with their mouths.

In the background, there is a spectator’s area for spectators to view the tournament. From the number of spectators who came, I can conclude that these two teams that are playing on court are quite popular so as to attract such a big group of spectators to come and support them.
Most of the spectators are looking at interest at the player in white jersey with a number twelve on it. He had fallen down on his back. I think that the spectators might be wondering what had happened as the view from the spectator’s area might not be that good or clear.

In my opinion, I think that the player in blue jersey might have accidentally tripped the player in white jersey, causing him to fall. As from the picture, I can see that one of the legs is sort of stuck behind the legs of the player who had fallen down.

I think that before this scene where the player fell down, he might be in control of the ball. And after he fell, he might lose control of the ball and sent the ball flying off his hands. I presume that the player that has possession of the ball in the picture now had came rushing to snatch the ball when it lost control. I think that he might have slide on the floor from where he is standing before to where the ball is now or that he might have kneeled down on the floor quite hardly, just to have the possession of the ball. His knees should hurt quite badly from the look of agony on his face.

A player that had shaved his hair bald was bending down and seems to be saying something like ‘pass the ball to me’ to the man who had possession of the ball. Most of the players are seen rushing in to snatch the ball and none had really cared about the player that fell down. The player that is outside the crowd that are trying to have possession of the ball seems to be smiling. Maybe he thinks that the scene of his teammates falling on his back is funny and is making him laugh. This is wrong, he should not be laughing at his teammate, and should help him up.

I assume that after someone has gotten possession of the ball. The man that had fell down would still be left on the same spot and no one would help him up. He would have to stand up by himself as all the players seem to care more about the ball than their teammates. It might be quite okay if they did not help the player stand up when they are trying to have possession of the ball, as it might be quite chaotic there. But after that, someone should have helped him up. And this is shows that the person had sportsmanship.

Sportsmanship is an important thing for people who play sports. It is usually said that friendship with other teams come first; the results of the tournament comes second. But there are only a small little amount of people that follows this saying. By having sportsmanship, it is also to ensure that nobody gets unhappy by being pushed down and that there will be no fights or vulgarities on court. But I think that sometimes, during some circumstances, there are times when sportsmanship should come second.

by: Xin Yi (23)

the people in this room are all dressed up in different costumes.i suppose they are friends ,all of them had different expressions on their faces,some looked serious and some looked like they are suppressing a laughter.i suppose form their attires and poses they are in a halloween costume party.i suppose all of them are having fun and having a great time with each other.

in the middle of the pictue there is two people,one dressed up as a terrorist,and the other a skeleton head.the terrorist is holding a fake gun pointing towards the skeleton head man,and that man bit the gun and clapped his hands.i suppose he wanted to convey the message that he is not scared of the terrorist.

i think they are also trying to show that the real kind of terrorist that exist are dangerous to so many people.but coming back to halloween parties,i feel that the guy that dressed up as a terrorist has some kind of an educational effect on other people towards constant vigilance.i suppose this occasion is held in america as they people in the picture are all caucasians and that i suppose they man that dressed up as a terrorist is trying to show that terrorist are once a huge threat to them.therefore i feel that in this halloween party it's educational as well as enjoyable.

Picture discussion

This picture depicts a pavement that is located outside the stretch of houses.
The pavement is filled with green grass and had tall trees planted around it. The tree seemed to be a seasonal tree. Perhaps this is found in the seasonal countries.
There is a young girl who is riding on a four-wheeled bicycle.
The girl is wearing simple home clothes. She might live nearby. In fact, this place might be a western country as the girl has blonded-hair.
The girl is cycling on a four - wheeled bicycle. This goes to show that she's is an amateur in riding bicycles. Besides, with the wearing of another safety helm, i can firmly conclude that she is just an amateur in riding a bicycle. I can also see that the parents of this little girl are very attentive and careful person as they had safety precautions to prevent a bad fall if ever in an unfortunate case.
The girl had an innocent and wide smile on her face. Perhaps she is enjoying the moments of riding a bicycle. It might be her parents taking this photo as her parents are not around with her in this picture. I think this girl might have master the art of cycling. She seemed to have gotten the grasp of riding a bicycle. With the grim on her face, it shows how she feels after the success of riding a bicycle. Perhaps, she might have tried numerous attempts on riding the bicycle and might have fall down several times. This might be the first time she succeed, hence, the wide grim on her face.
I believe that cycling will develop to the girl's past time. She had an enjoyable childhood and a element that exist in her smile - Innocence.
Probably, after this, she might be eating as she might be hungry after all the cycling or she might continue cycling. She seem to be very satisfied with her fruit of labour.

To conclude, her determination and perseverance paid off. Taking the first step is never easy. Her two values are something that are missing in some of us. I hope that i will be like her, brave to take the first step, master a new skill and be proud of it.

By CheowYong =)

Picture Discussion - Reuben (31)

The picture depicts a scene of when a woman is giving a presentation on a slideshow to other people. It seems that this picture is taken from overseas, judging from the skin colour of the woman speaker and the copper-brown hair of the almost balding man who was looking at the projection of the slideshow presentation as shown in the picture. It seems as the main speaker in the picture, the woman is giving a presentation on solutions to something, which involves some natural elements of mother nature and the use of finance, planning and management. From the looks of it, the presentation is about converting these natural elements into electricity and the part of the slide on 'Huge Potential' is on the more probable potential of those listed under it to be able to be converted into something useful, and is most probably electricity.
Base on the picture, the world is in need of more means to get more electricity due to its increase of demand from new technology or the growing population, and that the current amount of electricity is still insufficient.
I notice that the background has a projection on it, which makes me deduct that this presentation was made in a very big room, and that because the presentation was in a very big room, there must be quite a lot of people listening to it as it is common sense to not use such
a big room to give a presentation to only a group of people.

in a classroom~

This picture depicts a scene of a classroom. It seems to be taken during the Christmas festival season because I can see a Christmas tree standing in one corner of the classroom. The shelves nearby the Christmas tree are filled with magazines. The people attending the session are adults, therefore I can tell that this event is not held in a school, but more of an adult course at a nearby community centre. The adults are sitted in groups, around round tables with comfortable chairs, hinting it might be a more relaxing type of course. In addition, the elderly female teacher standing in front of the classroom seems to be discussing happily to her students, having a friendly relationship. I can also see beverages, such as coffee, snacks and also roses placed on a table beside the teacher, giving the lesson a light and cheerful tone. The beverages ans snacks might be refreshments for the teacher and students during a break. It seems that the lesson might not be a short one for them. This place might also have been a library. This event might have taken place overseas due to the skin and hair colour of the people in the class and also the casual decoration of the classroom.

The man with the bald patch on his head seems not to be listening to the teacher. His head is leaning on his arm and seems to be bored. In addition, the direction in which he is looking at seems to point to where the beverages are placed. The lesson might have taken place for a long time and maybe he wants a break. Another reason why the lesson might have taken place a long time is that there are beverage cups on the teacher's table. The classroom seems to be cold because the windows in the picture are closed, and there are no fans in the room, indicating that there might be air-conditioning in the room. Also, I can see some of the adults wearing thich jackets but he seems to think of the classroom being a little humid as his thick, warm blue jacket is hanged on the back of the chair he is sitting on.

The women with white hair, sitting in front of the bald man seems to be listening attentively to the teacher. It might have been that she is sitting right in front of the teacher or maybe because she is interested in the subject or topic the teacher is discussing about. Also, the teacher seems to be talking to her. Before this, she might have asked the teacher a question.

In the centre of the picture, there is a woman wearing a funky outer coat with curly, light brown hair. She does not appear to be listening to the teacher. She might have already known about what the teacher is teaching and is reading through other parts where the teacher has not taught yet. On the other hand, she might have been not clear in some parts that the teacher has taught earlier and is re-reading the earlier parts the teacher has taught in the book, or seaching for confused parts where she is going to ask the teacher again.

I have noticed that absolutely no adult students are talking or whispering to one another in the picture, and most of the people in the picture are listening attentively to the teacher. I feel that this is very commendable as one needs a lot of energy to be able to pay attention to another for a long period of time. I suppose that the way the teacher teaches also makes a huge difference because using fun teaching methods are better then lectures, where the teacher drones on and on, therefore more eye catching and making students more attentive. I assume that a short while after this, the adults are going to have refreshments and then resume on their lesson. By then, the bald man should have been refreshed and pay more attention in class.

In Singapore, more and more fun teaching methods are introduced to the teachers in recent years. The students in Singapore schools are also more attentive in class and produce better results. They talk lesser in class and teachers have a fun time teaching them. I admire the adults who can maintain paying attention for such a long time, and hope that in the future, I could improve my stamina and do better in class too.

Picture discussion

This picture depicts a scene of a funeral. I think that the people attending the funeral are heartbroken as someone close to them has passed away. Everyone attending the funeral seems solemn.The people attending the funeral are all wearing dark coloured shirt as it is a culture and a form of respect to do so while attending the funeral, they also keep their heads bowed down as a form of respect during the mourning. From the picture, I can refer that the funeral took place in a western country by the people's looks and dressing and unlike our country, they bury the dead. From the background, I could tell that the funeral took place in a graveyard and the people are paying their last respects before they bury the coffin into the ground. Judging from the facial expressions, the lady with blond hair is probably very closely related to the person who had passed away as she is crying and more emotional than the rest beside her. Judging from his dressing, the tall man in the dark blue coat and a hat is probably an officer in-charge of handling this funeral, however, he might also be a relative of the person who had just passed away as he is standing in a unique position to pay his respect unlike the others.

I presume that this is a scene outside a hospital because I can see a bandage around the little girl's head. I also presume that she must be of some importance, considering the fact that there are news crew behind her that are possibly waiting for an exclusive scoop by interviewing her.The man, woman and boy with brownish hair could possibly be her family who are probably most gratified to have her back with them after the period which she stayed in the hospital. Also there appears to be a crowd of visitors and well-wishers who are watching the little girl leave.

However I think that this little girl and her family are not very famous people because nobody appears to be mobbing them for autographs. So I presume that this little girl must have accomplished something that is of significance such as surviving an accident in consideration of the bandage on her head.

The little girl in the foreground seems to be the focus of everyone present as I can see that most people are facing in her direction. She is dressed in a princess costume and appears to be rather healthy except for her bony arms and pale face. She is smiling and appears to be holding her father's hand. She seems to be like a typical young girl, because most of her items are pink. The bag her mother holds. The purse that is held loosely by her left hand. The stocking and shoes she wears under the pale pink princess costume. The little girl must be terribly excited to go back home but she appears to keep it all in with the maturity one would expect from an older child. It must be terribly interesting and perhaps that is why the news station has come to seek an interview with this seemingly special little girl.

In the background on the left, there is a man with a striped blue tie who is smiling rather pleasantly. I presume that he is of certain importance in the hospital behind him and is saying goodbye to their now former patient. His hands are behind his back and his head is slightly tilted down which seems to convey the message that he is saying goodbye to the little girl in the princess costume. If he was shallow or in charge of the hospital's publicity or customer relations he must be extremely delighted with the revenue that may come in because of the little girl.

Some the visitors seem to be nonchalant of the little girl's leave though most are curious and have sneaked a peek at her. I assume that they will be continuing on what they had set out to do when they arrived at the hospital. Which will probably consist of giving get well presents to their loved ones.

I presume that the father will drive his family back home taking pleasure in the fact that his little girl in finally home with her family again. I hope that they will not be aggressively tailed by the paparazzi and make it home safely to finally enjoy quality time together.

I think that this is an excellent example about one's will to live and the children around the world who have suffered but yet are still standing strong greeting each day with their brightest smiles, giving thanks for each day and living each day to the fullest.

By Rachel Tan (16)

Picture Discussion ;D

I suppose this picture is taken in front of a colosseum in Rome. In the background there is a grand but ancient structure and in the foreground there is a man in a gladiator's outfit, which shows that this picture should have been taken in Rome.

There is a crowd of people at the background, so the colosseum may be very popular among the tourists and the local people. In the foreground there is a family of three taking a photo with the gladiator. The smiles on their faces tell me that they are enjoying their photo-taking. The gladiator is lifting a sword as a pose for the camera.

The gladiator's pose shows the bold and mighty side of him. He may have been a man paid to pose as one as in the present era there are no more gladiators.

The family appears to be reveling in their family time as a family photo can help built stronger family ties. The child in green may be feeling very happy as she had a chance to take a picture with a gladiator. Her parents are standing very close to one another, showing the significance of their relationship as husband and wife. They also appear to be treasuring the family time together.

The people in the background seem to be rushing in to view the majestic colosseum. It seems like taking a step into history because there are no more gladiatorial combats in the present, so the colosseum is now a historical monument for both locals and tourists to look at.

Perhaps after their photo-taking the family would go into the colosseum and look at its majesty, the splendor of its past. They will probably join the crowd of people and go inside the colosseum. They would probably thank the gladiator for his time before going in.

A family photo shows clearly the close-knitted bonds in a family. Family photos often help establish a strong sense of kinship within a family and create a harmonious family relationship.

Written by:

Grace Lim (o6) 3H

Picture Discussion By Jia Ying, (12)

In the picture above, an obese man is trying with all his might to snatch a trophy from his female colleague. This scenario appears to be happening in an office because two cubicles with desks, chairs, computers, table lamps and books can be seen. It is 10.50 in the morning as the clock that is hanging on the wall in the center of the two people’s work places tells me so. Also, there seems to be a mild amount of sunlight shining into the room and shadows of the two middle-aged workers are cast on the carpeted floor.

Judging from the facial expression of the man, he is very determined and almost desperate to have the trophy. The woman on the other hand appears to be more relaxed than him. The woman looks as though she is beaming, probably because she has a calmer approach to the situation she has gotten herself into or because she finds the overall appearance of her fat colleague funny and cannot resist smiling. Obviously, the man who is taller and generally bigger in size than the woman has more physical strength than her. He would probably snatch the trophy away from her. The trophy might break if it is of bad quality because the two people are forcefully pulling the trophy in two different directions. Several pieces of papers that are likely documents, are scattered on the floor at the cubical where the man is positioned. The man must have swung his arms or legs during the fight previously or carelessly knocked into the stacks of files on the floor, probably with papers that are not fastened together. The two people are most likely annoyed with each other. Both or either one of them may feel that the other party is unreasonable. If their superior were to witness the fight between the both of them, they would probably get themselves into an even more undesirable situation than the situation they are in presently. Most likely, they would be sacked.

The two people may want the trophy for a common reason or for different reasons. They may want it to delude other people that the trophy was won with their own effort in a particular challenge when it was actually with multiple people’s effort that the trophy was gotten. If that is so, then they are being very selfish and unfair to the other team members. It would be unthoughtful of them if they were to wish for all the glamour of winning the challenge to be theirs and not take the other winners of the competition into consideration. The other people of the team would probably be angry and disappointed because they do not get any credit for their honourable achievement. If the trophy were won with the company’s workers’ combined effort, then it should be placed in the office. It would serve as a source of encouragement to those who are discouraged and remind those who are over-confident not to be complacent. In this way, the company would make good progress.

Either one of the two people could also be trying to snatch the trophy away from his or her colleague for a good course. Any one of the two people may want the trophy for himself or herself and the other person could probably be trying to get the trophy from him or her before he or she takes it and uses it for his or her own purpose.

It is probably the start of the day because it is morning when the fight is taking place. The two workers should have many tasks at hand. Furthermore, there are a number of notices up on one of the cubicles. Both of them should be busy people and they should get on with their work instead of engaging in a fight which does no good to anyone.

Whichever way it may be, as matured adults, the two people should not resolve to fighting or arguing when they do not agree on a particular subject. Instead, they should discuss about the matter discreetly. They should try putting themselves in the shoes of their colleagues and work harmoniously together. The two people are being unprofessional by fighting unashamedly in their workplace. Both of them should be properly educated because they qualify to work in the company they are in and they should be behaving sensibly. By fighting, they are ruining their dignity. Also, the two people may not be able to get along well with each other in the future because the fight may ruin their relationship as colleagues. A trophy is merely a symbolic object to recognize one’s achievement. As long as we are aware of our genuine ability to do something, there is no need for a trophy.

Picture Discussion

The picture depicts a scene of the aftershocks of a disaster.This place is most probably in the city as there is a lot of people.From the police uniform,i can infer that the disaster occurred in Pakistan.The disaster is most probably an earthquake as there are collapsed buildings.

In the background of the picture,there are many people trying to dig up something from the rubble.I think that their loved ones are buried under the rubble and they are desperately looking for them,trying to find out if they were still alive.Some of the people had already lost their last glimpse of hope of being able to locate their relatives as it is almost impossible to survive under so many layers of concrete walls.

Under this circumstances,the place will be crowded with people trying to look for their loved ones and there might be a stampede,therefore the police are there to maintain order.I think some of the police officers also lost their relatives in the earthquake but they continued their job as they knew that that was not the time for them to collapse too.They knew that they had an important role to play.

Through the police,i can see their loyalty towards their country and how they uphold it.We should also learn from them and fulfil our duty by enrolling in national service and be proud of who we are and where we come from.

change in oral date

Dear 3H-ers,

Please take note that your oral will be shifted from 16th of June to 18th as Mr Lee has something on on the 16th. The times and reporting room remain the same.

For those of you who have posted your picture descriptions, good work. Please do not forget to accept the invite for the other blog and post your reflection based on a reader's digest article there if you haven't already done so. If you have not received invites, i may have added your email address wrongly. Please let me know my sending me your email address to phua_li_ling@moe.edu.sg.

Hope you're having a fruitful and restful holiday!

regards,
Ms Phua

Picture Description

This picture depicts a scene outside the entrance of the Universal Studios amusement park of Japan as stated on its sign hanging above the entrance.There is also a a wreath of leaves hanging beneath the logo,so it must be Christmas season somewhere at the end of the year when this photo was taken.

The amusement also seems to be located somewhere in the rural part of Japan as unlike its urban counterpart,there is no high rise buildings surrounding it or near its premises.Also,it seems that the amusement park is undergoing some construction to its facilities as as shown by the crane used in construction sites,or even building up new ones to upgrade the place to attract more tourists.

The Universal Studios also seem to be rather empty as shown in the picture.Thus,I believe that it must be a weekday,with less people coming to visit the park due to the hectic and busy schedule the Japanese have,leaving them only weekends to visit such places for entertainment and leisure.Therefore,I believe that the people in this picture may be tourists and foreigners,who have come to visit one of Japan's places of interest.

In the background,the people there are all wearing overcoats and winter wear,so it must be cold then in the area as it is late autumn-early winter season,when the weather becomes cooler even during the day.A man in the background also seem to be giving out tickets to his family for entry into the Studios.I believe he must have took time off to bring his family out for vacation and take the time to bond more as a family.

The other woman in the picture wearing a bright electric blue coat seem to be on her own or rejoining her group elsewhere as she does not seem to be part of the family.As it is seen that she is walking past them.

I personally think that Singaporeans should be more like the family in the picture and spend more time with one another despite the little time we have everyday.And that we should not pour over our books like nerds do by burying themselves in our studies till we neglect those around us that we care for.regardless of time and seasons alike.In Singapore or not.

>Germaine (4)

Erm..ms phua, could you change the timing to the correct one, cuz i just found myself writing at 7.24 pm when it was only about 11.30 am now...

thanks

ps. See the other posts, the timing is so much more hilarious..(who writes at 1.20 am or 6.12 am?)

Picture discussion - kah mun (17)

This picture depicts a man holding a fishing rod and was in the midst of throwing it out to the lake. The background is one of rural settlement. It consists of a blue lake, hill and an isolated house on the other side of the lake. The weather is also perfect. I think this place might be located in China as this scene is typical of a chinese rural environment. And I also spotted willow trees in the distance, also typical of a chinese environment.

From the long-sleeved clothing of the man , I can see that the weather is chilly, though not so freezing cold as to actually turn the water in the lake to ice. From the simplicity of his fishing rod, I can tell that the man might not have the financial means to buy a better grade one. I think the man might be a villager from around that area, and he might not be a fisherman. If he is one, he should not be leisurely fishing here. So, fishing could be a leisure activity for this man to pass his time.

For this man, going fishing could be the most fun and ideal for a villager. Spending the day peacefully and quietly could be a typical practice for them. The man might not expect to catch any fish, but if he does, I think he would be elated and would bring it home just in time for his wife to cook it for dinner.

From the curved railings the man was leaning over on, I could guess that the man might be on a tourist attraction. Being a rural village, they have no need for railings. But for a tourist attraction, they need to set up railings to ensure the safety of the tourists. Without the railings, a tourist might get pushed into the water if there is a big crowd in that area. This point is reinforced by the presence of the big light lamp behind the man who was fishing. That might be used at night to bring light to the attraction.

In the background, I spotted another person on a raft in the middle of the lake. I think he might be a fisherman or a seller selling his wares to tourists. He might also live in the wooden house on the other side of the lake. I reckon he might not be so well off, therefore every money he earns is vital to his livelihood. He might also have a family he has to provide for. To sell his wares, he had to be out on the lake the whole day, under the sun. Whatever money he earned might have gone into buying food to eat, purchasing basic necessites and of course, wares to sell the next day.

I can see a contrast between the man who was fishing and the man who was on the raft. The man who was fishing was able to afford to spend his time on leisure activities while the man on the raft had to spend the day looking for fishes to sell or persuading tourists to purchase his wares. Apparently, the man who was fishing was better off than the man on the raft.

This scene is very peaceful and slow-paced, unlike Singapore, where life is mostly fast-paced and stress is common. Being in this place would calm me down and relax myself. But I would not be used to such rural lifestyle, having spent most of my life living an urban lifestyle. This place is also very scenic, what with the winding magnificent blue lake and the glassy slopes of the hill. And not forgetting, the peacefulness and serenity it brings to me.

Written by: Seetoh Kah Mun

3H (17)