Book Introduction: Clockwork Angel

Name: Clockwork Angel
Author: Classandra Clare
Published Date: 31/8/2010

So...I've read this book called Clockwork Angel recently. It is about a girl named Tessa, who is supposed to be an Eidolon, a demon that is able to change perfectly into anyone as long as she or he has touched an item belonging to the person. As Tessa travels to London to find her brother Nate, she is captured by two warlocks called the Dark Sisters, and then rescued by a Shadowhunter named Will. Shadowhunters are humans created by an angel named Raziel a long time ago. They are able to enhance their abilities with Marks, and keep the order of the Downworld-the world where vampires, lycanthropes, warlocks and other non-human beings live, and also keep humans safe from demons. As the Shadowhunters investigate into a case involving a shadowy character named 'The Magister', a greater plot is unveiled to annihilate all the Shadowhunters in London. In the meantime, Tessa starts to get closer to the two Shadowhunters, Will whose feelings is hidden behind a cold iron attidute, and Jem who is gentle and kind to everyone but has a dark secret.

The plot of the book is very exciting as there is always an unexpected twist when things are about to finish. The book also uses descriptive language well. This book is the first of the Infernal Devices trilogy and the second book, Clockwork Prince is estimated to be released this December. The trilogy is a prequel to the Mortal Instruments series, in which the fourth book City of the Fallen Angels was released recently in April. This book definitely has the power to keep you going on to continue the series, which I guess will eventually lead most book-lovers to the Mortal Instruments Series.

A Peek On My Daily Life...

On weekdays, I wake up at around 6, and I prepare to go to school. Everyday of school is filled with 20% of boredom, 15% of laughing, 35% of work and 30% of talking. When afternoon classes finish, I would walk back tired, and even a snail could pace me.

Upon reaching my room, I throw my bag down, sit down heavily on my bed with a 'plomp' and start Facebooking. Sometimes a pop-up from my chat would ask me what was today's homework and often I would not remember much. Most of the time I would turn my head to ask my classmate and roommate on the other side of the room on today's homework, and he would think together with me the occasionally heavy workload we were assigned.

Around the night I would start panicking on the work to be handed up the next day, and when it was near the end of the term I would be busy finding feasible titles to post on my blog. After 9.30 I could relax for a while and talk to my other fellow scholars, before going back to my sweet dreams.

On weekends, things would always be different for me. I would wake up late around 10am, and walk around my cluster wondering about things. Occasionally I would have projects to do and these filled up some of my weekends, but most were spent surfing the net, thinking about possible ways to get more ACE and OP, and also visits from my parents. Every weekend was bland yet exciting, bland as almost each weekend had the similar routine; exciting because each programme or action would often end up different in a way or another.

This is my daily life. If someone asked me if it was boring, certainly I would answer yes. But, I still feel that my life is fine because there is always that occasional excitement there for me to discover.

My Feature Article

Here is my feature article on prejudice:

THE MALAY AUTHORITIAN

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In Malaysia, the Malays are getting special benefits due to the law and policy. But do they really need it?
A gang of Malay students was reported bullying a Chinese student yesterday night in Kedah. They threatened him to give up all his belongings and valuables, and they even beat him up badly.
The victim, Tan Ah Seng, 14, said that what he had met with was “far more better” than what his juniors met. According to his oral account, there was this “welcoming ceremony” for Secondary 1 pupils who just got into the victim’s school. Random boys would be picked out by some Malay seniors, and they would take off their clothing and laugh at the poor students. The worst part was that some of the seniors were girls.

“Luckily on the day I entered school I was sick,” the student said, “else I could be also one of the victims involved.”

There were more crimes that the Malay gang in school had done, including theft and bullying, the gang also smoked openly in school compounds and some of them were rumoured to have indecent relations. When asked why were they nor dealt with by the school, Ah Seng only shook his head and said, “There is no use. The school does not believe what we say because they think we are jealous of the rights they get. I believe that the school knows about all these incidents, but they choose to ignore its existence.”

Ah Seng also said that many of the Indian and Chinese students wished they could have transferred to a better school, but they were all bound by a certain limitation or another. He also said that most of the students here could not get into the best universities in Malaysia due to the race quota put on the admissions of universities. He also said that that is the main reason why most non-Malay talents would go overseas to further their studies and not stay at home.

Looking into the society, the whole functioning of the society also contains a fatal flaw. All government organisations have prejudicial views and treat different races differently. In the police station, Malays get a higher priority and the police treat them more seriously. More jobs in government organisations are saved for Malays. However, the most important problem is back to the education system, where most of the subjects are taught in Malay. Although the government is introducing teaching Science and Maths through English, it has little effect on the students, who are unable to adapt to universities overseas.

It is true that some Malays do see this existing problem in the government’s policy, but the rest of the Malay community are extremists who think they should have their existing power.

The route taken by the Malaysian government is dangerous, as proved in the 2008 elections, when the Barisan Nasional only managed to grab 53% of the total election seats throughout Malaysia. Despite the effort done by the government to grab back more votes, the future voters are getting more and more determined to change the government. Looking back at the history of Malaysia, the first person who actually made Malaysia the country it is now was Parameswara, who founded Melaka. Since he was an Indian, shouldn’t policies instead focus on Indians?

I apologize for the lack of columns.

Tests Again...

Indeed for me it is true that most of the test have already gone. But, what is left would be the two(or is it three?) very important tests that would affect my Term 3 grades: LA Semester Test and IH Semester Test(I'm not sure if there is CF Semester Test).

While all of us feel like relaxing our tensed brains, we cannot afford to do so in case we were not prepared for the tests upcoming. It is true that there is the sabbatical week for us to enjoy learning other things, but we would still need to revise for LA and IH.

However, I believe that even though we are tired and beaten(some demoralized by the results), we can continue our effort to study harder and also achieve good results for our test. To my dear classmates from 2I2, let's continue on together! =D

Singapore General Elections 2011

It is widely agreed that Singapore is experiencing one of the most important elections in her history. The GE2011 has successfully attracted many to follow it closely.

Many people have stayed up since yesterday night to 4am today just to hear for themselves the results of one of the most important elections in Singapore history. Despite the announcer, Yam Ah Mee who successfully hypnotized some tired people to sleep, most managed to persevere and get the results personally. As expected, the PAP once again won with more than 60% of the election seats, but there was something different altogether.

The Aljunied GRC, where the Foreign Minister George Yeo led PAP's group to face against the Worker's Party led by Low Thia Kang, lost. WP had managed to gain 54.71% of the votes in Aljunied, leaving PAP with 45.29% of the votes. This had meant that Singapore had lost one of its valuable ministers.

The battle of Aljunied GRC was not centered on PAP against WP, it was instead centered on the people's voice in the government against a talented minister. The hottest topic in the elections were about the results that would come out in Aljunied GRC: would the people rather lose a valuable minister for their voice in the parliament? Or would they remain silent to retain talented ministers? The people have chosen. And this is their choice.

This election has clearly showed the PAP who have governed Singapore for 52 years straight since 1959: The people are more aware of politics, and they can no longer afford to ignore the people's voice. Singapore if advancing into a new political era, where the people, instead of the country, is the focus of the country.

Feature Article: TKAM

Here is my article on Tom Robinson's failed attempt to escape Maycomb Prison:

Guilty Tom Shot to Death

By Beh Guan Hong

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Maycomb: Recently charged with rape, Tom Robinson the nigger who was found guilty tried to escape during a prison exercise. The alert guards warned Tom of his actions, and made the quick and right decision to shoot him before he escaped.

According to a prison guard's statement, Robinson was running along well with the other prisoners during the exercise. It was not until the group neared the fence that Robinson broke away and tried to escape.

The prison guards were initially shocked but quickly recovered, they called the escaping nigger to come down, and when their words went into dead ears, they made the immediate and right decision to shoot the nigger down.

"Ho,that was great fun man. That nigger didn't fall from the first few shots, but he ain't God and he fell down like the piece of junk he was. Been a long good time since the guards had a shootin' practice." The prison guard said.

Robinson who was recently convicted guilty of raping a girl was scheduled for an appeal. When his lawyer Finch was asked on how he felt about Robinson's death, he said," Oh, Tom had such a good chance of winning the appeal. I think he got tired of our so called chances and decided to take a risk on his own."

This has been many years since a prisoner has dared to try the boundaries of the Maycomb Prison. No other prisoner shall dare to escape again for a while, least they end up treated like the nigger Robinson.

Tests Coming Up!

After this week, there's going to be many tests to study for... IH and LA tests in the coming week; Math and Science test following up in Week 7. Also I have to start worrying for my ACE, as I don't want my ACE to have a pitiful result like last term! I feel that the coming few weeks are going to be worrying for me...

Types Of Exposition Essays

Definition:
Definition essays provide you with a definition to a certain thing. It can be a whole new definition of a certain term, or a personal definition on a value. The Definition deals with the 'what' questions.

E.g: What is Friendship

Process Analysis:

Process Analysis is one of the easiest essays to write among the six. It provides you with a detailed account on a certain process. The Process Analysis deals with the 'how' questions.

E.g: How to Bake Your Own Cake

Causal Analysis:

Causal Analysis provides you with a full analysis on the causes of the topic. It is most likely used to provide reasons for an action or result. The Causal Analysis deals with the 'why' questions.
E.g: The Main Reason Titanic Sank

Classification:
Classification provides you with a classification of similar objects. It can be on the different invertebras or on different types of movies.

E.g: The Types of Intel Processors

Compare & Contrast:

Compare & Contrast is very close to Classification, but unlike Classification, it deals with the comparison of two objects. It lists out similar and different points of the objects to help the reader gain a deeper understanding.
E.g: China V.S USA

Example:

Example provides you with what it says: examples. Example is most likely to be incorporated into the different exposition essays as parts or full paragraphs instead of standing alone as a full essay.

These are the 6 main types of exposition essays. There is also the argumentary which is similar to exposition essays, but I will not elaborate on that.

Descriptive Paragraph

Three people dragged the bloody man towards their friends, their hands wet with the wounded's blood and sweat. The limping man was heavy, but the three people continued despite the pungent smell coming from the wounded creeping up their noses. They did not give up, slowly moving, so as to help the man to survive in this time of war, when almost everywhere was not safe. As the man's body scraped against the ground, a gravelly sound was made, which alerted the three people to raise his body higher. Another two men watched from a distance, the farther one starting to walk towards the three people to help them.

How can I improve my comprehension?

My comprehension has always been not so good. I am unable to grasp the key to the question and often I end up answering wrong. To improve my comprehension, what can I do?

My family told me that more practice would be effective. By excess practice, I would encounter different kinds of questions, and through a certain amount of effort, I would eventually learn how to answer and do well in my comprehension. But, such an effort would take more than 1 term to actually take effect, and by then my comprehension test would have long passed. I would need a faster way to improve.

My teacher told me that understanding the question is also important. Before answering, look at the marks, look at the key words of the question. By doing this, I would be able to get to the key of the question. But this also has its flaws: I could misunderstand what the key word wanted me to answer, and I would answer wrong. The way to prevent this was through again, practice, which I cannot afford.

I wish that I could find an efficient way to improve my comprehension before the test, but it seems that the best way would always lead back to practice. Is practice the only way? Is there any other way to advance faster?

Differences of a broad newspaper and tabloids

What are the differences between a broad newspaper and a tabloid?

From the view of the use of language, a broad newspaper uses more formal language. It is also less descriptive and focuses on the main point. In contrast, a tabloid uses more informal language, and it is also more descriptive.

From the point of view, the broad newspaper only focuses on a bystander's view. Opinions are rarely inserted into the news. In contrast, a tabloid provides more personal viewpoints than the broad newspaper.

From the content of the newspaper, the broad newspaper provides more formal and serious news. In contrast, a tabloid provides news more focused on gossips and the content is often more sleazy.

Term 2 and Mid Year

Some might say:" Yay! It's a whole new term! It's gonna be exciting! Woohoo!"
Sadly, I am not as enthusiastic as those above.
Yes, I admit that it is an exciting term where many activities are starting out, and especially for me, when my CCA activities are at the peak.
However, as much as I would not like to admit, I think that Term 2 is a mugging term, with mid-year tests coming at Week 10. With the experience of totally screwing up in Term 3 due to the mid-year exams in Sec 1, I have decided to give all my efforts in doing well for those test. Another reason I feel Term 2 is a mugging term is also due to me doing badly at Term 1, and I will need to do better in Term 2 to salvage the ruins in Term 1. Even though I do not aim to go into CSE(with my LA grades hardly reaching A2), I hope that at least at the end of this year, I will have a MSG that is lower than 1.5. I cannot afford to screw up another time in any of the coming terms.

An MSG of lower than 1.5. This shall be my target. I shall work hard towards it.

"Aim for the moon. Even if you fall, you shall land on the stars"

Term 1 Reflection

This is a terrible issue.
Due to my laziness(yes I know that you teachers were right), my Term 1 MSG had a great drop to 2.5. Although this may not seem so much as a very terrible MSG to most students, this is very disappointing to me. I knew that I should not have achieved such a horrible grade as I could have easily achieved a MSG that was lower than 2. I know that I was sticking my face in front of my computer too much and that I had not bothered to study much. My attitude towards school and homework was also very bad. However, I would like to clarify one matter. I admit that sometimes during class I was feeling very sleepy, but on certain occasions, I WAS NOT FEELING SLEEPY AT ALL.

I shall try hard to do well in the next term.

Holidays!

In this short one-week term break, I hope that I can achieve my following targets:

To be able to find a good book in the library nearby to read.
To be able to improve my language.
To be able to use descriptive language better.

Wish me good luck! =D

Reflection on Racism

Racism. What is it? Where does it exist? Why does it exist?
Racism is an act of discrimination against another race. It exists basically all over the planet, differing in the severity. It exists because some people stereotype the people of the race with bad actions, or think that they themselves belong to a mightier race.

I come from Malaysia. At there racism is at large, with the Malays getting all the benefits. The citizens of Malaysia do not fight over this because they say they are getting along well enough and they can tolerate it. But a new generation of Malaysians are rising. One generation that is aware that they need to fight against the racism. One who is more aware of the need of equality. And that was why during the 2008 elections, the former government nearly lost their position. They barely won the fight with 53% of the votes. Even though the government there is trying very hard to make the citizens believe that they are treating all races equally, but the citizens know what they are experiencing. If the government of Malaysia does not treat this seriously, they will lose the upcoming election. More and more of the to-be voters are prepared. Prepared to vote for the opposition party. But even to then, the racism issue will not be solved. This is because to solve the issue, what must be done is to remove the special rights of the Malays, which would cause a revolt in the Malays. And then we would be back to the old days, where riots ruled the streets, and then it was back again to racism.

An even more extreme example would be the racism in South America during the late 19th century. The blacks in the south were treated very badly, and they would be convicted for a crime even if all the evidence was pointed towards them being framed. This was a very major issue in America, and it was not until the raise of Civil Rights in the 1980s that the racism issue was solved.

Racism is a bad thing. I sincerely hope that Malaysia can get rid of the racism deep inside it, although I clearly know it shall never happen during my generation. Maybe my sons or grandsons will witness the revolution of Malaysia, when Malaysia ceases to be Malaysia. But until then, I shall remain that hope, for a better Malaysia.

Racism. It affects everyone near you. It is bad for you. Stop the spread of racism. Stop racism.

Anyone is guilty who watches this and does nothing

A boy, crouching in a corner in an alley, while three Malay boys surround him, kicking him in turns, cigarettes in their mouths.

"Kenapa tak bayar wang? Mahu mati yakah? Bos kami tidak gembira dengan kamu tahu? Tidak beri wang, tidak ada hari yang baik!"One of the taller boys said in Malay. Translated, it meant "Why did you not pay up? Want to die? Our boss is not happy with you you know? Never pay money, never have a good day!". The boy then jammed his cigarette onto the hand of the poor boy, who let loose a cry of pain. The three Malays then walked away arrogantly.

This was a real thing that happened when I studied in primary school. We had a neighbourhood secondary school next to our school when I was studying there. There was an alley near it that was dark, so dark it could contain the existence of the triads and gangs in that school. Unfortunately, everyday I had to walk past the alley to get home. Many times had I witnessed such incidents happening, and I had reported it many times to my teachers. What they said only was "Leave them alone. It's not our school anyway."

This time I could not tolerate it anymore. Something had to be done about this bullying. So I went to the teachers again. As expected, the teachers called me to stay out of their affairs.

"But almost everyday someone is hurt being bullied in that particular alley! How can I just stand there and watch it happen?"I exclaimed.

"Guan Hong, some day you will understand this,"my form teacher said, "For the moment, I'll teach you something. This is called racism and it exists throughout Malaysia. We cannot stop it, because it exists in the whole Malaysia. If I reported this, this would surely fall to the principal of their secondary school. We have reported such cases. But what ended up was the Chinese students were punished because they 'wanted to find trouble with the gangs'. Maybe when you grow up, you'll be able to solve this issue along with others. But for now, let things be the way they are. Now forget about this and go home."

It was not until recently that this incident came back to my mind. It returned when our teacher taught about racism and the concept of tolerance and acceptance. Maybe this is the so-called tolerance. But, the racism in Malaysia must be stopped. More and more Malays are getting into local universities although others have better results. Even though the slogan of "1 Malaysia" is spreading, encouraging equal treatment, no real action has been done. And more and more teenagers are running out of tolerance nowadays. Maybe when my generation comes, in the near future, they will have run our of tolerance. What happens then? No one knows.

Mississippi Burning

Today, our teacher let us view a movie called Mississippi Burning. The movie was about FBI agents investigating the deaths of 3 civil right workers in Mississippi. The movie mainly dealt with the issues of racism in South America. Honestly, I did not enjoy the movie while I was viewing it. The movie seemed kind of dull when it first started, except for a few scenes where the action took place. Also, the FBI agents seemed kind of unreasonable in the movie: at last the resorted to underhand means to force the whites in the movie to confess to their actions. This made the movie, although altogether improving the attractiveness, less realistic. Also, the blacks were too "fake", they were portrayed as some kind of "angel" who would never commit even the smallest crime. The plot was nice to enjoy, though.

Scenery Description

The coconut trees cast long sinewy shadows on the pale sand, their leaves swaying to and fro, and the bushes beneath them supporting them from ever falling down. The calm blue seemed to extend indefinitely, with thin ripples all over, like an old woman's face. The ever-blue sky was paled out by the clouds, going on to mix in with the blue waters, blurring out the horizon. All seemed so still, so lifeless, yet small movements continued, on and on and on and on...

Home Learning 24 Jan

By y10hci0128 | View this Toon at ToonDoo | Create your own Toon

By y10hci0128 | View this Toon at ToonDoo | Create your own Toon

The 1st background was the corridor of an apartment, this is to make the story more similar to our real life.
The 2nd background was to build up suspense due to the darkness in the room. The black character in the background also contributes to building up the climax of the story.
The 3rd background is a room, which is supposed to be what is the common living room of an apartment. The many kinds of people in the room is supposed to symbolize the diversity of friends Jack has.
The 4th background is the kitchen, where everyone is eating the cake. This is the ending.

Prejudice

Know: What do I already know about prejudice

What I already know about prejudice is that it is an action of unfairness towards a certain person due to the impression of the person in one's heart. An example of this is that when a fight occurs in the classroom, a teacher will tend to blame the troublemaker even if the fight was not caused by him, because the impression of the teacher about the troublemaker is that he will always cause the problems.

Want: What do I want to know/learn about prejudice

I want to know many forms of prejudices are there in total and in what forms do they exist in so as to better understand prejudice and be able to identify it the next time I see it.

Learn: What have I learnt about prejudice

I have learnt a form of prejudice, that is racial prejudice.