LA ACE Blog Post 6 - Favourite Neighbourhood Photo

1.The greenery of the park attracted people of all ages to come here and enjoy the cool morning breeze.

2.Sitting on the black seat of the swing, the teenage girl start swinging high into the air.

3.The rustling of the silver chain of the swing could be heard as the boy started swinging higher and higher.

4.Dead brown leaves could be seen scattered all over the grass.

1.The lush greenery made the park look as if there was a playground in the middle of a forest, and people of all ages were attracted to come here and enjoy the cool morning breeze.

2.The whistle of the wind caused the silver chain of the swing to make a rustling sound, making it sound as if the chain was whispering.

The lush greenery made the park look as if there was a playground in the middle of a forest, and people of all ages were attracted to come here and enjoy the cool morning breeze, laughter of happy children filled the air, the atmosphere was so relaxed and the air was only filled with happiness.

The cool morning breeze blew, caressing the faces of the people in the park. The sun shone brightly in the azure blue sky. The lush greenery made the park look as if there was a playground in the middle of a forest and it was so inviting that people from all walks of life went there on that Sunday morning to relax and enjoy.

Laughter and happiness filled the air. Children played on swings and slided down the slides. The elderly talked to one another and did some taichi exercises. Parents took this as a chance to take a break from their busy life and spent quality time with their children.

Dead brown leaves were lying all over the grass. The trees stood tall and provided shade for the park-goers. On a Sunday morning, this was the peaceful atmosphere at the park. It is certainly good to take a break from our fast-paced life and relax once in a while.

Blog Post 17 - Neighbourhood Pictures

These are some pictures that I took of my neighbourhood. Please enjoy!

LA ACE Blog Post 5 - Character Sketch

For this ACE blog post, I will be writing about Atticus Finch from To Kill A Mockingbird. I decided to do this blog post on Atticus because I feel that he is a very great person who is fair, knowledgeable and demonstrates both tolerance and intolerance. One incident which he demonstrated intolerance is when he found out about Jem and Scout playing a game and acting out Boo’s big scene. When he saw Jem playing with scissors and tearing up newspapers, he said, “What are you doing with those scissors, then? Why are you tearing up that newspaper? If it’s today’s I’ll tan you.” This shows that Atticus does not tolerate his children’s misbehaviour and would give them a punishment if needed. (Page 46)

An incident which Atticus demonstrated tolerance is when he told Jem to be a gentleman and hold his head high when Mrs Dubose insulted him and Atticus. Atticus said, “Easy does it, son. She’s an old lady and she’s ill. You just hold your head high and be a gentleman. Whatever she says to you, it’s not your job to let you make her mad.” This shows how Atticus can tolerate with other people’s insults and how he does not get affected by them. (Page 106)

Found Poem - LA ACE 4

Hi everyone,

This is my found poem. Please enjoy!

Mrs Dubose was close to a hundred

And she was the meanest old woman who ever lived.

She spent most of each day in bed and the rest in the wheelchair

It was rumored that she kept a CSA pistol

Jem and I hated her

When we passed her porch

We would be raked by her wrathful gaze

But we could do nothing to please her

‘Hey Mrs Dubose’

‘Don’t say hey to me, you ugly girl!’

‘You say good afternoon Mrs Dubose!’

She was vicious

‘Don’t contradict me!’

‘What are you doing in that overalls?’

‘You should be in a dress and camisole, young lady’

‘You’ll grow up waiting on tables if somebody doesn’t change your ways!’

‘Not only a Finch waiting on tables but one in the courthouse lawing for niggers!’

Jem stiffened.

I was terrified.

When she died, Atticus said ‘She was the bravest person I ever knew’

We did this poem from Scout’s point of view. By doing this poem, we are giving the readers the impression that Mrs Dubose was an extremely mean old lady who disliked children and treated them really badly. It also gives readers the impression that she liked to insult others, and she was very dangerous. This is supported by” It was rumored that she kept a CSA pistol.” Readers would also feel that Mrs Dubose was racist as she did not support the idea of people lawing for niggers. The last sentence “When she died, Atticus said ‘She was the bravest person I ever knew’ was used to leave the reader in suspense as to why Atticus thought that Mrs Dubose was the bravest person he ever knew.

The characteristics of Mrs Dubose in this poem is very much similar to the characteristics of Mrs Dubose in the book itself. However, in the storybook, it is finally explained why Atticus felt that Mrs Dubose was the bravest person. In fact, Mrs Dubose was a woman who doted on Jem and the reason why she wanted Jem to read to her everyday for a month was because of the fact that she felt lonely and wanted some company. However, in this poem, we decided not to include the fact that she felt lonely as we only wanted to give readers the impression that she was bad-tempered, mean and crude.

LA ACE Blog Post 7 - Reflective Writing on I'm tired

I'm tired... Indeed, I am extremely exhausted, both mentally and physically.

Loads of school work are piling up, ACE assignments deadlines are nearing. Staying back for school activities and going for national team trainings almost everyday has caused me to become over-exhausted. I cannot take it any longer... I feel that I am going to fall anytime now.

I no longer have any strength to continue this type of lifestyle. I hope that I will be able to relax and have some fun.

Indeed, living this kind of lifestyle is not what I want. I just want to be an average teenage boy who is able to go to school to learn, socialise and have fun with my friends. I just wish that I can have more freetime and do the things that I want to.

Blog Post 15 - Neighborhood Where I Live

The neighborhood where I live in has many eateries. Therefore, I can always smell the aroma of food in the air. There are 2 MRT stations in the vicinity of my house. The neighborhood which I live in also has beautiful surroundings, and it is very peaceful there. I can usually hear the chirping of birds in the morning, but at night, I usually hear the meowing of cats. The cool air in the neighborhood is very fresh also. I love my neighborhood alot.

LA ACE Blog Post 8 - Reflective Writing on Vivid Childhood Memory

A vivid childhood memory of an event that help to influence the person I am today happened when I was 6. My mum brought me to visit my uncle, who was a doctor. His house was extremely big and magnificent, and he had 2 sports cars. He also had many electronic gaming devices. I was inspired to be a doctor since then, so that when I grow up, I could earn lots and lots of money and buy the things that I want.

Since then, I decided that I would study hard, so that I can realise my dream in future. That memory really influenced me to be the person I am today. If that incident did not happen, I might still be a computer addict like I was before, instead of the hardworking boy I am today.

Since it is my dream to be a rich man in future and earn lots of money, it is my duty to work hard for what I want as nothing comes free in this world. Everyone is born with equal intelligence. It is the hard work that matters. I feel that it is better for me to "suffer" now, and enjoy in the future. I want to be able to look after my parents well in future and not be dependent on them my whole life.

LA Singaporean Short Story

I was born in Singapore 14 years ago, on the 28^th day of January. When I was young, I was brought up by my grandparents and I lived in their house in Telok Blangah with my 2 elder cousins. This was because my parents were very busy and had no time to look after me.

My grandparents took care of me very well when I was young. They fed me with good food, gave me good clothing and taught me some basic English and Chinese languages. However, my 2 elder cousins were avid computer gamers. Therefore, under their influence, I too became an avid gamer at the young age of 4. I also hanged out with my cousins’ friends, and they too were a bad influence to me. We went to LAN shops almost every day, and we could play for up to 4 hours each time.

From the time when I was 4 to 6 years old, my life revolved around gaming. No matter how much my parents and grandparents tried to spark up my interest in learning Mathematics, English and Chinese, it was all useless. All I cared about was playing computer games. My parents felt very frustrated, and they decided that they would have to enroll me into a good primary school, so as to make sure I had a conducive learning environment.

When I was 7, I was enrolled into Tao Nan School. I no longer lived with my grandparents, but instead I stayed with my parents, who decided that they would need to spend more time with me in order to make sure that I was serious in my studies and stop being a gaming addict. My parents also made me take up Wushu as my CCA signed me up for piano and swimming lessons too. This was to make sure I did not have too much free time, or I would be spending all my time playing computer games. I enjoyed practicing Wushu , playing the piano and learning survival swimming course. Thus, I spent more time on these activities than on the computer.

At the age of 11, I was recruited into the Singapore’s Wushu national team. We had to train 6 times per week, and each training session lasted for two-and-a-half hours. There were selection trials after trials to shortlist and select the athletes to represent Singapore for the 2^nd World Junior Wushu championships held in Bali in December 2008. Training increased from 6 times per week to 12 times per week for the selected athletes. It was a first time experience and an eye opener for me to participate in this event. At the same time it was a learning experience for me to juggle both study and sport. I was glad that my hard work paid off and I won a silver medal in the competition.

The following year, I had to cope with my national team training and my preparation for the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE). My parents told me that if I was unable to cope with my studies, I would have to quit the national team. However, I decided that I would persevere and try my best to cope with both my academics and my passion for Wushu. Fortunately, I was selected to represent Singapore again for the 5^th Asian Wushu Championship in June that year and I won a gold medal. Due to the limited time I had for my August prelim, my results were below expectation. With less than one and a half month to go before PSLE, I had to be extremely disciplined and revised my work diligently. Fortunately, my result was good enough for admission to all Integrated Program schools in Singapore. Although I was satisfied with my results , my parents felt that I could have done better. It made me wondered if parents always have such high expectation of their children. I had also become the role model for the MOE’s Junior Sport Academy and was awarded the Meritorious Award by the Singapore National Olympic Council.

Just end of last year, the 3^rd World Junior Wushu Championship was held in Singapore. I had to train much harder than the previous 2 years as I was promoted to an older age group. It was not a good year for my health as I kept getting injuries. I trained extremely hard every day despite the injuries and in the end, I managed to win a gold medal for Singapore.

Being a HCI student and a member of the Singapore Wushu national team, I lead a busy life and have a packed schedule. The competition is intense and everyone has to be constantly improving in order to keep up with the fast-paced life in Singapore. Although I find it tiring to train every day, I do not mind as I enjoy Wushu and see it as a relaxation from studying all the time for me. I really enjoy going to school to learn and socialize with my friends. In Singapore, parents always want us to be the best among the best. Having a bit of stress is inevitable, thus we should try our best to find time to relax once in a while. I hope that I can continue to win medals for Singapore and do well in both academics and in sports.

Blog Post 13 - Scene From Favourite Movie

The scence which I will be writing about is from the anime "Bleach", when one of the main character's elder brother, Kuchiki Byakuya, sacrificed his life to save his younger sister Kuchiki Rukia from getting killed by a back-stab.

The atmosphere was very tense at that time, as the siblings were fighting an extremely strong and almost undefeatable enemy at the highest mountain of "Soul Society"(Heaven). Although both siblings were very strong too, the enemy was more powerful than the both of them combined. The elder brother had always been really cold to his sister, so when he protected his sister from the sudden attack, I was very shocked and touched.

I was very touched because of the love the brother gave to his sister. He was willing to sacrifice his life in order to save her. Nobody would have thought that he would take the attack for his sister. This twist in the movie is why I chose to write about this scene from the movie.

Blog Post 12 - My Favourite Character in To Kill a Mockingbird

My favourite character in To Kill a Mockingbird is Atticus. I like him because he is a very fair person who understands the importance of tolerance, he is law-obeying and he is always after justice. He is also knowledgeable and he feels that all human beings have equal rights, no one is superior. Even though people during his time despised the blacks, he felt that the blacks should not be punished for something they did not do. He tried his best to help a black who was accused of rape. Atticus knew that the black was innocent and gave it his best in order to save the black and get him out of trouble.

I respect Atticus alot and I feel that he has many good points which I can learn from him.

Blog Post 11 - Favourite Fictional Character

My favourite fictional character is Superman from DC comics. I like him because he believes in justice and he goes all out to save the world from falling into the hands of evil. I is also very strong and powerful, and no matter which opponent he fights, he will fight till the end even if he is losing. I admire his will and perseverance, and the most awesome thing about him is that he can fly!

I wish that Superman can become even stronger, and defeat all the bad guys in this world!

ACE Blog Post 9 - How An Individual's Identity is Shaped

1. I feel that an individual's identity is shaped by their personality, their hobbies, their likes and dislikes, and their trademarks. My personality is that I am very loyal, and I do not like to go out with my parents much. My hobby is playing soccer and computer games. I like to go out and fun with my friends and I dislike hanging around with strangers. I also have a very busy schedule but I try to cope with it. I also love my country very much!

2. Since I am loyal and would rather stay at home to guard the house than go out with my parents, I am like a dog.
Since I am very busy, I am like a bee.

Since I love my country alot, I can also be represented by my country's flag.

I feel that I am a person who is quite sociable and hardworking. I love to spend quality time with my family and friends instead of going shopping on my own. And when I play computer games, I usually play them with my friends instead of playing with the "bots" and other players online. I feel that I am patriotic to my country and loyal to my family and friends.

LA ACE Blog Post 3 - All Summer in a Day

1. After watching the movie and reading the story, I feel that all the children are held responsible for Margot's treatment. The children all treat Margot badly and despise her just because she was born in Earth and could remember how the Sun looks like. However, I feel that William is the most responsible for Margot's treatment. He hates her the most and he was the one who suggested locking Margot up in the closet. Even though Margot begged him to let her out, he ignored her requests and when the Sun finally came up, he forgot all about her and went out with the other children to enjoy the sunlight by themselves.

2.If I were one of the other schoolchildren, I would have protested against William's idea to lock Margot in the closet when he suggested it. If the other schoolchildren supported William's idea and went onto to help him lock Margot in the closet, I would secretly unlock the closet for Margot when the Sun comes out. I would also tell the teacher about the rest of the schoolchildren mistreating Margot, so that they receive their due punishment, and realise that it is wrong to mistreat others.