It feels like time is flying. 2 years of JC life passed really fast. Its like I was at orientation just a moment ago but now the PRELIMS are near and there isn't that long till the A Levels either. I didn't do very well for my mid-term exams so I need to work extra hard on my studies from now on.
I've just attended a briefing about university application and the process sounded extremely tedious. With all the upcoming examinations and application details deadlines, I'm starting to feel a little overwhelmed... I feel that I should focus on my studies for now but I can't afford to take the applications lightly either.
If anyone at all has any kind words of advice or encouragement, do take some time to comment on this post. It will really help me deal with all these stress.
Thank you!!!
- May
Thursday, July 25, 2013
Sunday, February 3, 2013
China's economic progress is fabulous, but are the Chinese living better lives?
China is now the world's second largest economy, in terms of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), just behind the United States of America. China's economic growth has been significant within the past decade as indicated by Figure 1. Although the Chinese economy has slowed slightly recently, the Chinese economy is still experiencing much of a rapid growth of about 10% annually as seen from Figure 2. Economic growth is good news. However, does this necessarily means that the lives of the Chinese are getting better?
An increase in GDP means an increase in national income (NI) of the Chinese economy. This means that as a nation, Chinese citizens have become richer and are now able to buy more goods and services for their daily consumption. The material standard of living (SOL) is the quality and quantity of goods and services available to the an economy's citizens for consumption. An increase in NI supposedly increases the material SOL of the Chinese, thereby, improving their lives.
Meanwhile, it is necessary to factor in the GDP per capita for a more complete analysis of material SOL. This is because when an economy's GDP growth rate is lower than its population growth rate, the wealth of an average individual in the economy actually decreases.
In the context of China, the population growth data from 2000 to 2011 has decreased from 0.8% to 0.47%. Since the GDP growth (Fig.2) is significantly higher than the population growth rate, we can safely say that China's NI per capita has improved in the past decade. This is proven by Figure 3, which means that theoretically speaking, the life of an average Chinese should have increased within the past decade.
However, when it comes to income distribution, China faces a big problem. The Gini index measures the extent to which the distribution of income among individuals or households within an economy deviates from a perfectly equal distribution. A Gini index of 0 represents perfect equality, while an index of 100 implies perfect inequality. China's Gini index is high at 40. In fact, China's Gini index has even risen a little in the past decade.
Figure 1: China's GDP from 2000-2011
Figure 2 : China's Annual GDP Growth 2000-2011
An increase in GDP means an increase in national income (NI) of the Chinese economy. This means that as a nation, Chinese citizens have become richer and are now able to buy more goods and services for their daily consumption. The material standard of living (SOL) is the quality and quantity of goods and services available to the an economy's citizens for consumption. An increase in NI supposedly increases the material SOL of the Chinese, thereby, improving their lives.
Meanwhile, it is necessary to factor in the GDP per capita for a more complete analysis of material SOL. This is because when an economy's GDP growth rate is lower than its population growth rate, the wealth of an average individual in the economy actually decreases.
In the context of China, the population growth data from 2000 to 2011 has decreased from 0.8% to 0.47%. Since the GDP growth (Fig.2) is significantly higher than the population growth rate, we can safely say that China's NI per capita has improved in the past decade. This is proven by Figure 3, which means that theoretically speaking, the life of an average Chinese should have increased within the past decade.
Figure 3: China's GDP per Capita 2000 - 2011
In addition to the population data, we should also factor in the inflation data. After all, if consumer prices have risen more than the GDP of an economy, an average citizen in the economy will now have the ability to consume less goods and services than before and the material SOL would have decreased over the years.
In the context of China, the annual inflation rate (Fig.4) has never exceeded the annual GDP growth rate (Fig.2). Thus, we can safely say that an average Chinese's material SOL has improved over the years despite there being some inflation in the country.
Figure 4: China's Annual Consumer Price Inflation Rate 2000-2010
However, when it comes to income distribution, China faces a big problem. The Gini index measures the extent to which the distribution of income among individuals or households within an economy deviates from a perfectly equal distribution. A Gini index of 0 represents perfect equality, while an index of 100 implies perfect inequality. China's Gini index is high at 40. In fact, China's Gini index has even risen a little in the past decade.
Fortunately for China, this widening of the income gap is caused by the rich getting richer faster than the poor but not the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer. As prove, data shows that the poverty headcount ratio at national poverty line in China has dropped from 4% to 2.8% from 2000 to 2004. This shows that even the lives of the poor are getting relatively easier due to China's economic development. Therefore, we can say that all Chinese have benefited from China's economic progress. It is just that the poor's material SOL has not risen as much as that of those who are more affluent.
On the other hand, this widening of the income gap can create discontent among the poor. If actions are taken due to this discontent, there might be social unrest created in the country which will lead to a drop in the non-material SOL of the Chinese population.
Furthermore, China's economic development is at the expense of its environment. The lax waste management laws in China has resulted in improper disposal of wastes from factories into the natural environment. It was reported that “up to 40 percent of China’s rivers were seriously polluted” and “20 percent were so polluted their water quality was rated too toxic even to come into contact with.” The air quality problem in China has also been increasing in intensity recently. The Air Quality Index (AQI) of the air in Beijing is at 282, which means heavily polluted. The clearing of forests for development has also cause desertification and increment in sand storm occurrences in China. All these negative externalities lead to a worsening the Chinese population's non-material SOL over time.
In conclusion, while the material SOL of the Chinese have definitely risen over the past decade, the non-material SOL of the Chinese might have actually worsened. China needs to recognize this problem of non-sustainable development and stop the single minded pursuance of economic growth. China should increase the focus on environmental conservation and start taking measures to reduce income inequality before this two factors pose challenges to the nation.
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
Doomsday
Doomsday has been a frequently discussed topic since a long time ago. There have been various theories and legends behind each doomsday story. Each and every story has its own group of believers and skeptics involved. The backgrounds of these stories vary. Some of these stories make more sense than others. Each story is different from the rest. However, one fact remains unchanged since the beginning of the very first doomsday story. That is, each and every doomsday has been proved wrong so far.
The most recent doomsday theory originated from the Mayans. Due to 21/12/2012 being the end of the Mayan calendar, many speculated that this meant that the Mayan's believe that this day will be the end of the world. Thus, with this, 21st December 2012 became another theoretical doomsday. This doomsday theory has been quite popular despite its strange origins. There has even been a movie "2012" dedicated to this doomsday theory. Among believers, there are many different views as to how the world would come to an end. Some views seem more reasonable than others, but the truth is, none is adequately supported.
A doomsday theory with no scientific theory or proof as support rendered many scientists and non-religious personnel skeptical. In fact, even the Mayans themselves never said specifically that the world will end on December 21, 2012. Others have merely extrapolated this meaning from the ending of the Mayan calendar. This doomsday theory is pure speculation.
The fact is that the Mayans have an incredibly complex calendar that involved both a 365-day solar calendar like ours and a 260-day religious calendar. “The combination of the 260-day ritual count and the solar calendar produced a repeated cycle of 52 years,” said Dr. Eleanor Harrison-Buck of the department of anthropology at the University of New Hampshire. “This is referred to as the Calendar Round. For calculating dates beyond the 52-year period, the Maya used a system called the Long Count.” At the end of the Long Count calendar of 5,125 years the Mayans simply started counting again, starting a new cycle. Thus, we can see that this doomsday story has no basis at all.
However, many have come to believe in this doomsday theory because they did not know the true reason behind the end of the Mayan calendar. This doomsday theory has caused fear to grow in many people as the days draw nearer to "the end". This notion that doomsday is approaching has had many negative effects. So much so that some governments had to take actions against those promoting the doomsday theory lest it create more chaos and unrest among the citizens.
Fortunately, reality has proved this doomsday theory wrong. December 21, 2012 has passed and the world has yet to come to an end. This is neither the first doomsday theory to have such questionable origins nor the most improbable one. Even so, there will be new doomsday theories being born and new theories proven wrong in the future. Honestly, I believe that it is highly unlikely for the world to come to any abrupt end that can take us by surprise.
Even if one day one of these theories might be true and the world will truly end, I believe that there is little we can do about it. In fact, this inevitable end might happen so far in the future that it should be none of our concerns. So for the time being, we should just live life to the fullest and try to leave our mark on this world. The end has yet to come, so let us continue striving for a brighter future.
See the following doomsday fact sheet for more details. http://lunarscience.nasa.gov/articles/doomsday-2012-fact-sheet/
The most recent doomsday theory originated from the Mayans. Due to 21/12/2012 being the end of the Mayan calendar, many speculated that this meant that the Mayan's believe that this day will be the end of the world. Thus, with this, 21st December 2012 became another theoretical doomsday. This doomsday theory has been quite popular despite its strange origins. There has even been a movie "2012" dedicated to this doomsday theory. Among believers, there are many different views as to how the world would come to an end. Some views seem more reasonable than others, but the truth is, none is adequately supported.
A doomsday theory with no scientific theory or proof as support rendered many scientists and non-religious personnel skeptical. In fact, even the Mayans themselves never said specifically that the world will end on December 21, 2012. Others have merely extrapolated this meaning from the ending of the Mayan calendar. This doomsday theory is pure speculation.
The fact is that the Mayans have an incredibly complex calendar that involved both a 365-day solar calendar like ours and a 260-day religious calendar. “The combination of the 260-day ritual count and the solar calendar produced a repeated cycle of 52 years,” said Dr. Eleanor Harrison-Buck of the department of anthropology at the University of New Hampshire. “This is referred to as the Calendar Round. For calculating dates beyond the 52-year period, the Maya used a system called the Long Count.” At the end of the Long Count calendar of 5,125 years the Mayans simply started counting again, starting a new cycle. Thus, we can see that this doomsday story has no basis at all.
However, many have come to believe in this doomsday theory because they did not know the true reason behind the end of the Mayan calendar. This doomsday theory has caused fear to grow in many people as the days draw nearer to "the end". This notion that doomsday is approaching has had many negative effects. So much so that some governments had to take actions against those promoting the doomsday theory lest it create more chaos and unrest among the citizens.
Fortunately, reality has proved this doomsday theory wrong. December 21, 2012 has passed and the world has yet to come to an end. This is neither the first doomsday theory to have such questionable origins nor the most improbable one. Even so, there will be new doomsday theories being born and new theories proven wrong in the future. Honestly, I believe that it is highly unlikely for the world to come to any abrupt end that can take us by surprise.
Even if one day one of these theories might be true and the world will truly end, I believe that there is little we can do about it. In fact, this inevitable end might happen so far in the future that it should be none of our concerns. So for the time being, we should just live life to the fullest and try to leave our mark on this world. The end has yet to come, so let us continue striving for a brighter future.
See the following doomsday fact sheet for more details. http://lunarscience.nasa.gov/articles/doomsday-2012-fact-sheet/
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Looking Into Short Marriage Lifespans
Divorce rates are rising and marriage lifespans are shortening. Marriages nowadays only last about 7 to 8 years before it ends in a divorce. What is the reason behind this change? Is marriage really the end of love?
In the past, divorce used to be extremely undesirable and frowned upon, couples were held together longer by social convention. However, people have more open mindsets now and this leads to the rise in divorce rates and shortens marriage lifespans. Marriages are also no longer viewed in the same light now compared to before. It used to be a means to an end, for the sake of making a family and having stability. Nowadays, the social media promotes "true love" to be the catalyst for marriages. This pursuing of "true love" have affected people's judgment on how marital happiness should be. Thus, worsening the marriage lifespans of modern couples.
In television shows, the happiness of "true love" lasts forever. However, this is not possible in real life. If one expects life after marriage to be as full of excitement and happiness as portrayed in films or dramas, he is to be severely dissapointed. The truth is not that such passionate love does not exist in real life. It is just that it does not last long into a marriage. New couples are always going on about how much they love each other, how happy they are with each other, and how they wish to be together forever and ever. However, such passion is rare between long-term couples.
When love is new, we are in the throes of what researchers call passionate love, a state of intense longing, desire and attraction. In time, this love generally morphs into companionate love, a less impassioned blend of deep affection and connection. Modern media usually portrays "true love" as passionate love because it is more exciting and attractive to the audience. This reduces people's ability to recognize and appreciate this companionate love. Variety and novelty affect the brain in much the same way that drugs do, it triggers dopamine and makes us feel good. Companionate love lacks the variety and novelty that passionate love brings. Thus, many married couples mistake the natural shift from passionate love to companionate love for incompatibility and unhappiness.
American and European researchers tracked 1,761 people who got married and stayed married over the course of 15 years. The findings were clear: newlyweds enjoy a big happiness boost that lasts, on average, for just two years. Then the special joy wears off and they are back where they started, at least in terms of happiness. As Raymond Chandler wrote: “The first kiss is magic. The second is intimate. The third is routine.” After the initial 2 years of marriage, the excitement and special joy of passionate love wears off, the dullness of life and stress of commitments in a marriage starts to kick in. Without the recognition of companionate love, latter years into the marriage can be difficult to bear.
However, for those who have stayed together due to continued happiness (companionate love) or commitment (children), the good news is that such passion can be revived. Research shows that marital happiness reaches one of its highest peaks during the period after offspring have moved out of the family home. A couple of decades may well recover the excitement of the honeymoon period 18 to 20 years into the marriage through rediscovering each other in the freedom of the so-called empty nest.
In conclusion, I believe that we should not depend too much on the media for our understanding in "true love". We have to know that love cannot be passionate forever and learn to appreciate both passionate love and companionate love. Marriage is not the end of love, it is simply a new beginning...
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Learning Through Techonology
Technology facilitates learning in all sorts of manner. Some people believe that learning through technology is a blessing compared to the traditional and rigid method of learning through textbooks. While others believe that people nowadays are relying too much on technology as a method to learn. I believe that technology does enhance our learning, however, we should not be over dependent on it.
First of all, technology makes it a lot easier for us to learn new facts and gather useful information. If we have questions about our studies, we used to have to either approach our teachers or to sift through loads of books in the library. Now, we can simply switch on our computers or electronic devices to do a quick search on any online search engines to get our answers. If we have to do research for a paper or self study to finish, technology makes it a lot easier than before. Technology increases the convenience of learning. We can now learn better because we have more access to materials that facilitates our learning.
Furthermore, technology also includes a fun factor into our studies. In the past, learning comes only from books and teachers. Nowadays, learning can come from videos, television shows or even games. With technology, we devised more interesting ways to learn, and by making learning more interesting, we are enhancing education. Teachers can now use online videos as a way to teach. This makes the teaching less dry and allows students to absorb more information through each lessons. Websites like BrianPop.com, TV shows like Myth-busters and games like Geography genius all allows kids to learn things in a fun manner. Some schools have also adopted the usage of electronic devices and applications to enhance education.
However, that is not to say that technology is the answer to everything. There is always the question of reliability and credibility when it comes to information sources. Some authors are not trustworthy, thus, we cannot totally believe in whatever they write. This is especially true for online publications because they lack the credibility check publishers for books, papers and journals put in place. Therefore, we need to use technology in a wise manner. For example, if we search for information on an academic terminology, we have to check more than one individual source to see if the information given correlates. If is does not, then we have to decide which site is more reliable and choose what information we should believe in.
The adopting of technology as teaching methods in schools are less risky than surfing the net for answers. Teachers, who are academically qualified to teach students, can identify errors present in sources and choose to show sources which are not erred to their students. There are also many certified electronic learning devices such as electronic dictionaries and teaching kits as well as CDs or DVDs which have certified educational value. Therefore, learning through technology is not completely unreliable.
In conclusion, technology does help in learning. However, we cannot totally rely on technology just like why we cannot let our teachers "spoon feed" us information. We have to know what to believe and what not to. Our learning needs to come from many different sources and we need to do constant reality checks to see if the information in a source is right or wrong. The point is that technology is a tool not a bible. We have to use technology wisely for it to facilitate our learning. If not it might mislead us and hinder our learning process instead.
First of all, technology makes it a lot easier for us to learn new facts and gather useful information. If we have questions about our studies, we used to have to either approach our teachers or to sift through loads of books in the library. Now, we can simply switch on our computers or electronic devices to do a quick search on any online search engines to get our answers. If we have to do research for a paper or self study to finish, technology makes it a lot easier than before. Technology increases the convenience of learning. We can now learn better because we have more access to materials that facilitates our learning.
Furthermore, technology also includes a fun factor into our studies. In the past, learning comes only from books and teachers. Nowadays, learning can come from videos, television shows or even games. With technology, we devised more interesting ways to learn, and by making learning more interesting, we are enhancing education. Teachers can now use online videos as a way to teach. This makes the teaching less dry and allows students to absorb more information through each lessons. Websites like BrianPop.com, TV shows like Myth-busters and games like Geography genius all allows kids to learn things in a fun manner. Some schools have also adopted the usage of electronic devices and applications to enhance education.
However, that is not to say that technology is the answer to everything. There is always the question of reliability and credibility when it comes to information sources. Some authors are not trustworthy, thus, we cannot totally believe in whatever they write. This is especially true for online publications because they lack the credibility check publishers for books, papers and journals put in place. Therefore, we need to use technology in a wise manner. For example, if we search for information on an academic terminology, we have to check more than one individual source to see if the information given correlates. If is does not, then we have to decide which site is more reliable and choose what information we should believe in.
The adopting of technology as teaching methods in schools are less risky than surfing the net for answers. Teachers, who are academically qualified to teach students, can identify errors present in sources and choose to show sources which are not erred to their students. There are also many certified electronic learning devices such as electronic dictionaries and teaching kits as well as CDs or DVDs which have certified educational value. Therefore, learning through technology is not completely unreliable.
In conclusion, technology does help in learning. However, we cannot totally rely on technology just like why we cannot let our teachers "spoon feed" us information. We have to know what to believe and what not to. Our learning needs to come from many different sources and we need to do constant reality checks to see if the information in a source is right or wrong. The point is that technology is a tool not a bible. We have to use technology wisely for it to facilitate our learning. If not it might mislead us and hinder our learning process instead.
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Causes of Students' Stress
Stress is defined as an applied force or system of forces that tends to strain or deform a body. It is usually caused by something that is out of the ordinary from everyday life, things like tests, family problems and loss of job. Today students have a lot of stress because of a lot of different reasons. Some common causes are school-related issues, relationships and peer pressure.
One of the main causes of stress is adapting to a new environment. This is especially true for older students who just started living outside the nurturing and protective security of their families due to reasons such as studying overseas. Parents used to set down boundaries and provide many things for the students. This no longer applies when students move out. Students now need to find an independent identity. The uncertainty and lack of identity is a common cause of stress for some students.
School-related issues also cause stress for students these days. It can be caused by them doing so badly academically that they gave up all hope of ever achieving success in their lives. It could also be caused by the fact that they are not living up to their own standards or the standards their parents, teachers or friends have of them. Bad ways of dealing with stress like turning to alcohol or over-eating also worsens stress.
Another cause of stress is relationships. Older students are exceptionally susceptible to this. Relationship stress can be caused by the relationship turning out different from expected or just plainly by breaking up with someone that the student really did care for. It can also be caused by an individual liking another a lot but the feeling is not mutual. All of these aspects can cause students to feel like they are in way over their heads. This stress affects even healthy "normal" student couples.
There is also the peer pressure. Peer pressure is when "friends" press you to do something you do not want to do. Peer pressure can be good sometimes in terms of healthy competition. However, there is also bad peer pressure. Bad peer pressure can be separated into two categories, direct and indirect. Direct peer pressure is being coerced into doing something that you did not want to do because your friends said that you should. Indirect peer pressure is when you feel like you should do something because everyone else is doing it. Many students are vulnerable to bad peer-pressure because they are afraid of being rejected, losing friends, being teased and they do not know how to explain themselves well.
In my opinion, to overcome stress we need to balance academic demands and the social demands in school. Socializing and being surrounded by positive people is an important aspect of overcoming stress. It helps to have really supportive people that you like a lot in your life. There are several strategies that will help us to cope with stressful situations. First, we have to learn to manage our time wisely. Second, we have to set priorities and make the most of our opportunities as a student. Last, we have to learn to say "NO".
In conclusion, students have a lot of sources of stress. However, we can manage our stress if know the right way to do so. If we stay focused and balance our life, we will be much more relaxed throughout our education. If worst come to worst, we can approach others instead of trying to deal with it all by ourselves. After all, no man is an island.
One of the main causes of stress is adapting to a new environment. This is especially true for older students who just started living outside the nurturing and protective security of their families due to reasons such as studying overseas. Parents used to set down boundaries and provide many things for the students. This no longer applies when students move out. Students now need to find an independent identity. The uncertainty and lack of identity is a common cause of stress for some students.
School-related issues also cause stress for students these days. It can be caused by them doing so badly academically that they gave up all hope of ever achieving success in their lives. It could also be caused by the fact that they are not living up to their own standards or the standards their parents, teachers or friends have of them. Bad ways of dealing with stress like turning to alcohol or over-eating also worsens stress.
Another cause of stress is relationships. Older students are exceptionally susceptible to this. Relationship stress can be caused by the relationship turning out different from expected or just plainly by breaking up with someone that the student really did care for. It can also be caused by an individual liking another a lot but the feeling is not mutual. All of these aspects can cause students to feel like they are in way over their heads. This stress affects even healthy "normal" student couples.
There is also the peer pressure. Peer pressure is when "friends" press you to do something you do not want to do. Peer pressure can be good sometimes in terms of healthy competition. However, there is also bad peer pressure. Bad peer pressure can be separated into two categories, direct and indirect. Direct peer pressure is being coerced into doing something that you did not want to do because your friends said that you should. Indirect peer pressure is when you feel like you should do something because everyone else is doing it. Many students are vulnerable to bad peer-pressure because they are afraid of being rejected, losing friends, being teased and they do not know how to explain themselves well.
In my opinion, to overcome stress we need to balance academic demands and the social demands in school. Socializing and being surrounded by positive people is an important aspect of overcoming stress. It helps to have really supportive people that you like a lot in your life. There are several strategies that will help us to cope with stressful situations. First, we have to learn to manage our time wisely. Second, we have to set priorities and make the most of our opportunities as a student. Last, we have to learn to say "NO".
In conclusion, students have a lot of sources of stress. However, we can manage our stress if know the right way to do so. If we stay focused and balance our life, we will be much more relaxed throughout our education. If worst come to worst, we can approach others instead of trying to deal with it all by ourselves. After all, no man is an island.
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Attitudes - Know the Difference
It is important for us to have the "right attitudes" in life. What are these right attitudes? Being confident, being optimistic and thinking critically are some common answers. However, there is the saying that "too much of a good thing is bad". In this case, if we over indulge in any of these good attitudes, we will actually be having bad attitudes. The line between these "right attitudes" and their corresponding "wrong attitudes" is really so thin that we might not even notice that we have crossed over it. In order to adopt the right attitude in life, I believe that we need to know the difference between these attitudes and try to guard ourselves from crossing this line.
Self-confidence vs Arrogance
Firstly, I shall talk about self-confidence. Self-confidence is to believe in oneself. Confident people reap rewards because they believe in their own ability to get the job done well. Furthermore, other people will also tend to believe in confident people. People are naturally drawn towards confident people. Believing yourself and having others believe in you increases your efficiency and ability to handle daily tasks, leading you towards success.
On the other hand, over-confidence can be destructive. Another word for over-confidence is arrogance. While arrogance also involves believing in oneself, it is at the expense of others. An arrogant person believes himself to be superior to those around him. He tends to look down on others. These type of people believes that only their methods and ways of thinking are the right ones and will try to "correct" others who are difference from them. They also like ordering people to show that they are "superior". This type of people are like "oppressive rulers". They usually have difficult relationships with those around them. Their reluctance to admit their mistakes also lengthens their path towards success.
Optimism vs Unrealistic Optimism
Optimism is always trying to see the better side of things, to spot "the silver lining" in any event that has occurred. Optimistic people have hope that things will take a better turn as long as they continue on. Being optimistic allows one not to persevere through challenges and obstacles in life, eventually leading one to achieve success. It also makes the path to success more enjoyable. Optimistic people live in a "brighter world".
However, unrealistic optimism is undesirable. Unrealistic optimism is to be optimistic to the point of being unrealistic and irrational. It is impossible for one to be optimistic all the time. One has to recognize dangers and difficulties to come in order to move on successfully. People who are unrealistically optimistic tend to brush setbacks away instead of learning from their mistakes. They also tend to "sit and wait" for the situation to turn better instead of taking any actions to make sure of the positive change. For example, smokers who are unrealistically optimistic believe that they are less likely to contract lung cancer or disease than other smokers. Thus, they refuse to stop smoking. They are in denial that anything bad can happen to them at all. This is dangerous and will prevent people from achieving success in life.
Critical Thinking vs Pessimism
In schools, we are taught to engage in critical thinking. Critical thinking is the purposeful and reflective judgement about what to believe or what to do in response to observations, experience, verbal or written expressions, or arguments. It teaches us not to blindly believe but also to analyse situations. It also lets us consider both sides of the coin before diving into making a decision. It helps us make the right decisions in life and leads us towards success.
It is important to note that being critical is different from being pessimistic. Pessimistic thinking is always thinking the worse. It is a state of mind which negatively colors the perception of life, especially with regard to future events. There are costs to a pessimistic vision of ourselves. A one-sided negative view often induces discouragement. Individuals would see themselves as inadequate and incapable of taking charge of their lives. Pessimistic people are not motivated enough to put in effort in their daily tasks. Thus, they have difficulties achieving success.
Self-confidence vs Arrogance
Firstly, I shall talk about self-confidence. Self-confidence is to believe in oneself. Confident people reap rewards because they believe in their own ability to get the job done well. Furthermore, other people will also tend to believe in confident people. People are naturally drawn towards confident people. Believing yourself and having others believe in you increases your efficiency and ability to handle daily tasks, leading you towards success.
On the other hand, over-confidence can be destructive. Another word for over-confidence is arrogance. While arrogance also involves believing in oneself, it is at the expense of others. An arrogant person believes himself to be superior to those around him. He tends to look down on others. These type of people believes that only their methods and ways of thinking are the right ones and will try to "correct" others who are difference from them. They also like ordering people to show that they are "superior". This type of people are like "oppressive rulers". They usually have difficult relationships with those around them. Their reluctance to admit their mistakes also lengthens their path towards success.
Optimism vs Unrealistic Optimism
Optimism is always trying to see the better side of things, to spot "the silver lining" in any event that has occurred. Optimistic people have hope that things will take a better turn as long as they continue on. Being optimistic allows one not to persevere through challenges and obstacles in life, eventually leading one to achieve success. It also makes the path to success more enjoyable. Optimistic people live in a "brighter world".
However, unrealistic optimism is undesirable. Unrealistic optimism is to be optimistic to the point of being unrealistic and irrational. It is impossible for one to be optimistic all the time. One has to recognize dangers and difficulties to come in order to move on successfully. People who are unrealistically optimistic tend to brush setbacks away instead of learning from their mistakes. They also tend to "sit and wait" for the situation to turn better instead of taking any actions to make sure of the positive change. For example, smokers who are unrealistically optimistic believe that they are less likely to contract lung cancer or disease than other smokers. Thus, they refuse to stop smoking. They are in denial that anything bad can happen to them at all. This is dangerous and will prevent people from achieving success in life.
Critical Thinking vs Pessimism
In schools, we are taught to engage in critical thinking. Critical thinking is the purposeful and reflective judgement about what to believe or what to do in response to observations, experience, verbal or written expressions, or arguments. It teaches us not to blindly believe but also to analyse situations. It also lets us consider both sides of the coin before diving into making a decision. It helps us make the right decisions in life and leads us towards success.
It is important to note that being critical is different from being pessimistic. Pessimistic thinking is always thinking the worse. It is a state of mind which negatively colors the perception of life, especially with regard to future events. There are costs to a pessimistic vision of ourselves. A one-sided negative view often induces discouragement. Individuals would see themselves as inadequate and incapable of taking charge of their lives. Pessimistic people are not motivated enough to put in effort in their daily tasks. Thus, they have difficulties achieving success.
In conclusion, we need to constantly evaluate our own attitudes in life. If we notice ourselves straying from healthy attitudes by over indulging in them, we need to guide ourselves back onto "the right path". Only through constant self reflections and evaluations can we learn from our mistakes and step closer to achieving our goals in life.
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Can Science and Religion Co-exist?
Many believe that science and religion are contradictory in nature; that with the prevalence of science, religion might slowly lose its place in our society. However, this general belief that science and religion have nothing in common and is mutually exclusive might not necessarily be correct.
In ancient times, when human knowledge was limited, religion also helped people understand the world. The image of gods were created to explain for the forces of nature. For example, natural disasters were accounted for as "god's wrath". Later, scientific discoveries started to be made. However, these discoveries were not taken kindly by many. People were not ready to accept new facts in place of what they were used to. These discoveries were thought to be offensive towards religious sentiments. For example, many Christians could not accept Copernicus and Galileo's theories about the universe because they went against Christian beliefs. Early scientists faced difficult lives because there are little who believed their theories and churches treated scientists harshly. Many theories proposed in the early age of science that opposed religious beliefs cause their respective scientists to be "punished" by the religious institutions of the time.
However, nowadays, religion is no longer used to explain the way the world works. Modern believers understand and accept science while maintaining their religious beliefs. Science and religion have passed the conflicting stage and have now become 2 totally different realms. Science deals with facts while religion deals with beliefs.
Science is tangible. It concerns the physical world. The results from scientific findings are made through experiments and observed from hard facts. Through empirical evidence, we learn of undeniable scientific facts. Science explains how the world works and why the world works in a certain manner. For example, why there is day and night, why volcanic eruptions and earthquakes happen, why plants need light to survive.
On the other hand, religion is a matter of faith. It teaches one what to think, how to live life and become a better person. While any scientific theory is proven without doubt, there is no tangible evidence associated with religious beliefs. Religion aims to leads us onto "the right path". Each religion advocates its own beliefs and teachings. For example, Taoism believes in letting nature do its work. There is no right or wrong when it comes to religion. Religion simply exists to guide our spiritual self.
Science might still discover truths that might offend religious beliefs at times, but these beliefs can be amended. Science cannot destroy religion just as religion cannot obstruct science. Knowing that the Earth is not in the center of the solar system does not affect our beliefs that there might be "a higher being" overseeing everything. We still believe that our efforts will be recognized and those who do good will be repaid. We still belief that there will be retribution for people who have done bad things.
Furthermore, science and religion are actually complementary in the bigger picture. True religion teaches men to cherish life values so that they can live a better, happier and more fulfilling life. It takes care of the our spiritual selves. Science teaches us how to improve our own lives. Modern technology invented through scientific knowledge has given us better facilities and greater convenience. Science takes care of our material well-being. Therefore, science and religion are complementary in this sense. Both can help us live better lives.
In conclusion, I believe that even in this modern world of ours, where science is rapidly progressing, there is still a place left for religion. We need both science and religion. Neither can completely replace the other. Thus, I believe that science and religion can co-exist.
In ancient times, when human knowledge was limited, religion also helped people understand the world. The image of gods were created to explain for the forces of nature. For example, natural disasters were accounted for as "god's wrath". Later, scientific discoveries started to be made. However, these discoveries were not taken kindly by many. People were not ready to accept new facts in place of what they were used to. These discoveries were thought to be offensive towards religious sentiments. For example, many Christians could not accept Copernicus and Galileo's theories about the universe because they went against Christian beliefs. Early scientists faced difficult lives because there are little who believed their theories and churches treated scientists harshly. Many theories proposed in the early age of science that opposed religious beliefs cause their respective scientists to be "punished" by the religious institutions of the time.
However, nowadays, religion is no longer used to explain the way the world works. Modern believers understand and accept science while maintaining their religious beliefs. Science and religion have passed the conflicting stage and have now become 2 totally different realms. Science deals with facts while religion deals with beliefs.
Science is tangible. It concerns the physical world. The results from scientific findings are made through experiments and observed from hard facts. Through empirical evidence, we learn of undeniable scientific facts. Science explains how the world works and why the world works in a certain manner. For example, why there is day and night, why volcanic eruptions and earthquakes happen, why plants need light to survive.
On the other hand, religion is a matter of faith. It teaches one what to think, how to live life and become a better person. While any scientific theory is proven without doubt, there is no tangible evidence associated with religious beliefs. Religion aims to leads us onto "the right path". Each religion advocates its own beliefs and teachings. For example, Taoism believes in letting nature do its work. There is no right or wrong when it comes to religion. Religion simply exists to guide our spiritual self.
Science might still discover truths that might offend religious beliefs at times, but these beliefs can be amended. Science cannot destroy religion just as religion cannot obstruct science. Knowing that the Earth is not in the center of the solar system does not affect our beliefs that there might be "a higher being" overseeing everything. We still believe that our efforts will be recognized and those who do good will be repaid. We still belief that there will be retribution for people who have done bad things.
Furthermore, science and religion are actually complementary in the bigger picture. True religion teaches men to cherish life values so that they can live a better, happier and more fulfilling life. It takes care of the our spiritual selves. Science teaches us how to improve our own lives. Modern technology invented through scientific knowledge has given us better facilities and greater convenience. Science takes care of our material well-being. Therefore, science and religion are complementary in this sense. Both can help us live better lives.
In conclusion, I believe that even in this modern world of ours, where science is rapidly progressing, there is still a place left for religion. We need both science and religion. Neither can completely replace the other. Thus, I believe that science and religion can co-exist.
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Unpredictable rewards are more attractive?
Even after years of research and studies, there are still many unraveled mysteries behind how our human brains work. Our reward circuit is an extremely fascinating component of our involuntary brain activities. It can explain some of the irrational choices and responses made by some of us in our lives. Understanding it will also help us guard against impulsive actions that might be harmful to us in the future.
Research by Professor Gregory Berns has shown that our reward circuits react more to unpredictable stimuli. In response to unpredictable rewards, more dopa-mine will be released than in response to predictable ones and more dopa-mine means more pleasure. Therefore, when a reward is unanticipated, it is particularly powerful and alluring to our brains. This explains our affinity to surprises and why receiving a gift or compliment when we have not been expecting it is much more satisfying than otherwise. Basically, we like surprises because our brains like it too.
One curious thing that Prof. Berns found was that most of his subjects could not tell the difference between the predictable or unpredictable conditions in which the reward was given. One implication of this study is that while people experience more pleasure with unpredictable rewards than with predictable ones, they may not be consciously aware of this fact. Furthermore, the research also shows that there was essentially no relationship between the subjects’ stated preferences and the observed activity in their reward circuits. This suggests that our reward pathways may not only be activated without our recognition, but perhaps even in ways that are contrary to what we think we prefer.
Experts believes that this might explain various "bad choices" and "illogical decisions" people frequently make in life. For example: why some girls prefer "bad boys" despite knowing that they are uncommitted and undependable; why people who complain constantly about their unreliable lovers keep coming back to them time and time again; why many are addicted to gambling despite knowing that it is bad for them; and why people buy lottery despite knowing the near to zero chances of them winning. Our brain derives excitement and pleasure from such activities and actions. Although we might consciously know that they are "wrong" or "dangerous", it is easy for us to make mistakes if we do not make the effort to stay in control.
However, none of this is to say that just because our reward circuits light up in the face of unanticipated rewards, that we are off the hook. We cannot just push all the blame to our brains. It also does not make sense for us to do so because doing so is like saying, "don't blame me, blame my brain!" On the contrary, we should use conscious knowledge to override our unhealthy or undesirable impulses. With the exception of certain situations, in which we really cannot afford ourselves with the time to think, we are expected to be consciously in charge of our brains. We need to train our minds to make the logical and right decisions instead of simply going with the flow or following our instincts.
Research by Professor Gregory Berns has shown that our reward circuits react more to unpredictable stimuli. In response to unpredictable rewards, more dopa-mine will be released than in response to predictable ones and more dopa-mine means more pleasure. Therefore, when a reward is unanticipated, it is particularly powerful and alluring to our brains. This explains our affinity to surprises and why receiving a gift or compliment when we have not been expecting it is much more satisfying than otherwise. Basically, we like surprises because our brains like it too.
One curious thing that Prof. Berns found was that most of his subjects could not tell the difference between the predictable or unpredictable conditions in which the reward was given. One implication of this study is that while people experience more pleasure with unpredictable rewards than with predictable ones, they may not be consciously aware of this fact. Furthermore, the research also shows that there was essentially no relationship between the subjects’ stated preferences and the observed activity in their reward circuits. This suggests that our reward pathways may not only be activated without our recognition, but perhaps even in ways that are contrary to what we think we prefer.
Experts believes that this might explain various "bad choices" and "illogical decisions" people frequently make in life. For example: why some girls prefer "bad boys" despite knowing that they are uncommitted and undependable; why people who complain constantly about their unreliable lovers keep coming back to them time and time again; why many are addicted to gambling despite knowing that it is bad for them; and why people buy lottery despite knowing the near to zero chances of them winning. Our brain derives excitement and pleasure from such activities and actions. Although we might consciously know that they are "wrong" or "dangerous", it is easy for us to make mistakes if we do not make the effort to stay in control.
However, none of this is to say that just because our reward circuits light up in the face of unanticipated rewards, that we are off the hook. We cannot just push all the blame to our brains. It also does not make sense for us to do so because doing so is like saying, "don't blame me, blame my brain!" On the contrary, we should use conscious knowledge to override our unhealthy or undesirable impulses. With the exception of certain situations, in which we really cannot afford ourselves with the time to think, we are expected to be consciously in charge of our brains. We need to train our minds to make the logical and right decisions instead of simply going with the flow or following our instincts.
In conclusion, despite our involuntary affinity towards unexpected rewards. We have to learn to control our urges, to never act on impulse and to always think before we act. We have to be in control of our own lives and the decisions we make. We need to protect ourselves from unforeseen consequences in the future. Therefore, we have to make a conscious effort to override our instinctual responses and chose the rational path instead.
Thursday, November 8, 2012
Assisted Suicide
Assisted suicide has ever been one of the many controversial topics widely discussed in this modern age. There are many ethical concerns over this issue. There is also the debate of freedom to die versus possible abusing of rights.
The freedom to choose is one of the most important freedom a human deserves. Every human has the right to exercise his freedom to choose in any manner he may choose except where such act may obstruct others from exercising their freedoms or put others in danger. It is important and natural for one to have the chance to make choices for oneself. This basic human right is one of the main reasons there are people who support assisted suicide. Advocates of assisted suicide believe that a patient should be free to make a choice on whether he want to continue living his life in times of suffering.
However, there is the huge concern that people close to death are often too easily influenced. We are all inexorably affected by our immediate environment. Due to the physical weakness such patients are feeling, they are especially vulnerable to external influence. A simple look of exhaustion in a loved one's eyes, or even the way nurses and friends sigh in a patient's presence can affect the patient's will to continue fighting easily. Mr Ben Mattlin writes, "I've lived so close to death for so long that I know how thin and porous the border between coercion and free choice is, how easy it is for someone to inadvertently influence you to feel devalued and hopeless — to pressure you ever so slightly but decidedly into being 'reasonable', to unburdening others, to 'letting go.'" If this is true, we cannot we sure that the choice that the patient made truly reflects what he wished the outcome to be. It is difficult to determine whether the patient's consent to assisted suicide is really his own decision or not. Therefore, assisted suicide can easily be abused, especially by coldhearted relatives who want to be rid of a burden.
Advocates believe that assisted suicide is a good way to release the patients from their suffering. Continuing treatment for a terminally ill patient when he knows that he will eventually die actually prolongs the patient's pain and suffering. There are many who claim "you can't understand why anyone would push for assisted-suicide legislation until you've seen a loved one suffer". If patients are suffering so much in their last moments of life that even those around them can feel their pain, giving them the choice to have an easier way out is not out of the question. Reasonably, no one will argue against saving patients from their suffering.
The freedom to choose is one of the most important freedom a human deserves. Every human has the right to exercise his freedom to choose in any manner he may choose except where such act may obstruct others from exercising their freedoms or put others in danger. It is important and natural for one to have the chance to make choices for oneself. This basic human right is one of the main reasons there are people who support assisted suicide. Advocates of assisted suicide believe that a patient should be free to make a choice on whether he want to continue living his life in times of suffering.
However, there is the huge concern that people close to death are often too easily influenced. We are all inexorably affected by our immediate environment. Due to the physical weakness such patients are feeling, they are especially vulnerable to external influence. A simple look of exhaustion in a loved one's eyes, or even the way nurses and friends sigh in a patient's presence can affect the patient's will to continue fighting easily. Mr Ben Mattlin writes, "I've lived so close to death for so long that I know how thin and porous the border between coercion and free choice is, how easy it is for someone to inadvertently influence you to feel devalued and hopeless — to pressure you ever so slightly but decidedly into being 'reasonable', to unburdening others, to 'letting go.'" If this is true, we cannot we sure that the choice that the patient made truly reflects what he wished the outcome to be. It is difficult to determine whether the patient's consent to assisted suicide is really his own decision or not. Therefore, assisted suicide can easily be abused, especially by coldhearted relatives who want to be rid of a burden.
Advocates believe that assisted suicide is a good way to release the patients from their suffering. Continuing treatment for a terminally ill patient when he knows that he will eventually die actually prolongs the patient's pain and suffering. There are many who claim "you can't understand why anyone would push for assisted-suicide legislation until you've seen a loved one suffer". If patients are suffering so much in their last moments of life that even those around them can feel their pain, giving them the choice to have an easier way out is not out of the question. Reasonably, no one will argue against saving patients from their suffering.
However, practically, it is extremely difficult to draw the line. We know that doctors are the ones who decides whether a patient is eligible for assisted suicide. Thus, although the patient is the one given the choice, it is really the doctor who makes the final decision whether to grant the patient's wish. But who are doctors to decide whether one patient deserves to be relieved from their "pain and suffering" while another is not? Even if a clear standard like "only the terminally ill with less than 6 months to live is eligible for assisted suicide" is set, it is still not satisfactory to all parties concerned.
If terminally ill patients are eligible, why are mentally ill patients not eligible? Even if patients suffering from mental illnesses are physically fit, who are we to say that they are not suffering as much or even more than the terminally ill patients? What about people who are abused or mistreated? Even though they are suffering as much physically and mentally, why are they condemned when they resort to suicide? It is unfair to decide that terminally ill patients' suffering deserve to be relieved while depriving others, who are suffering due to other problems, of this choice.
Furthermore, life is valuable. It is not right to take the easy way out. I believe that a person should do his best to live life to the fullest till the very end. Only by doing so, can one leave this world and move on without any regrets. There are many cases in which we do not realize what is valuable till we lose it. Similarly, it often happens that one can only notice one's deepest wishes close to death. Also, mindsets are very important. An optimistic patient can live longer and suffer less (mentally) compared to their counterparts. Legalizing assisted suicide promotes a mindset that it is alright to just let go. However, I believe that it is wrong to end life without a fight.
In conclusion, I am against assisted suicide due to the mindset it promotes and the many complications that might arise when enforcing it.
山寨
中国的＂山寨＂花样无人不知无人不晓。
有：
山寨明星
山寨电器
山寨手机
山寨品牌
山寨节目
...
而对于＂山寨＂，人们的看法、想法各有不同。国内外对此都议论纷纷。＂小米＂就被人们认成是＂苹果＂的仿造品。＂Challenging Apple by Imitation＂就是国外对此发表的文章之一。
有些认为＂山寨＂是快速化、平民化。也有人认为＂山寨＂是仿造、盗版、假冒品。你认为呢？
有：
山寨明星
山寨电器
山寨手机
山寨品牌
山寨节目
...
而对于＂山寨＂，人们的看法、想法各有不同。国内外对此都议论纷纷。＂小米＂就被人们认成是＂苹果＂的仿造品。＂Challenging Apple by Imitation＂就是国外对此发表的文章之一。
有些认为＂山寨＂是快速化、平民化。也有人认为＂山寨＂是仿造、盗版、假冒品。你认为呢？
Science and Ethics
Research has to be done for the sake of science.
Science produces new methods.
However,some of these methods calls for debates due to ethical reasons.
Here are a few of the more common issues commonly discussed:
Abortion
Body Modification
Euthanasia
Assisted Suicide
Stem Cell Research
Contraception
Artificial Insemination
Fate of Frozen Embryos - IVF
Drug Testing/ Clinical Trials
Cloning
Organ Donation & Transplant
Cryonics
Brain-Computer Interface
Genetic Engineering
Placebo
Recreational Drugs
Sex Reassignment
...
Science produces new methods.
However,some of these methods calls for debates due to ethical reasons.
Here are a few of the more common issues commonly discussed:
Abortion
Body Modification
Euthanasia
Assisted Suicide
Stem Cell Research
Contraception
Artificial Insemination
Fate of Frozen Embryos - IVF
Drug Testing/ Clinical Trials
Cloning
Organ Donation & Transplant
Cryonics
Brain-Computer Interface
Genetic Engineering
Placebo
Recreational Drugs
Sex Reassignment
...
Saturday, November 3, 2012
Singapore - a multiracial country
Singapore is a migrant country with citizens from many origins. Race and religion has ever been sensitive issues in Singapore. Many laws and restrictions are put in place to maintain our racial harmony. Those who have lashed out racist comments online in a moments folly have to face severe consequences.
Ms Cheong's recent case has created an uproar in the country. She has been fired from her NTUC job overnight after she has posted a racist comment against Malay weddings on twitter. In response to her actions, Singaporeans have vastly diverse views. Some believe that her actions calls for actions. People posted on Facebook, asking NTUC to fire her and one grassroots leader went as far as to file a police report. On the flip side, there are also those, including Malays, who have penned Facebook notes or created groups expressing forgiveness.
My reaction was more moderated compared to the 2 extremes mentioned above. Although I understand that she must have been irritated by her sleeplessness caused by sounds from the Malay wedding at her void deck, she should not have posted such a vehement comment. Being a permanent resident in Singapore, she should has known the sensitive nature of racial discussions and the dangers of having racist views. There are also many illogical contents in her post. Her conclusion that Malays having cheap weddings causes them to have high divorce rates is especially flawed. Furthermore, she should have known that whatever she puts on cyberspace is accessible to the wide public and is at her own risk.
About NTUC's actions against her, I express my understanding. First of all, NTUC is an organization that represents heart landers, the prejudice contained within Ms Cheong's comment must be against the organization's values. Secondly, due to the offensive nature of Ms Cheong's post and the pressures from the law and some citizens, NTUC had little choice but to fire her in order to calm the uproar. If anyone is to blame, it is Ms Cheong herself for posting such a comment on a public platform.
However, I believe that we should have took the effort to ask what prompted her to say those things instead of simply driving her away. By doing so, we have lost an opportunity to understand the cause and thereby take actions to prevent similar incidents from happening again in the near future. We should recognize the existence of such a problem, do something to correct it instead of simply punishing the offender.
The fact that a small incident like this has caused such a huge uproar also raised concerns. A sociologist Dr Chong feels that there was an over-reaction in this case. He believes that as a multi-ethnic and multicultural society, we should not simply silence the incidents contradicting this harmony and write them off as anomalies. "There does not seem to be room ... to openly discuss our contradictions and prejudices in a frank manner. And we are the poorer for it.", he said. More open discussions of race and how Singaporeans think about it are needed to deepen understanding and racial ties as well.
In conclusion, we have to be careful of what we post online and always think twice before clicking "post". We also should be more open to measured discussion on more sensitive topics.
Ms Cheong's recent case has created an uproar in the country. She has been fired from her NTUC job overnight after she has posted a racist comment against Malay weddings on twitter. In response to her actions, Singaporeans have vastly diverse views. Some believe that her actions calls for actions. People posted on Facebook, asking NTUC to fire her and one grassroots leader went as far as to file a police report. On the flip side, there are also those, including Malays, who have penned Facebook notes or created groups expressing forgiveness.
My reaction was more moderated compared to the 2 extremes mentioned above. Although I understand that she must have been irritated by her sleeplessness caused by sounds from the Malay wedding at her void deck, she should not have posted such a vehement comment. Being a permanent resident in Singapore, she should has known the sensitive nature of racial discussions and the dangers of having racist views. There are also many illogical contents in her post. Her conclusion that Malays having cheap weddings causes them to have high divorce rates is especially flawed. Furthermore, she should have known that whatever she puts on cyberspace is accessible to the wide public and is at her own risk.
About NTUC's actions against her, I express my understanding. First of all, NTUC is an organization that represents heart landers, the prejudice contained within Ms Cheong's comment must be against the organization's values. Secondly, due to the offensive nature of Ms Cheong's post and the pressures from the law and some citizens, NTUC had little choice but to fire her in order to calm the uproar. If anyone is to blame, it is Ms Cheong herself for posting such a comment on a public platform.
However, I believe that we should have took the effort to ask what prompted her to say those things instead of simply driving her away. By doing so, we have lost an opportunity to understand the cause and thereby take actions to prevent similar incidents from happening again in the near future. We should recognize the existence of such a problem, do something to correct it instead of simply punishing the offender.
The fact that a small incident like this has caused such a huge uproar also raised concerns. A sociologist Dr Chong feels that there was an over-reaction in this case. He believes that as a multi-ethnic and multicultural society, we should not simply silence the incidents contradicting this harmony and write them off as anomalies. "There does not seem to be room ... to openly discuss our contradictions and prejudices in a frank manner. And we are the poorer for it.", he said. More open discussions of race and how Singaporeans think about it are needed to deepen understanding and racial ties as well.
In conclusion, we have to be careful of what we post online and always think twice before clicking "post". We also should be more open to measured discussion on more sensitive topics.
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Iron Man Episode 12 English Sub
Iron Man Episode 12 English Sub
This whole anime series was quite interesting...
This whole anime series was quite interesting...
Friday, October 26, 2012
Medicine and Technology
Technology is always advancing. Today, technology's influence on the world is wide. The field of medicine is no exception to this rule.
Technology is extremely helpful in medicine. With machines' help we can now give more accurate diagnosis. X-ray scans, echocardiograms, CT scans, ultrasounds and MRIs are just a few of the few tests technology has granted us. With a more accurate diagnosis, patients can now receive more appropriate treatments. This increases the patients' chances of recovery. Thus, technology is beneficial to medical practices.
However, it is dangerous for doctors to be over reliant on such medical tests. When a patient visits a hospital or clinic due to health concerns, a doctor should be able to give a rough diagnosis on the spot. If the doctor has no clear idea about what the patient might be suffering from, he might not be able to direct the patient to appropriate tests. For example, an ultrasound scan for a patient suffering from appendicitis is pointless. Medical tests are only helpful if they are appropriate for the patient. Thus, it is dangerous for doctors to rely overmuch on technology. Doctors should not forget their most fundamental tools - their eyes and ears.
Medicine is also not just about diagnosis and treatment. It is also about how caring the doctor or clinician is. A patient who has a morally supporting doctor will fare better than another suffering from similar illness but has no such support. Technology is simply a tool and can make a doctor seem uncaring. A doctor must remember to stay concerned about a patient's condition and often converse with them about it despite already knowing their conditions from monitoring machines. Doctors should not let technology advancements decrease their concern for their patients.
Recently, there have been cases where doctors use apps to help them with diagnosis and to determine treatment dosages. Some doctors have also switched from taking notes to typing in their smartphones or iPads. While this might be convenient, it might cause trouble. First of all, a doctor should know his patient best. There is no one rule for all in the field of medicine. Using an app, which might not be reliable, to determine diagnosis or treatment dosages is dangerous. As for note-taking, when devices run out of battery, the doctor will be denied access, this is also not good. Therefore, it is not good for doctors to be over dependent on technological advancements.
In conclusion, technology is just tool in medicine. It only helps in terms of convenience or accuracy when utilized correctly. In medicine, the main job is the doctors' not the machines'. A doctor cannot push the blame to machines if something goes wrong.
Technology is extremely helpful in medicine. With machines' help we can now give more accurate diagnosis. X-ray scans, echocardiograms, CT scans, ultrasounds and MRIs are just a few of the few tests technology has granted us. With a more accurate diagnosis, patients can now receive more appropriate treatments. This increases the patients' chances of recovery. Thus, technology is beneficial to medical practices.
However, it is dangerous for doctors to be over reliant on such medical tests. When a patient visits a hospital or clinic due to health concerns, a doctor should be able to give a rough diagnosis on the spot. If the doctor has no clear idea about what the patient might be suffering from, he might not be able to direct the patient to appropriate tests. For example, an ultrasound scan for a patient suffering from appendicitis is pointless. Medical tests are only helpful if they are appropriate for the patient. Thus, it is dangerous for doctors to rely overmuch on technology. Doctors should not forget their most fundamental tools - their eyes and ears.
Medicine is also not just about diagnosis and treatment. It is also about how caring the doctor or clinician is. A patient who has a morally supporting doctor will fare better than another suffering from similar illness but has no such support. Technology is simply a tool and can make a doctor seem uncaring. A doctor must remember to stay concerned about a patient's condition and often converse with them about it despite already knowing their conditions from monitoring machines. Doctors should not let technology advancements decrease their concern for their patients.
Recently, there have been cases where doctors use apps to help them with diagnosis and to determine treatment dosages. Some doctors have also switched from taking notes to typing in their smartphones or iPads. While this might be convenient, it might cause trouble. First of all, a doctor should know his patient best. There is no one rule for all in the field of medicine. Using an app, which might not be reliable, to determine diagnosis or treatment dosages is dangerous. As for note-taking, when devices run out of battery, the doctor will be denied access, this is also not good. Therefore, it is not good for doctors to be over dependent on technological advancements.
In conclusion, technology is just tool in medicine. It only helps in terms of convenience or accuracy when utilized correctly. In medicine, the main job is the doctors' not the machines'. A doctor cannot push the blame to machines if something goes wrong.
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Academic results
Is this good news or bad news?
Format - subject: mark(%), grade, rank, percentile
Promotional Exams Results:
GP: 46, E, 618, 45%
Chemistry: 65.9, B, 202, 79%
Economics: 61.2, B, 19, 98%
Mathematics: 75, A, 158, 86%
Physics: 74.3, A, 24, 95%
Overall Year End Results:
GP: 47.6, E, 558, 51%
Chemistry: 72.8, A, 128, 86%
Economics: 59.9, B, 61, 93%
Mathematics: 79.4, A, 117, 90%
Physics: 76.7, A, 24, 95%
Conclusion:
- must work extremely hard for GP in the next year (>_< ;)
- must buck up on Chemistry and Economics \(·w·)/
- must keep up the good work for Maths and Physics (@^v^@)
- all in all, improve/ maintain and aim for the best! O(^-^)O
Format - subject: mark(%), grade, rank, percentile
Promotional Exams Results:
GP: 46, E, 618, 45%
Chemistry: 65.9, B, 202, 79%
Economics: 61.2, B, 19, 98%
Mathematics: 75, A, 158, 86%
Physics: 74.3, A, 24, 95%
Overall Year End Results:
GP: 47.6, E, 558, 51%
Chemistry: 72.8, A, 128, 86%
Economics: 59.9, B, 61, 93%
Mathematics: 79.4, A, 117, 90%
Physics: 76.7, A, 24, 95%
Conclusion:
- must work extremely hard for GP in the next year (>_< ;)
- must buck up on Chemistry and Economics \(·w·)/
- must keep up the good work for Maths and Physics (@^v^@)
- all in all, improve/ maintain and aim for the best! O(^-^)O
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Online Safety for Children
As society progresses, technology advances. The usage of the internet has increased exponentially through recent years. It has became unusual for citizens of this modern age to not have access to online resources. Many adults and children are very active online.
By making friends on social websites, writing blogs on public domains, filling up online surveys etc. we are constantly sharing our personal information. There are all sorts of people on the internet. There are cases of sexual predators meeting children online or criminals cheating money from victims. Children lack the perspective to forsee the possible consequences of posting information online. Thus, they are espcially prone to the "dangers" of the internet.
Recognising such concerns, many governments have set laws to prevent online sites from obtaining of children's personal data without the consent of their parents. In United States, the Child Online Privacy Protection Act imposes significant restrictions on sites that are likely to gather personal data of children under 13.
However, these laws have many limitations. Under these laws, many sites like Facebook have banned users below 13 years of age. This has encouraged many children to open online accounts by lying about their age. This is even more dangerous because due to their having a fake age, they will be more likely to be exposed to information unsuitable and detrimental to those of their actual age.
The part of the law that permits sharing of information with parental consent is also impractical. It is extremely difficult to account for parental consent. The submission of a mobile phone number, credit card number or e-mail are typical ways used by sites to confirm parental consent. However, children might just input their own mobile number or e-mail addresses instead. Credit card numbers are also easily obtainable in many cases. Therefore, legal measures are not enough to protect children from the dangers of the online world.
Parents should explain these dangers to their children and also adequately oversee their children's online activities. By letting children understand the dangers they could face can encourage them to be more careful about the information they share online. Some parents make the extra effort to know everything their child is doing online. There are also those who go as far as to implement restrictions to their child's online time and visitable sites. These are viable methods to protect children. However, they should not be carried out to the extremes.
If parents are over protective, children might feel that their freedom and privacy is compromised. This might result in children trying to access forbidden sites on purpose or attempting to hide their activities from their parents. A child may have better understanding of emerging technology than his parents. Thus, it is not impossible for children to hide online activities from their parents. Youngsters have went as far as to develop an internet slang for chatting. POS, for example, stands for "parent over shoulder". As a fact, most parents are not aware of their children's actual online behavior. This exposes children to more danger, achieving the opposite effect to what parents have in mind.
On the other extreme, there are parents who have no idea of what dangers their children might run into online. There are many cases when parents or even teachers are the ones who encourage primary school children to open Facebook accounts for the sake of convenience. While schools do talk about the dangers of the internet with the students during Civics and Moral Education, they are not showing what they teach. Many primary schools send mixed signals to their pupils by posting photos and names on public school websites.
Social attitude towards the internet should definitely be improved on. The blithe attitudes of some adults towards this issue should be changed. We should put in more effort to make both adults and children more aware of the dangers of sharing too much information on the internet. Hopefully, together with the legislative initiatives in place, this can help people be more careful on the internet and reduce victims to internet related crimes.
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Sunday, October 7, 2012
Are examinations a good form of assessment?
Tests and examinations have been adopted by many schools in many countries as a method to assess students' progress and abilities since a long time ago. As society progresses, mindsets change. Some people have came to believe that examinations are not a fair assessment on students' capabilities. However, I believe that even if examinations cannot perfectly assess ones strengths and abilities, it is the only viable and effective method we have found so far.
I concede that examinations have their limits. It is really difficult if not impossible to grasp a student's creativity, ambition and eagerness purely from an examination. Conventional exams cannot measure a whole range of qualities, strengths and capacities that matter in life. For example, communication skills and passion which are important in real life cannot be tested through exams. At best, exams are only a reflection of students' academic capabilities.
I say a reflection because exams are not fair academic assessments in many ways. Exams impose a huge amount of stress on students. There are some students who cannot deal with this stress and end up under-performing during an exam. Or in other cases, it is simply bad luck that one does not do well during an exam although one usually performs quite well. Parents argue that exams like the Primary School Leaving Examination and the O-levels are especially unfair for late bloomers. Students who mature earlier can focus better on their studies and will no doubt have an advantage over the rest. This concern is understandable. Yet, these "unfairness" are unavoidable.
There is no such thing as a totally fair assessment. No assessment is perfect. Examinations are the closest we can go to achieving a fair assessment. If nothing else, an exam can at least measure how well a student has grasped facts, knowledge or skills in a specific area at a specific point of time. A students' performance in an exam can also reflect his ability to cope with stress and his time management skills to a certain extent. The aim of examinations is to fairly assess each student's academic capability. So non-academic abilities are taken into account separately.
Much have been done to provide a better assessments for students. Major examinations are split into smaller quizzes and tests. Written papers are diversified into oral presentations, group works and project works. By diversifying the assessment methods we use, we are hoping to give a fairer and more all-rounded assessment of students' abilities. However, these diversified methods of assessment are too troublesome and hard to manage or standardize. Thus, in order to achieve standard and controlled conditions for major assessments, examinations must still be used. The only reason examinations are not "scrapped" despite its various limitations is because we have no better form of assessment to adopt.
In conclusion, although examinations are not perfectly fair, it is something we cannot do without. We can try to diversify our forms of assessment, but in the end, we still need to fall back on the students' examinations results to determine their capabilities. Examinations have worked well as a form of assessment so far despite its limitations and thus, should continue to be adopted as a major form of assessment on students' capabilities, strengths and skills.
I concede that examinations have their limits. It is really difficult if not impossible to grasp a student's creativity, ambition and eagerness purely from an examination. Conventional exams cannot measure a whole range of qualities, strengths and capacities that matter in life. For example, communication skills and passion which are important in real life cannot be tested through exams. At best, exams are only a reflection of students' academic capabilities.
I say a reflection because exams are not fair academic assessments in many ways. Exams impose a huge amount of stress on students. There are some students who cannot deal with this stress and end up under-performing during an exam. Or in other cases, it is simply bad luck that one does not do well during an exam although one usually performs quite well. Parents argue that exams like the Primary School Leaving Examination and the O-levels are especially unfair for late bloomers. Students who mature earlier can focus better on their studies and will no doubt have an advantage over the rest. This concern is understandable. Yet, these "unfairness" are unavoidable.
There is no such thing as a totally fair assessment. No assessment is perfect. Examinations are the closest we can go to achieving a fair assessment. If nothing else, an exam can at least measure how well a student has grasped facts, knowledge or skills in a specific area at a specific point of time. A students' performance in an exam can also reflect his ability to cope with stress and his time management skills to a certain extent. The aim of examinations is to fairly assess each student's academic capability. So non-academic abilities are taken into account separately.
Much have been done to provide a better assessments for students. Major examinations are split into smaller quizzes and tests. Written papers are diversified into oral presentations, group works and project works. By diversifying the assessment methods we use, we are hoping to give a fairer and more all-rounded assessment of students' abilities. However, these diversified methods of assessment are too troublesome and hard to manage or standardize. Thus, in order to achieve standard and controlled conditions for major assessments, examinations must still be used. The only reason examinations are not "scrapped" despite its various limitations is because we have no better form of assessment to adopt.
In conclusion, although examinations are not perfectly fair, it is something we cannot do without. We can try to diversify our forms of assessment, but in the end, we still need to fall back on the students' examinations results to determine their capabilities. Examinations have worked well as a form of assessment so far despite its limitations and thus, should continue to be adopted as a major form of assessment on students' capabilities, strengths and skills.
Thursday, September 27, 2012
"Reading a novel is a far greater experience than watching a film on it." Discuss.
Reading novels and watching films are both enjoyable activities we can do during our leisure time. Some prefer the former over the latter while others prefer the latter over the former. I believe that reading a novel is more meaningful and enriching. It also leaves more room for imagination. Thus, I agree that "reading a novel is a far greater experience than watching a film on it".
We can set our own pace when we read. This is a freedom we do not have when we watch films. When reading, we are free to take our time to ponder over certain details or savor a good story-line. We can also go over skim through the text at parts we do not find very interesting. However, when watching a film, the director and the actors set the pace for us. Sometimes, everything seems to be over in a rush. Films condense the thick novels into scenes which last a few hours long. In this process, many details were missed like in the "Harry Potter" movies. On the other hand, there are times when things just seem to drag on forever. This is especially true for the "Twilight" series in which the action never seems to start. Therefore, the enjoyment and satisfaction one can derive from reading a novel definitely exceeds that of watching a film.
Another problem is that sometimes, the director might not be able to fully bring out the essence of the novel's plot in their film. There are times when authors write in a manner that is more than that which meets the eye. Readers have to read between the lines to discover the hidden message the author wishes to convey. However, at times, when novels are adapted into films, this essence is lost. Either the director did not fully understand the author or the hidden message is too sensitive to be addressed on screen. This can transform a novel hinting at political corruption into a silly romance film. Such adaptations might misguide the audience as to what the plot really means and make them lose the opportunity to savor a meaningful plot. Hence, in terms of understanding the plot, reading a novel will be better than watching a film on it.
Opponents might argue that the pleasure brought by the visual and aural effects of a film can never be derived from plain pages of black and white. Such special effects are especially astounding in fantasy or science fiction films like "The Chronicles of Narnia" and "Lord of the Rings". With 3D movies on the rise, being amazed by these effects hours after watching a good film is not impossible. This point is indeed valid.
However, no matter how good the animations are or how skillful an actor is in his performance, films only present another person's take on the story. While we read, we are able to picture what is happening using our imagination with the help of some descriptions in the novel. Everybody's understanding of "a cheery old cottage", for example, might differ greatly. By giving us a visual scene on "the world of Narnia", any other imagination about the settings is banished from our minds. The director or actor's understanding more often than not, differs from our own. Walking into a cinema then feeling dissapointed that a character in the film is totally different from what you expect should not be a rare experience. The many criticisms about the portrayal of characters in films based on popular novels proof my point. In other worlds, despite the lack of visual and auditory stimulus, the simplicity of black on white allows us to create our own settings and characters in our mind. This makes reading novel's a better choice since it allows us the freedom to use our own imaginations to understand the plot.
All in all, I maintain my stand that reading a novel will indeed guarantee a far richer experience than watching a film would. While a film also has its attractiveness, it lacks the freedom of control and imagination that reading a novel grants. Indulging in a film after a hard day in school or at work is not necessarily bad. However, if you wish to savor a good story, picking up a novel will definitely be a much better choice.
We can set our own pace when we read. This is a freedom we do not have when we watch films. When reading, we are free to take our time to ponder over certain details or savor a good story-line. We can also go over skim through the text at parts we do not find very interesting. However, when watching a film, the director and the actors set the pace for us. Sometimes, everything seems to be over in a rush. Films condense the thick novels into scenes which last a few hours long. In this process, many details were missed like in the "Harry Potter" movies. On the other hand, there are times when things just seem to drag on forever. This is especially true for the "Twilight" series in which the action never seems to start. Therefore, the enjoyment and satisfaction one can derive from reading a novel definitely exceeds that of watching a film.
Another problem is that sometimes, the director might not be able to fully bring out the essence of the novel's plot in their film. There are times when authors write in a manner that is more than that which meets the eye. Readers have to read between the lines to discover the hidden message the author wishes to convey. However, at times, when novels are adapted into films, this essence is lost. Either the director did not fully understand the author or the hidden message is too sensitive to be addressed on screen. This can transform a novel hinting at political corruption into a silly romance film. Such adaptations might misguide the audience as to what the plot really means and make them lose the opportunity to savor a meaningful plot. Hence, in terms of understanding the plot, reading a novel will be better than watching a film on it.
Opponents might argue that the pleasure brought by the visual and aural effects of a film can never be derived from plain pages of black and white. Such special effects are especially astounding in fantasy or science fiction films like "The Chronicles of Narnia" and "Lord of the Rings". With 3D movies on the rise, being amazed by these effects hours after watching a good film is not impossible. This point is indeed valid.
However, no matter how good the animations are or how skillful an actor is in his performance, films only present another person's take on the story. While we read, we are able to picture what is happening using our imagination with the help of some descriptions in the novel. Everybody's understanding of "a cheery old cottage", for example, might differ greatly. By giving us a visual scene on "the world of Narnia", any other imagination about the settings is banished from our minds. The director or actor's understanding more often than not, differs from our own. Walking into a cinema then feeling dissapointed that a character in the film is totally different from what you expect should not be a rare experience. The many criticisms about the portrayal of characters in films based on popular novels proof my point. In other worlds, despite the lack of visual and auditory stimulus, the simplicity of black on white allows us to create our own settings and characters in our mind. This makes reading novel's a better choice since it allows us the freedom to use our own imaginations to understand the plot.
All in all, I maintain my stand that reading a novel will indeed guarantee a far richer experience than watching a film would. While a film also has its attractiveness, it lacks the freedom of control and imagination that reading a novel grants. Indulging in a film after a hard day in school or at work is not necessarily bad. However, if you wish to savor a good story, picking up a novel will definitely be a much better choice.
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Essay - "Parents are more important than teachers in a child's education." Do you agree?
A child's education is of vital importance to his future. The success of education mainly depends on the children themselves, their parents and their teachers. I believe that education is as much the instilling of moral values as the imparting of knowledge. While I agree that teacher's play an important role in a child's education, I strongly believe that the parent's influence is even more vital.
A child is extremely sensitive to his surroundings. He will tend to mimic the actions and words of the people around him. A child will naturally learn from the people he is exposed to and the longer the exposure, the stronger the influence. Parents stay with their children for most of their lives especially their childhood. While a child's teacher usually change every few years or even annually at times. Within the first few years of the child's life, when he is most receptive to his surroundings and is building his fundamental nature, his parents are with him while his teachers have not yet entered his life. It is his parents who imparted him the most basic knowledge of reading and writing. It is also the parents' moral values that the child is first exposed to. Thus, the degree of impact that parents have on the child's education in his early life no doubt exceeds that of the teachers.
The institution of education that the child attends also determines how the child's education will proceed. The quality of education as well as the content delivered are quite different between a religious and a non-religious school as well as between a private and a public school. Although it is the teachers in these institutions who teach the child, the important decision of which type of school the child enters is decided by the parents. Parents can decide what type of institution their child enrolls in and whether the child will take any enrichment courses. They also influence the child's choice of subject combinations. Parents hold power over the educational path that the child will take. This power that parents hold over the child's education is something that teachers' lack. Therefore, parents play a more important role than teachers in this case.
Many people argue that teachers has the advantage in imparting academic knowledge. A higher proportion of the a child's studying time is at school. Therefore, most of the learning is done in school with the help of their teachers. Teachers are also the first to enlighten the child on some aspects.
While it is the teachers who impart knowledge, it is the parents who enforce it. Parents guide their child through his homework, clarify the facts that the child is uncertain of, supervise the child's learning process and correct them if they spot his mistakes. While not all parents actively support academic learning, those who do so play a role no less important than that of the teachers.
Furthermore, despite the existence of civics and moral education in schools, parents still play the major role in teaching a child the correct social values. Ethics and morals cannot be learnt from the textbook. Interaction and experience are needed for the child to understand what is right and wrong on a higher level and in a more flexible manner. The people around them provide children with living examples. Thus, parents who spend more time with the child than teachers affect the child's social values more.
In conclusion, due to the more interactive nature of parent-child relationship compared to student-teacher relationship, I believe that a child is more likely to be influenced by his parents and he tends to approach his parents more for education. Hence, I agree that "parents are more important than teachers in a child's education."
A child is extremely sensitive to his surroundings. He will tend to mimic the actions and words of the people around him. A child will naturally learn from the people he is exposed to and the longer the exposure, the stronger the influence. Parents stay with their children for most of their lives especially their childhood. While a child's teacher usually change every few years or even annually at times. Within the first few years of the child's life, when he is most receptive to his surroundings and is building his fundamental nature, his parents are with him while his teachers have not yet entered his life. It is his parents who imparted him the most basic knowledge of reading and writing. It is also the parents' moral values that the child is first exposed to. Thus, the degree of impact that parents have on the child's education in his early life no doubt exceeds that of the teachers.
The institution of education that the child attends also determines how the child's education will proceed. The quality of education as well as the content delivered are quite different between a religious and a non-religious school as well as between a private and a public school. Although it is the teachers in these institutions who teach the child, the important decision of which type of school the child enters is decided by the parents. Parents can decide what type of institution their child enrolls in and whether the child will take any enrichment courses. They also influence the child's choice of subject combinations. Parents hold power over the educational path that the child will take. This power that parents hold over the child's education is something that teachers' lack. Therefore, parents play a more important role than teachers in this case.
Many people argue that teachers has the advantage in imparting academic knowledge. A higher proportion of the a child's studying time is at school. Therefore, most of the learning is done in school with the help of their teachers. Teachers are also the first to enlighten the child on some aspects.
While it is the teachers who impart knowledge, it is the parents who enforce it. Parents guide their child through his homework, clarify the facts that the child is uncertain of, supervise the child's learning process and correct them if they spot his mistakes. While not all parents actively support academic learning, those who do so play a role no less important than that of the teachers.
Furthermore, despite the existence of civics and moral education in schools, parents still play the major role in teaching a child the correct social values. Ethics and morals cannot be learnt from the textbook. Interaction and experience are needed for the child to understand what is right and wrong on a higher level and in a more flexible manner. The people around them provide children with living examples. Thus, parents who spend more time with the child than teachers affect the child's social values more.
In conclusion, due to the more interactive nature of parent-child relationship compared to student-teacher relationship, I believe that a child is more likely to be influenced by his parents and he tends to approach his parents more for education. Hence, I agree that "parents are more important than teachers in a child's education."
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Clinical Trials
Clinical trials are sets of tests in medical research and drug development that generate safety and efficacy data (or more specifically, information about adverse drug reactions and adverse effects of other treatments) for health interventions (e.g., drugs, diagnostics, devices, therapy protocols). Volunteers and patients participating in a clinical trial should not mistaken this as a medical treatment.
A medical treatment has the patient's interests as its main concern. Drugs prescribed and treatment methods adopted is based on the patient's condition. The objective of a medical treatment is to make the patient recover from the illness he/she is suffering from.
A clinical trial is much more strictly regulated. There are protocols to follow and agreement to sign. Once in the trial, withdrawing from it might require the volunteer or patient to compensate the organization holding the trial. Every volunteer and patient will be treated equally without discrimination in order to obtain the most accurate results possible. In other words, a clinical trial does not really consider any individual patient's interest. Its objective is to find out if the new drug works and whether there are any side effects. It is pretty much just doing research on human test subjects. While clinical trials often bring up ethical issues, it is an unavoidable and necessary step to take to improve our future welfare.
Due to the fact that humans are used as test subjects, various tests are done before clinical trials are allowed. However, the new drugs might still have side effects which will cause harm or discomfort to volunteers or patients. As such, instead of curing any patient's illness, a clinical trial is in fact more likely to worsen his/her condition instead. Volunteers and patients need to recognize this danger element of clinical trials and think wisely before subjecting themselves to one.
All in all, patients suffering from illness should not view clinical trials as a last minute treatment, for clinical trials are not meant to treat people. We should all recognize the difference between clinical trials and medical treatment so as to not make any decision we might regret.
A medical treatment has the patient's interests as its main concern. Drugs prescribed and treatment methods adopted is based on the patient's condition. The objective of a medical treatment is to make the patient recover from the illness he/she is suffering from.
A clinical trial is much more strictly regulated. There are protocols to follow and agreement to sign. Once in the trial, withdrawing from it might require the volunteer or patient to compensate the organization holding the trial. Every volunteer and patient will be treated equally without discrimination in order to obtain the most accurate results possible. In other words, a clinical trial does not really consider any individual patient's interest. Its objective is to find out if the new drug works and whether there are any side effects. It is pretty much just doing research on human test subjects. While clinical trials often bring up ethical issues, it is an unavoidable and necessary step to take to improve our future welfare.
Due to the fact that humans are used as test subjects, various tests are done before clinical trials are allowed. However, the new drugs might still have side effects which will cause harm or discomfort to volunteers or patients. As such, instead of curing any patient's illness, a clinical trial is in fact more likely to worsen his/her condition instead. Volunteers and patients need to recognize this danger element of clinical trials and think wisely before subjecting themselves to one.
All in all, patients suffering from illness should not view clinical trials as a last minute treatment, for clinical trials are not meant to treat people. We should all recognize the difference between clinical trials and medical treatment so as to not make any decision we might regret.
Friday, September 7, 2012
They are only machines...
As technology progresses in our modern age, it seems that the amount of skepticism revolving around modern technology is increasing.
Some are worried that we might depend too much on technology that we will eventually lose part of our "humanity" as a result. They are worried that with technology to help, we will become complacent, stop experimenting for further innovation. There are even extremists who go as far as to fear world domination by robots.
However, we have to be reminded that current technology are all results of innovation which are supposed to aid us in our lives. If we do not wish for help, we can simply not use the invention. There is no way an invention can force us to forgo something deep within our own nature.
If you wish to experiment with recipes in the kitchen, no one is going to stop you. There is no need to completely reject kitchen technology. After all, there might be people who really need the kitchen technology to guide them through their meal preparations. Nobody is perfect in everything. If some one needs help in a certain area, is it really alright to deny them of aid just because it will come in the form of a machine?
We as humans, are free to make our own decisions. While we might depend on machines at times, we are free to stop doing so if we feel any presence of "danger". They are only machines, tools invented by our fellow humans to make our lives easier. There is no need to reject or fear them.
Some are worried that we might depend too much on technology that we will eventually lose part of our "humanity" as a result. They are worried that with technology to help, we will become complacent, stop experimenting for further innovation. There are even extremists who go as far as to fear world domination by robots.
However, we have to be reminded that current technology are all results of innovation which are supposed to aid us in our lives. If we do not wish for help, we can simply not use the invention. There is no way an invention can force us to forgo something deep within our own nature.
If you wish to experiment with recipes in the kitchen, no one is going to stop you. There is no need to completely reject kitchen technology. After all, there might be people who really need the kitchen technology to guide them through their meal preparations. Nobody is perfect in everything. If some one needs help in a certain area, is it really alright to deny them of aid just because it will come in the form of a machine?
We as humans, are free to make our own decisions. While we might depend on machines at times, we are free to stop doing so if we feel any presence of "danger". They are only machines, tools invented by our fellow humans to make our lives easier. There is no need to reject or fear them.
Thursday, September 6, 2012
Time pasts so fast...
It feels like I've just came back from Reach Cambridge and Sept holidays have just started, but its already Thursday and school reopens in 4 days... (- -)Haiz.
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Sometimes I really wonder...
Is it wrong to want to handle your own problems?
Is is a mistake to manage your stress in the best way you know of so as to not worry others?
Is it wrong to remind yourself that there are many who are worse off so as to give yourself some comfort and relief from the constant heavy load you carry?
Why is it so difficult to make people understand that you are already doing your very best?
When you feel down will you not prefer doing something that will lighten your mood rather than to beat yourself up over what has caused it?
Why is it so difficult to get some space and privacy over your own problems and thoughts?
Must some people always try your nerves to the point that you are nearly breaking down?
Sometimes, is it not harder to share your worries than to keep it inside (especially when you know others won't understand and that they'll just make it worse)?
Can some people stop acting as though they understand when they actually do not?
Why can't they understand that sometimes pressure is inevitable and that some people are more susceptible to it than others?
Why can't I continue managing my own problems like I always have done (with some success) till now?
If you have been managing till now, isn't it terrible to hear that you are doing it all wrong?
Can't they understand that even if I'm not doing extremely terribly, the stress is still there? That I'm never going to truly escape from it unless I stop doing certain things (which I definitely cannot stop doing)?
Must I constantly be reminded that I am inadequate at certain areas?
Doesn't everyone have their weakness and strength?
And even if you know your weaknesses, doesn't it still hurt when others berate you over it?
How can they not understand that I am the one who is most affected by my own less than satisfactory results?
Why is it so hard for them to notice my efforts to improve?
It is better to completely break down than to try to keep a hold on yourself when you get 'bad news'?
How can they not notice how their lack of recognition of my strength and constantly high expectations of me have brought me stress?
Do I really seem to lead so carefree a life?
Am I so good at hiding my worries that they think I do not care at all?
In that case should I be proud of my acting skills or sad that no one can understand me?
Can they not understand that there are matters I don't wish to talk about, so they shouldn't press me?
Please, please, please try to understand!!! I am not made of steel!!! I am but human. One with flaws, one who can make mistakes, one who can get hurt and one who tries her best whenever she can. So do be more gentle with me? It will really make it a lot easier. Thank you.
And sometimes, I really envy those who have no worries in their lives what so ever...
Is is a mistake to manage your stress in the best way you know of so as to not worry others?
Is it wrong to remind yourself that there are many who are worse off so as to give yourself some comfort and relief from the constant heavy load you carry?
Why is it so difficult to make people understand that you are already doing your very best?
When you feel down will you not prefer doing something that will lighten your mood rather than to beat yourself up over what has caused it?
Why is it so difficult to get some space and privacy over your own problems and thoughts?
Must some people always try your nerves to the point that you are nearly breaking down?
Sometimes, is it not harder to share your worries than to keep it inside (especially when you know others won't understand and that they'll just make it worse)?
Can some people stop acting as though they understand when they actually do not?
Why can't they understand that sometimes pressure is inevitable and that some people are more susceptible to it than others?
Why can't I continue managing my own problems like I always have done (with some success) till now?
If you have been managing till now, isn't it terrible to hear that you are doing it all wrong?
Can't they understand that even if I'm not doing extremely terribly, the stress is still there? That I'm never going to truly escape from it unless I stop doing certain things (which I definitely cannot stop doing)?
Must I constantly be reminded that I am inadequate at certain areas?
Doesn't everyone have their weakness and strength?
And even if you know your weaknesses, doesn't it still hurt when others berate you over it?
How can they not understand that I am the one who is most affected by my own less than satisfactory results?
Why is it so hard for them to notice my efforts to improve?
It is better to completely break down than to try to keep a hold on yourself when you get 'bad news'?
How can they not notice how their lack of recognition of my strength and constantly high expectations of me have brought me stress?
Do I really seem to lead so carefree a life?
Am I so good at hiding my worries that they think I do not care at all?
In that case should I be proud of my acting skills or sad that no one can understand me?
Can they not understand that there are matters I don't wish to talk about, so they shouldn't press me?
Please, please, please try to understand!!! I am not made of steel!!! I am but human. One with flaws, one who can make mistakes, one who can get hurt and one who tries her best whenever she can. So do be more gentle with me? It will really make it a lot easier. Thank you.
And sometimes, I really envy those who have no worries in their lives what so ever...
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Monday, July 23, 2012
C1 Block Test Results
Block test results are finally out!
Maths is good, Physics and Chemistry are okay, but GP and Economics are just SAD!
Chemistry: 77/100 (><)
Percentile: 89%
Rank: 104
Economics: 47% (T-T)
Percentile: 56%
Rank: 425
GP: 47/100 (T-T)
Percentile: 52%
Rank: 513
Maths: 92/100 (^-^)
Percentile: 97%
Rank: 28
Physics: 73.6% (><)
Percentile: 92%
Rank: 39
Maths is good, Physics and Chemistry are okay, but GP and Economics are just SAD!
Chemistry: 77/100 (><)
Percentile: 89%
Rank: 104
Economics: 47% (T-T)
Percentile: 56%
Rank: 425
GP: 47/100 (T-T)
Percentile: 52%
Rank: 513
Maths: 92/100 (^-^)
Percentile: 97%
Rank: 28
Physics: 73.6% (><)
Percentile: 92%
Rank: 39
Sunday, July 22, 2012
The world economy
The world economy is made up of many individual economies. US and China are 2 of the largest economies in the world. Economic changes from either country (especially the US) will no doubt affect the world economy to a certain extent.
The US subprime mortgage crisis is a good example. The US economy's troubles has led to worldwide recession in 2009. Small and open economies like Singapore have taken an especially bad hit.
However, this does not mean that we should blame all the troubles in the world economy on US and China alone. The very recent debt crisis in the Euro-zone for example, is neither related to the US nor to China.
All troubles in the world economy are caused by imbalance. It is works like a wave. A disturbance in one area will cause those around it to be affected as well. Being major economies, US and China are often the source. However, the disturbance might have other roots as well.
If we wish to have a sustainable and healthy global economy, we should all play a part and work together to minimize the disturbances in each of our own areas. A problem that affects us all should only be solved when we work together as one.
The US subprime mortgage crisis is a good example. The US economy's troubles has led to worldwide recession in 2009. Small and open economies like Singapore have taken an especially bad hit.
However, this does not mean that we should blame all the troubles in the world economy on US and China alone. The very recent debt crisis in the Euro-zone for example, is neither related to the US nor to China.
All troubles in the world economy are caused by imbalance. It is works like a wave. A disturbance in one area will cause those around it to be affected as well. Being major economies, US and China are often the source. However, the disturbance might have other roots as well.
If we wish to have a sustainable and healthy global economy, we should all play a part and work together to minimize the disturbances in each of our own areas. A problem that affects us all should only be solved when we work together as one.
What would you do and why?
Scenario 1: You are on a train out of control. The brakes do not work but you can control its direction using a switch. Straight ahead, there are 5 workers working on the track. The train is too fast (you cannot call out to them) and there is no turning back. A flick of the switch will divert the train onto the side track. There is one worker working on the side track.
So do you flick the switch?
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Skip beat
Skip beat is really great! Too bad that there isn't anymore new anime episodes though. Here is the 1st opening song!
Detective conan movie 7 kyoto song
I really liked this song. The young Heiji and Kazuha are both cute too!!!
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Friday, November 7, 2008
Kuhlau Piano Sonatina Op.55 No.2
1st movement
2nd movement
3rd movement
This is one piano piece that my teacher wants me to learn this week.
Enjoy!
2nd movement
3rd movement
This is one piano piece that my teacher wants me to learn this week.
Enjoy!
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Durian
Today, my mother bought me two big durians.
I Love to eat durians. But, these two durians were very expensive. They were sold for $8 dollars per kilo! I could not believe that mother bought them. They costed $40 on total! How expensive!
However, it was really worth it as they tasted really nice.
I simply enjoyed myself when I was eating them.
My mother and I could only finish one durian as the durian fruit was really too big and we were very full after eating them.
I can't wait to eat the second durian tomorrow!
I Love to eat durians. But, these two durians were very expensive. They were sold for $8 dollars per kilo! I could not believe that mother bought them. They costed $40 on total! How expensive!
However, it was really worth it as they tasted really nice.
I simply enjoyed myself when I was eating them.
My mother and I could only finish one durian as the durian fruit was really too big and we were very full after eating them.
I can't wait to eat the second durian tomorrow!
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Block tests
The block tests are finally over! I really worked hard for it... ...
I hope I can get really good results.
I've got my maths and science results back already:
Maths: 53/60 [not too bad but not very good either]
Science: 38/40 [I'm quite satisfied with that]
I really hope that my other results will also be good...
HAHA!
I can relax for a moment now, but I still have dance concert coming up... ... So nervous for both...
GOOD LUCK FOR MYSELF!
I hope I can get really good results.
I've got my maths and science results back already:
Maths: 53/60 [not too bad but not very good either]
Science: 38/40 [I'm quite satisfied with that]
I really hope that my other results will also be good...
HAHA!
I can relax for a moment now, but I still have dance concert coming up... ... So nervous for both...
GOOD LUCK FOR MYSELF!
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
June Holidays
Humm.... ..... June holidays???
Dance practices and homework. Hahahaha!!!
I can finally go back to China, my hometown.
I hope that I can play happily and have a good holiday, However, there are still a lot of homework to do and I still need to revise for tests. HAHA..
But who cares, I'll just have fun!
Happy Holidays to me!!!
Dance practices and homework. Hahahaha!!!
I can finally go back to China, my hometown.
I hope that I can play happily and have a good holiday, However, there are still a lot of homework to do and I still need to revise for tests. HAHA..
But who cares, I'll just have fun!
Happy Holidays to me!!!
Narnia Writing Competition
I was really happy when I know that I won the 3rd prize in the Narnia writing competition.
I participated because of interest.
I was a bit shocked and I don't know what to say.
I cannot believe that I won the 3rd prize.
My teacher was a bit shocked too. My english writing skills isn't that good.
I won 6 movie passes, I'll keep 1 and the rest are for my friends... ....
So happy!!! ;-)
I participated because of interest.
I was a bit shocked and I don't know what to say.
I cannot believe that I won the 3rd prize.
My teacher was a bit shocked too. My english writing skills isn't that good.
I won 6 movie passes, I'll keep 1 and the rest are for my friends... ....
So happy!!! ;-)
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Ict.. photoshop
I love ICT.
Especially for the photoshop part.
It's so fun, I want to let everyone know what it can do :
Task Requirements
Marking Focus
Assignment 3 – Webpage Design Use Photoshop CS 3 to create a single webpage with hyperlinks.
You may go through this tutorial to have a better idea of creating webpage interface and adding links in Photoshop CS 3.
-Colour combination
-Use of graphics and Photoshop effects
-Text clearly displayed
-Design of buttons are suitable
-Layout
-Working hyperlinks
Especially for the photoshop part.
It's so fun, I want to let everyone know what it can do :
At first, the baby is so dirty... and it had red eyes!!
After I edited it, it's clean!!! I did quite a good job, didn't I?
There's something wrong with the nose of the puppy, and The puppy's patch are not matched.
After I edited them using photoshop, they look much better!
This woman looks horrible pale lips, red eyes and scar>>>
Though still a bit weird, but she looks much better right?
And my photoshop assignments:
Assignment 1 - Using the Paintbrush
Draw a picture using the different brushes.
Draw a picture using the different brushes.
Suggested Themes:
-My Favourite Things
-UFO
-Caricature
-Four Seasons
-Nature
-My Favourite Things
-UFO
-Caricature
-Four Seasons
-Nature
I selected to do the four seasons, this is what I done:
Quite nice right?
Assignment 2 – Creating the Text and Graphic Effects
You will need to create an artwork with a text effect and a graphic effect.
This is my work:
quite good? Well there's still another one, but I haven't done it yet.
Photoshop is quite good after all.>>
This is the next task, you can try it too:
Task Requirements
Marking Focus
Assignment 3 – Webpage Design Use Photoshop CS 3 to create a single webpage with hyperlinks.
You may go through this tutorial to have a better idea of creating webpage interface and adding links in Photoshop CS 3.
-Colour combination
-Use of graphics and Photoshop effects
-Text clearly displayed
-Design of buttons are suitable
-Layout
-Working hyperlinks
Competitions
The photo competition is over long ago. But no time to write new posts though. I've other competitions to attend to as well. [Writing competition etc.] I just found that I had about three other competitions. Too much competitions and I'm a little bit stressed up, but it's okay.
I'll be fine. ;-}
I'll be fine. ;-}
Monday, April 14, 2008
Competition
I decided to take part in a photography competition of my school's live. I am entering tomorrow. So nervous!!!
Test Results
I fell sad that I didn't score well for my tests. But I'll do my best and strive for the best to do better the next term. Give me courage and cheer me on!!!
:-) May
:-) May
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Prize Giving Day
I just visited my primary school for the prize giving day. I enjoyed myself a lot even though my ex-classmates still didn't like to talk to me. I managed to talk to my dance friends and YMCA friends. I missed them quite a lot. I also talked to my teachers. All who had taught me except for Mr Roslan and Mdm Goh. I talked the most to Mdm Tian. She is still VERY GOOD!
The TESTS!!!
The block tests started two days after school reopened. I was quite nervous about it as it was the first secondary test I am taking. But it is quite the same as the primary school tests. [That's what I thought.] I felt that the tests were all not difficult and some VERY easy. [But some classmates of mine said that it was difficult!!! ]
The tests are over and the new Term will start soon. I'm sure we'll learn lots of new things. I'm looking forward to learning chemistry. Ha! so fun.
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
;-)
The tests are over and the new Term will start soon. I'm sure we'll learn lots of new things. I'm looking forward to learning chemistry. Ha! so fun.
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
;-)
March Holidays
Time passed very fast and the March holidays were already over. My mum and me went to Tioman Island to spend our holiday.
There were a lot of homework, but I managed to complete them before school started. It was quite a rush though. I also missed my dance session to go to Tioman.
Well Tioman was fun all right. I enjoyed myself alot. Ha! I always say that. Well we went diving to see the coral reefs and we stayed in a wooden house. Quite cool Eh? We also went to pick shells and stones. [A part I'd never miss as long as I visited a beach.]
The block tests made me worry, but I didn't revise much.
There were a lot of homework, but I managed to complete them before school started. It was quite a rush though. I also missed my dance session to go to Tioman.
Well Tioman was fun all right. I enjoyed myself alot. Ha! I always say that. Well we went diving to see the coral reefs and we stayed in a wooden house. Quite cool Eh? We also went to pick shells and stones. [A part I'd never miss as long as I visited a beach.]
The block tests made me worry, but I didn't revise much.
Lifeskills Camp
I just went for our lifeskills camp. It was very fun. I swear that I got to know the school better than before. It is a 5 days 2 night camp. Very interesting activities, but the talks were extremely boring. Ha! But nevermind, as long as it's fun... ...
NYGH
I've gotten into NYGH!! I am quite happy here, everything is great. I made many new friends too. I hope to know more about this school. It's so fun here. So many lessons like Maths, Wushu, Dance ... ... and so on. Haha, I bet I'll enjoy myself a lot!
Saturday, October 20, 2007
After Psle
Psle is over and my form teacher said that after PSLE marking, we will be quite busy with talks from secondary schools. And there will also be quite a lot of other activities arranged for us. I am looking forward to those activities and hope that they will be quite fun.
Sunday, August 5, 2007
PRELIM
Prelim is coming, and after prelim, is PSLE, I am quiet nervous really, but it is nothing, I still can enjoy myself, watching TV ... ...
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Teachers & Parents
You know, teachers and parents never ever know and appreciate how much we work hard to study and they just know how to buy loads and loads of assesment books for us to do and always said that it is for our own good, they complain when they need to mark our homeworks and just never let us rest, I hope this could stop one day and they will let children like me and you have time to play.
Adults are all like that, they don't know how much we suffer because of them and always says that we are very lucky, yes we are lucky to live wealthily, but we still have to study!!!
they will not understand.
Adults are all like that, they don't know how much we suffer because of them and always says that we are very lucky, yes we are lucky to live wealthily, but we still have to study!!!
they will not understand.
Holiday
I like holiday, but I don't know why teachers always like to give supplementaries during the holidays!!!
I hope teachers don't give supplementaries and let us just rest and spend our holidays peacefully.
I hope teachers don't give supplementaries and let us just rest and spend our holidays peacefully.
Friday, May 18, 2007
Friday, May 11, 2007
My first blog
Hi every one,
this is my first blog ever!!!
Thanks to my friend Engloon hu told me how to do a blog.
I always wanted to have one, but never knew how.
So I post my biggest THANKYOU to her.
this is my first blog ever!!!
Thanks to my friend Engloon hu told me how to do a blog.
I always wanted to have one, but never knew how.
So I post my biggest THANKYOU to her.
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