National Day is around the corner, and everyone is getting ready for it. From planning events and activities to just looking forward to the long weekend, it is something that everyone just cannot wait for. For most it is a time of patriotism, and for others a time for catching up on rest. Either ways, it is a public holiday, and who does not love public holidays?
On the other hand, does the upcoming National Day events really promote patriotism and love for our country?
Recently, a speaker set was installed in my school canteen compound. During break time on one occasion, they played out a few patriotic local songs, like Home by Kit Chan. And then all of a sudden the National Anthem started playing. Despite the massive noise pollution contributed by 400 students in one single canteen compound, various responses were evident. Some of which went "boo", some of which went "yay" and some of whom who even mocked the situation by standing up in attention. Ashamed am I to say that I am one of them.
What can we learn from this? Is it not the season to be patriotic and to be proud of your country? Is it not a sin to be satirical about the issue?
No disrespect to my home country, but I have always indulged in the fascination I hold over countries overseas. Living in Singapore for so long can be rather dull as you see the same sights every other day. Humans being a species of variety, we are constantly on the lookout to try something new, or to find something different to think about; monotony is despised.
My school has been harping on the idea of situational awareness, and how we should appropriately respond to any situation based on the general perception of the formality of the occasion. So does situational awareness have a part to play in the heart of the matter?
The answer is yes, it does. National Day is a time when Singaporeans come together in celebration of the success of our country's shot at independence. It is a time to display our pride and power. It is a call for patriotism. It is a time where we gather as one people and bathe in the fruits of the labour that our forefathers have so tirelessly toiled upon to uplift us to our position of prosperity and wealth. In view of that, we theoretically should not adopt a spirit of scorn and dishonour
So this Saturday, let us put aside all our hatred and disdain, as we adopt the spirit of patriotism and love for our country, as one people, one nation, and one Singapore.
Wednesday, August 6, 2014
Sunday, August 3, 2014
First Experience Being Bald
Last week I attended the annual Hair For Hope event organised by Children's Cancer Foundation, where they came up with the idea to shave your head in awareness of those fighting cancer. This year is HFH's 12th year running, which has grown to 7316 shavees in 2013 from a mere 9 since its inception. Inspired by my brother's attendance at the event two years ago, I decided to attend this year. Furthermore, I was compelled to do so as two of my friends decided to go as well. Well, the day came and it turned out that both my friends ditched me, leaving me to face the event solo.
There are two reasons why I decided to attend the event. One was because I have a friend who is battling cancer, and thus I decided to attend the event in support of him. Another reason is because I wanted to validate the effectiveness of willpower. I successfully fulfilled both reasons in my attendance.
I hold pride in my hair. Before I shaved, I used to spend some time in front of the mirror experimenting with varied hairstyles to see which ones best suited my face while being low maintenance. I often used wax to hold up complex hairstyles. I disliked going to the barber because I loved it when it was relatively long. This, as you can see, is the main challenge that I face when deciding whether or not to attend the event.
One thing that I've learned about shaving after having relatively long hair is the fact that it does not just affect you, but everyone else around you. Everyone immediately recognises it, and decides to pop in a friendly, yet utterly repetitive and stupid question or statement like "Oh Eugene, you've cut your hair!" or "What happened to you? Did you shave bald?" or "Did you go for Hair For Hope?" Once or twice would be sufficient and more often than not, it is perfectly understandable and easy to dismiss. The only issue is that every single person you meet who knows you personally brings it up. So much so that I start to wonder if sharing about my participation online would have done any help. I must admit, to my shame, that I have contemplated giving equally ridiculous answers like "No, I have cancer." but that would be totally insensitive and nullify my every good intentions of participating in the first place. Sometimes, even muddle-headed people go "Army ah?"
Oh and not to mention, you instantly become everyone's pet. Expect someone ruffling your non-existent hair every five successive minutes.
Contrary to popular belief, I do not feel too much of a difference between having hair and having no hair, other than the fact that your hair does not fall into your eyes anymore. Many people think that it feels more "airy" or cooling. Of course, your scalp is exposed to the elements, which is why you feel more "airy" or cooling, but only under a breeze. The opposite also applies. This can serve as a timely reminder that under no circumstances do you take for granted the shelter that hair provides to your head.
Overall, being bald is not too much of a bad experience. You do get to play sports without having any problems with pulling your sweaty hair back up and out of your face. I do want to let my hair grow for in the name of beauty though, but I do not regret shaving. Furthermore, I will be better emotionally and mentally prepared at the loss of my precious hair when I do get conscripted.
There are two reasons why I decided to attend the event. One was because I have a friend who is battling cancer, and thus I decided to attend the event in support of him. Another reason is because I wanted to validate the effectiveness of willpower. I successfully fulfilled both reasons in my attendance.
I hold pride in my hair. Before I shaved, I used to spend some time in front of the mirror experimenting with varied hairstyles to see which ones best suited my face while being low maintenance. I often used wax to hold up complex hairstyles. I disliked going to the barber because I loved it when it was relatively long. This, as you can see, is the main challenge that I face when deciding whether or not to attend the event.
One thing that I've learned about shaving after having relatively long hair is the fact that it does not just affect you, but everyone else around you. Everyone immediately recognises it, and decides to pop in a friendly, yet utterly repetitive and stupid question or statement like "Oh Eugene, you've cut your hair!" or "What happened to you? Did you shave bald?" or "Did you go for Hair For Hope?" Once or twice would be sufficient and more often than not, it is perfectly understandable and easy to dismiss. The only issue is that every single person you meet who knows you personally brings it up. So much so that I start to wonder if sharing about my participation online would have done any help. I must admit, to my shame, that I have contemplated giving equally ridiculous answers like "No, I have cancer." but that would be totally insensitive and nullify my every good intentions of participating in the first place. Sometimes, even muddle-headed people go "Army ah?"
Oh and not to mention, you instantly become everyone's pet. Expect someone ruffling your non-existent hair every five successive minutes.
Contrary to popular belief, I do not feel too much of a difference between having hair and having no hair, other than the fact that your hair does not fall into your eyes anymore. Many people think that it feels more "airy" or cooling. Of course, your scalp is exposed to the elements, which is why you feel more "airy" or cooling, but only under a breeze. The opposite also applies. This can serve as a timely reminder that under no circumstances do you take for granted the shelter that hair provides to your head.
Overall, being bald is not too much of a bad experience. You do get to play sports without having any problems with pulling your sweaty hair back up and out of your face. I do want to let my hair grow for in the name of beauty though, but I do not regret shaving. Furthermore, I will be better emotionally and mentally prepared at the loss of my precious hair when I do get conscripted.
Saturday, August 2, 2014
Facebook Is Detrimental to Your Productivity
Have you ever gone on Facebook, and by the time you stop you realise that the sun has set and that it is actually time to sleep?
I have. In fact, it happens almost every time I get on Facebook. And thus, I have come to the wonderful conclusion that Facebook is evil.
And don't go around saying that I haven't tried refraining from accessing it in the first place, because I have multiple times, only finding myself succumbing to the cold turkey and going back to square one just to satisfy the nagging feeling at the back of my head to check my notifications. The very moment I feel like I've just successfully pulled away from Facebook is the day my phone fizzles into paroxysms of vibrations, masked by a cunning Facebook message notification from my friends, or a ridiculously distracting poke notification. It seems like it just never ends.
One common myth about being in SST is that students are required to have a Facebook account. To be fair, a Facebook account would give you much more advantages than not having one, but it is not entirely necessary.
One advantage includes a source of conversational currency with your peers, as it bombards you with current happenings, scientific discoveries, international disasters and local news to talk about, both online and offline. Of course, this works both ways, as excessive use can hinder the net amount of time that you have to do other things like doing your homework or finishing up a project.
Another advantage is the fact that some teachers use it as a medium for assigning individual and group work, in the form of posting reflections, answering questions, or posting your raw assignment in itself. A downside of this includes the fact that despite being a school branded with the frequent use of technology, the sheer number of teachers that practically use the listed functionalities of Facebook for educational purposes is scarce, and I can literally count the total number of teachers doing so with my ten fingers.
Not to mention, a source of entertainment and stress-relief. Often people use social media as a form of catharsis as they are able to ignore their worries and cares that haunt them, and just break free and fill their minds with eye-catching facts and figures. Of course, this is not entirely a bad thing, but one has to be weary of addiction and to have the self control to be able to moderate and regulate themselves from excessive use.
For all you out there who stick to your ideologies that Facebook is a form of social interaction, I personally feel that Facebook hinders social interaction, and that the best form of social interaction is face-to-face communication in it's purest form. To me, face-to-face interaction displays your personality, while Facebook displays your projection. One factor is the fact that in face-to-face interaction, we are able to identify and convey any form of non-verbal communication, whilst in Facebook all you see is the static avatar of your friend. Another factor is the fact that in reality, you do not have forever to react to the person you are talking to, which causes you to act more on your feelings, whilst on Facebook you have the excuse that you just did not see the message to waste as much time as possible to figure out the best way to reply your friend. This does not demonstrate yourself as a person, but rather yourself as who you want to be; your perception of perfection. This can hinder proper social interaction, especially when in real life.
So I to regulate the amount of time I use on Facebook, I have brilliantly decided to implement a "policy": Once a day, for a maximum of 20 minutes. Hopefully that would help to soothe my Facebook addiction, and help me to do much more other things, while not neglecting the benefits that Facebook itself can provide.
I have. In fact, it happens almost every time I get on Facebook. And thus, I have come to the wonderful conclusion that Facebook is evil.
And don't go around saying that I haven't tried refraining from accessing it in the first place, because I have multiple times, only finding myself succumbing to the cold turkey and going back to square one just to satisfy the nagging feeling at the back of my head to check my notifications. The very moment I feel like I've just successfully pulled away from Facebook is the day my phone fizzles into paroxysms of vibrations, masked by a cunning Facebook message notification from my friends, or a ridiculously distracting poke notification. It seems like it just never ends.
One common myth about being in SST is that students are required to have a Facebook account. To be fair, a Facebook account would give you much more advantages than not having one, but it is not entirely necessary.
One advantage includes a source of conversational currency with your peers, as it bombards you with current happenings, scientific discoveries, international disasters and local news to talk about, both online and offline. Of course, this works both ways, as excessive use can hinder the net amount of time that you have to do other things like doing your homework or finishing up a project.
Another advantage is the fact that some teachers use it as a medium for assigning individual and group work, in the form of posting reflections, answering questions, or posting your raw assignment in itself. A downside of this includes the fact that despite being a school branded with the frequent use of technology, the sheer number of teachers that practically use the listed functionalities of Facebook for educational purposes is scarce, and I can literally count the total number of teachers doing so with my ten fingers.
Not to mention, a source of entertainment and stress-relief. Often people use social media as a form of catharsis as they are able to ignore their worries and cares that haunt them, and just break free and fill their minds with eye-catching facts and figures. Of course, this is not entirely a bad thing, but one has to be weary of addiction and to have the self control to be able to moderate and regulate themselves from excessive use.
For all you out there who stick to your ideologies that Facebook is a form of social interaction, I personally feel that Facebook hinders social interaction, and that the best form of social interaction is face-to-face communication in it's purest form. To me, face-to-face interaction displays your personality, while Facebook displays your projection. One factor is the fact that in face-to-face interaction, we are able to identify and convey any form of non-verbal communication, whilst in Facebook all you see is the static avatar of your friend. Another factor is the fact that in reality, you do not have forever to react to the person you are talking to, which causes you to act more on your feelings, whilst on Facebook you have the excuse that you just did not see the message to waste as much time as possible to figure out the best way to reply your friend. This does not demonstrate yourself as a person, but rather yourself as who you want to be; your perception of perfection. This can hinder proper social interaction, especially when in real life.
So I to regulate the amount of time I use on Facebook, I have brilliantly decided to implement a "policy": Once a day, for a maximum of 20 minutes. Hopefully that would help to soothe my Facebook addiction, and help me to do much more other things, while not neglecting the benefits that Facebook itself can provide.
A Post a Day Keeps My Sickness Away
Salutations! Welcome to my blog.
Well, something like that. Feelings and opinions are dumped here. Stories follow, ideas tomorrow. Anything from the breaking of the day to the setting of the sun; you got it. Just my silly attempt to make my life a better place. You don't have to read it if you don't want to.
As if there isn't enough words already on this planet to read for the rest of your life.
I came up with this queer idea to start a diary/blog and not to share it with anyone, so if anyone happens to find it he has found a jewel in the ocean, at least to me. Call it catharsis, call it anti-social, call it insane, but I find it a very attractive idea.
Eugene
P.S. I think I really am insane.
Well, something like that. Feelings and opinions are dumped here. Stories follow, ideas tomorrow. Anything from the breaking of the day to the setting of the sun; you got it. Just my silly attempt to make my life a better place. You don't have to read it if you don't want to.
As if there isn't enough words already on this planet to read for the rest of your life.
I came up with this queer idea to start a diary/blog and not to share it with anyone, so if anyone happens to find it he has found a jewel in the ocean, at least to me. Call it catharsis, call it anti-social, call it insane, but I find it a very attractive idea.
Eugene
P.S. I think I really am insane.
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