For this blog post, I shall do on Robert Frost.
Personally, I think that Robert Frost is a great poet. Some of his poems are have huge symbolic and metaphorical meanings, such as The Road Not Taken, Mending Wall and many others. Though his family was plagued with death, with all but two of family members all dying before he did, he had a strong will, is famous quote was "I can sum life up in just three words: it goes on" thus, from here we can see that Robert Frost did not dwell too much time on grief, but expresses it through his poems. Robert Frost suffered from depression, just like his mother did, but had the will to live on.
Robert Frost was a man that never really, could leave his pen. Through his years, he wrote his first poem, My butterfly: an Elergy. He sold it for fifteen dollars. Afterwards, he attended Harvard University and did extremely well there. Soon after, he got married at Harvard University and attended liberal arts studies for two years. Though he was doing quite well at Harvard, he had to leave to support his family at a farm his father bought for his amily just before he died. Robert got up early in the mornings to write his poems, then in the afternoon, work to support his family. This carried on for nine years. After the nine years, his farming proved unsuccessful and he returned to education as an english teacher at Pinkerton Academy.
Then in 1912, he sailed with his family to Great Britain, where he produced most of his famous and successful works. During his life in Great Britain, he worked as an english teacher once again. Then, for the next forty-two years, Robert spent most of his summer teaching at The Bread Loaf School of Middlebury college. Robert received many honoroury degrees in his years of teaching and had a library named after him.
Through his life's years, Robert devoted most of his time to writing and teaching, a man who constantly was enriching himself, producing great works and touching others' hearts. He is a poet that deserves not only to be respected for his great works, but also, deserves to be respected for his devotion in education, as well as his zest for life. Thus, I would say that he is truly a man that never left his pen, for, it was always following him, producing works that touch lives and instill spirit. For that, I really am in awe of him.
Most of Robert Frost's works have great metaphorical and symbolic meanings. For example, his poem, The Road Not Taken. It displays the choices in life, of what choice you should make that would really help you.
Another piece of his work: Mending Wall, questions of why people must build walls, literally walls, from them and the outside world, he believes that man should leave together and not be isolated from the others.
The final piece of work I am going to share is Nothing Gold Can Stay: This poem tells that not everything can remain perfect and pure for long, and that there will come a time for things to end and die down. Everything will soon be lost to time.
That is all for the poet and for this blog post.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Figurative Language in a Poem.
The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood,
and I-I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
This is the poem I have chosen to analyze for figurative language.
1) The poem uses symbolism and itself, is a metaphor.
The words in the starting of the poem, "Two roads diverged in a yellow wood", symbolises the choices being laid out for oneself at the peak of one's life, as when the wood is yellow, is a metaphor to autumn, which is the point of one's life before old age, in which is winter. I think the author used this figurative language as he wanted to paint out a picture that seemed as if he was just talking about an ordinary forest, but was in fact talking about life's progress.
The next words in the next line symbolises that in life, you are only allowed to make just one choice in which the path of life you want to take. The author used this as he wanted to paint out that both, in a forest and in life, you cannot take nack the choices you make at the start, as you will just go deeper and deeper into the outcomes of your choices.
The next eleven lines (The whole line) are consisted of mainly metaphors in which it depicts the road that many people have traveled before and that things look way better if the author were to travel by that road and it also depicts the scene in which the road that had not been taken in a long time. This part the author chose as he wanted to emphasize that the road which many people took before seems the best way out, going to the destination where every one went to. Howver, the other road seemed unsure of where it led to, giving the metaphorical meaning that if you follow the direction where every one is going, you would achieve the same amount of success or failure as everyone else. But if taken the other road, you would achieve something that not everone has done, but it would be a risk.
The ending few lines is also a metaphor, telling the reader that after many years, looking back at the road he took, he realised that he had made the right decision by choosing the road less taken. The author put chose this as he wanted to relay the message of trying out a different road from what everyone took will bring you unexpected rewards, and would help you in the long run.
2) The like the poem as I find it inspiring and uplifting, undestanding the hidden meaning behind the poem. It illustrates the path of life, choosing the path less taken will bring unexpected rewards, and benefit in the long run. This poem will then spur me on to try new things, to endeavor. With this poem, many people would then understand that choosing what everyone else has chosen will not exactly be the more successful one, and you wil just be equal, if not just a wee bit better or worse than the other people whop have taken that road, or in this case, choice. Picking the road less traveled will bring surprises along the way, in which would help you grow more experience and in the end, emerge as the last man standing. However, it does contain its risks. The road, in another circumstance could also be dangerous, thus the avoidance of the road. Sunmming it up, I like this poem as it displays how to achieve in life not directly, but in a more peaceful, "nature-friendly" way.
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood,
and I-I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
This is the poem I have chosen to analyze for figurative language.
1) The poem uses symbolism and itself, is a metaphor.
The words in the starting of the poem, "Two roads diverged in a yellow wood", symbolises the choices being laid out for oneself at the peak of one's life, as when the wood is yellow, is a metaphor to autumn, which is the point of one's life before old age, in which is winter. I think the author used this figurative language as he wanted to paint out a picture that seemed as if he was just talking about an ordinary forest, but was in fact talking about life's progress.
The next words in the next line symbolises that in life, you are only allowed to make just one choice in which the path of life you want to take. The author used this as he wanted to paint out that both, in a forest and in life, you cannot take nack the choices you make at the start, as you will just go deeper and deeper into the outcomes of your choices.
The next eleven lines (The whole line) are consisted of mainly metaphors in which it depicts the road that many people have traveled before and that things look way better if the author were to travel by that road and it also depicts the scene in which the road that had not been taken in a long time. This part the author chose as he wanted to emphasize that the road which many people took before seems the best way out, going to the destination where every one went to. Howver, the other road seemed unsure of where it led to, giving the metaphorical meaning that if you follow the direction where every one is going, you would achieve the same amount of success or failure as everyone else. But if taken the other road, you would achieve something that not everone has done, but it would be a risk.
The ending few lines is also a metaphor, telling the reader that after many years, looking back at the road he took, he realised that he had made the right decision by choosing the road less taken. The author put chose this as he wanted to relay the message of trying out a different road from what everyone took will bring you unexpected rewards, and would help you in the long run.
2) The like the poem as I find it inspiring and uplifting, undestanding the hidden meaning behind the poem. It illustrates the path of life, choosing the path less taken will bring unexpected rewards, and benefit in the long run. This poem will then spur me on to try new things, to endeavor. With this poem, many people would then understand that choosing what everyone else has chosen will not exactly be the more successful one, and you wil just be equal, if not just a wee bit better or worse than the other people whop have taken that road, or in this case, choice. Picking the road less traveled will bring surprises along the way, in which would help you grow more experience and in the end, emerge as the last man standing. However, it does contain its risks. The road, in another circumstance could also be dangerous, thus the avoidance of the road. Sunmming it up, I like this poem as it displays how to achieve in life not directly, but in a more peaceful, "nature-friendly" way.
2nd Book Review
Book Read: Zoology, A Novel
Author: Ben Dolnick
Questions I will be answering:
20) What lesson did you learn from the story?
30) Write a different ending to the book. Tell why you changed it.
40) Write a poem about the book.
53) Is the title a good or a poor one and why?
Before I start on answering the questions, I shall give you a bief overview of the book first.
This book, is written in a first person perspective. The reader takes on the role of Henry Elinsky, a collenge freshman that failed his freshman year and had to take it again. This book illustrates how a teenager goes through the woes of being an adult. So, for the summer, his brother, David, offers him a job opportunity for the summer at the Central Park Zoo. Henry starts to work at the Central Park Zoo, starting out at the children's zoo. Henry stays in David's apartment and one day, when he was swimming, meets the girl of his dreams, whose brother he caused to have two chipped teeth.
He tries all methods to win over her heart, but stuns when he finds out that she already has a boyfriend, he now tries even harder with no avail. Also, Henry encounters obstacles in his job, such as workload stress and the desire to stop working there and then as working at the zoo seemed diferent to him from Animal Planet.
Finally, when Henry thinks that things would not get anymore worse, the city goes into a blackout. He goes into the zoo at night, hoping to check out the animals, but accidentally lets out Newman, a goat which children love and the main attraction at the children's zoo. Henry gets fired from the zoo, never to return as a worker or even as a visitor. Henry learns that being an adult is not as easy as earning a weekly paycheck and fulfilling his life's dreams.
Now I shall proceed with the first question: What lesson did you learn from the story?
This story is all about telling us the woes and hardships of adulthood, while many children would be jealous of the adults, thinking that an adults life is much easier than their school life. This book proves them wrong utterly. Firstly, it introduces them to the workload of adults, and the displeasures of work, after that, it introduces them to the affairs of the heart and finally, problems which risk your career and your life without a job. Finally, the book will then talk about the author in school, when life was so much easier. I learnt that being an adult is not as easy as just working and getting paid, buying stuff, using stuff and more. This book actually made me realise that being a student now is actually lucky, without having to worry about as many things as the working class do.
Now for the next part: Write a different ending to the book and why you changed it.
The original ending to the story is this: But when I keep remembering is a moment just before all that, when I was still carrying the dog across the water, alone and freezing and whispering with mud smeared over my face, and how happy I felt, how simply and suddenly happy. What a strange place for a life t start, I remember thinking, and my flashlight flickered on the water.
Now I shall proceed with my own ending: But what I keep remembering was the time way before all the police and stuff, when I had just started my second freshman year, the freedom, the spectrum of choices in which to choose for my next step. Only then, did I realise that being a working adult was tough. Real tough. Thus then, I kept to my studies and passed my second freshman year. That was when, I truly felt the greatest.
Time for the next task to: Write a poem about the book.
back to the school he went.
He seems satisfied now,
after those dreadful events.
Okay, the poem is now over, and that brings us to: Is the title a good one or a bad one and why.
Personally, I think that the title is a good one. It is good because the title does not only cover Henry's job at the Central Park Zoo, but also means the ups and downs in adult life. So, the word zoology can mean both Henry working in the zoo, studying a bit of Zoology, or it can mean the wild mishaps and challenges in adulthood. Thus, I think that the title is a very good one.
And there we have it! The end of the book review. Hope you pick up a good book anytime soon.
Author: Ben Dolnick
Questions I will be answering:
20) What lesson did you learn from the story?
30) Write a different ending to the book. Tell why you changed it.
40) Write a poem about the book.
53) Is the title a good or a poor one and why?
This book, is written in a first person perspective. The reader takes on the role of Henry Elinsky, a collenge freshman that failed his freshman year and had to take it again. This book illustrates how a teenager goes through the woes of being an adult. So, for the summer, his brother, David, offers him a job opportunity for the summer at the Central Park Zoo. Henry starts to work at the Central Park Zoo, starting out at the children's zoo. Henry stays in David's apartment and one day, when he was swimming, meets the girl of his dreams, whose brother he caused to have two chipped teeth.
He tries all methods to win over her heart, but stuns when he finds out that she already has a boyfriend, he now tries even harder with no avail. Also, Henry encounters obstacles in his job, such as workload stress and the desire to stop working there and then as working at the zoo seemed diferent to him from Animal Planet.
Finally, when Henry thinks that things would not get anymore worse, the city goes into a blackout. He goes into the zoo at night, hoping to check out the animals, but accidentally lets out Newman, a goat which children love and the main attraction at the children's zoo. Henry gets fired from the zoo, never to return as a worker or even as a visitor. Henry learns that being an adult is not as easy as earning a weekly paycheck and fulfilling his life's dreams.
Now I shall proceed with the first question: What lesson did you learn from the story?
This story is all about telling us the woes and hardships of adulthood, while many children would be jealous of the adults, thinking that an adults life is much easier than their school life. This book proves them wrong utterly. Firstly, it introduces them to the workload of adults, and the displeasures of work, after that, it introduces them to the affairs of the heart and finally, problems which risk your career and your life without a job. Finally, the book will then talk about the author in school, when life was so much easier. I learnt that being an adult is not as easy as just working and getting paid, buying stuff, using stuff and more. This book actually made me realise that being a student now is actually lucky, without having to worry about as many things as the working class do.
Now for the next part: Write a different ending to the book and why you changed it.
The original ending to the story is this: But when I keep remembering is a moment just before all that, when I was still carrying the dog across the water, alone and freezing and whispering with mud smeared over my face, and how happy I felt, how simply and suddenly happy. What a strange place for a life t start, I remember thinking, and my flashlight flickered on the water.
Now I shall proceed with my own ending: But what I keep remembering was the time way before all the police and stuff, when I had just started my second freshman year, the freedom, the spectrum of choices in which to choose for my next step. Only then, did I realise that being a working adult was tough. Real tough. Thus then, I kept to my studies and passed my second freshman year. That was when, I truly felt the greatest.
Time for the next task to: Write a poem about the book.
Henry Elinsky failed his first year of college,
he wanted to try out his father's lifestyle that age.
His father wanted him to help out at the school,
but Henry refused, and worked at the zoo.
----------------------------------------
He moved in with David,
and worked like they did.
He thought it was easy,
but it was a tough duty.
----------------------------------------
One day at a swim,
he met the girl of his dreams.
He helped take care of her brother,
but taking care was a lot tougher.
----------------------------------------
He tries his very best,
to win her zest.
But he found out,
he would never win the bout.
----------------------------------------
He works at the zoo day and night,
working and working with all his might.
He got sick of it,
but did not resign.
----------------------------------------
One day at a city blackout,
he went back to check it out.
When he reached the goats',
he let a goat out.
----------------------------------------
For that blunder,
he got the sack.
He vouched to himself,
he would never come back.
----------------------------------------
He finally goes back,back to the school he went.
He seems satisfied now,
after those dreadful events.
Okay, the poem is now over, and that brings us to: Is the title a good one or a bad one and why.
Personally, I think that the title is a good one. It is good because the title does not only cover Henry's job at the Central Park Zoo, but also means the ups and downs in adult life. So, the word zoology can mean both Henry working in the zoo, studying a bit of Zoology, or it can mean the wild mishaps and challenges in adulthood. Thus, I think that the title is a very good one.
And there we have it! The end of the book review. Hope you pick up a good book anytime soon.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Book review
Book read: Lottery
Author: Patricia Wood
Questions I will be answering:
20) What lesson did you learn from the story?
26) If your story happened in a foreign land, compare that land with Singapore.
40) Write a poem about this book.
56) What did you think was the most interesting part of the book? Why?
First, I shall start by giving you the main ideas and a summary of the book.
This book is written in a first-person point of view. The reader takes on the perspectives of Perry L. Crandell, a person who is mentally challenged, having an IQ of 76, and insists that he is not retarded, though he is just one point of being a retard, that is, with an IQ of 75. Since his birth, Perry has been living with his grandparents, until his grandfather died one day while coming back from sailing. His grandmother has since taught him many things, including writing things down so that he would not forget, and many other life skills which might help him improve in his critical thinking.
As when someone is mentally challenged, the society would be biase towards him. his was the case with Perry, being a worker at a small shop selling boat equipment. He suffers insults and frustrations such as the cashier, who would not hand the change to him, handing it to his accompanying grandmother. His cousin-brothers, including his mother, would not even talk to him, let alone acknowledge as having him as a relative. So, all through the years, Perry lived with his grandmother. All that changed when Perry won the twelve million dollar lottery.
Perry, after winning the lottery, gains instant fame, regardless of press, society, who would now readily talk to him, even his family members have now come for him. The people who meet Perry are just curious on how he feels after winning the lottery, however, his family members want the money that he is holding on to.
Perry's best friend is Keith, a crude and rude person, but is a true friend to Perry and befriends him not for his money.Together, they stick through thick and thin, go on a holiday to Hawaii and helps each other to settle problems. Keith and Perry's next best friend, Gary, together help Perry fend off the multiple attempts by Perry's family to get the twelve million dollars. Through the book, Perry learns to overcome his disability, learn how to handle his new found riches and learn whom to trust.
Towards the ending of the book, Keith dies and leaves Perry and Gary alone. Overcome by sadness, and his knowledge of the importance of sharing, and signs a legal document, then, for Perry, none of his lottery money remains by his side. Perry claims that he was happy and still does not notice the mistake he made by giving the money to them. Actually, Perry's cousin-brothers have all taken the money and fled, due to some law issues. Perry helps his store receive an award for Business Vision. Finally, Perry has outlived his days as being a retard, and has now become his long awaited dream of being a businessman.
Now, for the first question: What lesson did you learn from the story?
From this story, I truly understand how someone's determination and will can make him successful. Though Perry is mentally challenged, he lives through the mean comments and gestures that people make when close to him. He has willed himself through his grandmother's teachings, to go through every word in the dictionary, something which many people find a tedious task to complete. One can really admire his passion for learning, his will to overcome and his spirit to forgive. He reads the papers, though he can only finish one in a week, has overcame the challenges and cruelty of the society towards his mental disability, and has forgave his family members for what they did to him and eventually gives them the money since they so wanted it that much. I have also realised that the society now has not been fair to people with disabilities. The society now is neglecting the people with disabilities, they laugh at them, stare or laugh at them whenever he or she does something funny, or worse, hurl direct insults at those with the disabilities. People should try to understand the needs of these 'special people'. When people understand, they are able to feel their pain, and change their attitude towards these people. Only then, will our society improve, and then, people of different needs will be able to live among the rest.
The next question: If your story happened in a foreign land, compare that land with Singapore.
In comparison, the place where Perry lives in, Everett, the people there seem to be of a colder attitude towards people with these special needs. They criticise the special people in public and look down on those with these special need. They feel that they are a burden to society and also a threat to their businesses or lives. They only talk to them when they get some reward in return. While in Singapore, though some people are as bad as those in Everett, I would say that majority of the people in Singapore recognise the position that the "special" people are in, and they show compassion to them, making them feel that they are not alone, and that we would always except them. For this kind of scene, in which someone readily renders help when they stand nothing to gain, is almost extinct in the book's state of Everett. The children would not play with Perry as he is not as smart as them and is unable to control his urges as well as they can. This could happen in Singapore, but it rarely happens, this sets Singapore apart from Everett.
I move on to my next task, to: Write a poem about this book.
I now begin:
Author: Patricia Wood
Questions I will be answering:
20) What lesson did you learn from the story?
26) If your story happened in a foreign land, compare that land with Singapore.
40) Write a poem about this book.
56) What did you think was the most interesting part of the book? Why?
First, I shall start by giving you the main ideas and a summary of the book.
This book is written in a first-person point of view. The reader takes on the perspectives of Perry L. Crandell, a person who is mentally challenged, having an IQ of 76, and insists that he is not retarded, though he is just one point of being a retard, that is, with an IQ of 75. Since his birth, Perry has been living with his grandparents, until his grandfather died one day while coming back from sailing. His grandmother has since taught him many things, including writing things down so that he would not forget, and many other life skills which might help him improve in his critical thinking.
As when someone is mentally challenged, the society would be biase towards him. his was the case with Perry, being a worker at a small shop selling boat equipment. He suffers insults and frustrations such as the cashier, who would not hand the change to him, handing it to his accompanying grandmother. His cousin-brothers, including his mother, would not even talk to him, let alone acknowledge as having him as a relative. So, all through the years, Perry lived with his grandmother. All that changed when Perry won the twelve million dollar lottery.
Perry, after winning the lottery, gains instant fame, regardless of press, society, who would now readily talk to him, even his family members have now come for him. The people who meet Perry are just curious on how he feels after winning the lottery, however, his family members want the money that he is holding on to.
Perry's best friend is Keith, a crude and rude person, but is a true friend to Perry and befriends him not for his money.Together, they stick through thick and thin, go on a holiday to Hawaii and helps each other to settle problems. Keith and Perry's next best friend, Gary, together help Perry fend off the multiple attempts by Perry's family to get the twelve million dollars. Through the book, Perry learns to overcome his disability, learn how to handle his new found riches and learn whom to trust.
Towards the ending of the book, Keith dies and leaves Perry and Gary alone. Overcome by sadness, and his knowledge of the importance of sharing, and signs a legal document, then, for Perry, none of his lottery money remains by his side. Perry claims that he was happy and still does not notice the mistake he made by giving the money to them. Actually, Perry's cousin-brothers have all taken the money and fled, due to some law issues. Perry helps his store receive an award for Business Vision. Finally, Perry has outlived his days as being a retard, and has now become his long awaited dream of being a businessman.
Now, for the first question: What lesson did you learn from the story?
From this story, I truly understand how someone's determination and will can make him successful. Though Perry is mentally challenged, he lives through the mean comments and gestures that people make when close to him. He has willed himself through his grandmother's teachings, to go through every word in the dictionary, something which many people find a tedious task to complete. One can really admire his passion for learning, his will to overcome and his spirit to forgive. He reads the papers, though he can only finish one in a week, has overcame the challenges and cruelty of the society towards his mental disability, and has forgave his family members for what they did to him and eventually gives them the money since they so wanted it that much. I have also realised that the society now has not been fair to people with disabilities. The society now is neglecting the people with disabilities, they laugh at them, stare or laugh at them whenever he or she does something funny, or worse, hurl direct insults at those with the disabilities. People should try to understand the needs of these 'special people'. When people understand, they are able to feel their pain, and change their attitude towards these people. Only then, will our society improve, and then, people of different needs will be able to live among the rest.
The next question: If your story happened in a foreign land, compare that land with Singapore.
In comparison, the place where Perry lives in, Everett, the people there seem to be of a colder attitude towards people with these special needs. They criticise the special people in public and look down on those with these special need. They feel that they are a burden to society and also a threat to their businesses or lives. They only talk to them when they get some reward in return. While in Singapore, though some people are as bad as those in Everett, I would say that majority of the people in Singapore recognise the position that the "special" people are in, and they show compassion to them, making them feel that they are not alone, and that we would always except them. For this kind of scene, in which someone readily renders help when they stand nothing to gain, is almost extinct in the book's state of Everett. The children would not play with Perry as he is not as smart as them and is unable to control his urges as well as they can. This could happen in Singapore, but it rarely happens, this sets Singapore apart from Everett.
I move on to my next task, to: Write a poem about this book.
I now begin:
Poor Perry Crandell was close to being retarded,
"I am not stupid, just slow" he insisted.
He lived through all the insults,
With his granny and Keith to consult,
He turned into a stable adult.
Whenever he was bullied,
his granny and Keith worried.
All these went on continuously,
almost driving poor Perry crazy,
until the day he won the lottery.
Perry could not believe he won the lottery,
and believed that his L stood for Lucky.
Now, almost everyone knew about his wealth,
strangely, people started to care for his health,
when he thought that they were leaving him on the shelf.
With the new found fortune he just had,
he wanted to share with his grandma and grandad,
but a pity, they were already not there.
His family members now pester him,
but their thoughts look dim.
Now Perry finally has the ability,
to give him and others some luxury,
but his family wants more than that,
they want his entire bank.
Poor Perry is now at a lost of who to beg.
A tragic end meets Perry's friend,
a nightmare that haunts and will never end.
He turns sad with much anguish
of why he did not make the wish,
the wish was for him to stay.
Finally, after their long wait,
Perry's family members get their own way.
They got Perry's lottery prize,
and fled the country like a dozen mice.
They got themselves into lawsuits that were not nice.
Perry now receives an award,
his boss gives him another reward.
For now, Perry is happy,
he is finally getting recognised in the nation,
all because of his grim determination.
Now that the poem's over, here comes the last part: Which part of the book was the most interesting and why?
For me, I think that the most interesting part of the book is when Perry finally wins the lottery, and gets to do all the stuff that he listed out in a little game he and his gram used to play, about listing the things you would do with the money if they won it. I think that I would see it as interesting is because some really funny things happen on the trip, such as when Perry and Keith go to Hawaii, and that Perry was trying to find a present to give to his friends and that Keith was trying to peek under the coconut bra worn by a hula girl doll. That part knocked me out. (Not literally) Many other interesting events also happened during the time when Perry was spending his money, so I would find it the most interesting part of the book.
So, that is the end of my review, hope you enjoyed it, I really do hope.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
If many people think something is true, is it true?
For this question, there are many circumstances in which will produce different answers. The first circumstance is when someone has really seen and observed something, and that it is a hundred percent true, then when he tells someone else, the story would least likely to be altered. The witness tells someone, and that person hears the story, it will be the original version, and continue to tell the original version to someone else, who, in turn, would also tell the equivalent to another person and this carries on, so under this kind of circumstance, the story, or belief, is true.
However, contrary, if a group of people have just met a coincidence, and are met with no proof or evidence what so ever, then they try to come out a reason for their fortune or downfall, with this, they start spreading their own creations of the story and that version of the story is least likely to be true.
There is also a third circumstance to the situation. It is when a person tells a true version of the story, and is overheard by a third party, however, the third party has not completely heard the whole version of the story, and tries to cover up the unheard parts of the story with her own, telling a mixture of both her own, and the original version. For this kind of circumstance, the story is of course, untrue.
Therefore, a validity of a certain story is pretty much undecided due to the many possibilities of the story's origin. So, for this question, the answer remains as plausible, the story may come from the true person who experienced and witnessed it happen, or it may come from someone who jus filled up the missing patches.
However, contrary, if a group of people have just met a coincidence, and are met with no proof or evidence what so ever, then they try to come out a reason for their fortune or downfall, with this, they start spreading their own creations of the story and that version of the story is least likely to be true.
There is also a third circumstance to the situation. It is when a person tells a true version of the story, and is overheard by a third party, however, the third party has not completely heard the whole version of the story, and tries to cover up the unheard parts of the story with her own, telling a mixture of both her own, and the original version. For this kind of circumstance, the story is of course, untrue.
Therefore, a validity of a certain story is pretty much undecided due to the many possibilities of the story's origin. So, for this question, the answer remains as plausible, the story may come from the true person who experienced and witnessed it happen, or it may come from someone who jus filled up the missing patches.
Friday, June 19, 2009
Will having fun make me happier than studying?
Well, for many school boys right now, the answer would be, maybe, a yes. However, does having fun really beat studying? I agree, for many students, school workload now is tremendous, and they would very much like a break from all the school work they are doing. Thus, they have voted for having fun. School work may be tough, but it is necessary. If we do not study, our knowledge would come to a slower pace in terms of problem solving and calculation. Fun is good, but too much fun would make you idle, and make your brain stale. While having fun promises you of much leisure, studying promises you a brighter future. When the odds are weighed, to me, I do think that studying will make me happier in the long run.
Now, i shall state explicitly why I chose studying that will make me happpier, seems weird to many of you. But still, I insist on making this stand. Why, you say, now I shall tell you why. Look, you are given one whole month of holidays, with no homework! How will you spend it? I doubt that you would be occupied for the whole holidays doing all kinds of different activities. There would bound to be a time where you get bored of playing, where you would feel this horrible empty feeling in you. It will be this time, that you would be cooping yourself up with the computer, playing, though you do not really feel like it. Finally, you give in, and pick up a book to read. There, you have succumbed to the awesome powers of studying. Reversibly, studying can keep you occupied for the whole of the holidays, with also some time for a break and fun. Studying almost never gets ruled out. Even if you are really sure of the topic, you can always read through it again and hammer the concept deeper into your mind. Unlike idling around and searching for "fun", you can always learn more things, learning is a never ending journey,which is why you will never find yourself out of stuff to study. So, all in all, I would say that studying will indeed, make me happier.
Now, i shall state explicitly why I chose studying that will make me happpier, seems weird to many of you. But still, I insist on making this stand. Why, you say, now I shall tell you why. Look, you are given one whole month of holidays, with no homework! How will you spend it? I doubt that you would be occupied for the whole holidays doing all kinds of different activities. There would bound to be a time where you get bored of playing, where you would feel this horrible empty feeling in you. It will be this time, that you would be cooping yourself up with the computer, playing, though you do not really feel like it. Finally, you give in, and pick up a book to read. There, you have succumbed to the awesome powers of studying. Reversibly, studying can keep you occupied for the whole of the holidays, with also some time for a break and fun. Studying almost never gets ruled out. Even if you are really sure of the topic, you can always read through it again and hammer the concept deeper into your mind. Unlike idling around and searching for "fun", you can always learn more things, learning is a never ending journey,which is why you will never find yourself out of stuff to study. So, all in all, I would say that studying will indeed, make me happier.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
What is happiness?
To you, what do you think happiness is? Is happiness measured by the amount of money you have, or the things you own? If you really are having that kind of thinking, then you are just being too materialistic. Actually, happiness comes in many forms, not only through material forms, but also through many, many other forms. Firstly, happiness can come in the form of companionship, having companions around when doing things really is a kind of happiness. imagine if your friends were to leave you alone one day, and you had to survive a whole day without anyone to talk to, and nobody to share experiences with. I am pretty sure that if you got into some sort of trouble, you would wish that your friend was there to suffer the punishment with you. Or it can be even when you are just going out for lunch, having friends around to eat with really increases your appetite as you know that someone is there to accompany you. If you were to eat alone, you would feel that eating is just another labour of life that you need to go through, thus, companionship brings happiness as it gives you a sense of belonging, and that there are truly people that are willing to confide in you.
My next point on what brings happiness, is of course, kinship. It is your family and relatives that brought you up to what you were today. Forget their scoldings and what punishment they gave you before, as what the seniors say, a parent would not punish their children for no rhyme or reason, it is the children who must have done something that breaks their heart. So think clearly, your parents must have punished you because of something you have done. Maybe it was because of the issue on punctuality or behavioral. In happiness, kinship is one of the most important aspects of it. Your parents and relatives must have gone through many happy moments with you. And those happy moments are what really counts the happiness of life, without the presence of your parents, you would not have been able to develop a healthy psychological mindset, as they were not around to share the joys of what you were doing.
The other aspect of true happiness is having adequate food, water and a roof over your head. Many people take this for granted, thinking that all these come easy. However, the truth is not as they see it. Many people, as you are seating down right now, are starving, thirsty and cold. How they must yearn for the things that most of us take for granted. They yearn for food, that will enable them to stop the constant rumble of their stomachs. Water, that will help to soothe and revive their parched and sore throats. Also, they yearn for a proper place of accommodation to shield them from the harsh wind, the scorching sun, and the relentless rain. All these that they yearn for, to them, would bring them into utopia, to help them achieve ultimate happiness, from all the suffering that they are going through right now. Thus, why do some people disregard this simple and most basic aspect of happiness?
To sum it all up, happiness is not by the things you wear, the model of your phone, the type of house you live in, the amount of pocket money you have right now, or the brand of shoes you are wearing. True happiness comes from having the bliss of having companionship, kinship, and having the basic neccesities. All these are what truly counts as happiness, and what you should truly be happy about.
My next point on what brings happiness, is of course, kinship. It is your family and relatives that brought you up to what you were today. Forget their scoldings and what punishment they gave you before, as what the seniors say, a parent would not punish their children for no rhyme or reason, it is the children who must have done something that breaks their heart. So think clearly, your parents must have punished you because of something you have done. Maybe it was because of the issue on punctuality or behavioral. In happiness, kinship is one of the most important aspects of it. Your parents and relatives must have gone through many happy moments with you. And those happy moments are what really counts the happiness of life, without the presence of your parents, you would not have been able to develop a healthy psychological mindset, as they were not around to share the joys of what you were doing.
The other aspect of true happiness is having adequate food, water and a roof over your head. Many people take this for granted, thinking that all these come easy. However, the truth is not as they see it. Many people, as you are seating down right now, are starving, thirsty and cold. How they must yearn for the things that most of us take for granted. They yearn for food, that will enable them to stop the constant rumble of their stomachs. Water, that will help to soothe and revive their parched and sore throats. Also, they yearn for a proper place of accommodation to shield them from the harsh wind, the scorching sun, and the relentless rain. All these that they yearn for, to them, would bring them into utopia, to help them achieve ultimate happiness, from all the suffering that they are going through right now. Thus, why do some people disregard this simple and most basic aspect of happiness?
To sum it all up, happiness is not by the things you wear, the model of your phone, the type of house you live in, the amount of pocket money you have right now, or the brand of shoes you are wearing. True happiness comes from having the bliss of having companionship, kinship, and having the basic neccesities. All these are what truly counts as happiness, and what you should truly be happy about.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Emotions, one of them must go.....
If I had the power to eliminate one emotion from the word, it would be jealousy. The reasons, jealousy is, to me, the actual root of all evil. When one becomes jealous, one tends to do whatever it takes, whether righteous or not, to own, or be par with it. We say that money is the root of all evil, well, only when we a re jealous of what handsome amounts of money others have, we then, would be tempted to own it. Okay, here comes a real life experience, one day, as I was walking down a shopping mall, I saw two brothers, one having a PlayStation Portable, and the other one begging for a PlayStation Portable. The brother that was begging for it was wailing out loud "Mummy, I want a psp like him, why you buy him the psp and not buy for me? " This fiasco carried on for about 5 minutes, until the brother who did not have the psp deliberately stuck out his foot and tripped his brother, causing his brother to fall. Then, he said "Since mummy does not want to buy me the psp, you also cannot have the psp, or I will take" , and with that, he snatched his brother's psp and looked up at his shocked parents, who were busy helping the tripped brother up. The parents then snatched the psp away from him, and kept it, leaving the two brothers crying. This incident taught me that jealousy often come with greed, and if jealousy were to cease, then greed would be no more.
Another point to prove that eliminating jealousy would be a good point. Have you ever wondered what it would be like if you had that other set of parents that gave in to every need of yours and give you the every right of freedom you want? That is also your jealousy working its magic. You are probably jealous of other people's parents that give them that kind of freedom. However, think about it, is it really worth it? Do you really want your parents to not care about what you do? I hope not. It is for one sole reason that they give you these restrictions, it is because they love you and would not like to see you harmed. Imagine if you have too much time on your hands and you start to visit arcades oftenly and neglect your school work, which should be your top priority. If you start failing your tests, you would be most likely be unable to catch up with the pace that the teacher is going at and that would cause you to ultimately, ruin your own future, so just accept it, enjoy those restrictions, thinking about how much they help you.
Thus, with this, I conclude this blog post, what you can do after reading this post, is think about how eliminating jealousy would have a downside, for example, it would lead to a lack of competition as people are already too contented with what they already have. So think about it and comment, as they say, nothing is perfect, so comment on this post to share how it would be imperfect, and I do hope you get some 'rewards' for commenting.
Another point to prove that eliminating jealousy would be a good point. Have you ever wondered what it would be like if you had that other set of parents that gave in to every need of yours and give you the every right of freedom you want? That is also your jealousy working its magic. You are probably jealous of other people's parents that give them that kind of freedom. However, think about it, is it really worth it? Do you really want your parents to not care about what you do? I hope not. It is for one sole reason that they give you these restrictions, it is because they love you and would not like to see you harmed. Imagine if you have too much time on your hands and you start to visit arcades oftenly and neglect your school work, which should be your top priority. If you start failing your tests, you would be most likely be unable to catch up with the pace that the teacher is going at and that would cause you to ultimately, ruin your own future, so just accept it, enjoy those restrictions, thinking about how much they help you.
Thus, with this, I conclude this blog post, what you can do after reading this post, is think about how eliminating jealousy would have a downside, for example, it would lead to a lack of competition as people are already too contented with what they already have. So think about it and comment, as they say, nothing is perfect, so comment on this post to share how it would be imperfect, and I do hope you get some 'rewards' for commenting.
Friday, June 5, 2009
Reflections for a quite interesting show I watched.
Recently, I watched a television show on AXN. The show title was : Breaking the magician's code, magic's biggest secrets revealed. In this show, it showcases the many television magic tricks that magicians have famously performed over the years. From the trick where the magician slices himself into half, to the classical magic trick of disarmament. My first reaction to the show was, oh man, I am finally going to know how they did it, but another side of me wanted to look away. The reason, read on to find out.
The other side of me wanted to look away as I was thinking, the magician who originally performed this trick had spent days, maybe even months, coming up with the trick and perfecting it. All with the thought of impressing, and achieving. With this show, not only that magicians cannot perform the trick again, they have also lost their creations and ideas to these people. Think about it, if you finish a project worth a very high A1, and someone steals the thumb drive it is stored in, and presents it off as their own. How would you feel then? However, this show would bring in lots of revenue, not for the magician, but for the producers of the show.
Another point, the magician will never be able to perform the magic trick again as people already know which are the areas that give out the whole trick. Thus, the magicians have to come out with new tricks, only for them to be exploited again. This point can be displayed elaborately in the following scenario: One day, you finally invent the washing machine that irons the clothes automatically after they are washed. Your assistant steals the plans and applies for copyright of the product. You now, can no longer claim to have invented the product, and can never be able to use it without payment. This is just like what the magicians are going through now. They invent the trick, the producer of the show exploits it, turns it useless, and leaves the magician thinking for another trick to truly amaze.
Over all, I still think that the show is quite interesting though I have forty percent of my conscience screaming for me to change channel. Thus, I will only recommend for you to watch it if you really are desperate to know how the trick is done, if not, keep figuring out how the trick is being carried out, and continue to be amazed, that would make a magician most happy.
The other side of me wanted to look away as I was thinking, the magician who originally performed this trick had spent days, maybe even months, coming up with the trick and perfecting it. All with the thought of impressing, and achieving. With this show, not only that magicians cannot perform the trick again, they have also lost their creations and ideas to these people. Think about it, if you finish a project worth a very high A1, and someone steals the thumb drive it is stored in, and presents it off as their own. How would you feel then? However, this show would bring in lots of revenue, not for the magician, but for the producers of the show.
Another point, the magician will never be able to perform the magic trick again as people already know which are the areas that give out the whole trick. Thus, the magicians have to come out with new tricks, only for them to be exploited again. This point can be displayed elaborately in the following scenario: One day, you finally invent the washing machine that irons the clothes automatically after they are washed. Your assistant steals the plans and applies for copyright of the product. You now, can no longer claim to have invented the product, and can never be able to use it without payment. This is just like what the magicians are going through now. They invent the trick, the producer of the show exploits it, turns it useless, and leaves the magician thinking for another trick to truly amaze.
Over all, I still think that the show is quite interesting though I have forty percent of my conscience screaming for me to change channel. Thus, I will only recommend for you to watch it if you really are desperate to know how the trick is done, if not, keep figuring out how the trick is being carried out, and continue to be amazed, that would make a magician most happy.
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