The shark fin you ate over Chinese New Year.

I am sure you ate the mouth-watering shark fin over the Chinese New Year. But, have you ever thought if eating the shark fin is right?

I personally do not like the idea of eating shark fin. Did you know that shark fin, according to research results, does not contain much nutrients? Sharks are mercilessly murdered and 98% of the sharks caught are disposed of by throwing them back into the ocean and left to die on the ocean floor.

Sharks may be predators and are threats to the marine in the ocean, but they are all part of the diversity of life all around us. Most people eat shark fins just for their own enjoyment. If we respect living and breathing humans, why shouldn't we respect sharks as one of us. Sharks are endangered. If we continue to kill them just for our own enjoyment, sharks would be extinct soon. When the sharks become extinct, the whole marine Eco-balance would be upset.

The new Integrated Resort Hotel mentioned that they would not place shark fin on the menu. But, they would still serve it if the customers request for it. I feel that this is a very half-hearted stand. This would not stop rich people from ordering shark fin. The resort should make a firm stand that they would not be serving shark fin at all.

School rules too strict?!

Many people from different schools say that school rules are too strict! But, is that actually true? I should think not. Before I go into it any further, I will explain my definition of the word strict. To be strict is to demand that a certain rule(s) be followed no matter of circumstances. School rules are implemented so as to impose order in the school. It also builds up one's self discipline. If a certain school do not have school rules, the school will be in chaos and students would not be able to do well academically.If the students find that there is a need to change or totally lift a certain rule, they should talk to the teachers or relevant people. If the rule is really unreasonable, I am sure that the school will think about the matter seriously.An example of an unreasonable rule is the rule that White Sands Secondary School has implemented to prevent students from going to the shopping center near their school after dismissal. Although students sometimes behave badly at the shopping center, some people still need to have their lunch or meals at the shopping center. The school should not prevent students from going to the shopping center just because of a few errant students. Implementing this rule is also not a good method to stop all the errant behaviour. In a recent news report, it is reported that some students still go to the shopping center even though it is against the school rules. The school should also look at another solution: education. Yes, education is the best way to resolve things now of days. With the right values inculcated within the students, they are able to act appropriately at different time.

Chess Book

Over the past few weeks, I read a chess book by the U.S Chess Federation. When my mother borrowed the book I found out that all the book was about was the basics of chess. I felt that the book would not give me much help in honing my chess skills. The book started of with the history of chess, followed by basic information on different pieces then the different strategies in chess.
But after reading the book, I realised that my chess skills actually got better. Although I knew how to play chess before I read the book, I never bothered to thoroughly understand the basics of chess. All I knew before reading the book was to capture as many of my opponent's pieces as possible. After reading this book, I realised that executing a perfect strategy was more important than capturing my opponent's pieces. Also, the pieces exchanged must be of equal or higher value.
Through this experience, I learnt that knowing the basics of something is very important as it is the first step to learning. This reminds me of a Chinese idiom "基础打不牢,学问堪不高". In learning, for one to do well, he must have a strong foundation. Great learning is built on a strong foundation.

Photos from Katong

I took the pictures when I want to Katong to get photos for the RTA photo montage. At first, all I thought that I was going to see was just a couple of old buildings and temples. But when I reached there, I realised that the architecture of the buildings found were very unique. I noticed that many of the buildings there had unique carvings of dragons and other different sculptures. When I was there, I found out that my father had actually once lived there. Through him, I also learnt that many riots used to happen in Katong.

Upon reaching home, I did a background research on Katong. Through the internet, I learned that Katong used to be inhabited by foreigners and well-to-do locals. Although I go to Katong every week for classes, I had never realised that Katong actually had such a rich heritage and culture. Some of the buildings there is even protected.

Adeline Ng Ai Choo (reflection)

This story is about a girl who committed suicide after knowing that she had failed her examination by a mark and her teacher refused to give Adeline the one mark. The reason behind Adeline's suicide was because of the stress she felt from her parents. Her parents always wanted her to get good grades. But when she failed her exam, she felt that she had disappointed her parents. Therefore, she had did not dare to return home and face her parents. I feel that another reason why she committed suicide was also because her teacher had not cared about Adeline when she knew that there was something wrong with Adeline. For example, she used to be a very student who got very good grades but her grades were slowly decreasing. Also, Adeline was often found nervous and distracted. Although her teacher had tried to talk to Adeline about her problem, but when Adeline did not want to tell her about it, the teacher just dropped the matter. I feel that she was very irresponsible because she should have tried to talk to Adeline's parents about Adeline's problem. Also, there should be more communication between the parents and the teacher to understand the child more. This would allow the parents to understand what their child has been doing in school and also if they are doing well.