Home learning Part 2

Intrapersonal (Diary entry)

Dear Diary,

today was a terrible day. After coming back from a tense day at work, I learnt the news that my children, Jem and Scout were being bullied in school by their peers, being called names like "nigger-lover" and stuff. Sigh. Did I make the right decision in trying to defend Tom Robinson. Is it all my fault that my children are suffering and being persecuted by their school mates. I knew I should not have taken up this case.

No, country comes before self. I must persevere. I must push on. I must fight to the end. I am sorry children, that daddy has to put you through so much trials and hardship, but you must understand where I am coming from. I am doing this for you, and also for Maycomb, in the dim glimmer of hope that when you grow older, the Maycomb you live in then will be much different from the Maycomb you now live in. A Maycomb where everybody is equal. A Maycomb where blacks and whites can live together in harmony. So please, children, bear with it for a while. Please forgive me, I beg you.

Yours truly,

Atticus

We are the WORLD

As I took the bus to church yesterday, my sister showed me this music video on her hand phone. The name of the song is "We are the world" and was sung by many different artistes. I believe many of you have heard the song as it was played on TV countless times but for the benefit of those who have not yet heard it.

I was very touched when I first saw this video. It comforted me to see that all my favourite artistes were part of this short video to help the people in Haiti and not just focusing on earning money. I think this video could not have come at a better time, with all the disasters currently happening in the world today, like the earthquake in Chile and the Tsunami in Japan. This video calls for us to be united as one world and to help each other in need. All these are summarized in the rap - "We all need somebody that we can lean on, When you wake up look around and see that your dreams gone, When the earth quakes we’ll help you make it through the storm, When the floor breaks a magic carpet to stand on, We are the World united by love so strong, When the radio isn’t on you can hear the songs, A guided light on the dark road your walking on, A sign post to find the dreams you thought was gone, Someone to help you move the obstacles you stumbled on, Someone to help you rebuild after the rubble’s gone, We are the World connected by a common bond, Love the whole planet sing it along". They have done their part, now it is our turn to do our part as WE ARE THE WORLD.

My learning profile (Home Learning part 1)

I scored 18 for kinesthetic, 13 for linguistic, 14 for logical, 19 for interpersonal, 16 for intrapersonal, 14 for musical, 15 for visual or spatial and 7 for naturalistic.

I think that this test is good in the sense that it will help your learn more about your learning style. This would prove beneficial as then you will be able to craft your revision in such a way that will help you learn and remember best. For example, if you are good in music or musically inclined, you can compose a poem or song or even just change the lyrics of the song to help you remember your facts better.

However, these sort of test maybe inaccurate. This is because there are only 5 degrees as to which you must choose from 1 of them. Let's say if you feel that you are in between 2 of the options then the test would be unable to accept that answer, thus making it inaccurate.

Dirty and disgusting

As I sat at the rear of my favourite bus, 852(because there is usually very few people), I looked around and felt very disgusted. Why? Because the bus was in a very bad condition.

The windows were full of fingerprints marks ; The floor was covered in "black soot" and something that looked like blue tack or bubblegum. The fabric on the seats were terribly frayed and now feels and looks like grass. The air-conditioner was spewing out cold but stale cold air that made me fell like puking. The ez-link card reader's carder looked old and faded.

That was the most uncomfortable bus ride I had ever taken. The harder I tried no to think about it, the more I kept thinking. I am very confident that my fellow passengers were just as "urked" out as me. I was totally appalled at the condition of the bus. I could only come up with 1 reason. The bus companies are not doing their job in maintaining the buses. If so, then why? Is it a lack of man power, or is it just plain laziness. I personally think it is the latter. Maybe if they don't want to maintain it, they could save all the trouble and just buy a new bus. Overall, I am very disappointed with the bus companies.

Crowded or not??

As I looked back on the recently concluded Chinese New Year, reminiscing of all the sumptuous food and bonding with the family, a question suddenly appeared in my mind - "Would the bus be crowded or not during the three public holiday?".

I consulted my cousins on this question and they all said confidently that the buses would definitely be less crowded than on usual days. They reasoned that everyone would be driven by their relatives or family members which is what happens in my maternal's family. Either that or they take the MRT or a taxi as it is much faster and more convenient.

However, I think that the the buses would be more crowded than normal days. This is because I think that not every family in Singapore would have the luxury of having enough cars to drive the whole family to go for visitations. Taking a taxi would also be a too expensive way to travel here and there. MRT - Well, I think that although MRTs are faster, people would still have to take a bus to go to the nearest MRT station or to take to the desired place from the MRT station as MRTs cover only a general area and not each and every corner of Singapore.

After listening to my cousins' and my stand, who do you support? Please leave a comment.

Gracious act

Today, as I took the bus home, I noticed a gracious act that really warmed my heart. This is what happened.

The bus was packed to the brim today. Standing with the majority of us was a frail, old Chinese man with a hunched back and head with a few pathetic strands of white hair. Sitting beside him was an Indian lady who was rather plum and listening to her i-pod. At first, I thought she was going to ignore the old man by pretending to listen to her i-pod, but contrary to my thoughts, she stood up, got off her seat and offered it to the old man. The old man hesitated for a while but after much persuasion by the Indian lady, accepted the act of kindness readily.

Although this was just a small act of kindness, I think it goes a long way to show how Singapore has progressed over the years. A few years back, this would have been a rare occurrence, but nowadays, more and more people are beginning to give way to the elderly, whether it is in the bus or on the MRT. This also shows that people are not so concerned over the race of a person and are now learning to accept people of other races.