Determination amidst difficult circumstances

About last month, I remember taking a bus and saw a very unusual sight. I mean very, very unusual. Something most of you might not have seen before with your own eyes.

Well, there was a man sitting two rows in front of me. He looked like just your ordinary man - tall and big sized, wearing a striped T-shirt and long pants and with a normal crew cut hairstyle. As I was behind him, I could not see his facial expression. It was only when he stood up that I realised what so unusual about him. He had a prosthetic leg.

I was shocked! I had seen prosthetic legs before in movies, but this was the first time I have seen it "live". It was much thicker than I expected. But that wasn't the main thing that moved me. Rather, it was his facial expression. As he was facing me, I could see his facial features and expression clearly. His eyes were dreary and his looked worn out. I thought I could see the pain in his eyes every time he took a step forwards. But there was something else. It was determination. Determination to press on. Determination to lead a normal life. Determination

Even though he was just a stranger, I still have great respect for him. I feel that we have a lot to learn from him. His determination to lead a normal life despite his disability is really worthy of praise and commendation.

Out of retirement!!

All those who have been following my blog would have realised by now that I have not been posting anything up recently and gone into "retirement" mode. Well, GOOD NEWS!! Jim, the COOLEST is coming out of retirement! There will be some changes to my blog. From the past term, I realised that there is insufficient things that happen in a bus and thus, I am broadening my scope to all forms of public transport like happenings in the MRT and or a taxi. So, get ready for a whole lot of new observations from Jim the COOLEST.

Home learning Part 2

Interpersonal (Interview with Dad)

Me : What first comes to mind when you hear the word "Prejudice"?

Dad : Unfair, preconceived ideas, uninformed.

Me : Is Prejudice right or wrong or does it have a certain extent to which it is right?

Dad : It is wrong, because it does not judge a case on its own merits, but instead rely on past experiences to form a conclusion.

Me : Have you ever been a victim of prejudice?

Dad : Yes, when I was in UK, around 1987/88. As a Chinese in a predominantly English neigbourhood, I was always treated as an outsider, and found it difficult to integrate with the local people there.

Me : What is your stand about Discrimination?

Dad : Neutral. Discrimination is usually negative, but it may sometimes be positive. For example in the case of hiring older workers compared to younger ones, or disallowing young people from visiting the casinos, etc.

Me : Do you know of any recent cases of Discrimination?

Dad : Positive discrimination yes. For example, Singaporeans have to pay $100 to enter the casino, but foreigners need not.

Me : How are Prejudice and Discrimination similar?

Dad : They both have to do with making judgements or actions without objectivity but based on preconceived notions.

Me : How are Prejudice and Discrimination different?

Dad : Prejudice is a preconceived judgement, it is an attitude of the heart. Discrimination usually has to do with actions, or rules that favour one group versus another group.

Me : How do you prevent prejudice and discrimination? State at least 2 examples

Dad : Firstly, one needs to be very open and objective about issues or people. Secondly, one needs to develop a genuine love for the world and humanity in general.

Me : Thanks dad!

Dad : You are most welcome.

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.