Reflection (26/11/12-1/12/12)

 This week, it's been great to finish off our essays on Saturday. I thought it was better to just focus on the language essay on saturday as juggling both essays at once would be an arduous task. The reference samples that were given to us were really helpful but I wish I had it earlier to clear some of my confusion on how to write a sophisticated commentary, producing annotations and elaborating on my chosen sources.

However, I think we all did great and I felt supported by my teachers and peers. I really appreciated the fact that Ms. Abena and Ms. Sandra was willing to spend half of their Saturday to help us as well. With this, I felt like our class have worked together as a team to help each other.

Reflection (19/11/12-23/11/12)

verb noun collocation, poem , kathy tommy, lit circa, trello 

This week in English, we learnt about verb+noun collocation. Collocation is an expressive phrase that determines which words go together. But before that, I've always wondered what's the difference between 'learnt' and 'learned'. I hope that my fellow peers could shed some light on this if anyone has any idea. 

From our previous meetings online, when we were asked to collaborate on the Tommy essay, my group and I instinctively remembered to set up discussion times. This proved that our communication skills improved with the help of one another and we became more initiative when responsibilities are shared.

Discussions on the poem "Base Details" were also intense and I enjoyed it very much as we concluded from a light squabble among our peers about the 'real' meaning, there IS no exact meaning. The point is to analyze and interpret it with evidence and explanation hence it could possibly mean anything, as long as you could support it. This gives me an idea about our essays as there is never a right or wrong essay, but it all depends on how we use our explanation to further support and concrete our ideas.

Reflection (12/11/12-16/11/12)

This week in English, I think our class did really well in working together outside of school. We definitely made an effort to support each other by meeting on Skype for our literature circle and Edmodo definitely keeps me on track with work while Ms. Abena was away. It feels like any ordinary week and there's actually more work than any other normal week.

Communication was definitely important this week as we have to keep in touch with our literature circle members and help each other for the presentation. I think Edwin did great and was glad we were able to meet up to help him. It was the only arduous task of the week as some members forgot to come online for the meeting and we encountered some technical difficulties on Skype. However, I hope after this week, I am able to spend more time finalizing my essays.

Reflection (5/11/12-9/11/12)

This week in English, we talked about idioms and creative writing. These happen to be one of my FAVOURITE things in English as in my opinion, makes everyday conversations and pieces of writing more interesting. I can remember vividly when I first came across the idiom "raining cats and dogs" a few years ago as it completely baffled me. Why on earth would people describe the pouring rain as a weather with cats and dogs falling out of it like a scene from cartoon? That was probably the moment that piqued my interest in using idioms and bombastic words to make my writing like a piece of puzzle for the reader to slowly unravel.

I had fun to writing about a boring everyday event, which was waking up. As I listen to my classmates read, I realize that there's a lot more depth to them that I've never noticed before. I realize that some had effortless wittiness and some talked about their everyday event so meaningfully I felt as though I've gotten to know a part of themselves. Their stereotypical image are erased into oblivion as I hear Chua talking about 'waking up' as well but contained a depth that I never saw.

By sharing, I noticed how different each of us think, which the thoughts then are put into a piece of writing. There were honest reflections, poems, stories and even comedic writings from all of us in that circle and I could possibly say that by being exposed to different writing styles, the world of writing expanded in my mind. We should definitely find time after the essays to have a creative writing session again and also a carpet sharing session as all of us really do have a piece to share. Through peer support, we could help one another get inspired to produce great writings and also enhance oratory performance.

Reflection (29/10/12-2/11/12)

This week, I have been trying to apply what I've learnt from writing my research essay onto the my first comparison essay draft. I realize that a lot of what we practiced on the previous essay flowed smoothly- I naturally remembered to cite every source, I tried to keep my sentences simple and understandable, and applied the P.E.E.(Point, Evidence, Explanation). I remember that creating a bibliography absolutely fazed me when I wrote my research essay but with practice, it has now become a skill.

However, I still feel that my P.E.E. is still weak as I did not write my plan orderly. The same mistake is now repeating itself but through reading a few examples of comparison essay on http://www.writework.com/ , I became inspired. Questions like 'what are the ideal paragraph sizes?', 'what is a good essay?" and "Am I not following the format?" just diminishes as I compare the similarities and differences of my writing style and others. The 5/5 grading on every paper also gave me a rough estimate on what is 'good' or bad'. I really suggest this website to other learners if they would like to see examples of well written essays NOT TO COPY, but to get a little inspiration from.

The anthology session we had in class on Thursday was really fun. Those poems were honestly really interesting to read especially Latitudes. I felt as though I have a newfound appreciation for poetry after reading the poems in my booklet. They weren't boring and through discussions, I was able to interpret these poems into many different ways. Our discussions were also constructive as we open ourselves to each other's opinions and ideas. Our brainstorming time on the carpet felt really nice as a sense of community existed and most of us tried to share ideas. The idea of passing a 'speech turn' was also really useful as we all tend to talk at the same time resulting in a lot of us not listening. I think that discussions are just really engaging and I hope we are able to do more cozy carpet discussions during anthology lessons.

10 p.m. rationale

 Do you know that feeling?

Those sudden urges to just do it. Don’t think. Just. Do.

We live our lives dictated by fear. Say, right now I would like to pack a bag, go to Times Square and watch as the people pass by me in a city that never sleeps. You would say,

1.     That’s brash.

2.     That’s selfish.

3.     You’re just dreaming.

So let me ask you. Why not?

Why can’t I pack my bags and buy a 1-way ticket to New York right now? Why can’t I embark on a journey? Why can’t I follow my heart?

What is right or wrong anyways?

Our world is guide lined by so-called ‘ethics’. Just put that aside for a sec. don’t think about how you would get sacked of your job, don’t think about how you won’t be able to graduate with honors. Don’t think about what others think.

Just one question. What do you want to do right now?

And really, what is stopping you?

Someone once told me that being selfish is not necessarily a bad thing. I feel that I can’t do what I want because my actions affect others. I feel like, I owe people parts of me. I can’t do this because he/she/it don’t like it.

I want to have steak and fries tonight. But gran can’t eat beef, dad has indigestion problems and mom prefers Chinese.

But what if I politely tell them, that I have been waiting to get out of boarding for weeks and every cell in my body will not relax until I have a plate the size of Jupiter with steak and fries right in front of me? I will say please of course.

Doing what you want is different from being inconsiderate. Doing what you want is telling someone that this is what you want to do in life, not in purpose of agitating others but simply, because it makes you happy. And if you are important to those who are important to you, they will see it.

Dad could have a smoothie with a bowl of salad. Gran and mom could go for Chinese in the restaurant next door and we could all resume shopping together afterwards. Because they know just how much I’ve waited to eat that disgusting plate of grease. Even if it’s the most absurd thing they ever hear me wanting to do.

See, it doesn’t matter if I want a plate of overcooked meat with trans-fat chocked fries or if I want to go to New York and stand in the middle of Time Square to watch people pass by or even if I want to go to an ivy-league school.

If I have the passion for it, I have the power to get it. And not one person will be able to reason out otherwise.

I think figuring out what you want is the hard part. If you want something without any basis, anyone can pull you down.

It is so important for us to dream. Search.  Question. Wander.

“Not all those who wander are lost.”- J.R. Tolkien

What is your identity?

What do you really want out of life?

Figuring out what you want to do for the rest of your career and life at the age by the first quarter of your life doesn’t make sense. Guess the point of all these expensive tuition fees is just to give you a glimpse of a speck of what the world has to offer. Unfortunately, we’re mindlessly focused on academia that life almost seems limited to the number of A’s we get sometimes.

I’m searching for an answer. It’s been almost a year since I’ve asked myself,

“What do you want?”

I had little to no avail in answering it. I haven’t given up on answering it though. I’m still working on it.

“So what are you gonna do?”

“I don’t know.”

reflection (22/10/12-25/10/12)

This week, I faced some difficulty with my essay as I had not gotten my structure checked. With a little bit of peer assessment, I found my way back this week again. I found it vital to plan the structure for this essay as compared to the research essay as this needs a lot more analysis in my opinion. I realize I had forgotten a lot about 1984( one of two books that I'm writing on) hence I need to do more research on it's quotations. I've repeated my mistake of not preparing a solid structure again for this essay and I really need to stop doing this.

That aside, it's been amazing to see the responds I got from 'rant'( thank you for sharing my post with others, Ms. Abena! :D) as I got great responses that developed my ideas of improving our current education system further. Of course it's still a pipe dream at the moment but all these feedback made me realize that I'm not alone and there are lots of people; people whom I never thought would agree with the idea of exams being an dispensable qualifier for students, sharing their opinions and simply widening my perspective even more. I really felt happy that my sudden vent had an affect as I would love to continue writing more and developing my ideas further.

Asessing ourselves to death

Good read on exams-http://shankerblog.org/?p=6835

A Pondering

Consider this a rant. I’ve been pondering tirelessly on why exams matter. To my employers in the future, it will provide them with a rough estimate on my capability. To universities/colleges, they want to see that I’ve got the brains or the extra edge to make them look good. To exam boards, I’m just another number waiting to be rounded of statistically to graph the average intelligence of teenagers today. To my parents, it’ll get you jobs. To be honest, I still don’t think I’ll ever need to use pi, cosine or the Pythagoras’s theorem unless I’m some architect or mathematician. I like to talk. I’m good at bullshiting. I don’t walk the walk but I can talk the talk. I can lie pretty well. That aside, I’m passionate about talking. Writing. Expressing my thoughts when I’ve to submit homework in t-minus 12 hours. I don’t really have the patience to sit and do boring homework. Why is homework boring anyways? Who the heck made studying synonymous to house chores in the syllable of a teen? To learn is to be intrigued, captivated and inspired. These four walls are meant to be torn down and expose students to passionate learning. Exams make education seem like a race when real education is never a race. We learn until we are buried in our graves or until Alzheimer’s hit you. I like to listen to debates. My brain is pumped with adrenaline and that’s where I see people who are quick on their feet. On the go. I love listening to TED talks. People have these ideas to share and they engage me. I like to listen in History because my teacher talks and not just teach. We’re only human. And scientifically, the brain has not much energy as compared to the body. The brain has about less than a quarter of the body’s energy. We get bored. An average school day is almost 6 hours long. When I get back, I’m expected to revise. My brain can’t handle that. My idea of a perfect school day would be 1-2 classes a day, 2 hours for each. We should then be encouraged to do research, and to explore. Why am I studying for 9 academic subjects? Is the point in doing so really just to prove my ‘intelligence’ to others? Everybody is so different. But with this race for academic excellence, almost every kid nowadays speak at least 2 languages, plays an instrument, goes for tuition, spends more money on tuition and feels knackered out their wits to be human. We’re almost like robots. People might argue that the secret to academia success is simply time management but that already sounds like a chore. Why do we feel like a need to laze on the bed at times? To kill time and watch soaps? Unless you’re the type who loves routine, being neat and organized, I can’t stand it! I want to inspire and be inspired. That, in my opinion, is the best way to learn because you feel motivated. You don’t need to be pushed. You WANT to learn. How do exams motivate me? They make me feel like I’m on a death row. Exams should be gotten rid of and university placements are bull because if you haven’t realized, they’re out to earn money from us lot (students) as well. This endless chase for money. We’re slaves to a system we ourselves created. I myself am not free from this neither. I simply question freedom. Aren’t we simply escaping from smaller cages to bigger cages in terms of academia when we excel in our studies? Unless you are a scholar or someone who studies as a job, we’re supposed to follow our own pathways. Make our own mistakes and learn from them. Live a life that is ours. Be honest, be open and explore. We are a blank canvas. A friend once told me that we as humans are selfish. We have a desire to want more than to give. Our raw animal instinct to simply cooperate and survive diminishes because we bite off more than what we can chew. We always want more. Why is being complacent a bad thing? The human species is like a disease eating and killing off the Earth’s resources because we’re greedy. Once all these resources are depleted of, we will then become extinct and guess what happens next. The Earth will heal and we humans will simply disappear. We should exist as an encyclopedia of different facts instead of becoming carbon copies of one another. Like that Einstein quote, if you try to judge how a fish can climb as good as a monkey something yada yada. Everyone is a brilliant individual but we’re brilliant in different things. I really wish we could embrace our differences more. This is my opinion on life or simply another excuse to procrastinate on my homework. Everybody loves learning but not everyone enjoys it in the way of the current cookie cutter system. Exams do not determine who I am. I am here to learn. And I am here to live.

Reflection (8/10/12-12/10/12)

This week has been extremely stressful. I felt like I've got a great start to my comparison essay but I'm just barraged with preparing for my math exam, chemistry studies, art work, and the essay as well. I feel unwell. I did not do enough of any part. That aside, with proper planning and guides, I find it easier to plan my essay as compared to my previous essay on Malcolm X. I can't wait for the holidays where I can study a few extra hours without being annoyed by the 10pm curfew that I have in boarding. There's just not enough time. I know I could've gotten everything done if I maximized all my time to the best of my capability but I've tried my best. It's been a tiring week but I will be able to recuperate and focus on my math exam and essay during the mid-term break.

Reflection (1/10/12-5/10/12)

This week in english I've learnt on how to compare critically. Our discussions on juxtapose helped me to understand how to contrast different elements and I also learnt not to use psychoanalysis but I'm still not too clear on what exactly is psychoanalysis. I really enjoyed the edmodo homework on nominalisations as the article from the New York times is really fun to read. I even shared it on various social platforms. However, the article on poetic structure felt a little boring but was helpful as I learned about enjambement and poetic lines.

Working through the Hero's Journey structure was also fun but it did not show how I could contrast and compare in my essay. What I did learn the activity was how the Hero's Journey relate to so many other stories and often inspire other stories such as The Hunger Games. I could see my hero (Malcolm X) relating more to that structure and this makes me feel more ready and prepared to write structured, comparison essays.

Structure reflection

What have you learned from completing this exercise?

I've learnt to dig deeper when juxtaposing elements in a story. Through discussions, Praveen and I had manage to develop a creative juxtapose.

What made it challenging?

I was not sure how to observe the structure of Chapter 1. Is juxtapose a part of structure? 

What made it possible to complete it?

We were able to elaborate on the juxtapose of Chapter 1 but we did not observe the structure of the chapter at all besides the dramatic selection of Prim as tribute at the end of the chapter.

What have you learned about how to approach these kind of tasks?

To come up with rough ideas and to discuss thoroughly with others before setting ink onto paper( or in this case, typing onto the google doc)

Look at the success criteria. Do you have any questions about this learning before you can consider yourself successful?

I simply do not understand how juxtaposes relate to structure. Isn't the structure of a chapter suppose to be the eloquence of Collins' writing throughout Chapter 1? How we organize the flow of the story? What is a structure anyways? 

Reflection (24/9/12-28/9/12)

This week in English we had the chance to explore and dig deeper into the symbolic meaning of the Hunger Games foods. It has definitely been an interesting class as I really liked exploring symbolism. For example, as I was researching about the symbolic meaning of apples, I read about Adam and Eve and even got an idea that was sparked by Newton's apple revelation. Learning about the various definitions of a word also taught me that a poem can be easily misinterpreted if we are negligent towards factors such as time period, the author and theme while researching.

 As mentioned on the class discussion forum page, I am still unclear about some topics regarding poetry like how would we know which definition of a word did the author mean and why some sentences are oddly arranged. I am amazed by how much we have to do to understand a piece of poetry and this made me realize how much deeper it is as compared to first glance. In time, I hope I could understand poetry at a faster pace.

Poetry Prep

• What are your usual strategies for reading a poem?
• My usual strategies for reading a poem is to find the meaning of words that I don't know or am not familiar with and discussing the meaning of the poem with other people to look at different opinions.
• How many times do you read the poem?
• I would usually read it a couple of times to see if I had miss out on any important keywords or hints.
• Do you read the footnotes (if they exist)?
• Not really, no. :(
• Do you use a dictionary?
• Yes.
• Do you read the poem aloud?
• No.
• Do you take notes?
• Yes.
• What problems do you have?
• Understanding some words, but with a dictionary, poems are actually fun to read.

Reflection (17/9/12-21/9/12)

This week, the Figurative Rap rocked my socks off! I didn't think that we were actually assembling a lyric until we heard the song. I thought it was a really fun activity. Our exercises on simile, metaphor, hyperbole and personification were really comprehensive. I think that it was a good start to the idea of poetry with simple exercises as such as I am only warming up to the practice of using figurative language.

BTW THE ANSWER TO LAST WEEK'S RIDDLE IS WATER BOTTLE! :D

I would like to do writing exercises like the mini essay we did this week to apply this fresh knowledge as it will slip off my mind if I don't constantly practice using them. I am finding this topic to be more and more interesting as I'm exploring and learning about interpreting and digging deeper to find a meaning. I expect to improve in organizing the way I write and my interpreting skills through continuous, small writing exercises. It's been a great week! :)

Reflection( 10/9/12-14/9/12)

This week we reinforced our knowledge in producing an argumentative essay again. It's been a while since our Hero essays and as proven, I've forgotten to include many important factors such as topic sentences, zooming in to words and writing a conclusion. With a few nifty highlighters, I rewrote my essay. I do honestly enjoy writing essays for a change instead of typing them onto the laptop as it keeps my handwriting at practice. The only trouble is keeping it neat as I often cross out a lot of points and words. Regular short essay practices could seem like a great idea to help me build up on my essay writing skills as it took only a couple of months to flush some memories of producing a good essay down the toilet.

Today we also played a game similar to 'Taboo' that requires us to help our partners understand a word without using certain descriptive words. Great and simple game to see how we can expand our vocabulary as I find describing 'winter' quite a challenge when I'm banned to use the word 'season'. Creative writing has also never been this hard when writing about an inanimate object(check out my previous post!) but it was certainly fun to take on this new challenge. I hope to improve on this aspect of creative writing after seeing works of the previous Yr 11's  as it was certainly inspiring to see such brilliant works of creativity from them.

Familiar to unfamiliar

(Have fun guessing haha!)

Fit in my ravenous grasp. As I hold you near my lips. Keep me alive. I cannot get enough of you. Cool my body.  I long for the sight of you as I feel parched. Cool to my touch or warm according to your daily heart's content. One hand holding firmly onto your neck while the other clasps onto your waist, as we share a gentle kiss. Complying with all the necessary standards. Some of our relationships don't work out for a long time but if you are genuine on the inside, we will go far. Fill me up. I'll try not to put the extra heat on you. Let's meet up casually everyday. I'll be sure to keep you my by side.

reflection (3/8/12-7/8/12)

This week in English, I really enjoyed our class discussion on poetry. Poetry has always been a very foreign thing to me as it can always be seen in so many ways. I often get confused about the poem itself as I do not know how to interpret and break the poem down to search for it's meaning. I hope through more lessons on it, I will begin to grow out of my 2/5 rank for poetry.


Having the discussion on the carpet was really helpful and fun as we were able to conduct a productive discussion. I would like to do more discussions like that as we are all proactively engaging each other in discussion and it's not a bore. I am glad that we are all able to converse with ease as this also help those who do not speak very often.

I seem to feel that when we're in smaller groups, discussions were not as productive such as during the THG analysis session. I intend to explore more poems and find out the different types of poems. I've tried writing poetry but I would like to know what makes a poem good. What makes them stand out? What escalates them to fame? Why do so many people relate to it? These are just some of the questions I hope to answer whenever I ponder on poetry in the future.

reflection 27/8/12-30/8/12)

Holidays came to an end and work commences once again! This week had been a  productive and great start to English in Year 11 with great presentations from my fellow classmates. I really did enjoy some of them, remembering bits and bobs such as Idura's neutered cats and Afifah's obsession with sweet potato and lasagne. 

 Throughout the presentations given and my presentation today, I learnt that most of us have forgotten to include a debatable topic like our essays, hence our presentations were mostly one-sided and had no arguments in it. 

 I also felt that I've somehow went off topic when I presented today as my classmates could not answer my questions with positive feedback. I noticed that Ms. Abena and my fellow classmates seem to be a confused with my presentation as they look rather perplexed so I  was perhaps rather vague in presenting my points in the presentation. 

 The feedback session then proved to be of help in gathering whether or not have my classmates fully understood my driving question of comparing and contrasting how Suzanne Collins and one other writer(George Orwell) deal with the idea of violence in their novels.

reflection (2/7/12-6/7/12)

This we began writing our commentaries and also talked about the whole point of reflection again. It was good to talk about reflections again as I look back at the past few months and pondered on the effectiveness of it once more. Here I am right now, trying to recall my lessons this week. This is hard enough to recall and I simply do not agree with those who want it to be a monthly assignment as it would then be completely useless. We even forgot to discuss about whether or not we've to write one this week as agreed. So, I really do think we should stick to writing a reflection once a week as it doesn't seem to be a problem at all at the moment.

The guide for our commentary is really useful as they're all the key questions that I need in mine. It's almost spoon-feeding but definitely serves as a great guideline for us to produce a good and thorough commentary. The mix 'n' match exercise was really good too as it was anything but easy. My group members and I definitely had different opinions when it comes to some replies and by exchanging views, it made us think about the relevance of the answers and whether the answers are really 'answering' the question or not.

Reflection (24/6/12-29/6/12)

This week, I went through the most important but least-looked element in finalising our essays at the last minute, which is our rubrics. I made the mistake of checking through my rubric at the last minute as I've panicked and cracked my head over the elements needed in my essay when everything is already in my rubric. Peer assessment was really helpful as well as my peers had picked out many things about my essay that needs improvement and more often than usual, I overlook them.


The whole week have really been about applying our knowledge into writing our essays. From peer assessments, paper rater, e-resources to a nice sit-down with teachers and matrons (MORE PEER ASSESSMENTS!), I'm glad we're done with the essay as it seems never ending in terms of correcting it. In today's class, I realise that the important part of critical selection is the ANNOTATION and not the arrangement of my media. I was so caught up in presenting my document well that I hardly made time to annotate the document from my bibliography. I hope that we could do more exercises in class next week. :D

Reflection on essay activity

  Through this brief activity, I saw different styles of writing. These styles confuses me as to which sentence is the thesis statement in many of these essays. It made me realise that the thesis has to be CLEAR as to allow others to understand the essay. I find paragraphs with relevant quotes interesting as it can be used as evidence. A wide range of vocabulary also catches my attention such as the word I've came across, which is "nullify". A grammatically correct and vocabulary enriched paragraph makes the paragraph sounds sophisticated and academical.

 Putting too many personal opinions are among the mistakes I find that tarnishes the quality of the paragraph. A paragraph needs to have a balance of argument, facts and opinion.

reflection (18/6/12-22/6/12)

This week we've been given exercises on Introductions and Conclusions, Unity and Coherence and more on the essay stucture. These exercises have been really helpful for my essay especially Unity and Coherence as I realise I needed to cut a lot out of my essay. The They Say/I Say templates are also very handy as they introduce me to useful terms and keywords such as "I think that X is mistaken because___." and "My discussion of X is in fact addressing the larger matter of ____."


However, I do agree that class sessions should be allocated for lessons on how to improve our essay instead of time given to work on our essays as I do not really make use of the time and I don't really do much work in the given time. Instead, I would prefer learning or doing more exercises as it engages me. The past few exercises has prove handy as it enhanced my comprehension towards writing an academic essay more. Peer assessment has also been extremely helpful as my classmates gave really good advices and tips to improvise the essay. Peer assessment helped to shape my essay almost completely.

I'm excited to see my work progress on the essay and I hope that the efforts will show in the end product where I can proudly say later that I've written a good essay on Malcolm X by next week.

Reflection (11/6/12-15/6/12)

 This week has been all about our research essays. I've been out of touch with my essay writing skills and I've definitely practised and learnt a lot. One of the most important things I've learnt about writing a research essay is the structure of an essay. After a fruitful peer assessment with Sharmaine, I realise that the biggest flaw in my essay was it's structure. It was confusing for Sharmaine as she has pointed out that I did not set a proper structure hence it isn't easy to point out topic sentences and understand the arguments that supported it. Sharmaine also pointed out that I've added too much unnecessary biographical information instead of producing my own opinions and arguments.

However, she saw a paragraph that had a proper structure and advised me to set that as the same structure for other paragraphs. Ms Abena also reminded me an essential part of the essay which is to keep it INTERESTING. I almost forgot about this element and was glad that it was brought up. I also need to avoid adding too many cliches in my essay as pointed out in the online paper rater, as suggested by Idura. Source of quotes also have to be recorded in MLA form or a uniformed manner. 

 I've practised recording all my sources when I carry out my research to keep track of it and they could also be future references. As I know that I would still be carrying out more research, I saved the links that I have yet to read thoroughly just in case I would ever need them. Basically, it has only hit me recently that a research essay is very different from a normal essay. A research essay is based so heavily on it's structure and that is what I'm lacking at the moment in my essay. With the help from Ms Abena and Ms. Sandra, my peers and online guides, I will take the initiative to use the help given as best as possible as help is pretty much a call away. 

Reflection (14/5/12-18/5/12)

  We kicked off this week of English lessons by watching the research presentations made by the working groups in our classes. It was evident that most of the presentations were put in a lot of effort in order to help one another. I've learnt a lot while working on my presentation last week but this week, it's all about learning how to research quality academic materials for our research essays.

 As I'm researching on Malcolm X, this week have been an eye-opening week to proper researching method and materials which simply pulverises my dependency on wiki pages. Not that Wikipedia and Google aren't useful but I've learnt that there are websites such as Sirs(http://ars.sirs.com), Gale (http://www.gale.cengage.com/) and many more reliable and factual academic e-resources that are shared with us are indeed very helpful for this coursework. I've honestly never seen such websites until recently and find them as banks of useful resources for whatever learning subject I'm in.

 These useful e-resourses also becomes a habit for me now whenever I need quality information as it provides me a far more accurate database of research materials whenever I need them. I feel that this is a step in improving my academic performance as our essays now can no longer be simple pieces of writing that drive teachers up the wall and should instead be sophisticated, critically-analyzed pieces of writing with added research to support the essay.

 I also realise that our literature circles need to be spiced up in order to engage in a productive discussion. I enjoyed Pei Qin's method in her role as a vocabulary enricher of using online flashcards to record the the vocabulary words found in the chapters of Animal Farm and believe that we should go out of the box and gain ideas like Pei Qin to engage our group members during our literature circle sessions.

reflection (6/5/12-11/5/12)

  This week, we were given topics for research presentations. I was given the topic of 'Primary Sources v.s. Secondary Sources' to work on individually. This week was certainly a busy week with tests and all but I managed to sort everything really well including my research for the presentation because of time management. Oddly enough, this assignment was a key part of my practise in time management as I knew I wouldn't be able to finish everything in one day. And I KNOW for a fact that if I go back to procrastinating as I've always did, the presentation would not have been completed in time.

 So, I planned out my schedule meticulously the whole week and I had enough time for my studies and the research for my presentation. I realise by teaching, I actually gain more knowledge as a learner myself. I kept the idea of making explanations as basic and simplified as possible to make my presentation as comprehensible as enough. And to do so, you need to research a lot to have a clear idea that can be used to be simplified. The logic is, if I don't know enough, how am I going to convey the message as clearly and as enough for others to understand? Hence to explain, I must know. And there goes a total of 9 websites, filled to the brim with information on primary and secondary sources to be absorbed.

 It may not be a coherent matter to others but my proudest achievement this week was completing this research presentation based on good time management. I remember a class session where Ms Abena have once taught me on effective presentation and I tried my best to put the skills to good use such as avoiding being boring. I feel that the class session on effective presentation was really educational as it applies to so much more than class work. I am also curious about the proper usage of italics and fonts. I feel that these small details in writing really do make a difference in the quality of writing.

reflection (30/4/12-4/5/12)

  This week, I've learnt about morphemes which are units of meaning. Some could make sense on their own such as "cat" but some such as "-ness" do not bring any meaning unless combined with words. I also realise that my grammar is weak as I've unconsciously misused semi-colons and the single and double inverted commas in my writing. I've been developing a habit of putting my vocabulary skills to use ( putting in new words I've learned recently such as "catalyse") whenever I write to make my essays more sophisticated. I hope I can learn about the proper usage of semi-colons the inverted commas in class next time as the examples on the internet still confuses me.

 I also enjoyed doing the starter activity on morphemes simply it's honestly really interesting! I've always wondered about the root of words and I would love more exercises on grammar in the future. I'm still not confident about my writing as I've never been challenged to write in such an intermediate level back in my previous high school but I'm glad I have the chance to do so now. It's just baffling that it feels almost like I'm starting to learn English for the first time WHICH MEANS there's definitely things to learn about English. I intend to improve my writing by reading more to increase my vocabulary and definitely learn about punctuations as a semi-colon would most probably be worlds apart from the usage of a single-colon?? 

 Most of the times, my teenage angst gets the better of me by contemplating on the reason for education and all. Beyond these exams (IGCSE, A-levels, etc), how much are we really LEARNING? Some subjects completely fazes me as I have no idea how in the world is it ever applicable in life besides paying at the grocery counter (Maths good lord) and some subjects ( History and English) fazes me as I don't have a reason why I like them. I just do. Beyond Nexus, I see these subjects as platforms for me to explore who I really am and what I'm meant for.

 We as learners are always so stressed about exams but we seldom see school as the platform to learn from our mistakes. Or maybe society's influence on the obsession with grades now simply prevailed us from doing so. Hence, this is the challenge. To realise that this is the time for us to explore and not be afraid to take risks. The obsession with good grades gets to me as mistakes make me feel like a complete failure. I'm only starting to learn how to accept my mistakes and LEARN from them by putting my inferiority complexes aside. And I'm learning better through this simple step I've found recently. And I hope that I could help others to accept their flaws and help them understand this too.

Sorry for the long rant Ms. Abena! 

morphology

 Morphemes are units of meaning which originated from Greek and Latin. When combined with words, they form more complex words. For example, the word review has the morpheme of "re" added to the word "view", telling us that we're viewing it again. Understanding morphology increases our vocabulary skills hence, by mastering morphology we can improve our reading and writing skills.

Reflection ( 23/412-27/4/12)

  In class this week, we watched interactive videos on Youtube that are called "The Hate Game". In the video, we are guided through a hate-themed situation where at a critical situation, we are given two choices, usually a positive and a negative one. The character then chooses a choice and we are able to see the aftermath of the selected choice in the video. I was really surprised to know that the videos were based on real situations that happened in the past. I was engrossed with a particular incident about Stephen Lawrence; who was murdered in a gang beating in England.


  When did all these discrimination start? Is it worse today as compared to the past? Why is is still happening? Those were just some of the questions that ran through my mind as I watched the videos and read up on a couple of those incidents. And during the last lesson of the week, I was inspired to pick up books on Malcolm X and Frederick Douglass (who were both notable human rights activists during their time) to research more on my Hero essay. I believe that reading on the case of Stephen Lawrence sparked my curiosity and passion towards human rights issues more than before as it made me ponder on the issue of discrimination.


 We also explored more Heroes on the My Hero website through the station exercises and learned about the different categories a hero can fit into. This expands my idea of a stereotypical hero image with red capes, inside out red underwears and the works. There are so many unsung heroes out there to be discovered and admired yet, so many still obsess over people like Justin Bieber. The website is a great portal to discover new inspirational figures like Abraham Lincoln to Dian Fossey, each a hero in their respective fields. It's important to seek these figures and LEARN to be inspired by their actions rather than to simply obsess over idols who you think are simply 'cute'. It's time to open a book, go onto Wikipedia and read inspiring bibliographies of amazing human beings because the chances are, we'll learn more than memorising lyrics to a song with an incredibly limited vocabulary range ( Baby by Justin Bieber *coughs*).

Reflection (24/4/12)

  We can learn a lot by observing the decisions a person make. Decisions are made everyday in our lives no matter how small nor big and often impacts the people around us in positive or negative ways. Some decisions could be as effortless as choosing the clothes you want to wear for the day, and some, could lead to the massacre of millions. 

Millions who had hopes and aspirations. Millions who had answers that we seek today. Millions who simply wanted to lead a peaceful and happy life. 

There are also some decisions that save lives. Decisions that give people hope. Decisions that present people with another chance. Decisions that catalyses a new generation.

 When you're faced with a decision that challenges your instinct with your logic, it's all a blur. I personally think that the instinct is doing what is right, and logic is doing what you think right. And a hero would be a person that follows their instinct whatever the cost may be. In today's case, we watched a few inspiring Youtube videos that are themed on hatred. Out of these videos, the heroes were simply people who took the initiative to help others. People who stand up for themselves and others. And most importantly, people who listen to their instincts. I believe that this is a valuable trait that also defines heroism and stands as a valuable addition to my previous definition of a 'hero'. 

 "An eye for an eye makes the world go blind" as Gandhi once said, and with the greatest sacrifice of our voice, our strength and our compassion for others; will the world finally be a better place.

Reflection (16/4/12-20/4/12)

  Over the holidays, I did another small article for the My Hero project on Maya Angelou. I've read some of her poems and felt that her struggles in life was also relatable to a movie I've watched during the holidays, which is The Help. As I'm interested in American History, it was interesting to research on Maya Angelou as her past acquaintances with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during the time of the Civil Rights Movement was a significant time period in American History. These people were the catalyst of their time, risking everything for humanity and often, becoming martyrs for their beliefs.

 Back in school, we also cleared the confusion between an 'idol' and a 'hero'. I realise all these while I've misinterpreted the true meaning of a hero and by writing on my own definition of a hero after a session of interactive class activities that includes using the Venn Diagram and a small debate, I was really able to see the fine line that separates a hero from and idol. I am happy to be able to write eloquently on the matter and I see an improvement in my writing. All I need was simply concentration and by putting my head in it ( and a little music on itunes), I was able to analyse the lyrics and the poem better too.

 In my literature circle, my group members and I had a thorough discussion on the chapters that we've read over the holidays. We all agree that the book is indeed getting more interesting as the protagonist; Winston, is acting towards his instinct and not merely living his fearful life under the orders of Big Brother anymore. As we are closing in towards the end of the book, we are also discussing on the literature circle projects that we will do once we've finished reading the book.

 After that, we also did a small game of charades and I was partnered with Afifah. We were given funny situations to act out and in the end, Afifah and I did pretty well as we were able to guess out most of each other's acts. I realise I was being really self-conscious while playing hence, I wasn't giving my best efforts to be in character whereas Afifah went completely out of her shell and performed really well. I was blessed with another opportunity to improve my acting in the group performance with Rizq and Victoria. We tried to be as spontaneous as possible and had fun performing our short skit. In my performance rubric, I was mostly 'Keira Knightly' as I didn't stay in character as I've forgotten to maintain my facial expressions. I hope that I would maintain my composure and be fully in character the next time in the next acting to achieve the 'Kevin Spacey' level.

 Overall, it was an exhilarating week in school after two weeks of holidays as I've really enjoyed the practical activities in class (especially the activities that we did to differentiate idols and heroes) as classes were not boring and I was able to write efficiently after a long streak of bad writing.

What is a Hero?

"I was in uniform for four years, and I know that heroism doesn't occur from taking orders, but rather from people who through their own willpower and strength are willing to sacrifice their lives for an idea."-Thor Heyerdahl

 As a child, I was often imbued by the world of cartoon superheroes such as the Powerpuff Girls, Rogue and Jean Grey. As I grew, I became fascinated with the works of John Hughes, the music of La Roux and the acts of Carey Mulligan. All these fictional and non-fictional icons; were all my heroes. Until I realize the true meaning of a hero today.

 A real hero is someone like Gandhi, Aung San Suu Kyi, and Erin Gruwell, to name a few. Why are they heroes? They all share a similar quality of compassion towards the weaker, strength to stand for righteousness and courage to sacrifice themselves for the better of others. And all of that, without the lust for fame or notoriety. That; is what a real hero is made of.

 In the song, "Superman's Song" by the Crash Test Dummies( Ms. Abena you've killer taste in music), the lyrics portrayed a sense of self-sacrifice, compassion and non-superiority as Superman acts in his noble ways through pure initiative and not for the limelights as seen in the chorus paragraph:

"Superman never made any money

For saving the world from Solomon Grundy

And sometimes I despair the world will never see

Another man like him"

 Whereas in the poem "First They Came for the Jews", it clearly contrasted with the lyrics of Superman as depicted acts on the opposite end of the spectrum. In the poem, the poet says of himself as someone that lacks of initiative. The speaker does not speak out for anything that is relative to himself as seen in these 3 stanzas:

"First they came for the communists,

and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a communist.

Then they came for the trade unionists,

and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Jews,

and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a Jew."

 The speaker in the end succumbed to his own act of selfishness in the end when he is said to be taken away, and this time, no one will speak out for him as well. The speaker finally takes a sip of his own poison in the last stanza as nobody also wanted to take a stand for him in his most dire moment:

"Then they came for me,

    and there was no-one left to speak out for me. "

  Many of us today are still often too engrossed in our egos to see that the essence of humanity is merely to see ourselves as neither superior nor inferior to anyone. We all live on the same planet, breath the same air hence why should humanity be divided according to our race, religion or even beliefs?

The blood of martyrs have been shed countlessly in the past, yet, we still live in a materialistic world where books are judged by their covers. And in the midst of the norm, there will be a handful of people who will storm out with a voice, a purpose and a fight for a better tomorrow.

And these are, heroes.

My Hero 2 ( 4/4/1928- Maya Angelou)

“I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” 


Mary Angelou's life; documented eloquently but informally as dates and time-charts blur out of vision in her biographies as said by her biographer once, portrays her famous quote well. Though details of Mary Angelou's life were inconsistent, she captured the important essence of her trials and tribulations while growing up in difficult times ( Great Depression and World War 2) and losing close friends (Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, who were both assassinated). Her continuous strive to bring up her son as a single parent and will to live brought her through different phases of jobs from working as a prostitute up until becoming the established poet that we all know today.


What is life without a purpose? What is love without passion? Through Maya Angelou's biographies, especially the highly-aclaimed "I Know Why The Caged Birds Sing", teaches us to persevere. Maya Angelou is  not an iconic person that can be recognised through the term 'hero', but she's an amazing individual that lived her life to the fullest. We here today, complain about the slightest things such as exams and being bored at home whereas Maya Angelou in our age persevered through high school and later earning a scholarship to study in the California Labor School; one of her earliest accomplishments in her life.


I end my short essay on Maya Angelou with another amazing quote from her that once again emphasises on perseverance;

All my work, my life, everything I do is about survival, not just bare, awful, plodding survival, but survival with grace and faith. While one may encounter many defeats, one must not be defeated".