2o1mxgenesis

Roots - Poem

2010-08-23T08:57:00.000-07:00

This is kinda random. I was actually asked by my father to write this for my Hainanese Lim Clan Association magazine or something. At the same time, it reminds me to treasure our "roots" as well, as most people don't actually come back to help the clan when they get older and are working. Yes, "yin shui si yuan" in chinese. I admit its not very impressive but i just wanted to share these values (:

Roots
Our roots etched so deep,
like a tree, majestic and strong.
What our ancestors have sown, we reap
Tradition preserved for so long.
When drinking water,
Remember its source.
We must continue growing this tree; bring further
The clan’s traditions and cause.

Contribute to society,
Respect your elders,
Values meticulously imparted.
Our roots firmly planted, like a great raintree,
Reminiscence of our forefathers
We must continue the clan’s legacy; what our ancestors had started.

- Lim Mingxia
2O113

My Team

2010-08-09T20:50:00.000-07:00

Hi. Today I will be blogging about a dimension of my life that I treasure most; That is my volleyball team. I have been with the team for about two years, and we have gone through many struggles together. However, through it all, we have forged strong, unbreakable bonds, and all of us are the best of friends with each other.

During the CCA trials last year, I did not manage to find the volleyball trials, which happenend to be far at the other end of the school, in the College section. I was thus posted to English Drama, which I had went for the trials. However, I really desired to be in volleyball, having played volleyball for 5 years in my primary school days. At the same time, my brothers were from sport CCAs as well and this influenced me to take up a sport as well to have fun and keep strong.

My burning desire to get into volleyball drove me to seek a way for a CCA transfer. I went all the way to find out who the teacher in charge of volleyball was, which led me to find Mr Tok, which referred me to Mr Sung, and then back to Mr Yeo, then back to Mr Tok again. This was far from an easy task, as the teachers were constantly not at their tables during lunch and recess periods, when I would race to their seats in the PE staff room everyday, most of the time only to find that they were not in. Many times, because of this i had to forgo lunch and recess. Eventually, even after my application into Volleyball was successful, I still had immense difficulty in finding the court, which was in the College section, where I was unfamilliar with. Fortunately, i met one of my good friends from my old primary school where I spent my first 3 years in, who happened to be in volleyball as well. I believe this to be fate, as this meeting did not occur in school, but in a popular bookstore in Toa Payoh. I got his number and subsequently he brought me to the court for my first training.

I remember, on the first training, Max, the senior captain from secondary 3 was "testing out" my abilities, while the rest of my batch team was watching me. They all agreed that i had a unstable foundation in volleyball, as I managed to recieve most of the balls he shot, but was largely unable to control the balls to fly in the direction that i wanted. However, I believe the reason to be that I had not touched a volleyball in almost a year, before that.

From then on, I never looked back. Volleyball was what I wanted. I had tried so hard to get there, there was no turning back. From there, me and my team got to know each other better. We endured all those tough trainings under the sun and outdoor court, although volleyball was an indoor game. Friendly matches organised by our coach made us even more bonded; beating many other schools gave us a sense of pride that our training together had paid off, and facing various stronger schools gave us challenges to face as a team. Match after match together, we pulled through and fought through. It was during one particularly tough match that we decided that we would be "brothers" in a metaphorical sense.

Then came the competitions, where we fought many tough battles. I remember one critical match that the seniors had during the zonals against Clementi Town. During the match, we cheered really loudly for the seniors to win, and in the end they won by a comeback victory, against the odds, for they were supposedly not as strong as the opposing team. I also remember the zonal finals that we played against Bukit Panjang Government High. We fought really hard to save every ball and win every point we could, and after each point was scored, we would cheer loudly, to boost our morale. When the last point was scored, we all ran wild on the court, jumping and cheering. This really brought us closer together, knowing that we were the batch, the team that had broken the 10 year zonals championship drought. The pride of being in this team made us even more bonded than before.

But it isn't all about the happy times that brings people closer. i still vividly remember our last match in the National Championships, where we went up against Victoria School, the East Zone champions. We lost the match, and many of us cried. We knew we had did what we could, but it just wasn't enough. However, although we had lost, it still made us even more bonded. We win together, we lose together.

That marked the end of our first season together.

Recently, Volleyball won the "zi qiang bu xi" team award. i was really surprised to hear this, as our team did not actually achieve any outstanding results during the competition. However, i feel that it is really an honor to receive such an award, as it attests to all the blood, sweat and tears that we put into our training and matches. I believe that it has once again brought us closer, having our name etched onto the "zi qiang bu xi" trophy in our year. There is no doubt that we will continue to strive for better results and fight harder as a team. Personally, it doesn't matter if we win or lose. All that matters is that we play to the best of our abilities and face adversities together as a team.

HCVB Forever
MingX

The Job of a Lawyer

2010-08-09T00:16:00.000-07:00

Recently, I have been playing this game on the Nintendo DS named "Ace Attorney Investigations"
Some of you may have heard of it, but it is actually a game in a series of "law games" which requires one to use logical deduction and reasoning, along with evidence, to solve a series of murder cases. I really enjoy playing this game, as it really requires one to think of all the possibilities, and most of the time, the murderer turns out to be someone you never thought possible. There are points in the game where one has to cross examine another character to get more information regarding the case. In these cross examinations, one must think hard and scrutinize the other character's testimony to find loopholes or contradictions with the evidence.

Just for your information, the person you see in the picture above is actually a prosecutor, although the title of the game is "Ace Attorney". Well, the reason is that the "Ace Attorney" series had always been producing games from the perspective of a defence lawyer, until the developers decided that they should create a game from the perspective of the main character's rival, which was a prosecutor. I am currently playing the version from that of a prosecutor.

But to the point now. One of the main themes in this game is about the role of lawyers, and it is a theme i find to be especially interesting, if not thought provoking.
One of the characters in the game is a "prodigy" prosecutor who had never lost a single case in 40 years. his mottos were always to have the "perfect" argument for everything and he always strived for perfection, just like his perfect 40 year record. However, he also believed that his duty as a prosecutor was to "convict all defendants at the stand". Is this really what it means to be a prosecutor? in the end, because of his desire for "perfection" and to "convict all defendants at the stand", he was found out to have been forging evidence for all his cases which he prosecuted.

In another case, the defence lawyer from the main series was faced with defending the murderer. The murderer in this case pleaded not guilty, and the defence lawyer had no choice but to take his case and fight for his innocence. However, in the end, believing that the role of the lawyer is to seek the truth, and fight for justice he turned against his client and announced that he was guilty of murder, eventually proving it with evidence and facts.

Another vital theme in the game is the truth, which is quite closely related to the earlier theme of the meaning of being a lawyer. In the game, there is an interesting entity named the Yatagarasu, whose motto was to "steal the truth" this entity often broke into places to steal incriminating evidence, then send it to the police. This was done so as to expose the crimes of the criminals.

So the question is, what exactly is the job of a lawyer? Is it to defend your client to the end, even though he is the actual culprit of the crime? Is it to make sure the defendant at the stand is punished by the law, even though there is this possibility that he might be innocent? In my opinion, a lawyer is one who fights for the truth, so that he finds the true culprit and brings him to justice. Imagine the number of innocent people convicted, should prosecutors only blindly prosecute the defendant in the trial, and imagine the number of criminals getting away scot-free, if attorneys blindly defend their clients. This certainly does not serve the purpose of lawyers, which is to make sure the correct justice is served. I believe that there are many lawyers in this society that defend or prosecute blindly just to increase their credibility or case winning records, so that they can earn more money. This is rather disturbing, as justice will not be upheld correctly under these lawyers.

So, if you want to be a lawyer in the future, reconsider. What is your incentive for wanting this job. Is it the sky high monthly pay that attracts you? Or is it the truth that you seek; that you wish to make sure justice is served to the person who deserves it?

MX

Animal Farm Saved/ Ruined my exciting life

2010-08-06T20:52:00.001-07:00

Yes! National Day is just round the corner!
Just think of the awesome display of fireworks and air performances during the parade!
And this year's National Day song sounds great!

...Pardon me but i just can't help but not feel excited at all.

Well, I had just recently read through Animal Farm, (which we did last year for literature) and all of Squealer's propaganda tactics and stuff. And I thought that Squealer must be the smartest animal in the world, or the animals must be the dumbest.

Then I took a look at the National Day Slogan for this year:
"Live our Dreams, Fly our flag"
Think Propaganda.
To me it sounded more like: "Live your dreams by flying our(Singapore's) flag"
Is Singapore that desperate to keep in our local talents?

Then I remember our National Day Parades every year.
Performances, live shows, National day rally and a goodie bag.
And I immediately thought of.... Spontaneous Demonstrations!
If you guys forgot already, Spontaneous demonstrations were parades held by Napoleon every Sunday on Animal Farm. These were held to increase the morale of the Animals. Similar to our beloved NDPs, Speeches, performances and and extra ration was given.
So... is our NDP actually just to give its people illusions that we are doing very well when we are not? To boost our morale?

So now that I think of it, Is the government really really smart, or are we the little farm animals? Too stupid to realise that we are being fed with Propaganda everyday! o.o

MX

Justice vs Mercy

2010-08-03T08:07:00.001-07:00

So we had this debate in class before
Which is higher/ more important?
Justice or Mercy?
This depends on various factors

Firstly I believe that it really depends on the situation.
If the situation is really minor, e.g. someone accidently bumped into you, then I believe we have to be gracious and have mercy on them. If we go by the theory of Justice of "an eye for an eye", it would be rather calculative if we wanted to use justice to punish them.
However, If the situation is especially major, such as murder or kidnap, then that's where the law comes in. Justice will exact the right and fair punishment to the offender, depending on the circumstances.

Secondly, I believe that it also depends on the victim as well. If the victim feels that mercy should be granted to the offender, and is gracious enough to let the matter rest and let go, it is, as Portia puts it "twice blest/ it blesseth him that gives and him that takes". However, it is really up to the victim whether he is willing to forgive and forget, as he does not really stand to gain in any way whether the offender is punished or not.

In my opinion, Justice is more important than mercy, as it helps to maintain law and order in the world. Without Justice, the world will be in chaos, and crimes will be rampant as there will not be a perpetrating force to stop these crimes from happening. If people have too much mercy, there will longer be any justice done, as the punishment will not be fair, and this may lead to a recurrence of the offence committed, as the punishment meted out is not harsh enough to deter the offender from doing it again. Although mercy is important as a virtue, it must not get into the way of Justice, so as not to obstruct the course of a fair verdict being passed.

Do you agree with my views on Justice and Mercy?

Yours Sincerely
Lim MX

Team

2010-07-27T07:39:00.000-07:00

What makes a team?
Sometimes during my Volleyball training, i ponder about this question.
Volleyball is a team sport, which thus requires great teamwork and skill to win the game.
Is it just the obligation to do your part to win the game?
or does it encompass trust in your teammates, and using what strengths you have to cover the weaknesses of your team.
Someone once said "A team is centred around a common vision. A great team enhances strengths and cover weaknesses."
I find this to be especially true.
A team must work together towards a common goal, in order to succeed. If all 6 members in the team all have different visions and goals, the team cannot possibly progress, as it is going in 6 different directions.
The second statement holds true as well.
If a team has flaws, they must work together to cover that vunerable spot. If a team has strengths, working on it will improve the team's performance greatly and will lead it to victory.
In my opinion, a team must be bonded, so that communication between team members will be strong and everyone will strive towards a common goal. A team must strive for constant improvement, so that the weak become strong and the strong become even better. All team members must love the team, as this will create good feelings about each other, and will thus improve the performance of the team.
In my own life, i treat my teammates as brothers. In court, we play together, we train together and we constantly support and encourage each other as teammates. We always want the best for each other.
For example, we will usually leave the weaker teammates who need more experience and training to train with one senior, while the rest of us may have to pair up with weaker seniors, or have to train 2 to 1 senior. But I guess we don't really mind, because we really want the best for each other. As much as we want to go over and join the teammate in his training, we know that doing so will decrease the amount of experience he gets from the training, and thus let him train solo with a senior which we know can raise his potential.
During matches, we constantly encourage each other to play the best that we can, and most of the time the blame is shared among us, or we admit our mistakes. This way, the team is harmonious and our team can continue to work together like a greased machine.
So, what does a team mean to you? I wish to gather insight on this matter on how others feel about teams.

Thank You
MingX

Home Learning Term 2 Part 2

2010-05-25T20:52:00.000-07:00

Task 2

Complete the template provided below (Annex A), focusing on (1) Point of View; (2) Situation and Setting; (3) Language/Diction; and (4) Personal Response, and post your response to Task 2 on your blog. This template is based on John Lye’s ‘Critical Analysis of Poetry’, and you can make reference to this in Annex B when in doubt.

Steps in Analysis

Point
Evidence
Elaboration

1.
1) POV

The POV of the poem is that of an American soldier who has experienced war and survived and lived to tell the tale. He is speaking from the first person perspective of a soldier in the battle itself

The poet uses words like "I" and "we" in the poem,

The poet uses "I" and "we", which shows that he is speaking from the direct first person perspective of the person fighting in the war, which is himself. "i" and "we" are pronouns which refer to oneself and thus it can be deduced that he is speaking from his personal point of view.
2.
2) Situation and Setting

The setting is that of a furious battle, in which the persona is in. There is a war going on directly where the persona is and there are many deaths and bullets flying. The atmosphere is tense with fear.

This is evident from how the persona describes his "heart is pumping adrenaline through all his veins" and "Bullets are flying". He also depicts his fear as a "strong mixed drink".

This shows how tense the atmosphere was, as the persona's heart was pumping adrenaline. A person would only feel adrenaline if he felt extreme thrill or fear. Thus, if the persons's heart was pumping adrenaline, it can only attest to the fear that the persona was feeling from the atmosphere. THe poet also creates the tense atmosphere by describing how bullets were flying, which is a personification that the bullets were free and flying in the air, thus describing the danger in the air.
3
3) Language/ Diction

The Poet uses straightforward and blunt language in this poem, to give a more realistic feel to the poem and add on to the first person perspective of the poem. He describes the situation very straightforwardly, so as to depict the situation from his point of view.

The poet directly takes whatever is said during his experience at war, such as "lock n load and grab your shit"

This shows his straightforwardness, as he does not change the words that are being said in the war, even though they may contain profanities. This is done in order to give the reader a greater impression that his experience that he is describing is coming straight from his real live experiences.

4

4) Personal Response

After reading this poem, I have gained a better understanding of the harsh realities of war. I have learnt that war is not as easy as it seems and is actually affected by all the factors such as terrain, and is a long, weary process. i have also gained a better insight into a soldier's feelings during a war.
I feel pity for the persona in the poem, as he has suffered greatly during the war, and had his "brothers" killed. At the same time, i feel a sense of relief for him, as he managed to survive the war. However, I cannot truly emphatize with the persona, as I have never been in his situation before.

Home Learning Term 2 Part 1

2010-05-24T20:25:00.000-07:00

We Slept With Our Boots On

They unloaded the dead and maimed right before our eyes
They washed out the blood, we loaded our ruck’s and then took to the skies
Over the mountains, villages, and valleys we flew
Where we would land we had not a clue
Bullets are flying, the LZ is hot
We’re leaving this bird whether we like it or not
30 seconds they yelled, Lock N Load and grab your shit
Get ready to go and make it quick
My heart is pumping adrenalin through all of my veins
I run as fast as I can through the lead rain
The noise is tremendous, terror I can’t define
The only reason I survived that day was divine
I kept pulling the trigger and reloading and pulling some more
You do what you have to do, with that I will say no more
We fought from the valleys to the mountain peaks
From house to cave, to car to creek
Dirty and tired and hungry and scared
We slept with our boots on so we were always prepared
Those majestic mountains so steep, so high they kiss the skies
The Hindu Kush has changed so many lives
Up the mountains with heavy loads we trod
Who knew hell was so close to God
Beauty and terror are a strong mixed drink
So we drank it like drunkards and tried not to think
Good men and bad men, Mothers lost son’s
Everyone loses their innocence when they carry guns
Washed in the blood, and baptized by fire
I will never forget those who were called higher
They say blood is thicker than water, well lead is thicker than blood
Brothers aren’t born they’re earned. In the poppy fields, the tears, and the mud
And when I get to heaven to Saint Peter I will tell
Another Paratrooper reporting for duty sir, I spent my time in hell

Steve Carlsen

Task 1

1) Based on your understanding of the selected poem, perform extensive web research and write a report on your blog detailing the conflict represented in the poem(s) of your choice. Bear in mind that this piece of background information will allow your blog audience to further understand the poem as well as your analysis of the poem in Task 2.

We Slept With our Boots On is a poem by Steve Carlsen, depicting the horrendous situation at war and his personal experiences when on the battlefield. Steve Carlsen is an American soldier who fought in the war against Afghanistan from 2000 to 2003, when he was honourably discharged. This poem depicts one of his battles during the war, in which he was parachuted straight in the middle of an ongoing battle, caught in the crossfire. He describes his experience of how he had to fight, tired and hungry in the different terrains in the battlefields. The fact that he was fighting in the Afghanistan war is evident, as he mentions the "Hindu Kush", which is somewhere in between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Chemistry Class

2010-05-10T05:11:00.000-07:00

The topic says it all.

Well, some of you might be laughing your heads off at the thought of this particular subject.

Or are you laughing at the teacher?

Well, our Chemistry test is just two days away, and i am getting fed up over the attitude of the class during Chemistry lessons. Therefore, I have sacrificed my revision time to blog about this horrendous situation.

Sometimes I wonder what the class really wants. Do they go to class to learn? Or do they go there for the sake of it, or to make a fool out of themselves. I am confused.

Every Monday and Wednesday, we have Chemistry lessons with our chemistry teacher, Mr Kong. No doubt, he is an excellent teacher, although he is tasked with teaching a dryer subject than others.

But he has this problem which is the target of the class's many jokes and mockeries. His speech, or as some would put it, "accent"

Perhaps some would find this funny, that this teacher is weird and eccentric.

But then again, we all have our flaws, don't we?

Perhaps he grew up in a Chinese background? That might explain his inability to pronounce certain words, wouldn't it?

But I do not think that this is a justifiable reason for the incessant laughter and mocking in his classes. What does it matter to the class if he pronounces someone's name wrongly or in his weird "accent"? I am sure that we all fully comprehend his words right? And so what if he contradicts himself sometimes? Faced with a bunch of laughing children against you, the poor teacher at the front of the class, would you make mistakes? And in the first place are these even mistakes?

And some people just have to ruin my studying mood in class by repeating his "accent" in class. Leave him alone for goodness sake! A student goes to class to study, and one might find it hilarious, but I find it annoying. If you want to make yourself more prominent and stuff, do it during recess or lunch for goodness sake and don't affect those who really want to learn! And so what if others find you funny? I doubt many will remember a joke shouted in class after 2 minutes. And even if they do, so what? Do you really think you will become more popular and have more friends? Then again this goes back to my post on friends. Those people who find you funny definitely aren't your true friends anyway, so why bother?

So in conclusion, may I appeal to all who read this post to stop bothering the poor teacher? I can tell that he is really trying his best to impart his knowledge to us, but he is constantly interrupted by jokes and the irritating sounds in class. Why not just accept him as he is, and just absorb whatever he has to teach?

Perhaps you find his lessons dry, but then again, I believe that if you all had bothered to read his notes and attempt to understand them, you would not find what he says alien.

Monitor

2010-05-06T06:02:00.000-07:00

When you think of the post of monitor, what comes to your mind first?
a) Irritating "shhhh"s from a crazy guy which turns off the lights every morning halfway into your revision, and chases you out of class when you are just 2 minutes away from the horn?
b) An emo guy who constantly tells you what to do?
c) A nice guy who marked attendance in term 1?

Well, I would think that all 3 options are quite accurate representations of the basic job scope of a monitor. the first part of each option then reflects on how some students may see me in class. Some may find me insane, some think i'm "emo" and others may find me nice. Whatever, then. Thats a matter of opinion.

However, there are many people who are prejudiced against monitors.

Some find that i am a nusiance by turning off the lights at 7:20 every morning, which somehow makes them unable to read because they suddenly become blind when the classroom lights are turned off.

Some find me irritating by making them go for lessons on time, and incessantly asking (or pleading) them to go for the lesson in the next period which is in another venue.

However, do they actually realise that if they don't follow what I ask them to do, they will get it from the teachers? If they do not go for assembly on time, they will recieve demirit points.
If they go for lessons late, the teachers will give them scoldings. But what do I get in return?

If they manage to reach on time, its perfectly normal, and I am the irritating freak.
If they don't, most likely I will be late too, trying to persuade them to go, and I am also to blame for their tardiness. What an irony.

Also, there are times when the monitor, singled out from the rest of the class or cmc, recieves the blame for certain class issues, such as our camaraderie, our class tidiness and for not organising class outings during the march holidays.

Then I ask, why me? because i'm monitor? Or because you think that Tom, Dick or Harry would do a better job replacing me? In the first place, class tidiness goes to the Facility Secretary, (whoever he is right now) and class outings are mostly part of the Welfare Secretary's jobscope. And may I remind all readers that in this new Hwa Chong CMC system, the monitor, unlike in primary school, no longer holds the position at the top of the class. rather, he is under the Chairman, along with the other cmcs of other jobs. But that being said, I want to know how you feel about this too. Some people regard the monitor as the "vice-chairman" of the class. Is this true or justifiable?

Also, some might say that we are "1 cmc body" and we should help each other out in our duties. However, the system is such that cmc members are elected for individual posts by their classmates. We, the cmc, only had one vote out of more than 30 each to choose who we thought we would work better with. This results in some cmc members whom we find hard to work with, and sometimes even detest. How then, does this make us "1 cmc body"? And has the school ever considered forming "political parties" in classes so that the cmc would run smoothly? Would forming political parties improve the cmc system overall?

Tze Han once commented on a facebook post regarding this matter by saying that "sometimes what you want is not what you seek" Well, i don't agree. I wanted this position and I somewhat knew that it would be relatively tough. And so let me reveal the reason for the "last minute nomination". Difference. Yes, I wanted to be different from most of the students in Hwa Chong. This was also the main reason why I joined council. Tell me, what is life in Hwa Chong if you are a typical, average student who gets average grades, in a mundane uniform group (no offence meant) and go home at 1:30 everyday except on Fridays? To me, that is meaningless. I feel that to be able to fully enjoy life in a school, one must take all opportunites that are avaiable. No doubt it will be challenging, but it enriches your life and gives you more that what others normally get. At the end of the 4 years here in Hwa Chong High School, that will be what sets you differently from the rest. Difference.

Yes, I'm finally done with this long ranting post. Anybody would like to comment?

Cheers,
Lim MX

A Tale of two Friends

2010-04-30T04:38:00.000-07:00

Recently, there have been a series of disputes between two of my close friends, and I have been quite troubled over this matter. The two of them have been best friends since the start of last year, and it really makes me unhappy when I see them bickering and refusing to talk each other now. As such, I have written a short poem, dedicated to them, to explain how I feel towards them:

WhY AND CHeeky boy

Friendship is a funny thing,

It can make one cry or sing.

Its a lifting angel's wing,

But pain and suffering it can bring.

Two awesome friends

whose chains i thought could not bend

were a queer but happy blend.

One was Why,

he was very shy

who was usually still

and calm like the sea

The other was Cheeks,

who was far from meek

and was hyper, high,

rainbows and sunshine.

A quiet guy,

a cheerful kid

a diverse but contented fit.

They say opposites attract,

and so they were right,

for their uncanny friendship remained intact.

They made a pact,

never to be sad,

and never on their words to go back.

But one fine day,

the atmosphere was gay,

but the clouds of storm were gray.

A trifle matter,

A furious battle,

and the rest was settled

He thought that the storm would be over soon,

and they would still look upon that shining moon,

but alas, it stretched past that very noon.

A cold war had begun

the damage had been done

And none of them could see the sun.

Their relationship astranged,

nothing could be arranged,

and the outstretched hand was strained.

Why, he felt guilty,

and sulked through the day

and his happiness was kept at bay.

Cheeks burining

he turned to solemnity,

and refused to accept his apology.

Why? He was too late

for his feelings could have prevailed,

had he said sorry at an earlier date.

The die had been cast,

and their fates had been sealed,

for the atmosphere remained still.

They refused to go,

should each other show,

and they avoided other but they know,

that deep inside they really want each other to show

that they want each other to be happy, rain or snow.

that they want to get back to the days and throw

away their misery and their sorrow

and revive the feelings that they had before.

And let the flame of friendship soar.

So why not they reconcile?

throw away their facades

and make up now?

start anew and see each other

from the perspectives that they had

when they forged their bonds

and made that pact?

To throw it away

and forget yesterday?

And once again see

the good in each other?

Hope you get the story anyway.

The Silence in the Air

2010-04-30T01:54:00.000-07:00

Today, Ms Soh got really pissed at our class.

Here was the situation from my point of view:

1) Ms Soh was introducing to the class a new part of our LA syllabus: War Poetry

2) Ms Soh was explaining to us about current affairs, pertaining to the current wars.

3) Ms Soh asked us questions about the topic, which nobody could answer, despite the fact that she had given us notes

4)She got angry with us, because she put in effort into making her lesson, while we did not bother to read her notes that she provided.

Therefore, 3 minutes before LA was over, this was the outcome of the lesson.

"Lets all go to sleep now".

"2O1, do you know that if a teacher dreads going to your class, it means that you are in deep trouble? Because she will no longer bother to give you notes and extra lessons."

"Ok? So 2O1, I will make sure you get hell."

And with that, Ms Soh threw her marker on the ground and left in a cloud of ice.

Upon seeing this, I felt shocked, but at the same time could not help feeling that our behaviour in class was perfectly normal. Hadn't it been like this for last term, or 2 terms ago last year, or for the whole of last year for that matter?

I think the problem here lies in our fear of speaking up and voicing out our opinions.

I fear being ridiculed. I fear that "paiseh" feeling when I ask or say something that I thought was intelligent, only to be laughed at seconds later when the truth comes crashing down on me that it was actually an idiotic question or remark. i fear being the "extra" one when this eerie air of silence lingers in the air. However, there are some times when I really do not know the answer, and thus I wait in my seat, expecting one of the more outspoken ones to break this silence. Most of the time, this happens after a while, but sometimes, it just doesn't happen.

Not today, I guess.

Sometimes, I also fear the ridicule that I may face if the teacher asks a rhetorical question and I answer. the heat or red on your face can really make you want to jump off a cliff sometimes. And sometimes, I can't even judge for myself if the teacher is asking a rhetorical question or not. This results in me not answering questions, as i fear that feeling above.

Also, there are times that the questions posed are really quite one dimensional, such that I do not know if the teacher will answer it him or herself. Thus, I keep my words to myself and bide in silence.

Back to the original topic once more, I do not find Ms Soh's actions surprising at all. If I was the teacher, and I provided all the answers to my questions a week before my lesson, yet during my lesson, nobody could answer my question, I would feel insulted too.

I believe that this has happened many times before in the history of 2O1, the more memorable ones being the "Animal Farm Cold war" during LA last year, and the "Javascript Outburst" which happened during a IS lesson recently. This seems so much like deja vu to me, and most likely the rest of the class. How many times do we want to commit the same mistake over and over again? How many times do we want to make our dedicated teachers angry and pissed again?

How long more will we allow this cold silence in the air to linger?

Friends

2010-04-23T04:03:00.000-07:00

Friends.

This Simple word, consisting of only 7 letters, play a major part in the lives of most people.

But different people have different perceptions of the word "friends"

To some, friends are the people around them who play and laugh with them everyday.

To others, friends are merely tools to help them to achieve a certain goal.

Sad Cases, I guess.

To me, friends are the people in life who go through thick and thin with you, and go through not only happy times, but the sad ones as well. They stick up for you when you are confronted by others, and help you out when you are having difficulties in life, and at the same time, share the fun times with you. To me, that is the definition of a true friend.

However, others may think differently. To some, their friends are their playmates. They are "friends" with each other possibly because they share the same interests and usually play together. These friends are just friends, bonded by the thin line of a common interests.

To some others, however, friends to them are people who can be "used" to achieve their goals. for example, some people, bent on getting a job would "make friends" with the boss of a certain company to get into his good books and thus get a job, possibly a higher one, in his "friend's" company. I feel that If one's perception of friends is as such, he or she would lead quite a sad life. In this case, his "friends" are not really true friends, but rather tools to gain what he wants. A life without true friends is dull and mundane, and is not especially fufilling. If one puts on a facade everyday, so as to be "friends" with someone of high power, then he is a cunning person, and his entire life would be superficial.

In my life, my friends make my life cheerful and happy, and are probably the only reason, besides studying, that i go to, (or rather endure) school everyday. The motivation and anticipation of getting to see my friends after school everyday is enough to get me through the day. It is also my friends who spur me on to strive harder and accomplish my goals, and at the same time, I know that I can rely on them, should I have any problem on my mind.

Friends, a major reason of why I live in this world.

What about you? What is your perception of the word "friends"? Do you have "true friends"?

Regards,

Lim MX

Tragedy in the Black Box

2010-04-08T05:27:00.000-07:00

A really Harrowing incident happened 2 days ago in the Black Box.

Now, I am sure that you all are fully aware of what happened, but here is a brief summary of the incident.

1130: 2O1 entered the Black Box for Chinese Drama Lessons. There was no teacher in the room. People start to get wild and play, like a horse when it sees a large, spacious field. Some highly intelligent individuals start to play with the Black Box's light controls. People start running around the Dark room like the infected in Left 4 Dead 2.

1135: The teacher enters the Black Box, late, and 'A' certain 'Ho' continues to play with the switches, literally "in his face".

And so we got a really stern lecture about cherishing our facilities, and about chinese moral values and the mannerisms of a Hwa Chong Student by our Chinese Drama Teacher.

But that was not all.

1230: The teacher calls for the class to greet him. This command is greeted with slow processing from the class, and a generally rowdy noise. (and to add on, a certain high jumper rolling on the floor for godknowswhat reason)

And we got the craziest lecture from the most idealistic teacher I have met.

The Chinese Drama teacher, angered from two incidences occurring in an hour, Ordered us all to stand in silence for 10 minutes, and if we made any sound or fidgeted a little, another 10 minutes. At the same time, we received the most expressive lecture I had ever heard. It appeared that the teacher's fuse had blown. We would have thought that it would be over in 10 minutes, but the teacher was so enraged that he made us stay for 3 times of the original planned time. His rationale went something like this:

"I want to blow up this matter! I'll make it so big that the principal gets involved in this! Make the whole school involved in the biggest ever search in Hwa Chong for a missing class! I want your art teacher to call everyone and frantically search for you!"

But in the end, after thirty minutes, we were ordered to vanish, and when we reached the art studio, the art teacher calmly replied: "Ok, guys, you must finish your designs for today."

But that isn't the point. From this entire incident, (which Dexter named "the tragedy in the black box" hence my title) our class lost 30 minutes of official curriculum. But then, who do you think is in the wrong? Is it our class for making the teacher angry, or the teacher for making a mountain out of a molehill by robbing us of 30 minutes of art lesson? Perhaps this could have been prevented? Anyone has any insight towards this incident?

Cheers,

LMX

Materialism = Happiness?

2010-04-03T00:49:00.000-07:00

Here is a message from Adam Khoo, which I read on his blog a while ago, regarding money. This is what he wrote:

Recently, someone came up to me on a plane to KL and looked rather shocked. He asked, 'How come a millionaire like you is travelling economy?' My
Reply was, 'That's why I am a millionaire.' He still looked pretty confused. This again confirms that greatest lie ever told about wealth (which I wrote about in my latest book 'Secrets of Self Made
Millionaires'). Many people have been brainwashed to think that millionaires have to wear Gucci, Hugo Boss, Rolex, and sit on first class in air travel. This is why so many people never become rich because the
Moment that earn more money, they think that it is only natural that they spend more, putting them back to square one.

The truth is that most self-made millionaires are frugal and only spend on what is necessary and of value. That is why they are able to accumulate and multiply their wealth so much faster. Over the last 7 years, I have saved about 80% of my income while today I save only about 60% (because I have my wife, mother in law, 2 maids, 2 kids, etc. To support). Still, it
Is way above most people who save 10% of their income (if they are lucky). I refuse to buy a first class ticket or to buy a $300 shirt because I think that it is a complete waste of money. However, I happily pay $1,300 to send my 2-year old daughter to Julia Gabriel Speech and Drama without thinking twice..

When I joined the YEO (Young entrepreneur's organization) a few years back (YEO is an exclusive club open to those who are under 40 and make over $1m a year in their own business) I discovered that those who were self-made thought like me. Many of them with net worths well over $5m, travelled economy class and some even drove Toyota's and Nissans (not Audis, Mercs, BMWs).

I noticed that it was only those who never had to work hard to build their own wealth (there were also a few ministers' and tycoons' sons in the club) who spent like there was no tomorrow. Somehow, when you did not have to build everything from scratch, you do not really value money. This is precisely the reason why a family's wealth (no matter how much) rarely lasts past the third generation. Thank God my rich dad (oh no! I sound like Kiyosaki) foresaw this terrible possibility and refused to give me a cent to start my business.

Then some people ask me, 'What is the point in making so much money if you don't enjoy it?' The thing is that I don't really find happiness in buying branded clothes, jewellery or sitting first class. Even if buying something makes me happy it is only for a while, it does not last.

Material happiness never lasts, it just give you a quick fix. After a while you feel lousy again and have to buy the next thing which you think will make you happy. I always think that if you need material things to make you happy, then you live a pretty sad and unfulfilled life.

Instead, what make ME happy is when I see my children laughing and playing And learning so fast. What makes me happy is when I see by companies and trainers reaching more and more people every year in so many more countries. What makes me really happy is when I read all the emails about how my books and seminars have touched and inspired someone's life. What makes me really happy is reading all your wonderful posts about how this BLOG is inspiring you. This happiness makes me feel really good for a long time, much much more than what a Rolex would do for me.

I think the point I want to put across is that happiness must come from doing your life's work (be in teaching, building homes, designing, trading,
Winning tournaments etc.) and the money that comes is only a by-product.

If you hate what you are doing and rely on the money you earn to make you happy by buying stuff, then I think that you are living a life of meaningless.

After reading this, I found myself agreeing to what Adam Khoo had said. Most of the time, true happiness does not come from material gains, but from other non-material things. As a teenager, I feel that this blog post is rather true, as we teens are rather well known for being spenthrifts and people who do things only for material gain. What do you guys think?

E-Learning TKAM Part 2

2010-03-02T05:27:00.000-08:00

Intrapersonal:

c. Write a diary entry for a major character of the novel.

Atticus Finch

Dear Diary,

Today, I taught Jeremy the true meaning of courage. Jeremy has always been the hasty one, and I believe that until today, his conception of courage is that of one with power and bravado. This has led to him, in certain cases, putting up a brave front in front of others. But the lesson today, I believe, finally made him realize what courage truly is. A few days ago, Dubose, through Jeremy, called me a nigger lover. Although I did not take that into account, Jem got insulted and went and cut off all the camellia buds in Dubose's garden. As a punishment,, I sent Jeremy to read at Dubose's house everyday. I did this for two reasons. Firstly, I wanted to help old Mrs Dubose and distract her so that she could quit her addiction from morphine. Secondly, I wanted to teach Jeremy a life lesson about courage from Mrs Dubose.

However, today, Mrs Dubose left the world in peace, in knowing that she left this world beholden to nothing at all. She had gotten rid of her Morphine addiction and left this world clean. She was truly a brave woman. When I told Jeremy this, I think he finally figured out what courage truly means; That courage is not a man with a gun in his hand. Mrs Dubose also left him a camellia, which, I presume was her way of telling Jem that everything was alright. Today, Jem learnt a lesson that I presume and hope that he will remember for the rest of his life.

7th May

E-Learning: TKAM

2010-03-01T16:31:00.000-08:00

Based on the test, I am a Musical and Intrapersonal person.

Musical: a. Write a song about the Tom Robinson Trial/ life in maycomb/ any other Incident

"Gives Me Hell" (To the music of Gives you hell by the All American Rejects)

By Mrs Dubose:

I wake up every morning,

With a big pain in my chest,

and i'm closer to eternal rest.

Everybody's thinking,

That i'm really just a big old hag,

and i really just love to nag.

When I feel that pain,

oh it gives me hell!

A day when i've not quit,

oh it gives me hell!

I need those kids,

to make me calm

and read me well.

And if i'm a fool,

they're just as well,

oh it gives me hell!

(oh it gives me hell!)

Tomorrow i'll be almost dead and gone,

and I really won't last for long,

Hope i'll throw my morphine out of the door.

I'm doing a cold turkey,

I hope that i can make it......

When I feel that pain,

oh it gives me hell!

A day when i've not quit,

oh it gives me hell!

I need those kids,

to make me calm

and read me well.

And if i'm a fool,

they're just as well,

oh it gives me hell!

(oh it gives me hell!)

Now you'll never feel,

What I get to feel,

Young lads learn from my lesson,

What real courage is.

Forget all my lies,

I can be nasty and nice,

And i really really really want to get back to health......

(Chorus x 2)

When you hear this song and know my thoughts,

You will never tell.

Jem Finch take this camellia, treat it well!

And beholden to nothing i will rest in peace....

Part 2 to be continued in next blog post.

Gambit

2010-02-16T01:44:00.000-08:00

Some people think that life is a gamble.

I did.

The recent outbreak of gambling from Chinese new year has changed my perspective.

So, when one thinks of Chinese New Year (CNY), what comes to mind?

Oranges?

"Rad Packets"?

Pineapple Tarts?

Most likely, in the course of the 3 day holiday, one would have played at least a round of "tai ti", poker, or blackjack. Most likely we would have indulged in some form of gambling. And that was exactly what me and my cousins did yesterday, at our grandmother's house.

We planned to play really small.

But somebody was planning to win it big.

The dealer, my 15 year old cousin, had originally come with no money at all. Seeing that we were having fun with cards, he decided that he would borrow money from us and use it to earn more.

What a gambling addict's mindset. He volunteered himself as the dealer, so that he would be able to earn much more money at a time and repay us as quickly as possible.

So we ended up with 8 people at the "table", and 1 deck of cards. We started with Blackjack, with my 18 year old cousin as the dealer, and played a few rounds before i decided that the game was boring. In this round, i lost a small bit of money, but the dealer lost even more. Mr Dealer was in debt now.

Next, we played "3 card" and i managed to recoup all of my losses from the poor dealer, who lost even more than before. "3 card" was my friend, as it did not require any skill at all. The dealer seemed to only get either really big numbers or really low numbers. So he either won it all or lost it all. But the latter happened more frequently.

Finally, we began with poker. And if "3 card" was my best friend, Poker was my Best friend. We For the sake of my 15 year old cousin, we started small with 10 cents entry bet and a maximum cap of $1. (I admit our bets were really small, but what do you expect with an age group of 11-18?) By this time, my poor cousin was begging for money to use to enter the game and to recoup all of his losses to return his debts. He already had already owed us a total of $15 by then. (Me, being the kind soul decided to the kind act of lending the money):) But in this game of poker, he lost even more than before, desperately trying to "follow" every card and win. He did win 1 or 2 rounds, but it did him no good in recouping his losses.

Finally, when the gambling fever reached its climax, we decided to play $5 poker, with a maximum cap of $10. Everybody literally tossed in their money and grabbed their hands of cards, vying for the ultimate prize of $40 - $80

But my dear cousin, wanting to use this money and recoup all of his losses, grabbed his chance and put his final $10 into the pit. Hands were taken, cards were placed and the game ended as soon as it started. And the winner of the entire $68 was my brother. And my cousin was in deep debt.

So the poor guy now owes me a huge sum of money and I will make sure he returns it back to me the next time he meets. But what I am really trying to say is that one should know his limits when gambling. I feel that the "i will win it all back" attitude that he showed yesterday was really a gambling addict's mindset. Also, he should never have started playing yesterday if he had no money to begin with. How he borrowed money from me yesterday parallels exactly how a gambler takes loans from a loanshark.

So linking back to my topic sentence, Life is a gamble. But then again does it mean that when we limit our bets that we put limiters to our lives? Sure gambling is about luck, but controlling our money when we gamble is a skill. Its all about whether you want to place the bet or not. But then again, always think of the consequences when you put that bet on the table of life.

What do you think? Is life symbolized by a game of cards and dice?

Signing off,

LMX

Volleyball history

2010-02-11T04:46:00.000-08:00

Yes, it has been made. Today, on the 11st of February 2010, The Hwa Chong C division volleyball team beat Bukit Panjang Government High School in a fierce battle, in the finals of the West Zone Volleyball competition.

HUH?

Let me elaborate. Well, as some of you would have already read, perhaps by chance, Dr Hon had already posted in another EMB message regarding the facilities of CCAs and their sufficiency. in his message, he stated that volleyball was not performing well. I guess we proved him wrong today.

On this day, our team fought a good battle against Bukit Panjang Government High School, and after a tiring struggle, we managed to emerge champions in the West Zone competition. This is rather significant, as the last time a The Hwa Chong C division volleyball team clinched this title was more than 10 years ago! So I say, We've made history! :D

Therefore, I wish to thank everybody who wished the best for us for this competition. Of course, I always do have an ulterior motive for writing posts too. I also hope that maybe Dr Hon would consider giving us the JC hall for training uses, Instead of the open Basketball Courts, which are hot and sunny during the afternoon, which is, by the way, the cause of my tan, and the queer reason why everybody is calling me a 'nigger' :) This is as we will have to host the West Zone volleyball competitions next year, being Champions of the zone. (mwahahahahaha!) :D

Yours Sincerely,

Lim Mingxia

Proud Libero of HCVB C Division Team

2O1, Our class bond......

2010-02-06T19:17:00.000-08:00

Recently, many students have broken into heated discussions over the class spirit of our class, 2o1. Yes, it is the sad truth. Our class is a broken up class with weak bonds, and I find it really sad. These are my thoughts:

What I believe would be great would be that 2O1 would become a clique in itself. not that everybody would be friends with each other, but at least its 28 friends and 6 other stubborn people who want splendid isolation, and the class is not split into cube-sized pieces of 4,6,3,5,2,3,2 e.t.c Therefore, I believe that a common topic of discussion would really bond us together. An example would be how mousehunt has bonded some classes together, but that would be really pathetic, seeing as mousehunt is a silly facebook application. (this is just an example)

Well, maybe the Welfare Secretary could organize some class outings together, which definitely would increase class spirit, as having fun with a group of friends usually increases bonding right? You do notice that throughout the whole of last year, we never had a single class fun outing together apart from school excursions. Having fun or striving to reach a common goal as one team or class definitely bonds people no matter the personalities people have. I parallel this to my volleyball team, as although we have different personalities, we are still bonded, having faced many challenges together. As to what activities, maybe Minghao could brief you guys more?......

Well, what i want is to be just like in a neighborhood, where people may not actually be BFF's or whatever, but still, they open up their doors to people of different natures, customs and personalities. That is my ideal visuallisation of a bonded class, as it is true that not all people can socialise with others extremely well.

Thus, I appeal to all of you: Anybody has any suggestions to improve our dying class spirit? Please share your ideals for our class or suggestions if you have any.

Yours Sincerely,

Lim MX

sad, sad monitor of a broken class. :(

Mousehunt and the rest of it.

2010-02-05T23:16:00.000-08:00

It has been raging on like a mad disease for 1 and a half years already, but when will it stop? Yes, Mousehunt is a "game" (it does not deserve the title of a game) (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game) on Facebook that has been "hogging" the conversation topic of many young and gullible teenagers who have too much time on their hands. On a rough estimate, o would suggest that around 80% of teenagers aged 13-14 have this application on their facebook, and 40% of those who play it are more or less addicted. Let me explain this game in detail.

Mousehunt is a game in which one clicks on a button, which entitles one to "catch a mouse" The effects of the button may result in you either catching a mouse, getting your cheese stolen by a mouse, getting pillaged AND cheese stolen by a mouse, or not attracting any mouse, with a chance of your cheese, which is used as bait for your trap, going stale. There are many mechanics of this application, though. The user must constantly upgrade his trap, by earning a certain amount of gold(the ingame currency) or catching a certain mouse to get parts to build a trap. Gold can be earned by catching a mouse, and allows you to buy a trap, which allows you to catch even better mice, which allows you to buy even better traps. Thus you see the vicious cycle of the developer's strategy to get users hooked onto the application. This has led to many addiction cases among users of the application.

Take our class as a solid example. Many people in our class play mousehunt, and there ARE some hardcore addicts in our class, believe it or not. These people almost refuse to go for their classes until the next fifteen minutes (the time taken before you entitled to catch a mouse), which results in them getting scolded or punished, because they are late for a certain period, which is not in class. BUT THEY STILL NEVER RELENT. Now you know why I am constantly late for every class in school, having to close the door before going for any class which is not in the classroom. Its tough being monitor.

And even if the lesson is in class, it means a greater amount of "horn sounds" for these addicts, with their laptops perpetually on in class, not willing to lose a single click of that button. Sometimes, I really wonder if the director of consortium was right in saying that we are trusted with our computers and are fit to be in this Future School program. This only applies to some people though.

Some people are even willing to give out their Facebook accounts to others to "help them sound the horn". This is the most foolish thing you can do with your Facebook. These people are so hopelessly addicted that they are willing to give out all their Facebook gossip and whatsoever for that Application and risk getting hacked and others using their accounts to post messages that ridicule themselves. BUT DO THEY ACTUALLY CARE? I think not, for they have already long seen Facebook as Mousehunt, Mousehunt as Facebook, and to them, facebook is the only way that they can access the application. How sad.

Do these people realise that this silly application is ruining their grades? Some people just "camp" at their computers waiting and counting every second to the next click of the horn shaped button. They claim that they are doing work, but are they? I would think not.

Well, I guess that the root of this addiction is the competitive nature of the game, for there are "ranks' or levels in the game that one must click enough of that stupid button to achieve, and there are some mice that are somewhat rarer than others. But I ask this: So what if you are a Baron or Knight in the game? so what if you have caught that Mobster mouse in the game. What does that give you? A sense of satisfaction? Bragging rights? And what after that? Is it worth trading your grades, money(for you can buy special items in the game with cash) and time all for this stupid game and for that sick sense of satisfaction? Weigh the values of these things and answer yourself.

I as a user myself, used to be in this state of addiction too (though i did not spend any money on it). I understand how it feels like, being "superior" to others in the game and laughing at people who were a much lower rank than me. But I am no hypocrite. I have changed since then and am contemplating to quit the game, now that i have thought it though and weighed the consequences. I have watched many a person's grades fall all because of this application and i do not wish to see more.

When will people finally understand that Mousehunt is a random event generator and not a game?

When will people finally come to their senses and spread this message?

When will people finally realise that what they are doing is a foolish and selfish act to themselves and their grades?

When will people finally realise that clicking that flash animated button is not doing them any good?

When will people finally realise that Mousehunt is just easy money for the developers?

I await with anticipation the day that the students from class 2O1 will not hold me back any longer to check their page or "sound their horn" (which ironically produces no sound).

Yours Sincerely,

Lim MX

The sad, sad monitor of a mousehunt infected class

Council Investiture 2010

2010-02-03T06:21:00.000-08:00

Council Investiture, An annual event in which Hwa Chong Invites student leaders from all over the country into our air-conditioned auditorium to "marvel" at the councillors of our school being invested as councillors. In other words, it is a significant.............ly pointless event for councillors of other schools.

Why do I say so? I have my reasons. Think carefully:

1) Why would other schools want to go to our school just to watch us student councillors stand on stage in a formation in our nice council uniforms and the Exco getting badge by the Director of consortiums, which are, to them, but teachers that they do not even know?

2) Why would students from other schools want to know who the Executive committee of the respective consortium councils are? Do they even recognise them in the first place?

3) Why would other students want to watch a photo montage of people whom they do not even know?

4) And why would other schools want a school tour of our school? What do we want to achieve by doing school tours? Or are we just "following tradition"?

These are some of the questions I had when I was having my Investiture this Afternoon.

We have a purpose for everything we do. We do the Investiture practically because we want other consortium councils to recognise the Excos and members of other consortium councils. We watch in pride as our fellow schoolmates stand on the stage in front of us and our Executive committees getting badged by respectable people we know, the directors of consortiums respectively. We film a photo montage to remind us of the fun times we had in council for the previous year. And we do our school tours because we have pride in our campus's facilities and landmarks.

But I ask myself then: Why invite other schools to our Council investiture? Sure, they may be here to grace the event, but School tours?

Follow, comment or drop dead.

Yours Sincerely,

Lim MX

The Ball Is Round

2010-01-28T05:37:00.000-08:00

The ball is round and we all know that. In sports terms, this means that anything is possible during a ball game. And I have experienced that for myself today.

Today after school, The Volleyball B' Division Team went down to Clementi Town Secondary to Play a very important match against The home team, Clementi Town Secondary School. What was so important about this match? You may ask, so I will tell you.

A week ago, our volleyball B'division team had already lost a match against Bukit Panjang Government High, Which meant that we would be "kicked" out of our group, unable to join the Semi-finals of the West Zone Volleyball Championships, If we lost another match.

One of Clementi Town's Players earned the Most Valuable Player award 2 years ago when they were playing in the C' Division (14 and under). Thus, this match would prove to be an extremely challenging but crucial one.

It was also an extremely important match for Clementi Town as well, as they too, faced the situation of being defeated by Bukit Panjang Government High School, and would not be eligible to enter the semi-finals if they lost this match. To add on, their C'Division had already lost 2 matches and would not be entering the semi-finals, so all of the School's hopes were pinned on them.

Therefore, with both sides having a strong desire to achieve and struggle for that spot in the semi-finals, what ensued was a Truly Adreline pumping and Raging battle.

But today, the C' Division team was there to cheer them on, to give them our moral support and morale to continue the game no matter what happened. But of course, being skeptical me, I did not expect a victory over the "Kings of the west zone"

On the first set, all the players fought tooth and nail for every single point they could achieve, and the set ended up in a deuce of 27 - 29, in Clementi Town's favour. At this point, I thought that we would not be able to make it, aas we had already lost half of the battle. Nevertheless, the C'boys still cheered enthusiastically and louder than before. (Yes, our sore throats can attest to that)

However, on the second set, our team managed to gain the upper hand. Spikes were exchanged; recieved, set and delivered back again stronger than ever. In this set, we managed to clinch a victory over Clementi town's home team. It now all depended on our third and final set.

Finally, our team overcame the odds and beat our opponents to the 25 point mark in the final set with renewed vigour. During the last few points, my feet were literally trembling with excitement as I could not believe my eyes. we were actually winning by a few points! What I had imagined impossible was being presented right before my eyes! The impossible had happened!

After the match, the Star player from the opposing school was overcome by emotion and broke down. No doubt it had been an exciting and long match, lasting for a good 1 and a half hours. Both teams had done extremely well in their performance today and I felt that it was a really excellent match played. Both schools performed to their utmost best.

Well, maybe you find the story and adjetives cliche, but everything that transpired today was true, a first-hand account of an eyewitness at the scene, yours truly.

I would like to thank all the Volleyball people at the match, the C' boys for cheering so enthusiastically and hyping up the B'boys' morale and the B'boys, for playing that absolutely wonderful match and trying your match. Today would not have been possible without you guys! What I thought to be a match already lost from the beginning turned out in an enourmous comeback victory for us!

And by the way, after the match, a girl from Clementi Town asked for one of my senior's number. Another little victory for him! :D

So I say, the ball is round, anything can happen when in sports :)

Follow, Comment, or drop dead. your choice.

Regards,
Lim MX

The Start is not the End but the End is the Start

2010-01-27T20:22:00.000-08:00

After hours of tedious brainstorming and "inspiration grinding", I have finally come to the conclusion that my blog slogan will be......... "The Start is not the end but the end is the start"

Well, this slogan symbolises the beginning or "start" mentioned in the first post, as well as the start first of my journey into... "celebrity blogging".

Find the slogan Confusing? Then try figuring this out: "The inside is not the outside but the outside is the inside, which is outside of the inside of the outside."

Maybe that helped?

Maybe not.

Then ask yourself this question.

Would you consider the start of the year as the end? (Clue: be Optimistic)

Then again:

Would you consider the end of the year as the beginning? (Clue: Be Optimistic)

Eureka! So there you have it, my blog slogan!

Actually, I found out that this blog slogan parallels to another saying, which is: When one door Closes, another one Opens, and when one door closes, another door opens. With this, I hope that I will be given many opportunities in this new year, prior to the number of closed doors last year. I shall excel in council in 2010!

And For Maths Geniuses only: Factorize my Parallel:

(Door Closes)^2 - (Door Opens)^2 = Door[(Opens +Closes)(Opens - Closes)].

Figure that one out for yourself :)

Follow, Comment or Drop Dead. Your Choice :)

Regards,

Lim MX

First Match Down!

2010-01-19T02:58:00.000-08:00

3 Cheers for HCIVB! Yes, it appears my missing of 2 periods of LA was not wasted today, for our team won the first match of the West Zone C boys Season! (Against Clementi Town Secondary School) Well, for those of you who like maths, here are the statistics. (Caution: Big numbers Ahead):

Ist Game: 25 - 12

2nd Game: 25 - 12

Hah, I bet even Albert Einstien won't be able to comphrehend these sophisticated scores. (Like, how can a person celebrating his 55th death anniversary think?)

Anyway, I thought it was quite a waste of time, as in: I might as well not have gone and they still would have "owned" the opposing school. I missed so many important things because of this match: Like -

1) 2 periods of valuable english lesson

2) My first session (and will miss the second) of OPSL (Ortus Peer Support Leaders)

3) My Briefing for helping out in the NYPS annual camp.

Of course, i'm not denying that the match was the most important of all, but i felt that my presence was not necessary and they could have won without me and I could have gone for 2 extra periods of english lessons, OPSL and an important briefing. Hah, how "win-win" Dr Hon should be proud of me. :D

Well, I guess I should console myself now. Good luck for the coming few matches Mingxia, you can do it! Do your best! "Jia you!" All the way!

*Sniff*

Cheers,

LMX

Sec 2 Volleyball

2010-01-18T02:18:00.000-08:00

Time sure does fly.

It seems like a really short period of time since I stepped into the Volleyball Court at the Junior College Section of the school. Hah, I still remember how I couldn't find the volleyball court at the start of the year and missed all the trials to join volleyball, then ended up appealing from ELDDS to volleyball.Then I still couldn't find the court for a week or so after that until my old primary school friend showed me where it was, that is at the other extreme end of the school......

Anyway, after one year of training, it will all boil down to this competition, this season, this 'C' boys category, for we will stand a significantly lower chance against the Secondary 5 students if we wait until we are 16 in the 'B' Boys category. Our expectations this year are fairly simple. Champions in the West Zone? No problem considering the impressively lucky draws that we've had for this first round of competition, which officially starts tomorrow. Hope that all will go smoothly and we will be able to crush Clementi Town Secondary School tomorrow. Wish me good luck! (:

Cheers,

LMX

A New Beginning

2010-01-12T03:57:00.000-08:00

Genesis - Greek for "beginning", which symbolises a new start in my second year of Hwa Chong life. The last year has been eventful, with many little "sagas" I as would call them. However, it has been a really enjoyable year for me, meeting so many new people and being suddenly thrown in this new school environment. Anyway, I hope that year 2010 will be yet another eventful year, just like the previous one, and i hope to achieve all my unfufilled wishes from the previous year. this year will definitely be one of my most challenging years yet, as i struggle to juggle (hey it rhymes!) my academics along with my 3 'Cs' (CCA, Council and CMC) and strive for better results than before in this for this "streaming year", as I am hoping for a place in the HP program. Wishing you guys all the best although this year is the year of tiger (woots) and may all of you shine! 2O1 2010 FTW!

Cheers,

Mingxia

mxgenesis

ps. My profile name bears no reference to any character in a random video game.