STOMP is a Singapore website which was created with the purpose of allowing Singaporeans to voice out their opinions and comment on the actions of other Singaporeans. The Singapore Seen section is a citizen journalism platform for Singaporeans to contribute news tip-offs, photos and videos. And very sadly, this Singapore Seen section has resulted in a Singaporean taking out his hand phone, snapping a picture of Hwa Chong students in uniform eating an ice cream on the bus, and posting it on Stomp, attracting tons of attention.
Personally, I believe that the entire situation lies in the fault of these students for the plain fact that they brought the ice cream up the bus. It was good that these students was brave enough to step forward to admit their mistakes and face the truth. However, although I do not approve their actions, I still believe that the presence of Stomp itself has caused the entire issue to flare up. In my opinion, I feel that Stomp is a disgrace to the image of Singapore. Go to www.stomp.com.sg and scroll down the home page. What do you see? There are headlines that talk about "Singapore's best love stories", "Meet Singapore's hottest pole dances" and "Grammar ninjas: Spot english errors anywhere!" If a foreigner somehow or rather sees the Stomp website, what image of Singapore do you think the foreigner would have? I am afraid it won't look very good on us.
What scares me the most is that Stomp was not set up by any random Singaporean or Singapore company. It was set up by The Straits Times! The Straits Times which is owned and run by the government! Though I understand that the government is trying to allow Singaporeans to practice their right of freedom of speech, I believe that this is not a good way to do so as it just reflects very badly on Singapore. Who knows, perhaps one reason why The Straits Times set up Stomp was because they just wanted to earn more money and make Singaporeans think that the government is giving them the liberty to have the freedom of speech.
That's just my opinion on Stomp as a whole and I am very sure many out there have same/differing opinions on this issue. And one clarification, I am not criticising the government in any way, just presenting my opinions on the setting up of this internet platform.
Showing posts with label 2011 ACE Posts Term 2. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2011 ACE Posts Term 2. Show all posts
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Social Media + GE 2011 = Excitement.
Surprisingly, this was my LA essay test topic. I personally have very strong opinions on this issue and therefore would like to bring the discussion online to talk more about it informally. In addition, I would also like to narrow the scope to make it easier to understand. Thus it would be the impact of social media in the recent General Election 2011.
With regards to GE 2011, I presume that everybody agrees that one reason why the GE was more exciting than all the previous ones was due to the presence of social media. During the entire course of the election, many political parties, especially the Opposition, tapped on social media and social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook for the spreading of information. Such an example is the National Solidarity Party who created a Facebook page to garner support for every single constituency that they were contesting in. In addition, other parties like Workers Party also created Twitter accounts to keep followers and supporters up to date about their upcoming rallies and walkabouts. Due to social media, many has thus been calling GE 2011 "the watershed election". From these examples, I think one advantage that we can find from social media is that it helps in improving the ease of the spreading of information. Just because of the presence of social networking sites, they has thus contributed to the fact that the General Election 2011 is so exciting. With Youtube, now anybody and everybody can post videos of the entire rallies online. Simply type in "Singapore General Election 2011 rallies" and I am sure you would have an entire list of rallies from various parties in a blink of an eye. With such accessibility with just a click, this has thus connected and made Singaporeans up to date with GE 2011 issues.
Another thing which I think contributed to the fact that General Election is so exciting is because social media has allowed many videos and pictures to go viral. Such an example is Tin Pei Ling's "I don't know what to say" line and her posing with a Kate Spade bag. Another example is the very unexpected returning officer, Yam Ah Mee, who became an overnight sensation after people kept hearing him repeat "Pursuant to Section 49, sub-section 7E, paragraph A of the Parliamentary Elections Act..." over and over again. Some even made a video of him repeating the line over and over again! See below for the "I don't know what to say" and "Yam Ah Mee" remixes.
With such videos and GE craziness, how can the general election not be exciting!
In my opinion, I believe that many Youth are addicted and hooked onto social media. One might not think so but if you think about it for awhile, we can actually consider ourselves addicted. I am sure that everybody has the tendency to go onto Facebook at least once everyday. And most of the time, we just keep it on as one of our tabs as we open new tabs to surf the web or complete our homework. This can be considered addicted to social media because we are already unknowingly spending many hours on the internet and Facebook. However, at the same time, I believe that social media also has many advantages like allowing friends to interact and discuss issues online. For instance, me and my friends were rapidly discussing the GE results online on polling day for 5 hours non-stop without the need to meet up physically. I think that social media can be put into good use, like has hyping up the entire GE atmosphere. However, I presume it all falls back down on how social media is used in order to reap the benefits from it.
With regards to GE 2011, I presume that everybody agrees that one reason why the GE was more exciting than all the previous ones was due to the presence of social media. During the entire course of the election, many political parties, especially the Opposition, tapped on social media and social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook for the spreading of information. Such an example is the National Solidarity Party who created a Facebook page to garner support for every single constituency that they were contesting in. In addition, other parties like Workers Party also created Twitter accounts to keep followers and supporters up to date about their upcoming rallies and walkabouts. Due to social media, many has thus been calling GE 2011 "the watershed election". From these examples, I think one advantage that we can find from social media is that it helps in improving the ease of the spreading of information. Just because of the presence of social networking sites, they has thus contributed to the fact that the General Election 2011 is so exciting. With Youtube, now anybody and everybody can post videos of the entire rallies online. Simply type in "Singapore General Election 2011 rallies" and I am sure you would have an entire list of rallies from various parties in a blink of an eye. With such accessibility with just a click, this has thus connected and made Singaporeans up to date with GE 2011 issues.
Another thing which I think contributed to the fact that General Election is so exciting is because social media has allowed many videos and pictures to go viral. Such an example is Tin Pei Ling's "I don't know what to say" line and her posing with a Kate Spade bag. Another example is the very unexpected returning officer, Yam Ah Mee, who became an overnight sensation after people kept hearing him repeat "Pursuant to Section 49, sub-section 7E, paragraph A of the Parliamentary Elections Act..." over and over again. Some even made a video of him repeating the line over and over again! See below for the "I don't know what to say" and "Yam Ah Mee" remixes.
With such videos and GE craziness, how can the general election not be exciting!
In my opinion, I believe that many Youth are addicted and hooked onto social media. One might not think so but if you think about it for awhile, we can actually consider ourselves addicted. I am sure that everybody has the tendency to go onto Facebook at least once everyday. And most of the time, we just keep it on as one of our tabs as we open new tabs to surf the web or complete our homework. This can be considered addicted to social media because we are already unknowingly spending many hours on the internet and Facebook. However, at the same time, I believe that social media also has many advantages like allowing friends to interact and discuss issues online. For instance, me and my friends were rapidly discussing the GE results online on polling day for 5 hours non-stop without the need to meet up physically. I think that social media can be put into good use, like has hyping up the entire GE atmosphere. However, I presume it all falls back down on how social media is used in order to reap the benefits from it.
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Aljunied - A New Beginning.
Just a clarification before I start this post, this is just my personal opinion and thoughts on the victory of Workers Party in Aljunied. Anybody who has similar or opposing views, do comment! I would love to hear your thoughts on a similar issue.
I believe that Workers Party taking Aljunied is a historical milestone in Singapore's political history. Not only because it is the first time a GRC has been taken by the Opposition or that there is a record number of 6 elected Opposition members of parliament, but more of because this shows that Singapore has a viable Opposition. PAP has been holding a strong foothold ever since Singapore's independence and although many do not openly question their power, some do secretly hold grudges against the party and are silently, hungry for change. The Workers Party's victory in Aljunied has thus shown that change might finally begin for some Singaporeans. However, what some might not know is that Aljunied, can be very simply considered a guinea pig.
The Opposition has never had such a large number of candidates elected into parliament. They were often the underdog and some doubted their ability to rule the country. I think one of the reasons why Singaporeans voted Workers Party into Aljunied was because they wanted to personally see what the Opposition can do. This 5 year period until the next election in 2016 is thus a very important time period for them. If they do well, they might gain more support from other Singaporeans and this could eventually lead the Opposition in creating an alternate government, However, if the residents at Aljunied are not satisfied with their 5-year performance, I feel that this would be a big blow to the Opposition as Singaporeans would know that they are unfit to rule the country. Therefore, Aljunied would be used as a gage for the voters in 2016.
Just presuming that Workers Party does do a good job, I believe that if I was the PAP, I would be freaking out, worried that I would lose my foothold of other constituencies. Look at Joo Chiat, the Opposition lost it due to a mere 300-400 votes. If Aljunied is run well, Joo Chiat and East Coast would next have the fear of being lost to the Workers Party. The Opposition would thus very slowly, constituency by constituency, try to win the votes and trust of Singaporeans. And who knows! One day they just might take over Singapore.
Tricky and sneaky plan? Yes I have to say so. However, this does mark a new beginning in Singapore. Looking forward to a strong fight by the Opposition in 2016.
I believe that Workers Party taking Aljunied is a historical milestone in Singapore's political history. Not only because it is the first time a GRC has been taken by the Opposition or that there is a record number of 6 elected Opposition members of parliament, but more of because this shows that Singapore has a viable Opposition. PAP has been holding a strong foothold ever since Singapore's independence and although many do not openly question their power, some do secretly hold grudges against the party and are silently, hungry for change. The Workers Party's victory in Aljunied has thus shown that change might finally begin for some Singaporeans. However, what some might not know is that Aljunied, can be very simply considered a guinea pig.
The Opposition has never had such a large number of candidates elected into parliament. They were often the underdog and some doubted their ability to rule the country. I think one of the reasons why Singaporeans voted Workers Party into Aljunied was because they wanted to personally see what the Opposition can do. This 5 year period until the next election in 2016 is thus a very important time period for them. If they do well, they might gain more support from other Singaporeans and this could eventually lead the Opposition in creating an alternate government, However, if the residents at Aljunied are not satisfied with their 5-year performance, I feel that this would be a big blow to the Opposition as Singaporeans would know that they are unfit to rule the country. Therefore, Aljunied would be used as a gage for the voters in 2016.
Just presuming that Workers Party does do a good job, I believe that if I was the PAP, I would be freaking out, worried that I would lose my foothold of other constituencies. Look at Joo Chiat, the Opposition lost it due to a mere 300-400 votes. If Aljunied is run well, Joo Chiat and East Coast would next have the fear of being lost to the Workers Party. The Opposition would thus very slowly, constituency by constituency, try to win the votes and trust of Singaporeans. And who knows! One day they just might take over Singapore.
Tricky and sneaky plan? Yes I have to say so. However, this does mark a new beginning in Singapore. Looking forward to a strong fight by the Opposition in 2016.
Tin Pei Ling - Disgrace?
In the recent General Election 2011, there have been lots of talk on the various candidates which both the PAP and the Opposition had presented. This was especially so for Tin Pei Ling from the PAP. Many criticized her for being "immature" and "childish". Some also believed that she did not have a good grasp on the topics which were raised in the GE. Videos and photos were circulated around, showing Tin Pei Ling posing with a Kate Spade bag, with her now famous "I don't know what to say" line. In addition, Tin Pei Ling's reply to the "What is the greatest regret of your life?" question by the media has already attracted a lot of attention. Many Singaporeans have criticized her for not understanding the problems that an average Singaporean face. This was ever since she told the media that "the education for children in Singapore is already very low".
Personally, I think that the main aim and reason why the PAP decided to put Tin Pei Ling as a candidate was to have candidates which could connect to the Gen Y population of Singapore. In my opinion, I believe that it was a fantastic and ingenious move on behalf of the PAP, because the votes of the Gen Y Singaporeans in GE 2011 would have played a big difference. Therefore, by putting a candidate of the same age to contest for them, it would have been extremely applicable and such candidates could appeal to the hearts of Gen Y supporters.
However, whether PAP unveiled the right Gen Y candidate was the big question. I think that Tin Pei Ling is completely unsuitable to be a member of parliament. She is unable to fully grasp the issues raised in the GE, she did not act like a matured 27-year old, and Tin Pei Ling was not completely convincing or articulate when speaking in front of the camera. Some Singaporeans say that Tin Pei Ling was just young and that she could grow up and become a more matured individual. However, I believe that if Nicole Seah, who is 24-years old and younger than Tin Pei Ling, can show a higher level of maturity than her, this cannot be used as an excuse for her immaturity. Although I have to respect Tin Pei Ling for being brave and daring enough to take on the challenge to enter the world of politics, I feel that with regards to the future of Singapore, the PAP should seek out better Gen Y candidates and groom them into becoming the next batch of leaders of Singapore. It is then can the PAP successfully earn the support of Youth.
I personally believe that the PAP is too stuck in their old ways and are becoming more old fashioned. Such an example is how PAP does not heavily tap on the connectivity which social networking sites and the internet has provided. On the other hand, the Opposition tapped on this medium as a form of communication. It was highly successfully in spreading information to Singaporeans, especially for the more tech-savvy Gen Y voters. In order to gain the support of these Singaporeans, I feel that the PAP needs to change their ways to allow Youth to relate to them easier.
So is Tin Pei Ling a disgrace? Sorry to say, I think so. However, good job to the PAP for attempting to bring the next generation of leaders into playing a part to improve Singapore. I am sure everybody would be eying on Tin Pei Ling. Let's see if she does a good job in Marine Parade GRC.
Personally, I think that the main aim and reason why the PAP decided to put Tin Pei Ling as a candidate was to have candidates which could connect to the Gen Y population of Singapore. In my opinion, I believe that it was a fantastic and ingenious move on behalf of the PAP, because the votes of the Gen Y Singaporeans in GE 2011 would have played a big difference. Therefore, by putting a candidate of the same age to contest for them, it would have been extremely applicable and such candidates could appeal to the hearts of Gen Y supporters.
However, whether PAP unveiled the right Gen Y candidate was the big question. I think that Tin Pei Ling is completely unsuitable to be a member of parliament. She is unable to fully grasp the issues raised in the GE, she did not act like a matured 27-year old, and Tin Pei Ling was not completely convincing or articulate when speaking in front of the camera. Some Singaporeans say that Tin Pei Ling was just young and that she could grow up and become a more matured individual. However, I believe that if Nicole Seah, who is 24-years old and younger than Tin Pei Ling, can show a higher level of maturity than her, this cannot be used as an excuse for her immaturity. Although I have to respect Tin Pei Ling for being brave and daring enough to take on the challenge to enter the world of politics, I feel that with regards to the future of Singapore, the PAP should seek out better Gen Y candidates and groom them into becoming the next batch of leaders of Singapore. It is then can the PAP successfully earn the support of Youth.
I personally believe that the PAP is too stuck in their old ways and are becoming more old fashioned. Such an example is how PAP does not heavily tap on the connectivity which social networking sites and the internet has provided. On the other hand, the Opposition tapped on this medium as a form of communication. It was highly successfully in spreading information to Singaporeans, especially for the more tech-savvy Gen Y voters. In order to gain the support of these Singaporeans, I feel that the PAP needs to change their ways to allow Youth to relate to them easier.
So is Tin Pei Ling a disgrace? Sorry to say, I think so. However, good job to the PAP for attempting to bring the next generation of leaders into playing a part to improve Singapore. I am sure everybody would be eying on Tin Pei Ling. Let's see if she does a good job in Marine Parade GRC.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
MYSTERY DEATH SURROUNDING BOB EWELL...
Haha yea that's the title of my newspaper article.
Here's the link: http://www.scribd.com/doc/54600448/Mystery-Death-Surrounding-Bob-Ewell-Newspaper
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Raphael
Here's the link: http://www.scribd.com/doc/54600448/Mystery-Death-Surrounding-Bob-Ewell-Newspaper
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Raphael
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
LA Expository Essay
Whew... Expository essays are really hard. Need to start seeking help from my peers. Going to study hard before next week's test! To my classmates, please give some comments so tha I can improve on my expository essay skills!
It is sometimes suggested that young people owe their parents nothing at all. Do you think such a statement is true? Write an essay giving your views.
As a new generation of youth appears, many issues have risen over the statement of whether young people should be filial to their parents and that everything they have is due to the hard work of their parents. This is especially so for Asian communities and societies where heavy emphasis has been placed on filial piety. However, the new generation of youth has adopted a mentality that young people do not owe their parents anything at all and this has thus sparked off much debate over this topic. Personally, I do not agree with this statement. Since young people depend on their parents for their needs and wants and parents raised their children up since young, young people owe everything to their parents.
The choice to have children lay in the hands of parents. Although parents foresaw the many difficulties of having children would bring, they still made the choice to raise a child. For most parents, they put in a lot of effort in creating an ideal environment for their child to grow up in. In addition, most of the time, it is due to parents’ efforts which has created and led young people to the right path in living the rest of their life. Therefore, this clearly shows that parents are responsible for both the future and well-being of their child and these young people thus owe everything to their parents.
Another reason why young people owe everything to their parents is due to their reliance on parents for basic needs. Due to today’s high-tech society, this has created a mind-set among young people that there is a need to be in possession of the latest game consoles, latest mobile phones and latest electronic gadgets. In order to obtain them, young people would thus have to fork out sums of money to pay for them. Young people often forget that this money which they are spending is money which their parents have earned. It was through their own hard work which allowed parents to manage to earn enough for the family. Young people often forget where the money that they spend come from and this causes them to believe that they owe their parents nothing at all. Therefore, as young people constantly rely on their parents for basic needs, such as money, Youth owe everything to their parents.
Some people might disagree with my stand as there is an increasing amount of Youth who are finding their own jobs to make money and therefore, parents do not solely support the young people and provide them with their needs and wants. Although I agree with their claims, one must also accept the fact that the reason why young people today are able to find a job and live comfortably in today’s society is because their parents had created a stable foundation of which these young people are allowed to progress and excel in life. In addition, before young people are even eligible to go out and work, their parents have been supporting them and providing for them ever since young. Therefore, this ultimately leads back to parents playing the biggest role in young people’s life and therefore young people owe everything to them.
No matter whether one might agree if young people owe everything or nothing to their parents, the most essential thing is that young people accept and respect their parents for nurturing and bringing them up since they were young. Most importantly, young people must take care of their parents no matter the situation, just like how their parents did so when they were young.
Monday, April 18, 2011
A Day of Life in World War 2
Personally, I cannot imagine living in one of these wars. Especially after looking all the videos which we were recommended to watch, such as the "Saving Private Ryan - Omaha Beach Part 1", all that you actually want to do is just break down and cry. The videos are not only superbly saddening, but superbly disgusting as well. Looking at the guy pick up his own bloody hand which is detached from his body? That's... just disgusting. Here's my assignment for imaging myself being in one of the wars:
Crouching in the shadows, running away in the dark, having German soldiers trailing you like dogs. At every single point of day, every single minute and every single second, my family hid in our secret home which was located inside an office. The bookshelf the only way into our private and hidden home. German soldiers were outside every day, breaking into homes and dragging them out, taking them to places which were never spoken of. Those Jews were never seen again. Living in a fear of being caught, living in a fear of death, that traumatises the entire life of a child as young as me, forever. But will I even survive?
Crouching in the shadows, running away in the dark, having German soldiers trailing you like dogs. At every single point of day, every single minute and every single second, my family hid in our secret home which was located inside an office. The bookshelf the only way into our private and hidden home. German soldiers were outside every day, breaking into homes and dragging them out, taking them to places which were never spoken of. Those Jews were never seen again. Living in a fear of being caught, living in a fear of death, that traumatises the entire life of a child as young as me, forever. But will I even survive?
Descriptive Paragraph on War
The ground shook with every blast and explosion. Soldiers dropped to the ground as a rain of bullets flew above their heads. "Get down! Get down!" The commander spat out orders. A soldier covered in blood, took out a grenade and time instantly slowed down as he stood up and threw it at angle. The grenade soared across the sky just as a bullet flew straight into the head of the soldier and he collapsed onto the floor. As the grenade exploded, blood flowed out of the soldier's head. He was dead.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)