Facebook: A Waste of Time?

There has been many arguments pertaining to this issue; some may think that Facebook is never a waste of time with all the games, applications, people you can find there, while others might think that it is a pure waste of time.

The benefits of Facebook, which is what many would argue to be the merits of Facebook and why it is never a waste of time, is that it contains many entertainment utilities like games and cool applications that can show you when you die and what god tells you (Of course, they're just for the fun of it). Most importantly, it allows you to maintain relationships with one another, even after a long time. For example, some things that Facebook can do is to remember all of your friends birthday. I for one, would never be able to remember all of my friends birthday without the help of Facebook, so indeed it is helpful. Furthermore, Facebook can be said to be a "hoster" for many games as Facebook itself does not really produces games for users to play with. Some examples of this very addictive game: Mousehunt, Backyard Monsters, everyone plays them. Lastly, Facebook also allows users to create groups, which can be used for many purposes. Examples of these groups include political groups for publicizing, class groups, and many more. Thus, over more than half of Facebook's 400 million users would say that no, Facebook would never be a waste of time.

On the other hand, there is another small bunch of people who would argue that Facebook is a waste of time. Small, but yes, they do exist. The basis of their argument would be that what Facebook does is make your life lazier, more generically like what technology does. In rebuttal to my previous point on how Facebook remembers your friends birthday, many would say that the sincerity of remembering your friend's birthday would be gone with Facebook. People nowadays no longer depend on themselves to remember their friend's birthday, so what's the use of looking at the day's event before going to your friend's wall and post a "Happy Birthday"? Furthermore, some would find that Facebook is a totally immature form of platform. So what does one actually get for "poking" someone else on Facebook? What's the point of liking all those weird and totally random pages like "The awkward moment: when the Queen confuses the Royal Wedding with a fancy dress party and comes as a lemon." What then is the point of all these pages? Entertainment? Or would it more to be discriminations? Besides, if Facebook was to close down one day, all of these contact information would be gone instantly. For avid users of Facebook, can we assure that they can still live on without it? Lastly, supporters of Facebook being a waste of time can also argue that Facebook can be a very dangerous source of platform for cyber bullying as well as what some call "stalking". As people normally do not "private" their information such as their addresses and number etc., information can be seen by ANYONE and EVERYONE in the world. How dangerous would it be if informations like that of government officials fall into that of terrorists then? The consequences would be severe. Thus, the minority of Facebook users would say that Facebook is not only a waste of time, but also a threat to some.

Well, my stand in this issue is that, Facebook is a waste of time, but it cannot be argued as a platform that does no help to users at all. I, for one, am on Facebook almost all the time away from school. However, I admit that I do nothing in Facebook except for games and staring at the recent news every 10 minutes. A distraction it is, but with the help of Facebook, it has also allowed me to form discussion groups for my friends and I to discuss our project in an easier, more effective platform. Although some may say that the Window Live Messenger would be a more useful tool in this case, Facebook would be a better choice as one would have a higher chance of having Facebook as compared to MSN due to the high popularity of it, especially among teenagers.

Thus, I believe that there are many viewpoints to this issue. As long as people are able to utilize it fully to their advantage and not be taken in by its disadvantage, Facebook would inevitably remain as the best and most popular social networking site.

Task_Featured Article (Task)

Court Case Featured Article

http://www.filedude.com/download/drIO3lFxEHbc32d7f29d

Comments for Expository Essays

For the expository essay exercise done on Thursday, 21 April 2011, I have commented on the following people's essay on their blogs:

Lee Liak Ghee (10)

Low Wei Yang (13)

Jonathan Ng (17)

Ivan Ong (19)

Kervin Tay (23)

Essay

What do you consider to be the most important social problem in the world today?

Social problems around the world: lack of values, relationship issues within families, prejudice, which is the most important among them all? Of course, there might be different arguments for it; some may say that prejudice is the most important because these incidents are happening around them, while others might say that the lack of values is the most important as the new generation is starting to show their wrong attitude about life. I would say that none of these are the most substantial problem, but the problem of greed would be the one that might harm our world the most in the near future.

Workers yesterday, managers today, state bosses tomorrow; would people ever be satisfied? A definite no! The generation today would always seek for a higher position in life, never willing to stop and be happy with their own results. An example would be the infamous Adolf Hitler. Did you know that before he became a leader and dictator of such power, he was just a mere worker? Because of his overwhelming greed, he had that strong desire to crave for more power even after he became a leader, resulting in him killing over fifty million people in his lifetime. This is an example of the phrase “greed is the root of all evil”. What would we do if we would have someone like him in the world again?

The problem of greed does not stand alone; it affects the honesty of a human being as well. When one starts being greedy, underhand means would be used to attain what they desire. In a competition, we often see people harming or threatening their competitors prior to the match so as the gain the upper hand before the game even starts, giving them unfair advantages over others. Wouldn’t this reflect badly upon them, both that they were greedy and that they were dishonest?

Some may argue that prejudice is the most important social problem, but in actual fact, prejudice is actually caused by greed. Cases of prejudice occur in many different forms: skin colors, income groups and many more. For skin colors, people show greed as people would want more advantage over some other people, and income group depicts greed as the rich did not help the poor but instead, flaunt their richness by making the poor do work and treat them like slaves. Don’t these then show that greed is indeed the root of all evil?

One would never be satisfied with himself. At the end of the day, the problem of greed would never cease to exist. Nevertheless, as long as people in the world know when to stop, the social problem of greed would definitely decrease drastically and thus, other social problems that arise such as prejudice and crimes would subsequently diminish eventually.

(Word Count: 467)

NSmen trained to be fit, strong soldiers -- yet this one makes maid carry backpack

http://singaporeseen.stomp.com.sg/stomp/sgseen/caught_in_the_act/588060/nsmen_trained_to_be_fit_strong_soldiers__yet_this_one_makes_maid.html

This STOMP news is about a NS man caught on camera having his domestic helper carry his bag pack while he is using his phone. This photo has reflected a very negative impact on the Singapore army as comments have reflected the public's displease with the army, thinking that if NS men are unable to carry their own bag pack, how would they be able to defend our country?

I feel that this particular NS man here is a very bad example of soldiers in the army. Although there are minority of people who are causing all these bad public impression, there are the majority, who are of course strong and independent. The main purpose of the army is to make sure that men in Singapore are all physically fit and are able to defend our countries in times of need. Another purpose is to ensure that men actually become independent instead of being waited on all the time.

I believe that the army should find out who exactly is this NS man and discipline more to ensure that this type of acts would not be caught by the public again. Should there be more of such case, I am sure that other in times of war, other countries would be able to intrude Singapore very easily due to the fact that our army is not smart, quick-witted and too dependent on others.

A day in the life of World War II

Dear Diary,

We were victorious; VICTORIOUS. We have successfully intruded the ridge and have seized it from the enemy’s hands. This battle was one to remember; as it was the first one I have fought in my lifetime. Right now, soldiers and commanders alike are celebrating outside, singing, dancing, and feasting after our first victory in intruding the Southeast Asia. I really wonder, why did the emperor want to go into war? Wasn’t it much better when we were living in peace, happily beside our family? It was indeed a great victory, but how long will this victory last? One year? Three years? Ten years?

The battle was cruel, brutal. Blood were spurt all over the battlefields, as thousands of enemies and allies alike fell onto the ground, one by one, dead. Even my best friend, Sam, was killed in this battle. It was tragic, tragic indeed, blown into pieces by the impending grenade. I would back out from this war right now if I could and return home and be with my family. Everything seemed like a heaven before war, and now, after my first battle, I would never wish for a second one.

They seem to be having much fun outside now, I should be joining them. Besides, I should be living everyday like it’s my last. Perhaps this diary entry would be my first, and my last? Well, I’ll just hope that I’d be able to write diary entries all the way till the end of the war. Hopefully.

July 8, 1937

Wei Kiat

Descriptive Paragraph_Class Task

One look and you’ll see the dozens and dozens of unfortunate and malnourished children, all looking weak and fragile, camped at this undesirable forest with bad conditions. In every corner of the forest, a child could be seen; the look of fear and hunger was evident, on each and every single child, while their ribcage was protruding out of their thin skin. With bloated stomachs, these children were reeking of unpleasant smell, as though not bathed for years. Occasionally, cries from these toddlers could be heard echoing through the forest, as they weep in desperation. As I laid my hands on one of these children, I could feel their rough and dry skin, as though touching an uneven rock. Torture it was, for these newborns, who have yet to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

STOMPed

http://singaporeseen.stomp.com.sg/stomp/sgseen/ugly_commuters/606506/even_students_from_elite_school_cant_follow_noeating_rule_on_bus.html

This STOMP report is about three Hwa Chong students being captured by the public eating ice-cream on the bus. From the comments, there are two main sides of looking at this case.

The first perspective would be that from the STOMPer's point of view, that students' from elite schools can't even show proper discipline in public, and are only "nerds" to them. I find that this point of view is a very biased one, as it might be the viewpoint of members of public who detests these students from elite schools. This can be evident from their repeated usage of the term "nerds", which is an impolite term used to describe people who only studies and does nothing else. These type of thinking is more prone to people who are unable to view things in the larger scale. When students from neighbourhood do such a thing, would they blow up the matter? Why is it such that the actions of pupils from elite schools "deserves more attention" from the public?

The second perspective, which I believe is a fairer view of issue, is that students in Singapore are not disciplined enough to follow rules. However, I still feel that this mindset should be instilled into the people, as it is only the minority of the population who are ruining the reputation of the country. When one commits something wrong, such as eating in the bus, the issue is immediately blown up and pictures and information are released onto the World Wide Web. When doing so, wouldn't the STOMPer, in this case a Singaporean, be ruining the reputation of his/her own country? Why is it such that only negative images are portrayed and showed to the members of the public, and not the helpful, the understanding and caring side of our citizens?

I find that blowing this case up by putting it onto the World Wide Web is a bad move. The STOMPer should just have informed the school of this misbehavior outside school compound and let them handle the issue behind closed gates. In fact, I think that the whole set-up of STOMP was a big mistake. NS men having maids carry bag packs, students kissing explicitly in neighbourhood parks, China hawkers attacking patrons for taking extra ikan bilis; is it really a necessity to have all of these undesirable news to be placed online for everyone around the globe to view? What would their impression of us be? Thus, I believe that usage of this online platform, STOMP, which only gossips and does harm for our reputation as a Singaporean, should be highly discouraged.

*No stand is taken in the issue of the Hwa Chong STOMP case here to avoid undesirable comments.*

Corporal Punishment

A corporal punishment is a deliberate punishment of inflicting pain onto the wrongdoer, mainly as retribution for an offence commit or for disciplining him/her. There are three main phases of a corporal punishment, namely at home, in school, and judicial punishment.

For punishment at home, it is a very common sight as children are often spanked or caned using a cane when they misbehave or did something wrong. Other common actions, mostly used on younger children, is to get their child on their lap and spank their bare buttocks.

For punishment in school, it is often done where the Discipline Master would cane a student in front of a group of students, sometimes a class, a level, or the whole school. This was to serve as a reminder to the rest of the student population not to misbehave and also to the offender, whose self-esteem would naturally be affected.

For judicial punishment, it is very often seen in jails with criminals who have committed serious crimes and jail terms are just not sufficient enough and death penalty are just too heavy. Caning in jail are far more pain as compared to schools or at home and thus, are able to leave a burning and permanent scar on the inflicted. An example of one who received such punishment was Michael P.Fay, who was an american teenager who vandalized in Singapore, thus having him undergo caning, leading to the displease of the Americans.

Newspaper

What is the difference between broadsheet and tabloid newspapers? Does one always deal with more respectable news / produce more professional journalism than the other? Are there in-between types of newspapers?

The most distinctive difference between a broadsheet and tabloid would be its size. A broadsheet, as it name suggests, consists of broadsheets, which means that it is bigger while tabloid, on the other hand, is smaller. A more generic term to describe a broadsheet and a tabloid would be serious and dramatic respectively.

The purpose of a broadsheet would be more to inform the readers of happenings. They are more in the factual and objective tone, whereby there is a minimal point of view on the topic. The language used in broadsheet is also more complexed as it mostly accommodates for the more educated readers who are seeking information and knowledge. It consists of more text and has a more serious and intellectual readership as compared to a tabloid.

The purpose of a tabloid is more faint, as consists more of gossips, scandals and include very sensational headlines. In the articles, it consists of many point of views, which broadsheet is lacking. Lastly, as a broadsheet is more for recreational purposes, it uses lots of visuals a more casual as well as emotive and dramatic tone with much simpler vocab to relate well with the audience.

There are, of course, in-between types of newspapers. This would mean that the newspapers would most likely relate to you well while at the same time, giving valuable information. This type of newspapers would include Todays and Homes. These newspapers might also include bits and pieces of abstract from the two types of newspapers, thus being able to portray an in-between of the two newspaper types.

TKAM

Question: How is world happenings around us related to the context in the fire at Miss Maudie's house? (Extension)

Firstly, we will start off by evaluating the issue in Miss Maudie's case. During the fire, people from Maycomb were all working together to help Miss Maudie in saving her valuables from the house. Among all these people, Mr Nathan Radley, who was actually quite anti-social and not on good terms with everyone in the neighbourhood, was the last to leave the scene and the one who continued bring out her things until the last minute. This shows that in times of need, people would still show their help and support, regardless of who they are. This incident also showed the unity of the people in Maycomb.

Now, we will be discussing about the recent disaster: the Japan Earthquake. In this incident, the undersea earthquake triggered triggered destructive tsunamis up to 40 metres, which swallowed up everything in its way. it was estimated that 13,000 people died, 5,000 injured and 15,000 missing and over 125,000 buildings damaged or destroyed, incurring over 300 billion USD, being the most disastrous earthquake Japan had ever faced. The fire could be compared to the tsunami and the people trying to save Miss Maudie's valuables could be compared to the people around the world who offered help and assistance to Japan.

The fire was the one who initiated all the people in Maycomb to gather and help Miss Maudie, and the tsunami was also the one who initiated people from all over the world to help Japan. The people who helped Miss Maudie is the same as those who helped Japan, as they were all trying to ease Japan's pain during the earthquake. Likewise, Mr Nathan can also be compared to those countries who were under Japan during the Japanese Occupation. Although Mr Nathan was not very close to Miss Maudie, he was still willing to lend a helping hand. After the Japan earthquake, the country who were tortured by the Japanese during the Japanese Occupation did not show signs of hesitant when helping Japan, but forgo all she had done to them and helped them regardless.

The moral of this two stories, as said in the Reading and Reasoning Paper 2, is that people show their best side in life only during crisis. If everyone could change their views that other people only need help in crisis to people should offer help all the time, I'm sure the world would become a better place for you and me.