While on my way to school by bus, something interesting happened. The bus was rather crowded at that time. A female Caucasian boarded the bus and noticed the 'always empty' rear of the bus. The bus was crammed at the front of the bus and the rear was however vacant. She was infuriated by the sight, from the way I see it. She exclaimed,"Move in please!" for several times. Maybe she added,"Singaporeans, come on", I was not too sure as I did not hear what she said properly, due to the distance between her and me.The commuters standing moved to the rear as what she had told them to do.
It was quite an embarrassment for Singaporeans though. With the shouting and the commotion, many turned their heads and tried to catch a glimpse of what is happening. Many stared at the rear of the bus, trying to find out who was the 'guilty one'. With the posters written 'Please move to the rear' on buses, I don't understand why people still not want to go all the way to the back. What benefits are there if they stand near the front?
It is an act of courtesy to move to the rear, for the benefits of the people who had just board a bus during peak hours. I also noticed that sometimes people like to talk to their friends who are sitting, while they are standing. This blocks people from moving and inconvenient to try to squeeze and get past him or her. Some just do not want to move, for unknown reason. People around him(her) can tell him(her) to move, or try to get past him(her).
Although many will move in, but just one person is enough to have the negative impression of the people in the whole bus or even as Singaporeans. Therefore, let's be courteous and move in to the rear so that the commuters at the front will not be crammed.
Just a slight note, please comment or at least tag at my blog if you don't have any. I appreciate it, at least I know that there are readers reading my blog. :D
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Monday, May 18, 2009
CA Discussion - Video Gaming (part 2)
(Kindly read the post below this one to get a better idea of what the post is about)
I agree with topic that video gamers will benefit the society and there is not much harmful effects on gamers.
If the gamers have a sane mindset, they would not be addicted to the video games and would not play more and more when they are not supposed to. I also would like to take the opportunity to ask readers of this blog if they play violent video games before. I am sure that some would say yes, and of those of you, none of you went to the streets to kill people due to video gaming. Therefore, how can video gaming lead to violence?
There are also many benefits of video gaming. Video games are an excellent way to relieve stress. They provide a fun and social form of entertainment. Reading a book or watch a movie are ways to get our mind off of our problems. Basically, they allow people to be transported to a fictional world for awhile. Video gaming works the same way as well or even better, so why should video gaming be criminalized?
Video gaming is also mentally good for children. It encourages teamwork, cooperation and creativity when they are playing with others. Video gaming will also improve logical thinking that had been neglected in these days. Nearly all video games train our mind in thinking logically. Video gaming increases children's self-confidence and self-esteem as they master games too.
Quicker decision making is trained when you play video games. Most games give you a time limit on reaching a decision, either in the form of a formal timer or in the form of somebody rushing at you with a shotgun or sword. Video gaming also develop skills in reading, mathematics and problem-solving.
Video games can improve eye-hand coordination, reaction time and fine motor skills. Researchers found that surgeons who spent at least three hours a week playing video games made about 37% less mistakes in laparoscopic surgery and performed the task 27% faster than their counterparts who did not play video games. This shows that eye-hand coordination is improved when we play video games.
From the above arguments, it is actually enough to show that there are many benefits in video gaming.
I agree with topic that video gamers will benefit the society and there is not much harmful effects on gamers.
If the gamers have a sane mindset, they would not be addicted to the video games and would not play more and more when they are not supposed to. I also would like to take the opportunity to ask readers of this blog if they play violent video games before. I am sure that some would say yes, and of those of you, none of you went to the streets to kill people due to video gaming. Therefore, how can video gaming lead to violence?
There are also many benefits of video gaming. Video games are an excellent way to relieve stress. They provide a fun and social form of entertainment. Reading a book or watch a movie are ways to get our mind off of our problems. Basically, they allow people to be transported to a fictional world for awhile. Video gaming works the same way as well or even better, so why should video gaming be criminalized?
Video gaming is also mentally good for children. It encourages teamwork, cooperation and creativity when they are playing with others. Video gaming will also improve logical thinking that had been neglected in these days. Nearly all video games train our mind in thinking logically. Video gaming increases children's self-confidence and self-esteem as they master games too.
Quicker decision making is trained when you play video games. Most games give you a time limit on reaching a decision, either in the form of a formal timer or in the form of somebody rushing at you with a shotgun or sword. Video gaming also develop skills in reading, mathematics and problem-solving.
Video games can improve eye-hand coordination, reaction time and fine motor skills. Researchers found that surgeons who spent at least three hours a week playing video games made about 37% less mistakes in laparoscopic surgery and performed the task 27% faster than their counterparts who did not play video games. This shows that eye-hand coordination is improved when we play video games.
From the above arguments, it is actually enough to show that there are many benefits in video gaming.
CA Discussion – Video Gaming (part 1)
I have decided to express my view on the topic in a self debate which is to rebut against myself after stating my stand. I will be separating this into mainly two posts, one agreeing to the topic while the other disagreeing.
To refresh your memory, here is the debate topic:
Video gamers should not be generally criminalized as suffering from a medical condition, as they have much to offer that will benefit society.
Firstly, I will be disagreeing with the topic. I believe video gaming is easily addictive and the authorities should recognize the social threat posed by the increasing number of video game addicts.
Let us define the word, ‘addiction’. It is when a person needs more and more of something to keep him going and if the person does not get more of something, he becomes irritable and miserable. Some of the game addicts actually commented that when they were playing the game, they can’t just get up and walk away. From the above evidence and my definition, it is evident that video gaming is easily addictive. Others commented that the higher level they get, the longer they have to stay on it to move onward, and they would be addicted when it wasn’t fun anymore.
In violent video games, games characters which have been killed are brought back to life. Therefore, players who have learned to use violence to solve problems in these video games may start acting violently in real life, causing them to be aggressive and out of control. Some children do not understand that when you kill someone, they cannot come back to life, as depicted by many video games. Players also kill enemies, vanquish rivals, and overcome obstacles in video games. Therefore, players will relate it to real life and think that using violence is alright.
Although players compete with friends online, the fact is that they are still sitting alone in front of their monitors. This isolation will cause an increase in the separation from their family and friends. Players will drop out of their social networks and giving up other hobbies. There are also chances for adventure and heroism and romance in video games which are rarely found in real life. They will start to think that video games is real life, or at least a more interesting place to be than in the real world. However, that’s the virtual world.
I also believe if game addicts are banned playing video games, they will become more interested in real life, and less interested in the conjured up fake life.
Form the above pointers, I believe that video gaming is easily addictive and that authorities should recognize the social problems and take action to control video games in the same way that tobacco or alcohol use is restricted.
To refresh your memory, here is the debate topic:
Video gamers should not be generally criminalized as suffering from a medical condition, as they have much to offer that will benefit society.
Firstly, I will be disagreeing with the topic. I believe video gaming is easily addictive and the authorities should recognize the social threat posed by the increasing number of video game addicts.
Let us define the word, ‘addiction’. It is when a person needs more and more of something to keep him going and if the person does not get more of something, he becomes irritable and miserable. Some of the game addicts actually commented that when they were playing the game, they can’t just get up and walk away. From the above evidence and my definition, it is evident that video gaming is easily addictive. Others commented that the higher level they get, the longer they have to stay on it to move onward, and they would be addicted when it wasn’t fun anymore.
In violent video games, games characters which have been killed are brought back to life. Therefore, players who have learned to use violence to solve problems in these video games may start acting violently in real life, causing them to be aggressive and out of control. Some children do not understand that when you kill someone, they cannot come back to life, as depicted by many video games. Players also kill enemies, vanquish rivals, and overcome obstacles in video games. Therefore, players will relate it to real life and think that using violence is alright.
Although players compete with friends online, the fact is that they are still sitting alone in front of their monitors. This isolation will cause an increase in the separation from their family and friends. Players will drop out of their social networks and giving up other hobbies. There are also chances for adventure and heroism and romance in video games which are rarely found in real life. They will start to think that video games is real life, or at least a more interesting place to be than in the real world. However, that’s the virtual world.
I also believe if game addicts are banned playing video games, they will become more interested in real life, and less interested in the conjured up fake life.
Form the above pointers, I believe that video gaming is easily addictive and that authorities should recognize the social problems and take action to control video games in the same way that tobacco or alcohol use is restricted.
Friday, May 15, 2009
Should Bela and Kamal be sensible? - Village by the sea
Tests are over and it is time to post! This time I am going to talk about this particular topic which was given quite some time ago. There was quite a discussion on this topic and therefore I decided to post about it. In case you are not sure what is this about or to refresh your memory, here is a brief summary from Village by the sea Chapter 1.
Hari's two younger siblings attend school and they are both impatient and playful, like what typical children behaves. However, because of the family's impoverished conditions, the younger sisters' immaturity are not accepted by readers. They should behave more sensibly. One example of their immaturity is that when they walked past a shop, they wanted Hari to buy them sweets, in spite of their family's financial conditions.They bargained and Hari insisted that he had no money and therefore no sweets for them.
Coming back to the topic, I think that the younger siblings should be more sensible. Hari and Lila were trying their best to make ends meet, one trying very hard to look for jobs and earn money, another taking care of the house and their sick mothers. However, the two girls were immature and even asked for sweets which is unnecessary.
However, 'my' sensible is not that they go to work and stop their education or follow what Hari and Lila did. That was what most of the people who agreed with this topic said. I believe that they should focus on their studies and not complain or ask for sweets. Being sensible does not just means that they have to work or stop their education. If they stop their education, they will not find higher pay jobs due to their literacy level and become poor and the whole cycle will restart again and again. This was also what we discussed in class. Therefore, if they focus on their studies, they will get higher pay jobs and not be poor anymore. Isn't this more sensible?
Due to the word limit, I shall end here. I welcome comments so kindly comment! :D
Hari's two younger siblings attend school and they are both impatient and playful, like what typical children behaves. However, because of the family's impoverished conditions, the younger sisters' immaturity are not accepted by readers. They should behave more sensibly. One example of their immaturity is that when they walked past a shop, they wanted Hari to buy them sweets, in spite of their family's financial conditions.They bargained and Hari insisted that he had no money and therefore no sweets for them.
Coming back to the topic, I think that the younger siblings should be more sensible. Hari and Lila were trying their best to make ends meet, one trying very hard to look for jobs and earn money, another taking care of the house and their sick mothers. However, the two girls were immature and even asked for sweets which is unnecessary.
However, 'my' sensible is not that they go to work and stop their education or follow what Hari and Lila did. That was what most of the people who agreed with this topic said. I believe that they should focus on their studies and not complain or ask for sweets. Being sensible does not just means that they have to work or stop their education. If they stop their education, they will not find higher pay jobs due to their literacy level and become poor and the whole cycle will restart again and again. This was also what we discussed in class. Therefore, if they focus on their studies, they will get higher pay jobs and not be poor anymore. Isn't this more sensible?
Due to the word limit, I shall end here. I welcome comments so kindly comment! :D
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