Yes, finally i blogged again.
Just back from Beijing and Taipei and i have took plenty of photos. Those interested can refer to my facebook for the pictures.
Friday, November 20, 2009
Monday, September 14, 2009
Dead Sea Scroll
I visited the Dead Sea Scroll at the Art House on saturday. Well, im not a Christian, but i am interested in the historical development of religions.
Ah, its the first time i went to an exhibition alone. The feeling is good, peaceful and undisturbed. I can slowly study the exhibites, read up the explanation without any distraction or concern.
For those who think the Dead Sea Scroll is displayed or comes in a 'scroll', then i am afraid one will be disappointed. No, its not a scroll but tiny fragments like potato chips. They are darken and through infra red, the wordings can be seen and its amazing how people piece all these tens of thousands of fragments together.
To know more, we can just google it. I will be posting some pics taken shortly..thru my hp camera..
http://livinglegacy2009.com/
Ah, its the first time i went to an exhibition alone. The feeling is good, peaceful and undisturbed. I can slowly study the exhibites, read up the explanation without any distraction or concern.
For those who think the Dead Sea Scroll is displayed or comes in a 'scroll', then i am afraid one will be disappointed. No, its not a scroll but tiny fragments like potato chips. They are darken and through infra red, the wordings can be seen and its amazing how people piece all these tens of thousands of fragments together.
To know more, we can just google it. I will be posting some pics taken shortly..thru my hp camera..
http://livinglegacy2009.com/
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Invest in history to secure the future
I love history. Below is an article in which i fully support!
Invest in history to secure the future
Overhaul teaching of history to get students interested and involved
STRAITS TIMES
Sep 7, 2009 Monday
Home > Singapore > Story
By Eisen Teo
HISTORY is boring. Dead boring.
That's the refrain of about half a dozen secondary school students I've talked to in the course of my work.
History is just about a bunch of facts and dates we have to cram for exams, they say. And what's the significance of these facts and dates? They shrug; they aren't sure.
Never mind that part of their O-level history examination is 'source-based', that is, testing their ability to assess the purpose, arguments and credibility of a historical source, such as a text excerpt, speech or interview.
Everything still boils down to facts, facts and more facts. If you don't hit the books and know what happened at this date, you're done for.
With just two or three school periods a week - that's no more than 11/2 hours - given over to history, the beleaguered teacher has little time or incentive to make the lesson more interesting. The priority still remains making sure the students know what's going to be tested inside out.
No wonder history just becomes another boring subject to get over and be done with.
So what, you may ask.
The long-term repercussions may be severe: a generation of Singaporeans with little knowledge or interest in how Singapore came to be, and little understanding of the world around them.
In 2005, eight 15-year-old students at a school band leadership camp named their team 'Hitler' because they admired the dictator's leadership qualities.
In hindsight, teachers said, their support for the man responsible for the death of millions during World War II was a combination of ignorance and a lack of understanding of history.
When founding father S. Rajaratnam died the following year, many young Singaporeans were left scratching their heads as to who he was, even though they recited every morning, hand on heart, the Pledge that he had penned.
Do we really want such ignorance and apathy?
The Government wants young people to remain rooted to the land in which they were born, long after they fly the coop. This was one of the 10 challenges Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong threw to policymakers last month.
A strong grounding in history may be the fertile soil for those roots. A keen interest in Singapore's history and world history in general helps one understand this country's place in the world.
Learning from past mistakes and taking a critical approach towards all'truths' are other useful side benefits of a fruitful time spent on history.
What's the solution, then?
To me, nothing short of an overhaul of how history is taught in schools.
Make history exams open-book. A radical move but it'll test what's most crucial: the analytical skills that not just a student of history, but any student, needs - not his ability to memorise facts and dates.
With this change, the history textbook will morph from an enemy into a friend, to be consulted at all times - and students will find it less onerous to read.
The curriculum must also move away from the raw presentation of events to the discussion of historical issues and methods of history, known as historiography.
Many historical facts can never be disputed - for example, the fact that Raffles set up a port in Singapore in 1819, or that two atomic bombs were dropped on Japan in 1945.
But the same facts can be employed to paint different narratives.
Depending on which sources one looks at, it could be argued that 1819 heralded the beginning of modern Singapore - or was simply the start of the latest in a series of trading emporiums on the island.
The latter thesis will be put forth in Singapore, A 700-Year History: From Early Emporium To World City, a new book by historians Tan Tai Yong, Derek Heng and Kwa Chong Guan.
Only then will students realise that historical texts are written long after the fact as a means to an end which varies with the author and the society he comes from. It will foster the beginnings of a healthy scepticism and sense of reality.
Is it too early for secondary school students to grasp such concepts? It's worth a try to grab their fleeting attention.
The alternative is a lifelong rejection of anything to do with history.
And oh, please do devote at least an hour more a week to history. Take it as an investment for our future.
Invest in history to secure the future
Overhaul teaching of history to get students interested and involved
STRAITS TIMES
Sep 7, 2009 Monday
Home > Singapore > Story
By Eisen Teo
HISTORY is boring. Dead boring.
That's the refrain of about half a dozen secondary school students I've talked to in the course of my work.
History is just about a bunch of facts and dates we have to cram for exams, they say. And what's the significance of these facts and dates? They shrug; they aren't sure.
Never mind that part of their O-level history examination is 'source-based', that is, testing their ability to assess the purpose, arguments and credibility of a historical source, such as a text excerpt, speech or interview.
Everything still boils down to facts, facts and more facts. If you don't hit the books and know what happened at this date, you're done for.
With just two or three school periods a week - that's no more than 11/2 hours - given over to history, the beleaguered teacher has little time or incentive to make the lesson more interesting. The priority still remains making sure the students know what's going to be tested inside out.
No wonder history just becomes another boring subject to get over and be done with.
So what, you may ask.
The long-term repercussions may be severe: a generation of Singaporeans with little knowledge or interest in how Singapore came to be, and little understanding of the world around them.
In 2005, eight 15-year-old students at a school band leadership camp named their team 'Hitler' because they admired the dictator's leadership qualities.
In hindsight, teachers said, their support for the man responsible for the death of millions during World War II was a combination of ignorance and a lack of understanding of history.
When founding father S. Rajaratnam died the following year, many young Singaporeans were left scratching their heads as to who he was, even though they recited every morning, hand on heart, the Pledge that he had penned.
Do we really want such ignorance and apathy?
The Government wants young people to remain rooted to the land in which they were born, long after they fly the coop. This was one of the 10 challenges Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong threw to policymakers last month.
A strong grounding in history may be the fertile soil for those roots. A keen interest in Singapore's history and world history in general helps one understand this country's place in the world.
Learning from past mistakes and taking a critical approach towards all'truths' are other useful side benefits of a fruitful time spent on history.
What's the solution, then?
To me, nothing short of an overhaul of how history is taught in schools.
Make history exams open-book. A radical move but it'll test what's most crucial: the analytical skills that not just a student of history, but any student, needs - not his ability to memorise facts and dates.
With this change, the history textbook will morph from an enemy into a friend, to be consulted at all times - and students will find it less onerous to read.
The curriculum must also move away from the raw presentation of events to the discussion of historical issues and methods of history, known as historiography.
Many historical facts can never be disputed - for example, the fact that Raffles set up a port in Singapore in 1819, or that two atomic bombs were dropped on Japan in 1945.
But the same facts can be employed to paint different narratives.
Depending on which sources one looks at, it could be argued that 1819 heralded the beginning of modern Singapore - or was simply the start of the latest in a series of trading emporiums on the island.
The latter thesis will be put forth in Singapore, A 700-Year History: From Early Emporium To World City, a new book by historians Tan Tai Yong, Derek Heng and Kwa Chong Guan.
Only then will students realise that historical texts are written long after the fact as a means to an end which varies with the author and the society he comes from. It will foster the beginnings of a healthy scepticism and sense of reality.
Is it too early for secondary school students to grasp such concepts? It's worth a try to grab their fleeting attention.
The alternative is a lifelong rejection of anything to do with history.
And oh, please do devote at least an hour more a week to history. Take it as an investment for our future.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
没头没尾
昨晚到怡丰城GV Mx看电影 - GI JOE。
感觉不错，人也不多，不至於太拥挤。影片也大至上符合一般商业片子，俊男美女，
打斗，特效等，样样都有。
其实在电影院也发生了小插曲。看了十多年电影，第一次GV电影课发生技术故障。
好不容易等到广告播放完毕，电影播出之际，突然中断，之后恢复影像，可是‘没
头没尾’，影片不是从头开始播放，而是中间部分。
还好，GV工作人员还算负责任，播了不久，便再度中断，然后工作人员通过扩音器，
通知我们技术问题，需要大约15分钟时间补救，维修。
幸好最后有惊无险，影片顺利播放，不然的话，电影院中一些幼稚，粗鲁的新加坡
人就要继续在里面大声嚷嚷了。GV之后也赠送给我们一人一张免费戏票礼券，以
‘安抚人心’。
故事完毕 - 是不是有点‘没头没尾’？
其实人生有时也是这样，一天过一天，‘没头没尾’。
感觉不错，人也不多，不至於太拥挤。影片也大至上符合一般商业片子，俊男美女，
打斗，特效等，样样都有。
其实在电影院也发生了小插曲。看了十多年电影，第一次GV电影课发生技术故障。
好不容易等到广告播放完毕，电影播出之际，突然中断，之后恢复影像，可是‘没
头没尾’，影片不是从头开始播放，而是中间部分。
还好，GV工作人员还算负责任，播了不久，便再度中断，然后工作人员通过扩音器，
通知我们技术问题，需要大约15分钟时间补救，维修。
幸好最后有惊无险，影片顺利播放，不然的话，电影院中一些幼稚，粗鲁的新加坡
人就要继续在里面大声嚷嚷了。GV之后也赠送给我们一人一张免费戏票礼券，以
‘安抚人心’。
故事完毕 - 是不是有点‘没头没尾’？
其实人生有时也是这样，一天过一天，‘没头没尾’。
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Help Others Where You Can
Help Others Where You Can
A few years ago at the Seattle Special Olympics, nine contestants, all physically or mentally disabled, assembled at the starting line for the 100-yard dash. At the gun, they all started out, not exactly in a dash, but with a relish to run the race to the finish and win.
All, that is, except one boy who stumbled on the asphalt, tumbled over a couple of times and began to cry. The other eight heard the boy cry. They slowed down and looked back. They all turned around and went back. Every one of them.
One girl with Down's Syndrome bent down and kissed him and said, "This will make it better."
All nine linked arms and walked across the finish line together.
Everyone in the stadium stood, and the cheering went on for several minutes. People who were there are still telling the story. Why? Because deep down we know this one thing:
What matters in this life is more than winning for ourselves.
What truly matters in this life is helping others win, even if it means slowing down and changing our course.
----
Origins: The story is more true than not, although its primary point has been grossly exaggerated. According to folks at the Special Olympics Washington office, the incident happened at a 1976 track and field event held in Spokane , Washington . A contestant did take a tumble, and one or two of the other athletes turned back to help the fallen one, culminating in their crossing the finish line together, but it was only one or two, not everyone in the event. The others continued to run their race.
The story is thus not about an entire class of "special people" who spontaneously tossed aside their own dreams of going for gold in favor of helping a fallen competitor, but rather one about a couple of individuals who chose to go to the aid of another contestant. Unfortunately, this tale as it is now being told helps further a stereotype that deficiencies in intelligence are compensated for by unfailingly sweet natures and a way of looking at the world in childlike wonder. Special Olympians train long and hard for their events and are every bit as committed as athletes who compete in any other athletic endeavors. The Special Olympics are not a casual get-together organized to give less fortunate members of the community a day to socialize and perhaps run in a foot race or two. They're highly organized sporting events taken very seriously by all involved, with each competitor striving to do his best. It's about trying. And succeeding.
The Special Olympics oath is "Let me win. But if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt."
A few years ago at the Seattle Special Olympics, nine contestants, all physically or mentally disabled, assembled at the starting line for the 100-yard dash. At the gun, they all started out, not exactly in a dash, but with a relish to run the race to the finish and win.
All, that is, except one boy who stumbled on the asphalt, tumbled over a couple of times and began to cry. The other eight heard the boy cry. They slowed down and looked back. They all turned around and went back. Every one of them.
One girl with Down's Syndrome bent down and kissed him and said, "This will make it better."
All nine linked arms and walked across the finish line together.
Everyone in the stadium stood, and the cheering went on for several minutes. People who were there are still telling the story. Why? Because deep down we know this one thing:
What matters in this life is more than winning for ourselves.
What truly matters in this life is helping others win, even if it means slowing down and changing our course.
----
Origins: The story is more true than not, although its primary point has been grossly exaggerated. According to folks at the Special Olympics Washington office, the incident happened at a 1976 track and field event held in Spokane , Washington . A contestant did take a tumble, and one or two of the other athletes turned back to help the fallen one, culminating in their crossing the finish line together, but it was only one or two, not everyone in the event. The others continued to run their race.
The story is thus not about an entire class of "special people" who spontaneously tossed aside their own dreams of going for gold in favor of helping a fallen competitor, but rather one about a couple of individuals who chose to go to the aid of another contestant. Unfortunately, this tale as it is now being told helps further a stereotype that deficiencies in intelligence are compensated for by unfailingly sweet natures and a way of looking at the world in childlike wonder. Special Olympians train long and hard for their events and are every bit as committed as athletes who compete in any other athletic endeavors. The Special Olympics are not a casual get-together organized to give less fortunate members of the community a day to socialize and perhaps run in a foot race or two. They're highly organized sporting events taken very seriously by all involved, with each competitor striving to do his best. It's about trying. And succeeding.
The Special Olympics oath is "Let me win. But if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt."
Sunday, July 19, 2009
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