Mother's Memorable read

One of mom's favourite book that she can remember..is TOTO CHAN - A Little Girl by the Window . The Author she knew was a Japanese author - we had to search on the Web for her name . Tethusko Kuroyanagi . Mom read this book many years back. She can't really remember the details of the story but what she could remember is that this is actually a Children's Story , written in a fascinatingly simple language and it is ideal for both children and parents .

The Storyline as she remembers was that the story was about a little japanese girl and her journey through her elementary school . In a way, this is an Ultimate School that allows the author to learn what she likes, there is no compulsion to do subjects that she has no interest in.
The books should be read by children , adults, educators .. so that we can learn the ways that qualities can be developed in a interesting and carefree manner.

The reason why Mom still remembers the story is that it is something that struck her. Learning is an interesting journey and none of the children in the story had to learn things they do not like . This is really something that the current education system does not offer today.

This IDEAL , FASCINATING and even FAR-FETCHED education system is something one would dream of .

Unseen Horrors - Crater Lakes

August 1986 Lake Nyos - Cameroon

The village was intact, however unusually quiet. Nothing seemed to have changed at all, but there was a deathly silence, even the surrounding forest was silent, as if they were looking onwards to see what had happened. A defeaning crackle, that was a tree snapping like a twig, rolling down to rest at the foot of the mountain Cameroon sat on, a deathly white. However, this all paled to lake Nyos, its waters hissing lethaly, a bright orange colour. The murky mysterious lake had claimed 1700 victims in a single night. The forest around the crater lake Nyos was suffocated, draining trees of their colour and life and not even sparing the ground, weakened and crumbling and unable to support life any more.

A wave of sweeping gas had covered Cameroon the day before. The gas was virtually poison, wiping out almost every sign of life. There was no time to run or anywhere to hide. Cattle had died, seemingly sleeping on the ground on the way to the village, but their eyes were open, having been strangled by the gas. The village was a ghost town too, with the villagers dead in their everyday activities. A woman, holding her ladle in one of the thatched huts, was boiling a pot of soup. Also, many others, also suffocated, were doing things like reading and sleeping. The area was dead, and many had died horrifically, their eyes wide open, suffering burning sensations in their eyes, strangled by the gas.

The lake still sauturated with carbon dioxide, the area is still contaminated, going grey near the lake from the loss of vegetation. The disaster could strike again. Not on there, but in various crater lakes in Africa. Lake Nyos was a warning. It could happen, so we must always be prepared.

eyesight lost- the horrifying experience

April 1 2002

April fools day. Lying in the bed in total blackness. I blink. Ouch, my eye still tinges. What time is it? I turn over, reach out for the clock, instead swipe it off the table. It drops to the floor with a ring. Then I was calm one second, and paralysed with terror the next. There was some racing fear in my mind, and my heart pounded louder. I couldnt see. Groping around in the darkness, my fingers feel the floor for the clock. Bending to pick it up, I fall off the bed. Curling up in a ball on the cold hard floor, I think,"This has to be some joke. Its April Fools day. Come on. Calm yourself.

This has to be a joke

April 2 2002

Woke up to the talking of two women. I could tell. They were mumuring. I heard a familiar voice. "Ron, Ron. You awake?" My eyes opened still to a dark world of nothingness. I heard someone urge softly to get on with the experiment. Experiment? What experiment? Someone sighed, and said no response whatsoever. A soft bout of crying, and footsteps clacking down the hallway quickly.

April 7 2002
Out of the hospital. I have accepted what happened. My parents are making arrangements. I need someone to follow and guide me everywhere. A kind woman, encouraging me to get on with everything. Accidents may happen, but get on with life. I'm going to a new school for the visually challenged, where I'll learn Brialle. I realised how extremely disabled I am, unable to type read or write. The woman is helping me type this. Whats her name? oh yeah, Mrs Samantha.

April 13 2002
Getting on with life in eternal darkness. It is difficult to even brush my teeth. I feel helpless and pitiful. But life has to go on...

April 23 2002
Learnt to use the walking stick. Mrs Samantha today thought me about god and all the other stuff. About Adam and Eve and Noah and Jesus. Feel since I cant watch television or use the computer, it would be okay for Mrs Samantha to tell me about Christianity. I'm bored anyways.

great leaders of the world- Martin Luther King Jr

"I have a dream"

These words were said from one of the greatest leaders in the world, the person who stood up to racial segregation and succeeded the person who ended inequality between the blacks and whites - Martin Luther King Jr. He was the right man, during the right time. When racial segregation got so bad, a black could be arrested or even killed, for making a remark, or refusing to let whites sit down on the bus as they were tired. Even highly educated blacks would be forbidden to serve as Juries or vote or even get a job as a white would always been the priority even if the Black was the best for the job. Segregation could be summed up into this joke:

Students from a class were returning back from recess, and so the teacher asked one of the students,"Tommie, what have you been doing during recess?"
"I was playing in the sandbox."
"Very good, now if you spell me sand, I'll give you a freshly baked cookie."
Next the teacher asked Jane,"Jane, what have you been doing during recess?"
"I was playing with Tommie in the sandbox."
"Good, If you spell me box, the cookie is yours."
Next she asked Ahmad, who was bruised all over," Ahmad, what have you been doing during recess?"
"I wanted to play with Tommie and Jane in the sandbox, but they threw stones at me."
So the teacher replied," Now class, this is what we call blatant racial discrimination. If you can spell blatant racial discrimination, I'll give you a cookie."

But now, the movement of Martin Luther King Jr brought that all to an end. Now, racial discrimination seems like a thing of the past. He was courageous to stand up too the whites when it seemed all was lost. Between that, he had to hold out with death threats, and it was to the extent that his home was once blown up with his wife and children inside.

In 1955, he led the famous bus boycott for the civil rights of black people, as they were always made to stand or at most sit at the back of the bus, making them seem unequal. So he succeeded and made a small step to racial equality in.

His most important quote was of course "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character" Martin Luther King was given a Nobel Peace prize for his efforts. He was although assassinated in 1968 while standing on the balcony leading a protest.

Traits that make Martin Luther King a great leader:
Courage
Inspires people to act (good talker)
Peserverance
Wise

Earth Hour total win

Last Saturday was earth hour. Started as an initiative by Sydney in 2007, this is now a growing global trend, and this year, Singapore has made a start, when many over 2000 people came to the Esplanade park and celebrated by candlelight. Also many companies have pledged their support to this Earth Hour. Macdonalds I heard, was about to off their famous golden arch M in the signage outside. Strangely I didnt get the chance to see any "acdonalds". Instead of celebrating at home, we went for dinner at a Teochew resteraunt. It seems that they did too did pledge their support, but at the wrong time! When we arrived at about 6 (went there early to go back before Earth hour) There was a area that was totally empty(we were extremely early for dinner) that was totally turned off. It was like this until about 7.15, when it started to get crowded, they turned on one more portion. It went on until 8.00 when all portions were turned on.(It was a big restaurant) That was such a difference.
After coming back, we realised how difficult it was to do anything without lights. My brother's Canberra friend turned off all the lights but instead turned on all the air conditioners and the computer he was using. What a waste. There was no reading or rushing homework (which was what I wanted to do) for one hour. No com or TV too. I hour in total boringness, with only candles we couldnt read by. (About 6 of the candles had enough light not to spoil your eyes while reading. We only had four. So that was also a waste of time. All we did was sit on a chair and look at the marvellous stars.(Sirius is the brightest) and enjoy the wind (the wind around Lower seletar resevoir is strong every night and morning) Then I realised this is how difficult it is when you are blind. Not much more difficult to move around but still. No reading, or it is slow, no watching TV using the computer or even marvelling at the stars. Earth hour is a once in a while experience. It was not that bad.
Sceptically speaking, even if you are using candles, low quality candles could emit more carbon dioxide than the lightbulb itself.

5 really fun (and destructive) ways to celebrate Earth Hour.
1. Turn off all your cars hazard lights on your car
2. Turn off all street lamps
3. Turn off all lights in a lift (to freak people out)
4.Turn off the Amut in Amusement in an Amusement park
5. Turn off the lights in a firing range (dont forget to turn the people who are firing towards each other)

How to kill-

Weird poem. Barely rhymes but has a lot of representatives.

How to kill
By Keith Douglas

Under the parabola of a ball,
a child turning into a man,
I looked into the air too long.
The ball fell in my hand,
it sang in the closed fist: Open Open
Behold a gift designed to kill.

Now in my dial of glass appears
the soldier who is going to die.
He smiles, and moves about in ways
his mother knows, habits of his.
The wires touch his face: I cry
NOW. Death, like a familiar, hears

And look, has made a man of dust
of a man of flesh. This sorcery
I do. Being damned, I am amused
to see the centre of love diffused
and the wave of love travel into vacancy.
How easy it is to make a ghost.

The weightless mosquito touches
her tiny shadow on the stone,
and with how like, how infinite
a lightness, man and shadow meet.
They fuse. A shadow is a man
when the mosquito death approaches.

Inferences:
This poem is about world war 2.
"parabola"- a curve, used in math sometimes used when throwing things into the air. (Gravity causes it not to travel in a straight line.
Under the parabola of a ball ... a child turning into a man... an gift designed to kill.
When the person is in childhood, he throws and catches balls but when he grows up to become a man during a war he throws and catches grenades instead. Ball, designed to kill
Dial of glass...appears the soldier who is about to die...wires touch his face
Definitely a scope(in a war) and the wires are the aiming areas.
A man of dust out of a man of flesh. This sorcery I do
That means to kill. Flesh to dust, alive to dead
The weightless mosquito touches
A mosquito travels like a bullet, swiftly, stealthily and deadly
When man and shadow meet... they fuse
Dying again. Shadow means nothingness when something becomes nothing it is like death.

Cheers! Sarimbun Scouts Camp

Some random cheer after the Sarimbun scouts camp
okaaaaaay for five minutes work

once group 8 random cheer(thats why it seems to fit in)
GROUP ___ CHEER
Waiting for sweet sweet victory
For sweet sweet victory
We're the ones who are gonna win
the ones who are gonna win
come on everybody lets mop the floor
with the other teams and win even more!
Can we win?
Yes we can!
Will we own?
Yes we will!
When Group ___ unite we show our might! (bombompiak,bombompiak)
We do what we say to win the fight!(bombompiak,bombompiak)
We clear all objectives in our sight
cause we'll ace everything and do it right
cause we will we will
Dominate(oh), dominate(my)
group___group___
Dominate(no), dominate(you)!
First blood, killing spree, group ___ dominate!

Afterthoughts about the camp:
Thought it was fun.
POinters-
Food too much(for me)
Too few high elements
Learnt that Philmann spoils a camp in under five seconds. Nigel helps.
Everytime they send us for camps, they want to tell us to learn to be independent.
Ive sure learnt a lot about leadership and independence. Like... cleaning tents and cleaning dorms and cleaning toilets weve never been to.
WoW extremely late sleeping times.

///The World Needs This Book\\\
The situational and psycological mysteries of what is Philmann
also included 101 ways to stop a Philmann