"Blessings" was published in 2002, which was also the year I bought it. I was primary 2 at that time and a bookseller had recommended it to me, claiming that I would definitely enjoy the book. I had been looking for a challenge at that time and begged my parents to buy it for me. However, the book proved to be too difficult for me and I left it on the shelf until recently when I was in search of another unread book. I re-read the summary at the back and decided to attempt it again after six years.
Although the story progresses slowly, the detailed description of the setting and feelings of characters allows us to picture the scenes with ultimate ease. I would strongly reccomend this book to anyone who enjoys imagining about luxurious houses and what goes on inside. How a person should never be judged by her looks and that past records would not mean much as long as one does not repeat his mistake. This book teaches us how our past can affect our future descisions and to what length we can strive in order to help someone just because of what had happened in the past.
Admittedly, I have not read much of the thick book. It would be most unfair for me to decide who I truely think is the most interesting person and what is the most interesting event. However I would gladly say that my current favourite character and event would be Skip Cuddy and the period of time when he found and took care of the baby. During this period of time, Skip had tried all means to support the new born with his meagre salary. I admire his strong sense of responsibility for the new born who was totally unrelated to him. He is also an example of why we should refrain from judging others by their appearance as Skip was never one to look clean or tidy. Skip also has a jail record for breaking the law when he was young. However, his care for the new born shows us that he is not a criminal with an evil heart but is just a misled youth who cares dearly for the people around him.
Blessings is truely a heart-wavering book and I would really recommend everyone to read it with a little patience.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Sunday, February 3, 2008
Teaming Together For Work
Think. What is inevitable in our modern society? Something no one can run away from and is there no matter how much you dislike it. I don't really detest it though, it isn't so tough as long as you have enough social skills to overcome the problems in communication. As you would probably have guessed by now, this 'thing' I'm talking about is working in a team.
Opinions of the term 'team work' are widely variated. I clearly remember anticipating for the teachers to group us together and allow us to work in teams instead of doing individual work when I was in primary school. However, the idea of team work is disliked by a majority of students in secondary school. Team work now in secondary school has become a job whereby students group together and try to push the responsibility of the work to a certain 'victim'. If a scrapegoat is not found, then that group's results would suffer. I have been the 'victim' a few times at secondary 1 and I strongly believe it's unfair to be treated in this manner.
So, what makes a team? Horses? Yes, but it's not the kind of team I'm currently talking about. I'm refering to people working together as a team. Team spirit is the first thing which comes to my mind when we discuss about working in teams. I must admit that though this term is common, team spirit is not easily achieved within a team. How then can we achieve team spirit? To me, the simplest way would be to communicate more, be more sensitive to each other's feelings and try to forget any misforgivings towards each other. Communication prevents the misunderstanding of instructions between members so that everyone will be able to complete their part while being more sensitive to each other will help increase bonds between members and avoid offending the other party. Lastly, we should put aside our misforgivings and support each other in order to achieve the goal.
Nothing is smooth sailing in life. We should try to bear with the responsibilities set upon us by the group, for if the base of the work is not set well, the entire piece of work would definitely be ruined. However, there is a limit to how much each individual should bear. We should not let an individual or a few of the members complete the entire project on behalf of the whole group. Every person who considers themselves as a member of the group should offer their help to complete the given piece of work.
Opinions of the term 'team work' are widely variated. I clearly remember anticipating for the teachers to group us together and allow us to work in teams instead of doing individual work when I was in primary school. However, the idea of team work is disliked by a majority of students in secondary school. Team work now in secondary school has become a job whereby students group together and try to push the responsibility of the work to a certain 'victim'. If a scrapegoat is not found, then that group's results would suffer. I have been the 'victim' a few times at secondary 1 and I strongly believe it's unfair to be treated in this manner.
So, what makes a team? Horses? Yes, but it's not the kind of team I'm currently talking about. I'm refering to people working together as a team. Team spirit is the first thing which comes to my mind when we discuss about working in teams. I must admit that though this term is common, team spirit is not easily achieved within a team. How then can we achieve team spirit? To me, the simplest way would be to communicate more, be more sensitive to each other's feelings and try to forget any misforgivings towards each other. Communication prevents the misunderstanding of instructions between members so that everyone will be able to complete their part while being more sensitive to each other will help increase bonds between members and avoid offending the other party. Lastly, we should put aside our misforgivings and support each other in order to achieve the goal.
Nothing is smooth sailing in life. We should try to bear with the responsibilities set upon us by the group, for if the base of the work is not set well, the entire piece of work would definitely be ruined. However, there is a limit to how much each individual should bear. We should not let an individual or a few of the members complete the entire project on behalf of the whole group. Every person who considers themselves as a member of the group should offer their help to complete the given piece of work.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
SCHOOL >>> for the first three weeks
In just a blink of an eye, it's already the fourth week of school. It would be the end of third and the first half of the fourth to be exact as the year started off mid week.
I had been working part time during the holidays and doing homework whenever I had the time, so when school finally started, I felt a great sense of relief. I had my peers around me, sharing how they spent their holidays either cooped up at home or enjoying their time on an overseas trip. It was exciting, stepping into a new class with many foreign faces, anticipating for the arrival of our unknown subject teachers, hoping they gave less homework and running up and down the corridors during recess in search of ex-classmates.
This excitement however, was short lived as homework started piling up not only in our bags but also in the internet. The teachers had apparently emailed us our work through the internet, believing students would be more motivated to complete it since we had the chance to use the computer. Unluckily for me, my computer had broken down and my only hope to complete my assignments through the computer was to use the computers in the school library during my core humanities lesson(I take core art and lessons are held after school so I have a few free periods during curriculum time when the other students are having their humanities lesson) my only hope was soon dashed as our vice principle forbid us to use the computers during these periods of time.
Fortunately, my father was able to bring his laptop home from work for me to complete the assignments through internet.
The never-ending pile of homework will always be there haunting all students. However I believe that there is a reason for this cycle and that all cycles are created for a good purpose. The purpose being none other than increasing the knowledge of the younger generations, so that they need not waste time and energy on finding out what has already been discovered but build on what earlier generations had came up with.
I had been working part time during the holidays and doing homework whenever I had the time, so when school finally started, I felt a great sense of relief. I had my peers around me, sharing how they spent their holidays either cooped up at home or enjoying their time on an overseas trip. It was exciting, stepping into a new class with many foreign faces, anticipating for the arrival of our unknown subject teachers, hoping they gave less homework and running up and down the corridors during recess in search of ex-classmates.
This excitement however, was short lived as homework started piling up not only in our bags but also in the internet. The teachers had apparently emailed us our work through the internet, believing students would be more motivated to complete it since we had the chance to use the computer. Unluckily for me, my computer had broken down and my only hope to complete my assignments through the computer was to use the computers in the school library during my core humanities lesson(I take core art and lessons are held after school so I have a few free periods during curriculum time when the other students are having their humanities lesson) my only hope was soon dashed as our vice principle forbid us to use the computers during these periods of time.
Fortunately, my father was able to bring his laptop home from work for me to complete the assignments through internet.
The never-ending pile of homework will always be there haunting all students. However I believe that there is a reason for this cycle and that all cycles are created for a good purpose. The purpose being none other than increasing the knowledge of the younger generations, so that they need not waste time and energy on finding out what has already been discovered but build on what earlier generations had came up with.
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