Resorts World Sentosa Visit

I visited Resorts World Sentosa on Friday Night. There was a promotion, so, for two dollars, you could enter and look around. However, only some sections would be opened for public view, and there would be no rides. Also, it was only open from 7pm to 10 pm.

However, it was still very fun, as we were still able to see some of the attractions. After entering, we went to eat dinner,as it was already 7.30 and we had not eaten. We ate at the "Hollywood China Bistro". It seemed more of a fusion restaurant than a proper Chinese Restaurant. For example, the tea cups were very wide at the top and were probably about twice the size of a normal tea cup. In fact, judging by the name and the restaurant, it seemed more like a Chinese Restaurant you might find in America. It was somehow less authentic than other upmarket Chinese restaurants. However, it was still quite an enjoyable meal.

After dinner, we decided to head to "New York", before moving on to "Madagascar". It was just as well, as "Madagascar" was off limits. In "New York", we walked around. It seemed as if we were really in New York. Even the minor details were there. For example, on the side of a building, there was a fire escape, remiscient to those in sitcoms like "Friends". The rubbish bins were also green, and labelled "Please help keep New York City Clean".

Also, we got to see the Battlestar Galactica, although we only got a glance from New York City.

All in All, it was a very pleasant experience.

PS - My photos are here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ng_jonathan_sy/sets/72157624262730078/

My favourite poem

Messy Room by Shel Silverstein

Whosever room this is should be ashamed! (Line 1)
His underwear is hanging on the lamp.
His raincoat is there in the overstuffed chair,
And the chair is becoming quite mucky and damp.
His workbook is wedged in the window, (Line 5)
His sweater's been thrown on the floor.
His scarf and one ski are beneath the TV,
And his pants have been carelessly hung on the door.
His books are all jammed in the closet,
His vest has been left in the hall. (Line 10)
A lizard named Ed is asleep in his bed,
And his smelly old sock has been stuck to the wall.
Whosever room this is should be ashamed!
Donald or Robert or Willie or--
Huh? You say it's mine? Oh, dear, (Line 15)
I knew it looked familiar!

The poem uses mainly hyperbole and personification. Personification is less frequent, occurring only in Line 11, "A lizard named Ed is asleep in his bed," This makes the reader think of a person in the bed, rather than a Lizard. This is also mainly due to the fact that the lizard has a name. 

Hyperbole is quite frequent, with it mainly referring to the messy room. Generally, it would be rare to find a room as messy as the above mentioned room. 

Also, the twist at the end makes the poem more enjoyable. The narrator has been "putting down" the room, and complaining about how messy it is. However, he finds out that it is his own room. "Huh? You say it's mine? Oh, dear, I knew it looked familiar!" (Line 15 & Line 16) This twist is also present in most of Shel Silverstein's poems, if you have read more of them. I have actually read quite a few of his poems, and his is one of my favourite poets. The others being Roger McGough and Kenn Nesbit.

I also like:

Food Fight
	by Kenn Nesbitt

We’d never seen the teachers in a state of such distress. The principal was yelling that the lunchroom was a mess. It started off so innocent when someone threw a bun, but all the other kids decided they should join the fun. It instantly turned into an enormous lunchroom feud, as students started hurling all their halfway-eaten food. A glob went whizzing through the air, impacting on the wall. Another chunk went sailing out the doorway to the hall. The food was splattered everywhere— the ceilings, walls, and doors. A sloppy, gloppy mess was on the tables and the floors. And so our good custodian ran out to grab his mop. It took him half the afternoon to clean up all the slop. The teachers even used some words we’re not supposed to mention. And that’s how all the kids and teachers wound up in detention.

IDS News... And other News

Today was the day when iSpark Students were meant to visit Sungei Buloh wetland reserve. We needed to take along a cap, water bottle, snacks, insect repellent, writing materials... etc. The trip was part of the IDS, which we are doing in Term 2 Week 10. Some consortiums did their IDS earlier. The IDS is short for Interdisciplinary Studies. It is meant to help us incorporate elements of all our subjects into a single project. The IDS will be completed over two days - ie, the next two days, in which the school will have home learning, but we will be doing our IDS at home.

Anyway, I had been to Sungei Buloh before. so the trap was not really new. However, the trip was certainly interesting, as being older this time, I was able to understand more things. My first trip there was memorable - in a bad way... I remember it was unbearably warm - leaving me very sweaty. Plus, there were plenty of mosquitoes. However, the second time I went there, the weather was pleasantly warm - not oppressively, and the weather was only marred by a short drizzle. The mosquitoes were also not a problem.

During the trip, we spotted many animals, including mudskippers. spiders, and several Monitor Lizards (Related to the Komodo Dragon). We spotted many plants which had aerial roots - pencil like roots which grew above ground or stilt like roots which also grew above ground.

It was very enjoyable. Finally, at the end of the trip, we watched a short clip on the Animals there. 

PS - We got to see a multicoloured bird through a telescope set up by someone. It was very beautiful...

Also, we had our LA Animal Farm Test Today... It was at LT2...

PS. MSG for this term coming out soon!!

Sabbatical- More News

This post is being published from SMU, SIS Seminar room 2.1... Seriously! This is the third day of the Problem Solving using Java Sabbatical. We will be at SMU for the remaining three days of the course, which I mentioned in yesterday's blog post. However, we all had to bring our own laptops as there were no computers available for us to use. The Seminar Room is really cool though :

1. It has automatic blinds - controlled by a switch
2. The room is designed like a miniature auditorium but more circular and smaller. 
3. There are full size desks in front of each row, which are like semicircles
4. There are LAN outlets and power sockets under each desk.
5. Each Person gets a nice "office chair" - One of those roller chairs - Very Comfy :)
6. The Speaker in the middle of the room gets bis voice amplified via a special system.
7. There are two whiteboards - (Not really that spectacular)
8. There are two very accurate clocks - digital, with seconds and date shown. (Accurate means the exact same time as mine :p)

Yup... Currently, it is break time, so I'm posting now...

Jon

Sabbatical Week... and other news

x

Well... Sabbatical week is here already, and I got into the "Problem Solving using Java" course. It is the second day of the course. On the last three days, ie - Wednesday to Friday, the course will be held at SMU (Singapore Management University). To be more precise, it is being held at SIS (School of Information Sciences) in SMU. The course is actually pretty fun!! Java Programming is a bit difficult, but you can do some pretty fun things on it too. I learnt how to create a infinite loop - the program runs til stopped. Also, I learnt some Command Prompt Commands, to add on to those I already knew.

1. shutdown - Shuts Down the computer, Restarts or logs off. Syntax - shutdown -s (seconds) -t (time) (time in seconds) shutdown -a to Abort shutdown
2. exit - Exits the command prompt window. Syntax - exit
3. dir - Directory - Gives a list of the files in a selected directory. Syntax - dir
4. md - Make Directory - Makes a new file in a selected directory. Syntax - md (New Directory Name) e.g md ps - A new file named ps will be created in the selected location
5. cd - Change directory - Changes the reference location. Syntax- cd c:/ (To go to hard drive)
6. java - (Only works after Java Development Kit has been installed and Computer Path has been changed) Runs a class file (created by notepad). Syntax - java MyProgram - Will run "MyProgram"
7. javac (Only works after Java Development Kit has been installed and Computer Path has been changed) Compiles a *.java file into a *.class file, which can be run with Command Prompt. Syntax- javac MyProgram.java - Compiles MyProgram into a usable class file. 

Other commands which I knew before the course:

1. ipconfig - Will find the ip address and other network information about a computer. Syntax - ipconfig
2. ping - Test Internet connections -Syntax- ping (ip address) or (website address)
3. tracert - Traceroute - Tracks the steps taken to a website. - Syntax - tracert (ip address) or (website address)

Note: For all the commands which require additional info - ping, tracert, javac, java and shutdown, typing the command by itself will bring up "help" for the command. 

Other News: 

Holidays!!

I can't wait for June Holidays to be here, and I expect most students will share my sentiments! A Month of hard earned rest is on the way... but we have to wait two weeks more :p. Anyway, I am going to buy Pokémon Soulsilver - The remake of Pokemon Silver. I am thrilled! Pokemon Crystal was the first pokemon game that I played. Of Course, judging by the fact that my mom doesn't like me playing it (she locks it up the whole year, except June and December Hols), she probably wished I never started... XD But anyway, I'm also looking forward to getting a DSi, which has not one, but two cameras, and a SD Card slot! Yay! But it has not GBA Port, so it is not compatible with GBA Games. However, I have a DS Lite which is compatible with GBA Games, so it shouldn't be a problem. 

P.S, While I wait for Soulsilver, I got a Pokemon Crystal Emulator on my Phone, so I'm honing my skills... (My Starter will be Totodile)

Piano Results...

Well, I finally got back the results for my ABRSM Grade 5 Theory... I got 85/100, which is Pass with Merit. :)

Finally got Flickr!

I finally got a Yahoo! email account, which grants me access to Flickr. Above is my Photostream, with the photos from my AAP Photomontage, so enjoy! (The photos were taken by me and a friend around the HCI Campus)(Some of the photos are from my Resorts World Sentosa visit - Not sure how to organize the photos)

Week- In Review

This is another week in review...

Performance @ HCI by Ms Chisato Kusunoki.

We had a performance by a renowned pianist, Ms Chisato Kusunoki. She was in Singapore to perform at the Victoria Concert Hall on Thursday, 7.30 pm. The performance was called "From Russia with love". She was featured in Monday's Life!, part of the Straits Times. The article was " 20th Century, here I come" by Christa Yeo. The article featured an 8 Questions interview with Ms Chisato Kusunoki.

She performed for the Sec 1s during the Sec 1 Assembly. She performed several short pieces, including:

1. Rachmaninoff, Six moments musicaux
2. Scriabin, Sonata no. 3
3. Tchaikovsky, The seasons
4. Liapunov, Etudes d' exécution transcendante

A Grand Piano was set up on the stage for the performance. I must admit that it was the first time I saw a grand piano being played... The music sounded wonderful. Ms Chisato Kusunoki was also quoted as being "One was the most talented pianist (sic) of her generation" by The Oxford Times, which gave her five stars (*****).

Other News -

Facebook

I finally set up a Facebook account, after receiving numerous invitations from my friends. I started receiving these emails as early as 2008, but did nothing about it. I am actually, to a small extent, rather narrow minded. These are some examples:

1. Refusing to believe that the NDS (Nintendo Dual Screen) was good. I in fact believed that it had "Too many features for its own good" and I ignored the reviews about it and insisted it was "feature - overloaded" I hung on to this believe for 2 years before succumbing. I am now the proud owner of one NDS and about 6 games for it, excluding GBA (Gameboy Advance) games which are also compatible. I am planning to get more games... (Like Pokemon Heartgold and Soulsilver, As well as Pokemon Black and White.


2. Being a rejector of Windows Vista. I disliked it from the start, without even using it. I was convinced that XP (operating system) was still the best, etc, etc... I finally gave in when the XP computer at home wen Kaput. At the time, all computers (desktop or laptop) for sale were loaded with Windows Vista. I currently use a Desktop with Vista. Although it acts up sometimes, it is better than XP in term of convenience. For Example, the quick search box (in the start menu) helps me find programs and files more quickly, which was troublesome when the Start menu got cluttered in XP. I am now convinced that Vista is the best thing since sliced bread.

3. I finally gave in and set up Facebook. I did not like it at first because I thought that:

1. It's too Addictive.
2. If you meet your friends daily, why would you need to talk to them on FB?
3. It's Useless.
4. Having 500 friends on FB meant that you had none in Real Life...
5. Etc.

However, I am now a FB Convert. While it is true that it is all of the above, to some extent, it's not that bad. I currently play some games on it, Including -- Mafia Wars, Petville (my sister forced me to join), Cafe World, Mousehunt (Doesn't Everyone), Ghost Trappers, and Backyard Monsters (My Fav!). I now have something in common with my friends, such as the FB games. Also, I use it to keep in touch with my CCA, SJAB and my friends from other schools. My class also has a FB group to keep in touch about... Homework...


I have a Flickr account for my IS ePortfolio


I now have a Flickr photostream @ http://www.flickr.com/photos/ng_jonathan_sy/ . It contains all my Campus Photos of Hwa Chong! It is also part of the ePortfolio assignment for IS, which is also meant to help us learn about embedding new media. 

Eye Infections

Lastly, I got an eye infection. My eye kept producing a sort of whitish liquid, which had the consistency of slime. When I went to sleep and woke up, my eyes were glued together!! The liquid had evaporated, leaving a residue on my eyelids which "fused' them together. It was a bit painful pulling it off. I got an MC from the Doctor. My eye infection was so bad that I had to miss the HCINY CSM... (Hwa Chong - Nanyang Combined Sports Meet) :(

That's all for this week!