LA Assignment: My Favourite Poet

" For me, poetry is very much he time that it takes to unroll, the way music does... Its not a static, comtemplatable thing like a painting or a piece of sculpture.”-John Ashbery

John Lawrence Ashbery was born in Rochester, New York, on July 28th 1927, the first son of Chester Frederick (a farmer) and Helen Ashbery (a biology teacher).

Ashbery graduated from Harvard University in 1949 and received a master’s degree from Columbia University (N.Y.) in 1951. After working as a copywriter in New York City (1951–55), he lived in Paris until 1965, contributing art criticism to the Paris edition of the New York Herald-Tribune and to the American periodical Art News. Returning to New York, he served as executive editor of Art News from 1965 to 1972 and then took a post teaching poetry and creative writing at Brooklyn College.

Ashbery’s first published book, Turandot and Other Poems (1953), was followed by Some Trees (1956), The Tennis Court Oath (1962), Rivers and Mountains (1966), and The Double Dream of Spring (1970). His collection Self-Portrait in a Convex Mirror (1975) was awarded the National Book Award for poetry, the Pulitzer Prize for poetry, and the National Book Critics Circle prize. His subsequent poetry volumes include Houseboat Days (1977), A Wave (1984), April Galleons (1987), Flow Chart (1991), And the Stars Were Shining (1994), Can You Hear, Bird (1995), Wakefulness (1998), Chinese Whispers (2002), and A Worldly Country (2007).

Ashbery’s poetry was initially greeted with puzzlement and even hostility owing to its extreme difficulty. His poems are characterized by arresting images and exquisite rhythms, an intricate form, and sudden shifts in tone and subject that produce curious effects of fragmentation and obliquity. They are appreciated more as highly suggestive and dreamlike meditations rather than for any decipherable meaning they may possess

Ashbery is very much intrigueing because he is poet, an executive editor and a writer of reviews. He was talented as he was writing poems since his schooldays, and is an American poet noted for the elegance, originality, and obscurity of his poetry, which has won him many admirers. This was through hard work for a lifetime and is not easy to acheive. He is currently the Charles P. Stevenson, Jr., Professor of Languages and Literature at Bard College. Thus, I find it remarkable to be an editor and writer of reviews, and a poet who has produce such awesome poems.

A list of his poems:
>Some Trees
>The Tennis Court Oath
>Rivers and Mountains
>The Vermont Notebook
>Houseboat Days
>Shadow Train
>A Wave
>Wakefulness
>As Umbrellas Follow Rain
>Chinese Whispers

References:
http://www.poetryarchive.org/poetryarchive/singlePoet.do?poetId=91
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/38138/John-Ashbery
http://famouspoetsandpoems.com/poets/john_ashbery/biography
http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/238

LA Assignment: Figurative Language

I Wandered Lonely As A Cloud by William Wordsworth

I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced, but they
Out-did the sparkling leaves in glee;
A poet could not be but gay,
In such a jocund company!
I gazed—and gazed—but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.

>I wandered as lonely as a cloud
This line shows the usage of simile. The author uses this statement to describe that the he is exploring, feeling lonely just like a cloud, all on its own.

>A host, of golden daffodils; Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.
This line here is a usage of personification. Here it shows that the golden daffodils are happy and joyful.

>Continous as the stars that shine, and twinkle on the milky way
This line makes use of a simile. It shows that there is an a abundance of golden daffodils, dancing in the breeze.

>Ten thousand saw I at a glance,tossing their heads in a sprightly dance.
This line is using personification. It represents the golden daffodils dancing in harmony with joy.

I like this poem because it shows an extensive use of simile and personification to describe the golden daffodils. It has a unique pattern of rhyming which is similiar for each paragraph- the 1st line and the 3rd line, the 2nd and 4th line and lastly the 5th line and the 6th line. Cool isn't it? The whole poem to me symbolises something and each paragraph tells a different part of a story. Its shows a person feeling lonely and gloom who saw a group of people so joyful and actually gives him a new perspective to life and he himself becomes joyful. To me I find this extremely meaningful and that is why I like this poem.

LA Assignment

Hello, this is the final post for the my Holiday assignment and the topic today is: Is progress necessarily beneficial for society?

It is definite that everyone wants to improve, not become worst. Like, who would want to perform even worst for things like studies. That would be totally ironic. For example, whenever I like gaming online and my goal is to move to the next level. But that requires me to improve my skills, reflexes and hand-eye coordination. But do not worry, I am not addicted to it.

But that does not mean that progress is always a good thing. I will take reference from the novel, Village by the Sea, to prove my stand. In this case, the Goverment had to built factories in Thul which is part of progression. What they did not consider was the villagers in Thul. The Goverment actually took the land and sea from them, and as a result, the people of Thul lost their livelihood, some as a fisherman or farmer. The factories, once built, would pump poisonous chemicals into the sea killing the fishes and emit harmful gase into the air, polluting it. By building the factories would occupy the fertile land or Thul. To make matters worse, The villagers were not given a job in the factories as they only know how to fish and grow crops.

How would the villagers find a job to support their families and where are they going to stay?
Therefore, I conclude that progress is not essentially beneficial for the society.

LA Assignment

Hello today I will be posting about the topic - I rather be the city rat than the country rat.

Being a city rat you would receive a better quality education, better medical care, facilities such as malls, cinemas, libraries and have a public transport network. Having all these means they have a more advance technology which means to some people, a better and more convenient life. We also have air condition, computers, televisions and hand-held games. However, some people might take these for granted,though others treasure it as they know possesing these things is a luxury.

Being a country rat, though we do not have most things the city rats have, they have some things a city rat would be able to enjoy. Country rats have wide open spaces for activities such as sports unlike cities which are very cramped with buildings. The air is fresh and they are able to gat fresh food from growing vegetables and rearing animals. Unlike a city rat whose air is polluted and eat food which are usually processed. Life in a city is very hectic sometimes but peaceful in the country sides.

Therefore, in my opinion, I disagree with the statement I rather be a city rat than a country rat, not because I hate studying which can be really stressful sometimes, but because I love sports and want to experience what a peaceful atmosphere.

LA Assignment

Hi, now i will be writing about my favourite character in the book.

Well, my favourite character in the book is Hari, not because he is the protaganist of the story, but because of his attitudes and personality. The one attitude that made me like him was his will to persevere. During his childhood, Hari had to take on the role of a father as his father was a drunkard and could not provide for the family. Therefore, he had to find a livelihood to provide for the family by selling coconuts, fish and work in the fields. When Hari realises what he was currently doing was not enough, he decided to go to Bombay in search of a decent job.With the help of two benefactors, he manage to earn enough money to support his family.

His determination to go at any cost for the welfare of his family proved that he was a brave and couragous guy. His journey in Bombay change his mindset of pessimistic one to an optismistic one and instilled in him a willingness to adapt to the environment, regardless of what it is. That is the reason why I like him.

LA Assignment

Hi, I will be posting about which part of the book Village by the Sea do I like best.

Well, my favourite is from chapter 4 to chapter 12 of the book because thats where Hari's adventure starts and ends which gripped me to read on. In chapter 4, Hari decided to leave his comfort zone to look for a better life in Bombay as he could not tolerate the troubles of his dysfunctional family. It was between these chapters when Hari and his family's life turn for the better. Hari manage to get a job by helping Jagu, the owner of the Sri Krishna Eating house, and Mr Panwallah, who took him as an apprentice and taught him watch mending. Without these benefactors, Hari would not be able to get his earnings which he brought back for his family later in the story. As for his family, his sisters manage to get help from the de Silvas who brought their ill mother to the hospital for treatment. This made me happy for him.

Hari was a strong, brave and decisive boy. The problems of his family did not wear him down but instead made him stronger in a sense that he went to Bombay to get a job to help his family. This encouraged me to strive for excellence despite countless struggles cause that's what makes a person stronger.

LA Assignment: My blog prompt

I am referring to the article "Fishing for trouble" from The Straits Times. This article is about the coral reefs in South-East Asia which are under serious threat from over fishing and pollution. I decided to post about this cause I am concern about the welfare of this natural wonders.

We are cooking up trouble in the paradise. The live seafood trade, driven by growing demand in an increasingly affluently China, poses the latest of many threats to South-East Asia's coral reefs. Pollution from a growing coastal population are degrading them, increased carbon dioxide levels are making the waters inhospitaby warm and acidic, bleaching and dissolving corals and fishermen thtreaten to eliminate the fish that hold the whole reef ecosystem teogether. These have long threaten the forests of the sea. Without immediate regulatory action, these magnificent natural wonders will be irrevocably lost.

Consider the Wakatobi Marine National Park off Sulawesi in Indonesia. The park is home to sundrenched beaches and sapphire waters, and some of the world's most spectacular reefs. Groupers inhabiting the reefs there can grow to between 60cm and 2.5m. However, not a single grouper larger than 20cm was observed now. Anything larger had been caught by local fishermen, destined to be on a dinner plate - and the local grouper populations had been all but extinguished. Their loss is a harbinger of the total collapse of the reef ecosystems towards which we are hurtling at breakneck speed.

What exactly will be losing if the South-East Asian reefs collapse? More biodiversity than the entire Amazon rainforest holds. The region's Coral Triangle has the most concentrated biodiversity in the world, with about 10 times more species than Caribean reefs. We would also what may be the most important source of natural medicines in the 21st century. Coral skeletons are already being used as human bone grafts, and about 1,000 reef species are tested annually by the United States National Cancer Institute for potential cancer treatments. All this diversity and potential may be well lost within 20 years.

The problem lies in an utter lack effective enforcement. An expert on marine conservation at the National University of Singapore, has pointed out how in parts of Indonesia, one locally employed ranger, in one dinghy with an outboard, often has to patrol vast swathes of ocean alone - if he patrols at all. With so little logistical support for rangers on the ground, illegal fishermen often have the free rein to do as they please. Even where the resources to enforce regulations are available, the rampant coruuptions endemic to much of South-east Asia poses additional difficulties.

To make matters worse, recent research has shown that even mild fishing pressure can dramatically alter the structure of reef ecosystems. Scientists at the Scripps Instituition of Oceanography in the United States studied the Northern Line islands in the central Pacific, which include some of the last remaining pristine reefs in the world. Reefs fished by islanders had drastically different fish communities, and were far less healthy. These reefs support a mere 2,000 to 5,000 people each. Sulawesi alone has a population of more than 16 million people. At such numbers, even the subsistence-level fishing permitted in most of the region's protected areas may prove too much for reefs to withstand. Stopping locals from fishing for a living will require education and monitoring. But more importantly, a viable alternative livelihood is needed.


I feel for the sake of the reefs and for ourselves, we must act, because marine life helps to hold the whole reef ecosystem together in all its biodiversity. Things like like reducing consumption of unsustainable or live seafood would be an easy and crucial first step towards safe-guarding our oceans - before we lose our last traces of paradise. We should conserve these magnificent natural wonders for the enjoyment of the generations to come.

Saying hello to a friendlier society

I am referring to the article"Saying hello to a friendlier society" of the "Home"section of The Straits Times. The article is about three students promoting kindness by getting poeple to say 'hello'.

"Hello"says a lot- and no, these three are not selling anything. Students Andrew Zhan, Adam Teow and Eu Simin are getting Singaporeans to say the word as a start to showing kindness i their Hello Campaign. They launched their nationwide exercise last month on a mearge $1000 budget, and it has been no easy task. They estimate that each of them must have said more than 1000 "hellos"to strangers in the last two weeks.

Reactions have been varied. There were some who were super friendly, the ones who stop in their tracks and ask what they were doing- or selling. It was not easy but after a few hours, something changes. 'Hello' becomes something infectious- like laughter. Working with the Singapore Kindness Movement , the three aim to sign up 500 volunteers to their cause. This troop will then set out to Orchard Road on April 11 to promote friendliness by - you have guessed it - saying hello.

In less than two weeks, the group's Facebook profile has attracted nearly 700 members, following its two lead-up events this year - the first at SMU and other at Clarke Quay last week. But the three have also encountered cynics who have either dismissed thair campaign as a waste of time , ignored them or, worse, hightailed it in the opposte direction.

That is a pity, said Miss Eu, 20, a student at the Singapore Polytechnic, because when a connection is made, it may lead to something meaningful.

Mr Teow, 22, a SMU business student, said he had often been a loner in school. But he has opened up and expanded his social circle since taking part in the group's activities.

Mr Zhan, who describes himself as not being a naturally friendly person, agreed. He said that going up to a stranger to say hello is "an act of courage".

Outside Tangs department store, the trio - armed with "Hello, My Name Is" name tags and cardboard cut-outs of "Hello!"speech buddies - dished out random greetings to shoppers walking by. They were met mostly with looks of bewilderment. Mr Teow, who was dressed in a white shirt and black trousers, lamented that he had worn the wrong clothes, saying in jest that he looked like he was selling insurance.

However, the group's efforts were soon rewarded. They had collected, in 90 minutes, the names of 50 strangers who said they would take part in their cause.

In conclusion, I feel that saying hello to strangers would encourage and affirm someone and brighten up his or day. It would also make our society a more lively and friendly one.

Job fair draws 120 000 visitors

I am referring to the article "Job fair draws 120 000 visitors" of The Straits Times.

There was no doubt which were the main attractions at this jobfair. Despite having more than 400 exhibitors, many of the 120 000 visitors to the Career 2009 and Education 2009 fair yesterdaymade a beeline for booths set up by Resorts World and Marina Bay Sands.

The two inegrated resorts, which were offering thousands of jobs, drew them all: young and old, Singaporeans and foreigners, the retrenched and those with jobs. Interest in the IR jobs were so high that the Resorts World at Sentosa booth received more than 1000 job applications within the first 90 ninutes of the fair's opening. By the end of the day, it had received over 5000 appplications.

But though many took a shine to the IRs, other booths received a fair bit of attention too. Operated by employers big and small, including the Ministry of Education, the National Healthcare Group and Prudential, they received between several hundred and several thousand applicants.

The annual fair, which runs till Sunday at Suntec City, also offers other highlights, including a Career Profiling Corner, which visitors can find out more about their inherent strengths and abilities using personality test available on-site. There is also the inaugural Arts Pavilion, which serves to provide information for those seeking to pursue a career in the arts industry. The 120 000 visitors yesterday eclipsed last year's opening day of 90 000 visitors.

In conclusion, I strongly feel that this job fair is useful for those retrenched and those looking for new jobs given the current economic situation.

Dry run for mums-to-be

I am referring to the article " Dry run for mums-to-be " on the home section of The Straits Times. This article is about a charity buying dolls which behave like real babies, to prepare unwed teenagers for motherhood, and get them to think about their ability to raise a baby.

Sanctuary House, a charity that reaches out to women facing unwanted pregnacies, has bought 10 of such dolls. The director of the charity's programme, Mr Noel Tan, said that a lot of mums they see have fanciful, unrealistic ideas about babies. They think, 'How difficult can it be to look after one'.

Indeed, many teens refuse to put their babies up for adoption because they think they can cope - until reality bites.

The charity believes that if these young mothers are prepared for the crying, night feeds and constant attention babies demand, they will be less likely to take their fustration out on their children. The volunteers take care for these unwanted babies while their mums decide whether to keep them or give them up for adoption.

The charity stressed that the charity is not a "baby drop, or a place to leave unwanted babies. The bulk of the pregnant women there give their babies up for adoption. For some, it is because the baby's father had left them; others have financial problems or are mentally ill. Among these mothers-to-be are a handful of teens who have been given one of these dolls to look after for a day or two. Many emerged from the experience saying it was a "scary but useful experience". They did not realise that a crying baby can drive one nuts, and sleep deprivation can do things to them.

Some professionals who counsel young unwed mums, however see pitfalls in using thse dolls. They were afraid the girl was so traumatised by the doll that she falls into depression and decides to abort the baby.

The charity plans to give talks at secondary schools on relationships and use the dolls to give students an idea of the responsibilities of having a baby. Sanctuary House's initiative comes at a time when counsellers are seeing moreteens grappling with sex and boy-girl issues.

In conclusion, I feel that teens and mothers should think twice before having a baby. They should try not to give them up for adoption.

Fast-food chains are expanding

I am referring to the article"Fast-food chains are expanding" from the home section of The Straits Times.

Singapore is set for a fast-food explosion in the coming year. Fast-food restaurants from established names names such as Mcdonald's and Long John Silver's, to new players like Carl's jr. have expansion and hiring plans. Sandwich chain Subway, for instance, will open ten outlets this year, Pastamania will open one outlet next month and McDonald's is opening five more outlets this year. The success these restaurants are enjoying comes from their affordable well-loved meals, served up in pleasant settings. And the fact that they are doing well spells good news, in turn, for the job market- all 10 chains are recruiting crew members for their new outlets.

Given the current economic situation, in which many people will be looking for jobs, it is a good opportunity to hire more people, and fast-food restaurats are seizing this chance. The reason why fast-food restaurants are doing well is because of in this economic downturn, people are trading down from pricer restaurants to them. Some consumers feel that fast-food dining is a lifestyle choice and that they are a more economical option for family gatherings.

However, the boom in fast food has a downside: Nutrionists are warning that over-consumption can lead to obesity and related ailmentssuch as hypertension, heart disease and diabetes. Recommended fast- food consumption is once or twice a week. Nutritionists cautioned that high levels of cholesterol and salt in fast food cause problems such as high blood pressure, which cannot be rectified by merely excercising. A healthy lifestyle comprises both regular exercise and healthy eating habits.

In conclusion, I believe that there is no wrong in eating fast food but we have to eat in moderation.

Time Management

This morning in school, I had a 1 hour talk on time management conducted by my consortium's counsellers. They gave us a worksheet on how did you spend your time for the week and how do you plan to spend it. After we had completed the worksheet, they then call up some of my classmates to share how they had spend their week and how do they plan to spend it. I had a friend who played in the afternoon and crammed all his haomework in the night at 10.00pm to 1.00am the next morning! The counsellers then shared with us the importance on good time management and the consequences of bad time management and showed us a video clip from youtube on time management.

Honestly, I feel I have bad time management but I am trying to make an effort to change that. I am also a procrastinator and I dislike it as the feeling of pressure of doing your homework and assignments piled up over a period of time is terrible! Though I have not made much progress, I am still trying hard to get rid of this horrible habit.

In conclusion, I believe that having good time management is important as we can efficiently complete a task assigned to us according to priority. Everyone is given an equal amount of time, 24 hours and no extra. Once the time have past, we cannot take it back. So how we want to spend our time depends on us.

Carelessness behind 95% of bush fires

Today, i would be talking about the article" Carelessness behind 95% of bush fires" from the "home" section of The Straits Times.

This article is about what caused the bush fires here in Singapore.

Blame careless smokers who toss lit cigarette butts into vegetation. Blame those who leave behind lit candles and burnt offerings at makeshift altars. Blame those who decide to cook out in the open using charcoal stoves. They accounted for 95 per cent of the 339 bush fires so far this year.

According to the Singapore Civil Defence Force, this is a "very alarming" situation as there were 182 such fires last month compared to 24 in January last year. Unthinking actions, coupled with the dry season, have resulted in a huge waste of firefighting resources. The remaining 5 per cent of bush fires are caused naturally- when dry grass rub and trigger sparks, leading to spontaneous combustion, or when they are hit by lightning.

The difficulty of putting out a fire depends on the thickness of the vegetation, the gradient of the land and how windy it is. The more an area is covered in vegetation, the more deep-seated is the fire. If it is burning on a hill, that also makes it tougher for firemen, as they have to haul water hoses up the slope. It could take an hour to bring under control a fire that has spread over an area the size of two or three football fields.

When I read this article, I was disappointed. If careless acts like this continues to happen, it may cause a firestorm. For instance, recently, there was a major firestorm in Australia. Many innocent lives and homes were lost as a result. To make matters worst, this bushfire was not caused naturally but by an arsonist. So do not think that throwing a cigarette butt into vegetation is harmless, it might cause serious disasters.

To reslove this problem, the SCDF advises the public to avoid throwing lighted materials, such as cigarette butts and matches, on grass patches and fields. It also warns against dumping trash on vacant land, as this can provide an additional source of fuel in the event of a fire.

In conclusion, do not throw lighted materials like cigarettes into grass patches or fields, as you will give unnecessary trouble for the SCDF and waste its resources.

Nuisance callers dial up a 999 logjam

Today, i am going to elaborate on one of the articles in "Home" section of The Straits Times.
It is titled "nuisance callers dial up a 999 logjam."

The article is an idea-driven Story.
The main idea of the story is about pranksters swamping the police hotline while others treat it as a phone directory or compliant bureau.

After reading the article, I was disappointed and astonished. Singaporeans have been using 999 as a round- the-clock information bureau. They wanted the contact numbers of hotels, ministries and other agencies. I feel that this a self-centered act as others might have to use the hotline for emergencys. If they really need to know the location of a place or a contact number of a company, they should look for it from other sources and not the police.

The police 999 line is meant only for police-related emergencies, but officers not only have to deal with a daily influx of nuisance calls but also take other non-emergency calls. In Parliament earlier this month, Second Minister for Home Affairs K. Shanmugam said the emergency line received 1.5 million calls last year, with close to six in 10 of those being nuisance calls. Of the 320 000 incidents the police responded to, six in 10 did not present an imminent threat to life or property. These include noise-related complaints and sightings of stray animals.

Among the genuine callers were many people who used 999 as a hotline of first resort. Over four in 10 of these calls in the day and night were non-emergency in nature, meaning the callers could have called the neighbourhood police centres or relevant agencies directly instead. Many of such calls, especially those at night, were complaints about noisy neighbours and noisy work sites.

There was a incident where a police officer while taking a call about a motorcycle accident, calmly entering the details into her computer for the police and paramedics, she received a call from a prankster. This is an instance of how nuisance calls can sometimes hamper the speed at which information is passed on and can potentially delay police response in situations where every second counts.

People seem to forget that the public also has a responsibility to use these resources properly. We should treasure this resource and not abuse it as other countries do not have such a resource.

To reslove this problem, I feel that the police could give out phamplets or broadcasting advertisments telling the public to be more considerate and the when to use the police hotline.

In conclusion, I think we should not trouble the police by making prank calls as the police have a lot to do to keep the society safe. And remember, police are humans too, not robots.

About Me

Let me just share with you a little bit about myself and what I would be doing on this blog. I am a fan of Manchester United, but I am not a football fanatic. What I would be sharing about on this blog would be on current affairs from the newspaper and other stuff such as snippets of my daily life and school experiences.