Task 3

Watch 5 news clips (eg: from either Channel 5 News, CNA News, BBC News) and do a summary of what you have seen / learnt or what you have heard / learnt.

  I chose to watch all five of the news clips from Channel 5 News.

  The first news clip I chose was from the 9^th of March 2012. During that period of time, Hougang was holding its By-Election for a single member seat that was vacated when former Worker’s Party member Yaw Shin Leong left. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Long posted on his Facebook profile that over the past year the government has worked hard with Singaporeans to implement programmes to build an inclusive Singapore and this by-election should not distract the country from foucussing on national priorities to build an inclusive Singapore. Also reported in the news, transport minister Lui Tuck Yew had signalled plans to cut the growth rate of vehicles may be delayed caused by surging COEs. This year there has also been an increase in the number of people helping out to serve the community. The PAP has mentioned there has been a 16% increase in the number of grassroots leaders as compared to 5 years ago and adds this is an encouraging sign that put Singapore back on track to achieving the 2015 Community Vision. Also, a suspected member of terrorist group Al-Qaeda who had plotted to blow up an airliner was actually a double agent working for the CIA. Malaysian police have also arrested suspects in the connection of a kidnapping of a Dutch child who demanded a ransom of US100000$ through his Facebook account. After the suspects had been arrested, half the ransom has been found. Next, the Singapore Airlines has sported a net loss of $38.2 Million attributed to the rise of fuel costs.

The link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7-GChxhwkQ

  The second news clip I chose was from the 23rd of March 2012. The Singapore government has targeted a new area of growth from the tourism sector in Singapore and expects up to a 10% increase in visitor arrivals. The next phase of development would be to develop music and arts festivals to increase tourists. Also, Japan is preparing its missile defence systems ahead of a rocket launch in North Korea. Tokyo said it might shoot down the rocket if it looked like it would land of Japan’s land or waters. In Hong Kong, a mock election has been held 2 days before to choose the territories’ leader. However, voting has been extended for 1 more day after hackers disrupted the Hong Kong voting system. Next, a 30 year old was charged in court for dangerous driving causing death by driving a death without a license. He had previously been charged with causing hurt to a CityCab driver by punching and strangling him when trying to steal his vehicle where he crashed the taxi at a cleaner at the Budget Terminal, killing him and has been charged with 5 years of jail. Australian police have managed to solve the case of an online pornography network and have arrested more than a dozen men. In Singapore, there have been reports of an increase in Tuberculosis in the younger generation.

The link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-P3eJxjuA4g

  The third news clip I chose was from the 3^rd of April 2012. Aung San Syu Kyi's opposition National League for Democracy had won 43 out of the 44 seats, as expected. Leaders of ASEAN are also striving to keep ASEAN an interconnected community. Next, Malaysia's parliament has endorsed reforms in the electoral process, as the general election approaches. However, the oppoision party were upset with this decision. A korean_American man has been arrested after he carried out a deadly school shooting at a Californian college killing 7 people and wounding several others. His motive however, was unknown. Singapore's Manpower Ministry has enhanced training for maids, to ensure their safety, teaching them the right way on how to do their work. Next, the latest release of HDB flats has been oversubscribed more than three times receiving more applications than flats available. Japan has faced a typhoon-strength storm with violent guts and winds, killing 2 people and leaving some stranded. Also, a woman died on the spot after being hit by a bus at Sengkang Avenue. SBS has since suspended the driver for turning when the woman was already crossing the road. Next, demand for shoebox apartment are waning that were snapped up last year. However there are concerns of oversupply as the apartments will be ready next year.

The link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wB77tQw8kR4

  The fourth news clip I chose was from the 21^st of March 2012. French police have arrested a gunman they believed to be responsible for the killing of 4 people in a Jewish school in Toulouse. Next, a man has denied charges of breaking Thailand's weapon control laws. He had allegedly stored chemicals in a bo that were used to make a bomb. n Mexico, a powerful 7.4  magnitude earthquake has struck Mexico, injuring 11 people and destroying more than 800 homes. In the US Mitt Romney has expanded his lead over Rick Santorum ,Ron Paul and Newt Gingrich over the bid over the Repubican presidential nomination. Singapore has also launched an action plan against taking a more holistic fight against human trafficking. Next, New York has been awarded the Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize this year for outstanding contributions to creating sustainable urban communities. COE premiums for big cars have also hit $82000 the second time it reached more than $80000, the first being in December 1994. Also, traffic police caught 900 people flouting road rules during covert operations where they dressed in plainclothes. Bukit Batok East has become the first residential estate in Singapore to adopt a volutary smoking ban.

The link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-ZsBq8Fvyc

  The last news clip I chose was from the 4^th of April 2012. ASEAN Leaders have decided to work together and work to their goal of an interconnected community during the ASEAN Summit Retreat. The ASEAN Community hope that at the end of the meeting will be the Phnom Penh Declaration which highlights work left to be done in order to achieve its vision in 2015- to help Myannmar break out of isolation. Next, the storm in Japan leaves a trail of damage in the western parts of the country and left 4 people dead and 400 injured. The storm disrupted power supplies and transport systems. with hundreds of flights grounded and train services cancelled. Public transportation was also disrupted with northern-bound bullet trains temporarily suspended. Indonesia's weather agency has warned Jakarta of the possibility of further flooding in coming days and has warned them to prepare for any emergencies. A dozen tornadoes have struck Texas causing homes to be destroyed and homes to be flipped over. More than a dozen injuries have been reported although no one was killed. The National Youth Council are stepping up on their measures to groom the next generation of Singapore's leaders and wants to make youth activism more vibrant by creating new platforms to allow new leaders to get together and discuss solutions to problems faced today. The Tanjong Pagar and Bukit Timah Railway Stations will also be opened to individuals and organisations for ad-hoc activities and events. Next, the COE premiums increased by 5.6% hitting a new high for $84590 for big cars. Rocketing gasoline prics are worrying many South Koreans and have also caused many to ponder whether to own a car. In Peru, 600 dolphins have been washed up dead on a stretch of coastline over the past few weeks, believed caused by acoustic disturbances during seabed exploration by oil companies.

The link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErsDg92ouI0

Task 4

(Viewing and Listening Tasks)

Visit one museum in Singapore or anywhere in the world and do a review of what you have seen and learnt

On the 20^th of November which was a Saturday, I went to visit a total of 3 museums in Singapore, along with my good friend Esther Leong Minn Yi and accompanied by her mother. The three museums we visited included the Singapore Arts Museum, the Singapore Philatelic Museum and the Peranakan Museum.

The first Museum we visited was the Singapore Philatelic Museum. We arrived early in the morning where there were only a handful of people viewing the galleries. I expected the museum to be really boring as I was not a stamp collector. However, this visit surprised me and even inspired me to collect a few stamps of my own. I learnt more on the proper procedures of how mail was delivered from the post office to the door steps of Singaporeans. I also viewed the evolution of the post boxes in Singapore. In the 80’s and 90’s, the post boxes in Singapore were the same as the ones they had in England- the tall reddish ones, weighing approximately 10kg each. This was because we were under the British rule then. However after gaining her independence, Singapore changed the post boxes to squarish yellow one with stripes on the front body. Eventually as the years went by, the post boxes finally evolved to those we commonly see in Singapore- the squarish white ones. I also learnt more on how to care for stamps. I found out from the galleries that you first had to soak the stamp you collected in after so as to remove the stickiness. Next, one had to dry them properly but not under direct sunlight as this might cause the stamps to wrinkle. After all this is done, one has to buy a stamp album to display the stamps collected. This not only ensures that the stamps would not be crushed, but also causes the stamps to yellow with age at a much slower rate. Overall, I greatly enjoyed my visit to the Singapore Philatelic Museum. I not only learned more about how mail was delivered from past to present, but also on how to properly care for stamps collected.

Next up was the Peranakan Museum, where Esther, her mother and I spent the longest time at. Being a Peranakan myself, it allowed me to get to know more about my roots, while imparting some of my pre-existing knowledge to Esther. The last time I visited the Museum was a few years back in 2009 and I was really glad that I could re-visit the museum again as they had some new galleries. The Peranakan Museum was divided into many different galleries  ranging from their food, to their attire and even special occasions. The museum was also holding a special gallery on ‘Emily of Emerald Hill’ a theatrical play originally a book. By coincidence, we even had the chance to catch the English Language Drama and Debate club from not only our school but also other schools perform their own rendition of the play. Even though the performers were teenagers our age, some of them acted very well as they got into character and portrayed the character very vividly, giving us a deeper understanding of the characters in the play. I enjoyed our visit to the Peranakan Museum the most as it was very interesting and the museum also made the gallery viewing very interactive as we were given a puzzle where we had to go around the museum in search of stamps to chop on it. This made the visit more interactive and engaging.

The final museum we visited was the Singapore Arts Museum. Sadly we did not stay there for long. From my museum visit I learnt that art not only exists on paper from. Sculptures or even a simple black and white movie or picture can also be considered a form of art too. However most of the art works featured in the museum was to abstract for him and I could not figure out the message the artist was trying to say, but I did enjoy the short clips featured in the different galleries. 

Task 1 

(Viewing and Listening Tasks)

Watch a movie and complete a movie review cum recommendation on it

  On the 23 November I accompanied my friend to the Shaw theatre in Bugis to catch the movie Breaking Dawn Part 2. I was feeling very excited as I had never read the entire series before and I was wondering what was so good about this film that everyone was raving about it and this was my first time experiencing one of the books from the Twilight Saga.

  When we reached the cinema at about 2pm, we immediately queued up to purchase our tickets. Upon reaching the counter, we were dismayed to find that the back rows had all been booked and the only seats left were the first 4 rows. Not wanting to come back another day, we had no choice but to choose the fourth row. Armed with our popcorn and drinks, we made our way to our seats. The first scene was a continuation of what happened in Breaking Dawn Part 1. The movie revolves around the 2 main characters, Bella and Edward. Edward is a vampire who ended up falling in love with Bella, a human causing many problems to arise as both of them are from two different worlds. In the end, they get married and have a daughter Renesmee. Bella falls ill while trying to conceive Renesmee. In an attempt to save Bella, Edward bites her, causing her to become a vampire. Thus both mother and daughter are now safe. As Renesmee grows up, she has been mistaken for an immortal child during an outing in the woods where she was spotted by one of the vampires who report her to the Volturi, a group of vampires in the community that have been tasked to take charge of the entire vampire population. Bella and Edward then begin to convince their relatives that Renesmee is not an immortal. Finally, with all the testimonials from all their relatives, the Volturi are now convinced Renesmee is not an immortal.

  I greatly enjoyed this movie as it definitely changed my biased opinion on Twilight being a boring and dry book. It was also quite hilarious at times as there was humour injected in the conversations between the costars. Also the chemistry between the on-screen couples played by Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart was quite strong. However I was quite disappointed with the ending as the fight that broke out between the Cullens and the Valtouri was only just a dream. I felt that the producers could have done a much better job of portraying the ending. Overall I would recommend this movie to movie-goers as this movie is definitely not very cheesy or cliché. 

Task 4

Review of 5 newspaper articles from “The Straits Times” or “Today” and talk about what you have learnt

  For this task, I have chosen to review all my articles from the “Today” newspaper. All the articles are dated on the same day – Monday, 31^st December 2012.

  The first article I chose was titled “India cries for Greater Protection for Women”. This article is about how the government reacted to the gang rape that happened in New Delhi. This was a very tragic story and it caused all of us at home to ponder what else can the government do to protect the rights of women? In ancient times, men have always been favoured over women. However, as we enter into the 21^st Century, we realise this is no longer and issue on the first world countries. However it is still prevailing in countries such as India. From this article I have learnt that everyone has rights. I have also learnt that violence is never the way to solve a problem. In this case, an innocent policeman who was just doing his job got killed by an angry mob of protestors. My deepest condolences go out the victim and the policeman.

  The second article I reviewed was titled “Delhi’s Response in Rape Case Fuels Anger”. This article was on how some members of the public felt it that the government’s response was ‘stupid’ as quoted by Ms Jayati Gosh, a professor of economics at Jawaharal Nehru University. The people felt that the actions of the government were to protect themselves and the real problem highlighted in this case is that the government is ‘not even listening’. A particular member of parliament even made a sexist comment about female protestors which angered the public even more. Overall I learnt from this article that we should be mindful of what we say as what we say can be used against us. I have also learnt that it is important to listen to the voices of the people to because they can also give their own opinions on hot to make the country into a better place.

  The third article I reviewed is titled “Woman Charged with Murder as Hate Crime for NY Subway Shove”. I felt very angry when I first heard about this piece of news. Basically, a lady who harboured a very strong hatred for Muslims and Hindus, pushed an Indian man into the railway track where an incoming train knocked him down, killing him instantaneously. The woman did not even know the man, and was not even clear whether he was a Hindu, but she got up from her seat to push the man to his death. Through this article, I have learned how important racial and religious harmony is. One of our NE messages is “We must preserve racial and religious harmony.” This has made me thankful to live in a country like Singapore where every race is equal.

  Next, the article I reviewed was titled “Bus Bomb Wounds 7 People in Southern Philippines”. A homemade bomb exploded in the rear of a passenger bus, wounding 7 people. I felt this was a very cruel thing to do as these 7 people were innocent; they did not commit any wrongs but yet were killed for no reason. From this article I have learnt that life is unpredictable, we should always treasure what we have and be thankful for our loved ones. Therefore we should live life to the fullest : )

  Lastly, the final article I chose was titled “No Apple Gadgets for Bill Gates’ Kids”. I chose this article as I was intrigued to find out more. As I read on, I realised that Mrs Gates, confessed on a talkshow that she did not allow her children to use products from their competitor. According to Mrs Gates, “wealth from our family came from Microsoft so why would we invest in a competitor”. However Bill Gates clarified that there is no bad blood between him and the founder of Apple- Steve Jobs. In fact he added that ‘competition [is] always a positive thing’. From this article, I have learnt that even rivals can be friends. It is also important to have competition as it gives you advice on how to improve on yourself. 

Task 3

The reading and review of one academic magazine (whole magazine) (eg: National Geographic, Time, Reader’s Digest, Present Perfect…) – Look at the visuals accompanying the articles and describe their purposes

The academic magazine I chose to review was BBC Knowledge, the Asia Edition. 

This copy was the 8^th issue out of Volume 4. I had received this magazine from school and this being the only academic magazine I had, I had no choice but to choose this one.

The first article featured snapshots of interesting sights captured from different camera in the world. The pictures are big and they fill a whopping 2 pages. At the side of each picture includes a caption on where the picture was taken and they day, date and time. I think that this is so the reader can have a clear understanding on the symbolism of the picture, so they would understand its background and be able to appreciate it further.

The title of the second article is “Update- The Latest Intelligence”. Basically, this article features interesting snippets of news that is beyond imagination. Example include “Cancer Treatment Revolution”, “Mammoth in the Mall”, “The Tallest Tropical Tree in the World” and many more. Each story comes with a write-up and a few pictures to help the reader get a grasp of what is happening. This article also captures the reader’s attention by providing different types of news ranging from the out-of-this-world kind to the kind that challenges you analytical skills.

The third article is titles “World News in Context”. This is an article that writes about the things currently occurring in the world. This helps to keep the reader abreast of current issues. Each news article features a timeline to show when the event happened and it also gives the background to help readers who are reading this piece of news for the first time.

The fourth article, “The Origin of Life” contributes to eight pages of the magazine on its own. Which is a lot! Basically, this article features the different theories scientists and people have come up with. It also incorporates a bit of biology so it would definitely interest those who like biology. The article is also very detailed, stating the evidences scientist and people have given when they coined the theory responsible for making the word.

The fifth article is an interview called “The Weird World of Quantum Theory” done by the editor of the magazine and two professors, Brian Cox and Jeff Forshaw. This article shows how the professors try to convince the editor why ‘reality is really stranger than you think’.

The sixth article is titled “The Science of Dogs” where John Bradshaw dig deep to find some surprising insights into man’s best friend. This article was my favourite as it was written very clearly and it was very structured. It began on the introduction of dogs before the story on how they became wild animals to household pets. This article incorporated a lot of pictures of the dogs and it also gave many cool facts. This causes the reader to want to read on as his interest is sustained throughout the entire article.

The seventh article is titled “When Washington Burned”. This article gave a bit of history on the war of 1812. It explained how the American navy conquered Britain, only to find out that 200 years later, Britain stood to gain more from the war. This article provided a lot of historical facts and featured lots of pictures ranging from the generals, to a war scene, to the warships used etc.

The eighth article is titled “Reach for the Stars” which explains how the interstellar travel of science fiction films could one day become a reality. This article was supported by lots of evidences and it even convinced me as a reader that this dream might one day become a reality.

The ninth article “Family Fortunes” features how the survival of the young Toque Macaques is directly dependent on their kin’s social status. As ridiculous as that sounds, I really liked the article as it portrayed animals having some characteristics of humans which made it a very enjoyable read.

 The tenth article was titled “Bird Flu Detectives” which was about the origins of bird flu and the different types of methods to combat it.

The eleventh article was titled “The End of Malaria” which showed the origins of Malaria and where it was most commonly found it. It also featured some pictures of the victims, This makes the reader sympathise with them and be thankful they are not in their shoes. Thus, in order to find out how they can prevent Malaria in their homes, they would naturally read on.

The next section in the magazine was the Question and Answer section. Questions sent to the website of the magazine would be answered by the editors in this section. I felt this article was really interesting as the questions asked were the sort of questions normal people would ask too.

Finally, the last article was on how gene therapy can performed on our own. This was a very good read as it brought basic instructions on how people at home can do it on their own.

                                                                           

Task 2

The reading and review of one entertainment magazine (whole magazine) (eg: 8 Days, Teenage, 17…) – Look at the titles of the articles and explain what the intended effects on they have on the target audience

The magazine I chose to review was Singapore’s December issue of Seventeen that was released in mid-November. I purchased this magazine as One Direction was featured on the cover and the magazine also provided an inside scoop on them. Being a hard-core fan of One Direction, I simply could not resist purchasing this magazine.

  The cover page not only includes a picture of One Direction, but also, titles like “300 Ways to Dazzle”, “Beauty Secrets of Young Hollywood”, “Dress like top TV babes from Glee & New Girl’, “Celeb Recipes that are Yummy yet Healthy’ etc. and even an advertisement on a competition the publishing company was holding. I feel all these titles are very attractive and persuasive as they incorporate words like “Dazzle”, “Hollywood” and “Celeb recipes”. This emphasises that the articles features what celebrities from Hollywood do in their daily life, like their diet, dress style and so on and so forth. As all these people are famous and popular, people would want to find out more about them so they can ‘imitate’ after them.

  As Seventeen is a fashion magazine, there were many advertisements featured ranging from clothing to accessories to beauty products etc. Such examples include: Aeropostale, Mentholatum, Smooth E, Hot Fm 91.3, Taylor Swift’s Wonderstruck perfume, Watches by ODM , and Watches by Casio.

Baby G Watch Advertisment

Aeropostale Advertisment

Mentholatum Skincare Products

                                         

  The first article was “♥ her Style” which featured the style of a reader of Seventeen and famous supermodel Karlie Kloss. The second article featured was titled “Out of the Box”. This article reviewed the must have clutches and bags for this season. It also included the address of the shop that you could purchase it from. 

"Love her Style" & "Out of the Box

  The third article was called “Print Explosion” where they classified your body shape to the types of prints you should wear. It featured celebrities like Kristen Stewart, Zendaya, Solange Knowles etc. I thought this was a really good article as it also elaborated on what types of clothing to avoid as well as something to pair it with. Overall, I thought this article was an eye-opener and it was worth reading.

The next article featured was called “This Christmas I Wanna Be...” Basically, this article featured the type of style the main characters in popular television shows had. The shows featured were Glee, Secret Circle Sorceress, Keeping Up with the Kardashians, Gossip Girl, New Girl and Pretty Little Liars.

Following that, were some make-up tutorials that taught you how to copy after celebrities’ looks. I thought it was really interesting how such small details such as using different colours of eye shadow to blend would make such a huge difference.

Next, was an article called “Beauty Secrets of Young Hollywood”. This was a really cool article as readers got to take a peek into the lives of celebrities and the products that they swear by. The magazine featured celebrities (Lea Michelle. Miley Cyrus, Emma Watson, Emma Stone, Blake Lively, Alexa Chung, Ninan Dobrev) as they are very popular and well known and would bring across the intended message that if you used these products, you would look as beautiful as them.

Following that, was an article an health and wellness. This month’s magazine featured a very popular sport- pilates. It highlighted the benefits of pilates and even featured 4 simple moves that would ‘strengthen your middle’. All the exercises were explained very clearly and they were very easy to understand. After trying out some of the moves, my abdomens immediately felt the stretch.

 Next was the article on health and nutrition. This featured 5 different healthy recipes of celebrities like Victoria Justice, Zendaya etc. These recipes were actually very simple and they actually tasted really good, especially Victoria Justice’s Power Shake.

Finally, the magazine cover story- ONE DIRECTION!

At this point I was practically bursting with joy and could not contain my excitement. Basically, the magazine would ask each member of the band some questions and at the end of the interview, a short game of “Would You Rather” would be carried out.

Next was a Christmas Lookbook, featuring outfit ideas to celebrate Christmas and the new year. Also featured were some ideas to decorate your nails. All the ideas were very creative and best of all, they were DIY so anyone can do it if they have the right type of tools and nail polish.

The last article featured were gift ideas to give to your loved ones, be it your parents, friends, relative and even your pets! This article was really very helpful as I was unsure what to get for my loved ones. However, after reading this article, I finally had something in mind to give to them.

Overall, this was my absolute favourite issue of Seventeen. I have always been buying each copy of Seventeen religiously but I have to say out of all the issues, this was definitely the best! :D