August 18, 2009 { 8/18/2009 07:37:00 PM }

In life, you will meet many people; some will encourage and help you and others that will discourage or even distract you. These people will eventually play a part in molding your character, values and life principles. Can you identify the voices around you? “Voices” refers to those that are able to influence or make an impact on your actions/thoughts. E.g. Parents, friends, or even people who you do not know. Sometimes these “voices” can influence you without you being aware of it.
As a student, what are the “voices” that surround you? What can you do to prevent those “voices” that can influence you negatively?
ANS: The "voices can be ghosts, teachers, parents and especially friends and siblings. As you are closer to friends and siblings, you are more likely to have the same mindset as them and therefore they are more likely to influence you negatively, whereas if you're one of the good model pupils and take parents and teachers as role models, you are most likely to take up positive traits, but parents may also pass negative impacts to you, because you see them since the day you were born and think that they are the role models.But everybody makes mistakes, nobody is perfect. To prevent these 'voices" from influencing us negatively, we must learn how to filter the things we see and hear. Only hear the good things, filter out the bad. We must also learn how to influence ourselves positively.
REMEMBER: NOBODY'S PERFECT



Additional:Go to the website below, complete the quiz, and find out if you are the one influencing others.Website<--Click on the link:D:D

August 5, 2009 { 8/05/2009 11:17:00 AM }

“Sticks and stones can break your bones, but words can never hurt you.” Do you think it's true? False? What do you think?

ANS:No, it is false. As we have learnt in our cyber wellness lesson: "Words have POWER, ONLINE or OFFLINE. Be RESPECTFUL and RESPONSIBLE for what we say."
I think that words DO have the power to change peoples' mindset. They can affect others in many ways,mentally, emotionally and physically. We should be careful with what we say, and not just say without thinking. Would you punch someone and hurt them intentionally? No, right? Neither would you post untrue comments intentionally.
What if i say: "You're STUPID! haha" how would you like that.
what if i post it another 50 more times
"You're STUPID! haha"
"You're STUPID! haha"
"You're STUPID! haha"
"You're STUPID! haha"
"You're STUPID! haha"
.
.
.
.
.
"You're STUPID! haha"
"You're STUPID! haha"
"You're STUPID! haha"
"You're STUPID! haha"
This is equivalent to punching or stabbing someone intentionally.How would you feel huh? depressed? sad? humiliated? or for those 'humourous' ones, happy?
These words make people lose their self esteem, confidence. People are like crabs, prawns, lobsters, oysters(choose whatever), hard on the outside but soft on the inside. Though people put up a strong front, they are actually fragile inside. (chim time, get ready)Words are like swords that penetrate deep inside the soft area and leaves a wound. This wound leads to both physical, mental and emotional harm.
Mental--the person may feel that she is really like the rumours, or she/he may not understand the purpose of the rumours, these may lead to depression or trauma, or even hallucinations
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which leads to
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v
Emotional--feelings of insignificance, pessimism, feels that "no one cares about me", "everyone hates me", etc.
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which leads to
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v
Physical--the person will try to change, by going on like an impossible diet, reading non stop, buying lots of gifts or may think of suicide as the best solutions.
So,
IF YOU DARE NOT DO IT IN REAL LIFE, DON'T DO IT ON THE WEB!

July 29, 2009 { 7/29/2009 06:51:00 PM }

WARNING: contains pictures that may make you feel uncomfortable, don't get addicted hors(you look at the picture more than once, i smack you with a durian arh :D:D)

Look at the following pictures taken from advertisements/comics & anime.

{ 7/29/2009 06:50:00 PM }

John was checking his email one day, and he saw this particular one, which was sent to him from someone HE DID NOT KNOW. The subject of the email sounded urgent, so instead of deleting it, John clicked on it to read it.

Subject: 81 feared dead from swine flu in Mexico

I sent this email to you with a very heavy heart. I’m sure you have heard of the recent swine flu outbreak. Novel influenza A (H1N1) is a new flu virus of swine origin that was first detected in April, 2009. The virus is infecting people and is spreading from person-to-person, and has sparked a growing outbreak of illness in the United States with an increasing number of cases being reported internationally as well.

To date, A/H1N1 flu has killed 337 people in 121 nations and regions and the number of the total infected exceeded 80,000, a top official of the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday. There are already 1003 cases in Singapore, a country known for its stringent health measures.

Just FYI, in 1918, there was flu pandemic -commonly known as the Spanish flu- which was caused by an unusually severe and deadly Influenza A virus strain of subtype H1N1, claimed the lives of 50-100 million people. Researchers are speculating if the one that is ongoing will have that high number of death tolls, that is, if the pandemic persists.

I’ve attached a file on how to protect yourself during this period of outbreak. I sincerely urged you to take a look at it, so that you can take the said preventive measures. You are not only protecting yourself, but also the people around you.

My cousin, who lives in Mexico, introduced me to a type of medicine that is said to work effectively. I’ve also given you the link in the file attachment. I strongly encourage you to purchase the medicine, as I have also purchased it myself.


Yours sincerely,
Max Wilkertin

Now, what should John do? Should he open the file attachment? Should he buy the medicine?

ANS: He should not have opened the anonymous email as it could have installed some viruses on his computer that may steal his important personal information and wipe out his computer(ohno........)
He should not go to trusted media, news websites, newspaper, government etc. to confirm the information.Miracles do not happen in real life, so this medicine could most likely be a mixture of this and that and then ALAKAZAM!(KABOOM!) it became a so-called 'miracle medicine'.This could be to cheat him of his credit card number, money.
Whenever we receive this sort of anonymous emails, do not believe them easily. and don't be the stupid one to forward all these to your friends and cause panic and unnecessary trouble to them.(whoever you are? u know ah!:D:D).So believe in the truth not something made up just because a certain person is bored.

{ 7/29/2009 06:43:00 PM }

Article
IT WAS his teacher who inspired Jason Chionh to pursue a career in video games, but not in the way you would expect.
While doing his final-year Computer Science project at Victoria Junior College, Jason was discouraged from proposing a games-related one. According to his teacher, his design could 'never compete' with the commercial games that are in the market.
'I didn't do a games project but it got me thinking that maybe I can do something in the future,' recalls the 33-year-old, who grew up playing Wing Commander, Monkey Island and Ultima role-playing PC games.
After receiving a computer science degree from the National University of Singapore (NUS), he followed it up with a Master of Science, all the while dreaming of entering the fledgling game industry.
'There were no game-related studies but I knew what I wanted to do and was prepared to move overseas if I had to.'
There was also the fantasy of creating his own game with a few friends, if no one would hire him.
All this while, he kept his aspirations from his family and friends, knowing that job opportunities were scant, with gaming still considered mere child's play.
In 2002, he applied through the Economic Development Board job attachment program to work with noted Japanese games company Koei but was not selected.
He found a job as a full-time teaching assistant at NUS and tried again the following year. This time, he was accepted by Sega, another noted Japanese games developer and publisher, and went on an 18-month stint.
What he found really useful was the on-the-job training and experience he gained from working on console games.
One title he worked on was Altered Beast for the Sony PlayStation 2 console.
He worked on all the programming aspects for implementing the fight scenario, the artificial intelligence behaviour of the boss character, the visual effects and the sound and animation of the characters, to name a few.
Upon returning home, he took on a job with G-Gadget, a local start-up working on games for the Nintendo DS-Lite platform.
His parents, however, did not like his job because they felt that game piracy limited any possible success in the industry.
Things took a positive turn when industry giant Lucasfilm of Star Wars fame announced that it was setting up an animation and games arm here.
Jason successfully applied to Lucasfilm Animation Singapore and soon found himself surrounded by his childhood movie and game heroes, from the Jedi masters, Indiana Jones to Guybrush Threepwood.
'I heard they were hiring and you don't question yourself if you want to join Lucasfilm,' he said.
As a games software engineer, he is currently working on several unannounced game projects. He already has one title under his belt - last year's Jedi Alliance game for the DS Lite.
His involvement in this game was more extensive, as he worked on programming both the engine for the game and the game systems, including the sound, visual effects and combat systems.
His parents have also come around and accepted his chosen profession.
For Jason, his long-time dream lives on. Although he is part of a large team working on several games, he still wants to create his own video game one day.
To turn that dream into reality, he realises it is going to take more hard work at Lucasfilm.
'What I find most valuable is to be able to work with a very talented pool of people here. We are able to openly discuss ideas and bounce these ideas off one another,' he said.
'Because of this, I have learnt a lot and I feel there is so much more that I can learn.'

After you read, I would like you to answer a few questions.
a) What are your views in pursuing a career with the gaming industry, especially in Singapore?
b) What qualities does Jason Chionh have that allow him to do what he wish to do?

ANS:
a)I think that the gaming industry in Singapore will do fairly well but not fantastically, as nowadays games such as World of Warcraft, Habbo Hotel, Facebook have taken the big screens(not movies hor). These games allow you to have fun while interacting as if you're conversing to your friends thus attracting the crowds. According to a 7-11 outlet salesperson, they can sell about 100 $10.70 A-cash cards for either AuditionSEA or MaplestorySEA per day, and that's only one outlet. Do the maths you all are so brilliant in and calculate the total earnings of these companies. The downside is that people are encouraged to be more active and play less computer games(huh really, does it show at all?).the video games we play are also made abroad like Japan, China as they think that the quality is better and cheaper(typical..). To increase his chances of breaking into the local market(ok this sounds chim, but bear with it!al,almost done :D:D), he can collaborate with other foreign companies like Nintendo, etc.(still got what else har?). This way, people will believe more in his reliability and buy more.

b)From the start, he knew he wanted to be a game designer, that was his goal and he remained focused on it.He faced many setbacks like the lack of game-designing studies in Singapore, but he never let these setbacks take him down. Instead he persevered and fulfilled his dream into reality. He also did not hesitate when joining Lucasfilm, as all the hesitations may stop you from your journey.

July 20, 2009 { 7/20/2009 06:41:00 PM }



They celebrate many different festivals but one of the most famous festivals is Hari Raya. Also known as the Day of Celebration, it is a joyous occasion for them as s it signifies a personal triumph, a victory of self-restraint and abstinence, symbolising purification and renewal. During this period, they are required to fast, they are required to abstain from satisfying their most basic needs and urges, daily, between sunrise and sunset. they also go back to their old hometown, popularly referred to as balik kampung, to be with parents, relatives and old friends. They are usually decked out in beautiful traditional costumes, known as baju kurung to mark the special occasion.
I think that it is important to maintain good relationships with your neighbors of other
races and religions.

July 14, 2009 { 7/14/2009 07:33:00 PM }

What do you think the clip is trying to share?
ANS:After watching the video above, we learned not to post personal pictures of yourself online as it is public not private meaning everyone can view it like how you're viewing these words and can send it to their friends and family. It is difficult to delete these pictures as some website wait for it to be overwritten and people can continue viewing it and can save it for their viewing pleasure. We cannot control who views your photos but prevention is better then cure. Always think if this is appropriate and will bring you any inconvenience(harassment) from others. If you really want to post picture of yourself online, being the zilian kuang you are,
you can
-blank out faces.
-put them on a more private website, which requires a password
-do not post names, places, times as these can help stalkers in tracking you down.
-try as much as possible not to post all these photos
REMEMBER THINK BEFORE YOU POST!!!