Rainstorms

Recently, there have been rather huge rainstorms in the area. Huge amounts of water pouring down on us almost daily. I actually like the rain. It gives us much respite from the hot, humid weather of Singapore, though afterwards it will still be rather humid. Aside from that, I do think that the rain looks very beautiful. So many things I have experienced happened in the rain, therefore I always will think of someone or something.

Back to the point, the rain has caused a fair amount of incovenience and damage to people and their property. The draining system in Orchrd Road has failed to work on a number of occasions and thus caused Orchard Road to be flooded to waist level. Many cars were damaged when water seeped into the engine. They are claiming insurance all at once, causing the insurance companies a huge headache. The government has also been questioned about the disaster that the drainage was supposed to prevent. The government obviously launched an investigation into it and came up with some temporary solutions like walls of some sort.

Shops in shopping centers have also damaged, specifically the ones on the ground floor. Poor thing really. After repairing the damage from one flood, another one comes along and throws all their efforts down the drain, literally. Aside from wetting people, the rain has brought down not just a few trees, managing to kill someone and damage another's car. Wow, cars are really having it bad this time. The government is going to hack down a few trees to stop the destruction of cars and loss of lives.

While we think we are having the worst of the situation, we are actually receiving the tiniest bit of it. Look at China. Hills collapsing. Entire villages turned into mini Atlantis. People stranded on the roof of their houses. No food. No water. No electricity. So we really need to put things into perspective and sympathize with others plight.

Now, let me look at the rain and think.

World Cup 2010

Well firstly congratulations to Spain the winner of World Cup 2010. Next to Netherlands for being runner up. Although I would have preferred Germany to have fought with Spain in the Finals, they had a premature confrontation at the semi-finals with Germany fighting tooth and nail against Uruguay to win third place. Although Uruguay lost and acheived fourth place, they were rather sporting and acted as though they had won something.

To a certain extent this is true, as the last time they had reached top 4 was 1970. 40 years later were they able to repeat it. Germany was a little disappointing to have not gone into the finals despite having a very good team. The absence of Thomas Muller due to a scond yellow card in two matches was critical to Germany's defeat against Spain. Germany lacked the attacking strength and used the wrong strategy - a defensive one. The match was a rare yellow cardless, showing that these two superb teams played by skill and not brute force.

So, let us some up the best of the World Cup. Firstly South Africa selected as the host nation despite the country being in poverty. The world can finally see that the country that was not so long ago divided by apartheid and civil war is able to unite under one common goal (pun intended) - football. Then let us move on to the World Cup matches themselves. There are too many examples to list, but I will list the more memorable ones. (At least to me)

First Robert Green fumble of the ball allow USA to draw with England. Then as the group stages came to an end, the supposed best started crashing out. England, France, Italy all went home rather early with England at least lasting to the last 16. Though there was a very controversial gola disallowed for the English side. The ball was clearly two feet into the goal post. However, Germany was in clear control of that game. Then Argentina and Brazil losing surprisingly to Germany and Netherlands respectively. Uruguay squeezed into the semi-finals by cheating. Striker Luis Suarez acted like goalkeeper and used his hand to block the ball. Ghana missed the penalty given.

Spain eventually won against Netherlands because they had the team spirit, working with each other in cohesion to eventually score a goal after 122 minutes of struggle with the other team which was equally united.
Well done Spain.

Football - World Cup mania

Even as we speak now, perhaps there are already a few countries celebrating their entry into the last 16 round. Others are grieving over their loss. Though I must say, after all this is still a game and when one is out, one is out. The more sporting ones say that they'll work harder, while those who are sore losers blame the referees for bad decisions, red cards and penalties.

For example, the French Coach Raymond Domenech refused to shake the South African coach's hand after the French lost to them 1-2. To be fair it was said that the opposing coach said something about them cheating to get into the World Cup. This refers to Theirry Henry's "handball" goal against Ireland. But still, Domenech was rather rude not to shake the hand. He was already in a very, very bad mood due to the players boycotting a recent training.

The boycott was a support of Nicholas Anelka who was removed from the team after having a shouting match with the coach that was laced with vulgarities. It shows that the coach was unable to build strong teamwork with his team, resulting in the team refusing to perform well.

Aside from France's poor form, Italy also lost out to Slovenia. There was, I admit a rather controversial disallowment of a goal by Italy, resulting in them losing 2-3. I watched the Americans play a few days ago and that last 91 minute goal seemed to come out from a story. It was unbelievable. Americans were saved by a last minute goal. The following day, the American stock prices rose sharply. So, perhaps miracles do happens.

Now that school is reopening, I cannot sleep that late at night - 12.00am. Well, back to the old routine again then. Wake up, breakfast, travel to school, study, stay back for project, go home, bathe, dinner, homework, facebook?, and sleep. Do I even have a life???

Maybe I do, just that I haven't found it yet.

Welcome back

Well, it certainly has been a while since I have updated this blog. I'll be begining to start posting regularly soon. I have much to share. My life is going to be rather interesting now. So, see you here again.

Rainbow Death Task 2

This poem is written from the point of view of a Vietnam war veteran. We are able to see this as the poem talks about Agent Orange, a chemical agent which gained fame during the Vietnam war for poisoning crops and people. Therefore, Wilson would have experienced the horrors of jungle warfare, including ambushes and perhaps accidental collateral damage by the extensive chemical warfare.

The poem, set in Vietnam, describes the damage the chemicals are inflicting on the people. The chemical agents are described as "omnipotent" - unlimited power, and indifferent to who is affected, as if it was God himself. It causes "illnesses, birth defects and premature deaths"

The author deliberately chooses words with a strong impact. He describes the mixture of chemical agents as a potpourri, a mixture of fragrant plants material. In this case, a deadly concoction of poisons. Using the words "nefariously and deceit" his personal opinion of the Vietnam War is the means used to carry it out were unjustifiable

My personal opinion of this poem is that it quite accurately describes the front line conditions of the Vietnam war. Innocent civilians are shot, bombed and poisoned. The Communist activities are disrupted but not halted. A waste of resources for the US government that brought the world no further from Communism, instead rallying support for it. It is also true that future generation, American or Vietnamese, would be affected by Agent Orange by birth defects.

Television brought the brutality of war into the comfort of the living room. Vietnam was lost in the living rooms of America--not on the battlefields of Vietnam.
--Marshall McLuhan, 1975

Rainbow Death

This poem is written by Hubert Wilson, a soldier from Vietnam, sent by the US government in 1955 to prevent the spread of communism, which they ultimately failed in. However, in the process, there was much damage done to the country and casualties among the population.

USA attempted to use its technology to defeat the enemy and sap their morale. It acheived only the opposite effect. It made the enemy's will to fight even stronger while the public back in America was horrified by the violence dealt to the Vietnamese. They used herbicidal warfare. The defoliants, which were distributed in drums marked with color-coded bands, included the "Rainbow Herbicides"— Agent Pink, Agent Green, Agent Purple, Agent Blue, Agent White, and the most famous Agent Orange. They destroy crops, but most cruelly of all, they cause severe health problems to people, but don't kill them, leading to lifelong suffering.

The poem talks about all of these chemical agents and the effects on the people. More often than not, innocent civilians are hit and not the communists, because they have made adequate preparations. Also some US soldiers are affected, leading to widespread collateral damage. The effects may not have been felt immediately, but after the war, many veterans were unable to return to normality - normal life as an American

Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agent_orange
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnam_war

E-learning assignment

Alright. Haven't been posting for a while. Now, I am off to do an English assignment right here on this blog. I'll take the two star and three star poems - "Rainbow Death" and "We slept by Our Boots On". On guard!