“In the modern world, image is everything.” Discuss. (2000)

In this modern world, image has certainly been regarded as an important aspect in one's life. From companies to individuals, tons of money are spent on building desired "images" or "image". There seems to be something of utmost importance not of what one really is but what others see one as; hence the thriving image industry. Professionals, image consultants are hired at large sums to give advice and guidance to firms, organisations, prominent personalities, celebrities or even common folks on what to wear on different occasions, the different types of gestures and body language. People see image as 'everything' because first and foremost it symbolises oneself, and to some, first impression symbolises everything.
For businessmen, especially, dressing is important when one goes on a negotiation or when entertaining clients. Their dressing represents influence and power. A businessman who dresses shabbily on business meetings definitely does not bring out a good impression, or what many term "image". Others often get the impression that this shabbily-dressed businessman does not seem sincere about making a deal, or is not interested in the content of the business meeting. On the other hand, a businessman who is neat, tidy and well-dressed no doubt portrays himself as confident, trustworthy and keen. Hence, the importance of image in this sense.As for companies, building images often take place in the form of advertisements or even just achievement. However, achievements sometimes require effort and time. Most companies build their own "desired" image through advertisements which can be brought to the public through the media, newspapers or even through public transport like the mass rapid transit or buses. A meaningful advertisement or funny and nonsensical one often leave an impression in one's mind. This is a way of creating the 'image', and this is precisely the game; to give an image that we are more than we really are or appear to be.
Image DOES seem to be 'everything' in the world today. Yet,it is really good if this constantly brings to everyone knowledge of the world, through good, existing images. Over and above this fuss about image, we are prompted to ask: "Why should anyone care about spending so much on building a image he or she wants?", "Why can't one just let everyone see his true self?" and "Why the need to hide around about oneself?" After all, even the world 'image' conjures up images of something apparent and not real. Certainly this 'image is everything' concept, though we have to accept that it is real, is suspect.

Dec Hol Online Journal Two

“There are no permanent friends, only permanent interests.” Comment.

I disagree that there can only be permanent interests, not permanent friends.
Permanent friends can be nurtured too. Many of my peers, now in their late teenage years, still are very much in contact with their primary school friends, or even kindergarten mates. Friends, especially those who went through primary school and secondary school together, often foster a bond so strong that even after years of not meeting each other, they could still come together and have moments of fun, joy and laughter. This is true in my personal encounter, where a recent gathering involved a few primary school friends. I wouldn't exactly say those who met up were best of friends in primary school days, but we could still joke and talked comfortably about our lives. Hence, I see the above statement as certainly untrue. Friends who have especially been through hardships together will be even more permanent, as they understand each other better. I must admit that some friends totally drift away after five to ten years, but as long as the friendship is not broken, we cannot term it as something which has passed its phase. The bond is still there, and the parties invovled are still friends. However, a dispute or fight between two parties may result in a broken friendship. In this case, friendship is not permanent.
On the other hand, there may not be such things as permanent interests. Interests change over the years. For example, as a teenager one may be interested in 'photo stickers', or what they momre commonly term as 'neoprints'. However, over another five years, the same teenager may have lost interest in 'neoprints' and has established a new interest in digital cameras. Therefore, interests do vary and change, but if one would consider, there may be permanent interests too. To cite an example, reading, to many, may be a permanent interest. Reading is something one picks up from since young, and once one has a huge appetite for books, it is more of a permanent interest and hobby, something that is difficult to change.
In conclusion, there can be permanent friends, and also permanent interests. It all depends on the individual.

Dec Hol Online Journal One

THE STRAITS TIMES
SEPT 25, 2004
Bringing Up Child Prodigies
Good reasons not to allow grade-skipping
IN RESPONSE to the article, 'Maths whiz-kid is Way ahead of his peers' (ST, Sept 20), and the letter, 'No reason to hold back whiz-kids' (ST, Sept 23), I think the Ministry of Education's stand against grade-skipping should be heeded.
A BBC documentary, Too Young Too Soon, in April provided an update on some of the most well-known British prodigies. One boy who was an 'expert' on antiques at 10 years old is now, uhm, a woman.
Others have not done so badly, but they are not spectacularly more successful than their peers who were of 'lower' intelligence as children.
This corroborates a conclu-sion by Mr Lewis Terman (1877-1965), who spent a lifetime stu-dying the gifted, that 'children with very high IQ did not neces-sarily make any mark in science, business, arts or commerce'.
Two points raised in the programme, both by professors, stuck in my head.
First: What is the point of an 11-year-old doing A-level maths? What does he do after that?
Second: 'Gifted children' should be encouraged to develop laterally rather than accelerated through the grades.
Thus, instead of preparing a maths whiz-kid to sit for an A-level exam at age 11, he could be encouraged to explore non-Euclidean geometry, or other rare areas of mathematics.
Diversify the interests of such children. Have them learn an additional language, musical instrument or sport. Read Greek mythology. Explore areas that 'slower' children have little time to explore.
All-round development is important. Take my son. Though way ahead of his peers in reading, he is just four years old and enjoys Postman Pat. Crucially, being an only child, he lags somewhat in some social skills. He has the stature and strength, but not the dexterity, of a six-year-old. While his brain tells him he can manage an age seven-plus Lego model, his fingers are just not developed enough to, for example, attach a thread to a helicopter winch.
IQ scores are but numbers. A self-administered Mensa test put my IQ at 155 (top 1 per cent). A second, invigilated test put me at only 133 (top 2 per cent). How could I have drop-ped 22 points in a few months?
The first had a lot of maths, the second, none. Instead, there was a large section on English, which is not my mother tongue.
Socialising more with older people might be interpreted as a characteristic of childhood giftedness. It could also merely be a coping strategy for the socially less-adept.
An academically gifted person with a comparable EQ would be at ease with persons less intelligent, less strong, less good-looking, etc, than himself. Most of us learn to do this as we grow up, slowly.
Grade-skipping might teach a young child to calculate the trajectory of a ball. But children are probably happiest when they are able to throw and catch a ball and play with their age peers instead, or, as well.
Parents who suspect they have gifted children might find this website useful: http://www.nagcbritain.org.uk/index.html
LEE SIEW PENG (DR) Middlesex, UK
Copyright @ 2004 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.


THE STRAITS TIMES
SEPT 25, 2004
Groom children to achieve potential
I REFER to the letter, 'No reason to hold back whiz-kids' (ST, Sept 23).
I agree with what Mr Leong Wing Lup said. From what I know, this was not the case back in the 1950s and 60s. In those days, whiz-kids were allowed to skip grades. My aunt - Fatimah Abdul Ghani - did. She skipped two grades and was featured in the papers, with a schoolmate, for scoring all As in the equivalent of the O levels.
I wonder why the policy was changed. If a student has the potential, we should try to groom him and unleash his potential. It would be a waste if we had a possible genius on our hands, and we did not even try to mould him into becoming something great. Why should we let him have a stunted education, if he has the potential to excel?
Mr Leong put it very well when he said: 'If we want a creative and go-getting Singapore, we have to let Singaporeans push themselves and perhaps even fail. Better for a student to try and fail than for him not to try at all.'
It is just as Mark Twain said: 'Twenty years from now, you will be disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the things that you did do.'
Wouldn't it be sad if this is how six-year-old Way Tan thinks in 20 years' time?
SITI AISHA MOSTAFA (MS)
Copyright @ 2004 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.



THE STRAITS TIMES
SEPT 25, 2004
Yes, let precocious kids proceed at faster pace
I REFER to Mr Leong Wing Lup's letter, 'No reason to hold back whiz-kids' (ST, Sept 23), in support of Mrs Janey Tan's plea to the Ministry of Education (MOE) to allow her son Way Tan to skip to a primary school level more suited to his intellectual abilities.
My son, Glen, is clearly not as precocious as Way but he is certainly more advanced than his peers. I, too, feel that MOE could do more by allowing such children to progress at their own pace with the approval of the principal, teachers and psychologists and, of course, with the kids' consent, with costs borne by the parents.
Although I agree with MOE that the parents could nurture such a child at home, it fails to address the fact that the child spends many hours in school and these hours would be better spent doing work that challenges and intrigues him, rather than on lessons on topics that he already has a good grasp of.
Two of my classmates in JC skipped grades when they were younger. One skipped two years when she was in Australia. Neither of them displayed signs of poor moral, social, physical and aesthetic development.
In fact, the younger one was more mature than some of the others who did not skip grades.
I hope that MOE will be less rigid and allow the schools more autonomy to decide on this matter of skipping grades.
LAI EE SA (MDM)
THE Ministry of Education (MOE) reasoned that a child should receive a well-rounded education. However, a well-rounded education would be for the average kid, not for someone like Way Tan.
Sticking to the current curriculum would only cause such a whiz-kid to become laid-back and complacent and, in due course, he might become so complacent that his current level of achievement takes a dip.
I have heard and read about kids who completed their tertiary studies while their contemporaries were still in secondary school.
It is time to change the rules on education to make them more flexible.
The Government has set its sights on kids excelling not only academically but also in other arenas. What better way to achieve this than to start with this child?
THOMAS ANTHONY
Copyright @ 2004 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.

Online Journal Topic

The letters to The Straits Times above present different views on whether the education system should allow exceptionally bright students to skip grades. Which writer do you agree most with? Justify your answer by drawing from the letters above as well as from your own examples and experiences. (Reminder: Remember to cite the writers as well as the Straits Times Forum section).

I agree with writer Thomas Anthony most that the education system should let precocious kids proceed at faster pace. Kids who have exceptionally high IQ and excel in their area of study which children at their age should subject to should be allowed to move on to the next grade. With Singapore's current rigid education system which does not allow bright students to skip grades will only result in these bright students becoming bored and laid back as they are exposed to fields of study which they already know of and excel at. Yes, we can diversify the interests of such children, providing them with a more all-rounded learning process to groom them into better persons. However, has writer Lee Siew Peng ever wondered that all these need not be taught through books. Students can be guided in their social skills and moral knowledge through activities in daily life, such as the way he or she treats family members. There is no need to hold a bright student back. Miss Lee Siew Peng may have also cited an example, "A BBC documentary, Too Young Too Soon, in April provided an update on some of the most well-known British prodigies. One boy who was an 'expert' on antiques at 10 years old is now, uhm, a woman.". However, this is only an example among the billions of bright children in the world. She should not base her argument on only one such example though it is from a reliable source. In my knowledge, most bright children do not turn out like that. What I personally feel is that, if a student has the potential, we should try to groom him and unleash his potential. It would be a waste if we had a possible genius on our hands, and we did not even try to mould him into becoming something great. Just like what Mr Leong said: 'If we want a creative and go-getting Singapore, we have to let Singaporeans push themselves and perhaps even fail. Better for a student to try and fail than for him not to try at all.' address the fact that the child spends many hours in school and these hours would be better spent doing work that challenges and intrigues him, rather than on lessons on topics that he already has a good grasp of. Furthermore, it doesn't mean that skipping a grade will create a negative psychological impact on a child. It depends mainly on how the family nurtures the kid. Basically, children should be given the liberty to progress at their own pace with the approval of the principal, teachers and psychologists and, of course, with the kids' consent, with costs borne by the parents. It is, perhaps time for the MOE to be more flexible in its system.

Dec Hol Online Journal One

THE STRAITS TIMES
SEPT 25, 2004
Bringing Up Child Prodigies
Good reasons not to allow grade-skipping
IN RESPONSE to the article, 'Maths whiz-kid is Way ahead of his peers' (ST, Sept 20), and the letter, 'No reason to hold back whiz-kids' (ST, Sept 23), I think the Ministry of Education's stand against grade-skipping should be heeded.
A BBC documentary, Too Young Too Soon, in April provided an update on some of the most well-known British prodigies. One boy who was an 'expert' on antiques at 10 years old is now, uhm, a woman.
Others have not done so badly, but they are not spectacularly more successful than their peers who were of 'lower' intelligence as children.
This corroborates a conclu-sion by Mr Lewis Terman (1877-1965), who spent a lifetime stu-dying the gifted, that 'children with very high IQ did not neces-sarily make any mark in science, business, arts or commerce'.
Two points raised in the programme, both by professors, stuck in my head.
First: What is the point of an 11-year-old doing A-level maths? What does he do after that?
Second: 'Gifted children' should be encouraged to develop laterally rather than accelerated through the grades.
Thus, instead of preparing a maths whiz-kid to sit for an A-level exam at age 11, he could be encouraged to explore non-Euclidean geometry, or other rare areas of mathematics.
Diversify the interests of such children. Have them learn an additional language, musical instrument or sport. Read Greek mythology. Explore areas that 'slower' children have little time to explore.
All-round development is important. Take my son. Though way ahead of his peers in reading, he is just four years old and enjoys Postman Pat. Crucially, being an only child, he lags somewhat in some social skills. He has the stature and strength, but not the dexterity, of a six-year-old. While his brain tells him he can manage an age seven-plus Lego model, his fingers are just not developed enough to, for example, attach a thread to a helicopter winch.
IQ scores are but numbers. A self-administered Mensa test put my IQ at 155 (top 1 per cent). A second, invigilated test put me at only 133 (top 2 per cent). How could I have drop-ped 22 points in a few months?
The first had a lot of maths, the second, none. Instead, there was a large section on English, which is not my mother tongue.
Socialising more with older people might be interpreted as a characteristic of childhood giftedness. It could also merely be a coping strategy for the socially less-adept.
An academically gifted person with a comparable EQ would be at ease with persons less intelligent, less strong, less good-looking, etc, than himself. Most of us learn to do this as we grow up, slowly.
Grade-skipping might teach a young child to calculate the trajectory of a ball. But children are probably happiest when they are able to throw and catch a ball and play with their age peers instead, or, as well.
Parents who suspect they have gifted children might find this website useful: www.nagcbritain.org.uk
LEE SIEW PENG (DR) Middlesex, UK
Copyright @ 2004 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.


THE STRAITS TIMES
SEPT 25, 2004
Groom children to achieve potential
I REFER to the letter, 'No reason to hold back whiz-kids' (ST, Sept 23).
I agree with what Mr Leong Wing Lup said. From what I know, this was not the case back in the 1950s and 60s. In those days, whiz-kids were allowed to skip grades. My aunt - Fatimah Abdul Ghani - did. She skipped two grades and was featured in the papers, with a schoolmate, for scoring all As in the equivalent of the O levels.
I wonder why the policy was changed. If a student has the potential, we should try to groom him and unleash his potential. It would be a waste if we had a possible genius on our hands, and we did not even try to mould him into becoming something great. Why should we let him have a stunted education, if he has the potential to excel?
Mr Leong put it very well when he said: 'If we want a creative and go-getting Singapore, we have to let Singaporeans push themselves and perhaps even fail. Better for a student to try and fail than for him not to try at all.'
It is just as Mark Twain said: 'Twenty years from now, you will be disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the things that you did do.'
Wouldn't it be sad if this is how six-year-old Way Tan thinks in 20 years' time?
SITI AISHA MOSTAFA (MS)
Copyright @ 2004 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.



THE STRAITS TIMES
SEPT 25, 2004
Yes, let precocious kids proceed at faster pace
I REFER to Mr Leong Wing Lup's letter, 'No reason to hold back whiz-kids' (ST, Sept 23), in support of Mrs Janey Tan's plea to the Ministry of Education (MOE) to allow her son Way Tan to skip to a primary school level more suited to his intellectual abilities.
My son, Glen, is clearly not as precocious as Way but he is certainly more advanced than his peers. I, too, feel that MOE could do more by allowing such children to progress at their own pace with the approval of the principal, teachers and psychologists and, of course, with the kids' consent, with costs borne by the parents.
Although I agree with MOE that the parents could nurture such a child at home, it fails to address the fact that the child spends many hours in school and these hours would be better spent doing work that challenges and intrigues him, rather than on lessons on topics that he already has a good grasp of.
Two of my classmates in JC skipped grades when they were younger. One skipped two years when she was in Australia. Neither of them displayed signs of poor moral, social, physical and aesthetic development.
In fact, the younger one was more mature than some of the others who did not skip grades.
I hope that MOE will be less rigid and allow the schools more autonomy to decide on this matter of skipping grades.
LAI EE SA (MDM)
THE Ministry of Education (MOE) reasoned that a child should receive a well-rounded education. However, a well-rounded education would be for the average kid, not for someone like Way Tan.
Sticking to the current curriculum would only cause such a whiz-kid to become laid-back and complacent and, in due course, he might become so complacent that his current level of achievement takes a dip.
I have heard and read about kids who completed their tertiary studies while their contemporaries were still in secondary school.
It is time to change the rules on education to make them more flexible.
The Government has set its sights on kids excelling not only academically but also in other arenas. What better way to achieve this than to start with this child?
THOMAS ANTHONY
Copyright @ 2004 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.

Online Journal Topic

The letters to The Straits Times above present different views on whether the education system should allow exceptionally bright students to skip grades. Which writer do you agree most with? Justify your answer by drawing from the letters above as well as from your own examples and experiences. (Reminder: Remember to cite the writers as well as the Straits Times Forum section).

I agree with writer Thomas Anthony most that the education system should let precocious kids proceed at faster pace. Kids who have exceptionally high IQ and excel in their area of study which children at their age should subject to should be allowed to move on to the next grade. With Singapore's current rigid education system which does not allow bright students to skip grades will only result in these bright students becoming bored and laid back as they are exposed to fields of study which they already know of and excel at. Yes, we can diversify the interests of such children, providing them with a more all-rounded learning process to groom them into better persons. However, has writer Lee Siew Peng ever wondered that all these need not be taught through books. Students can be guided in their social skills and moral knowledge through activities in daily life, such as the way he or she treats family members. There is no need to hold a bright student back. Miss Lee Siew Peng may have also cited an example, "A BBC documentary, Too Young Too Soon, in April provided an update on some of the most well-known British prodigies. One boy who was an 'expert' on antiques at 10 years old is now, uhm, a woman.". However, this is only an example among the billions of bright children in the world. She should not base her argument on only one such example though it is from a reliable source. In my knowledge, most bright children do not turn out like that. What I personally feel is that, if a student has the potential, we should try to groom him and unleash his potential. It would be a waste if we had a possible genius on our hands, and we did not even try to mould him into becoming something great. Just like what Mr Leong said: 'If we want a creative and go-getting Singapore, we have to let Singaporeans push themselves and perhaps even fail. Better for a student to try and fail than for him not to try at all.' address the fact that the child spends many hours in school and these hours would be better spent doing work that challenges and intrigues him, rather than on lessons on topics that he already has a good grasp of. Furthermore, it doesn't mean that skipping a grade will create a negative psychological impact on a child. It depends mainly on how the family nurtures the kid. Basically, children should be given the liberty to progress at their own pace with the approval of the principal, teachers and psychologists and, of course, with the kids' consent, with costs borne by the parents. It is, perhaps time for the MOE to be more flexible in its system.

My view on advertisements

Advertisements are images or audio effects that are constantly repeated and they begin to work on our mind after some time. They have come a long way, since ancient times. In the past, people used to put up signs to promote their goods and services. Today, we see advertisements everywhere, whether it's posters along the road, visual images through television screens or through the cheery voices in radios. It is true that humans can be persuaded to do things, which are detrimental to themselves. In my view, advertisements carry the power to influence people. Sometimes, advertisements are so powerful in us that we often suspend reason.
Most of the time, advertisements do harm to people. Just like in the case of cigarettes. It is obvious that cigarettes do harm to people. However, in some countries, we notice that advertisements for such harmful substances are allowed. These advertisements should be banned for the good of society. Advertisements on slimming pills are also generally harmful for the society. They may be misleading, and often bring more harm than good to people in the long run. Recently, there was a spate of advertisements about slimming that fleeced a few ladies. When the ladies tried to get their money back, after accusing the culprit agencies of the misleading advertisements, the argument put forth by these culprits was that the advertisements were not meant to mislead. Surely that was an unreasonable argument. I feel that in such cases, more stringent laws should be passed to protect the consumer.
However, advertisements do not only bring harm to the public in general. Advertisements may sometimes serve useful purposes too. A case in point is when the government needs to promote healthy lifestyle. This can be done through posters or visual advertisements on television. Basically, advertisements in this case serve as a medium where the government use to convey messages to the public. Another useful purpose which advertisements serve is to allow more awareness of things among people. Whether it is a shampoo product, a restaurant or a packet of soft drink, through advertisement, people become more aware of the product's existence. It also gives one more choices when buying things. For example, one may not know of Pantene's conditioner for Soft and silky hair until he or she sees its advertisement. In addition, advertisements bring us information and knowledge too. During the Sars period, the health promotion board in Singapore used advertisements in the form of comic strips to teach the public how to be more hygienic. The correct methods of cleaning of hands were taught through the comic strips too. Thus, advertisements may not be portrayed as always harmful.
In conclusion, advertisements that decidedly harm us should be restricted. Otherwise, they should be allowed to stay.

What is one value or belief that you hold on to in life? Why?

one value which i believe in life is perseverance. perseverance is basically the hard work you do after getting tired of the hard work you already did. in accomplishing anything, whether a tough mission or a simple task like doing homework, perseverance is demonstrated. In life, we often come across obstacles. If we were to stop at these obstacles and try to ignore them, we will never get past any hurdles or get anything done. We will just remain at the same spot and will never move on. However, if we decide to persevere and try to overcome them, we learn new things and gain more experience in life.
Success seems to be connected with action. Successful people keep moving. They make mistakes, but they don't quit. Perseverance is the act of not quiting even after countless unsuccessful attempts. Take studies for example, if  one were to quit after failing two exams in a row, i would say he lacks perseverance and determination. If one just goes through life quiting everything, he would be wasting his life away. As Tommy Lasorda once said, "The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a man's determination."
Most hurdles in life can be overcome by these two values. It all depends on one to navigate his or her life.
Even the woodpecker owes his success to the fact that he uses his head and keeps pecking away until he finishes the job he starts. Indeed, we can see the importance of perseverance in establishing us to where we are today. Hence, i note that perseverance is a key factor to directing one in life. In order to achieve your life goals, one ought to persevere in times of adversity too.
In conclusion, if one wants to succeed in life, he or she has to persevere on.
 

testing:::

testing!

-lynn!