Ah Meng- more then just an ape

I still remember the first time i heard about Ah Meng the orang utan of the singapore zoo. I was only in primary school then, primary 2 if i am not mistaken. Back then i was already an avid animal lover but only for those that looked cute and cuddly and most certainly to an 8year old, apes did not fall into that category. When i first saw a children's storybook about Ah Meng, the thing that caught my attention was the ape's name. My mom told me that Ah Meng was a female orang utan who was a star at the zoo. I found it strange that they named a female ah meng as i associated the name to those typical of the male gangsters such as ah beng and ah hock, and ah meng does sound like a guy's name to me. Anyway back then, i had no interest in Ah Meng at all as in my eyes all she was was just this giant, hairy, ugly uncute creature compared to little rabbits, cats and dogs. I really did not understand the big fuss over Ah Meng and often wondered why other people would even bother to visit Ah Meng at the Zoo. However as years past and i grew older, Ah Meng came to be one of my country's top national and tourism icon. Stories of activities involving Ah Meng were many over the years and i grew to love and adore this giant, hairy creature. From newspapers and video clips on the news i came to know more about Ah Meng and what a smart ape she really was. I felt that she was very charismatic and lovable from all the pictures that i've seen of her. I knew Ah Meng was quite an old ape and getting on in years as i once saw a news programme about treating her ailments which were probably caused by her old age. I have recently made a resolution to go visit the zoo some time soon to visit Ah Meng, this would be the first time i am seeing Ah Meng in the flesh. Unfortuantely things were not meant to be. I just read in the newpaper today that Ah Meng has passed on already on chinese new year day. I was really shocked and sad to hear the news and now i regret not planning a trip to the zoo earlier. All i wanna say now is bye bye Ah Meng, and i hope her legacy will shine through her offspring:)

Cleft lip woes

The Sunday Times-Lifestyle pg L10, 20th Aug 2006

Nowadays, there is an increase in the number of babies born with cleft lips. This has led to many parents being worried and sad as having cleft lips is not only unsightly but it has many complications as well. I am sad to hear of this as i feel sorry for both the parents and the baby. Also, the cause of this condition is not known and so there is no way to prevent it yet. However, i am glad that with today's advance medical care and treatment such as plastic surgery, most cleft lip conditions can be corrected almost perfectly without scarring, if not corrected to look better. Knowing that medical science and technolgy today has become so advance and can help improve the lives of people makes me feel just estatic. As now these babies that were born with cleft lip are given a second chance to lead a normal life. I know that people with cleft lips would feel inferior as they would attract alot of stares from passer-bys. I just hope that everyone could learn to be more considerate and compassionate by not staring at these cleft lip people and giving them their own space, and a chance to be treated just like everyone else. Hopefully doctors will be able to find the cause of this cleft lip condition and help prevent it in the future.

Even Iran's president keeps a blog

The Sunday Times-Lifestyle pg L3, 20th Aug 2006

I am surprised and amused to know that even Iran's president keeps a blog. I thought that usually it is only young teens and bored adults that have the time and are bothered to keep a blog. This shows that blogs are becoming increasingly popular that even high profile people like Iran's president has one. Blogs are usually used to express one's feelings/comments on issues or to write about their daily lives, and so far there have been many more people starting to blog. A few years ago blogging might still seem like a foreign word to some of us but today, it has become such a common thing that to not know what blogging is has become a thing of the past. Blogging has become so popular that there have even been people who became famous through their blogs, by writing about their personal life and experiences. Also, people have been sued and charged for writing offensive and discriminative topics on their blogs. Therefore as we can see, blogging has become an increasingly popular and fun pasttime. However, it does affect our lives as can be seen by the example of bloggers who became famous or were sued. Thus, i feel that we should think carefully about what we write on our blogs lest we offend others and get sued. However blogging does have its good side as anyone is able to view your blog and also give comments and views. I just feel that parents should be aware of what their children are blogging about especially those younger children, and they should guide them in their blogging.

Warning: We are becoming a Garbage City

The Sunday Times pg 3, 20 Aug 2006

Singapore is said to be a clean and green city, but does this statment still apply to Singapore today? Many people think that Singapore is one of the cleanest city in the world with a strict intolerence for littering as can be seen by the heavy laws and fines imposed. However, everyday while i am walking down the road i can see pieces of trash littering the sidewalks such as tissues and cigarette boxes. Hawker centres and the void decks of estates are some of the dirtiest littered places in Singapore. Even though the government has held many Litter-Free and Clean and Green campaigns, Singaporeans are still littering alot. I feel that eveyone has a part to play to help keep the nation clean. We should not take the road sweepers and estate cleaners for granted and expect them to clean up after us all the time. Furthermore, if we litter we are throwing away our moral integrity too as since young we have always been taught in Civics Moral Education class to throw our rubbish neatly away and how to be a model citizen. By doing all these little things we are not only just showing thatnwe have moral integrity but also we are helping to make our country a better and cosier place to live in. It is important that we keep our nation clean as tourists will have a better impression of our country and its people. Also, litter can attract many pests which may carry diseases, garbage can pollute our reservoirs and kill marine life and in addition garbage is very unsightly and smelly. Thus i hope that in the future, Singaporeans will be more litter conscious and will work harder to help keep singapore clean and green.

UK mum jailed for giving son,9, heroin and cocaine

The Newpaper pg 19, 18 Aug 2006 Fri

I am truly disgusted by the actions of this UK mum. How could a mother be so evil as to give her own young son drugs and get him hooked onto it. I feel that the mother was very cruel as what she had done might was life-threatening to her son as he is still young and his body is still growing and developing. The drugs would have had a more serious effect on him than on adults and might have damaged his organs. This incident has really shocked me as i thought that all mothers would naturally love their children and not harm them, except for special cases where the mother is under immense stress or is medically unsound. However, this UK mum is perfectly normal yet she can bear to give her son drugs knowing of its bad qualities. I feel that the UK mum deserved her jail term and i hope that the boy would not be scarred by this incident. The boy is now in foster care and hopefully he will find a better home and will be able to start life afresh again. Drugs have caused alot of problems and misery in the world, and everyday there are many people who suffer and even die from drugs through drug abuse and drug trafficking. Honestly i believe that the world will be a much better place to live in if it was drug free, so i hope that there will be harsher and stricter laws implemented in every country to deter the use and trafficking of drugs.

Britain Foils Major Bomb Plot

The Straits Times pg1, Fri 11th Aug 2006

With the recent foiled bomb plot in Britain, which is believed to be linked to Al-Qaeda, it makes me wonder whether we are safe in this world. I shudder to think what might have been if the bomb plot had not been foiled and how many countless innocent lives would have been lost. Many people could have died that day but thanks to the intervention of the police, those lives have been given a second chance at life. I am highly disturbed by the fact that the people who were going to carry out the bomb plot were going to use beverages, liquids, electronic devices and other common objects mixed together to form a bomb. This is really bad news as it means that it is harder to detect people smuggling bombs onboard a plane as now even liquid bombs can be made. Thus the metal detectors in the airport would be of no use to eliminate such threats like a bomb. With the advances in today's technology, people are able to conjure a bomb out of liquids and common devices, making detecting a bomb such a complicated and difficult task. Technology has helped the world in many aspects such as improving communications around the world, however it has also cost us in many ways. Technology has led to the creation of many deadly weapons and today, this new kind of liquid bomb. It makes me wonder whether technology has in fact help improved our lives or actually made it worse as the world is now a more dangerous place to live in. This foiled bomb plot in Britain certainly sends out a clear message, that we all have to be on the alert and also that we should be thankful for each day we live. I hope that the airports around the world will be able to adapt to these new forms of threats(liquid bombs) and set up more advanced and stricter security measures to counteract these terrorists.

'Magic' pens the rage among Johor students

The new paper pg 16, 11 aug 2006

Nowadays, students are getting more innovative in the ways they cheat in an exam. I myself am surprise that they actually made use of invisible ink to write the answers on their arms and to see them using uv light, so that the teachers themselves cannot see the ink with their naked eye. This 'magic' pen was suppose to be a toy used for pleasure and fun but now people have found other uses for it. Personally i am impressed by the creativity of these Johor students to come up with such a method of cheating, at the same time i feel sorry for the teachers as this means it is harder for them to catch those cheaters in an exam. I feel that during exam conditions, teachers should enforce stricter rules and perform more thorough checks on students. Maybe teachers should even go to the extent of limiting the number of pens and stationery brought to the examination room, this way it is easier for teachers to spot whether there are any foreign items brought in by the student, and it will be more difficult for students to bring in extra stuff that can be used to cheat in the exams. In truth, i feel sorry for those people who cheat in exams as in reality they are just deceiving themselves and are doing more harm than good for themselves. And when they enter into the real world when they grow up, they would not know how to apply their knowledge into their work as they would have learnt nothing.

Scientists here find the gene that causes blindness in kids

The Straits Times-Home, 1 aug 2006, tue

Scientists in Singapore have found the gene that causes blindness in kids, and hopefully with this new discovery it might help them to treat blindness in the elderly. I am glad to know that in Singapore we have such talented scientists that are able to make such significant finds in the world of medicine. It gives me a sense of security knowing that Singapore does have such talented and professional people working amongst us. It shows that Singapore does have the talent to compete globally and prove that we are a strong and capable nation. I am also awed by the discovery of a possible cure for blindness. In the past, a thing such as a cure for blindness was unheard of and was just a dream waiting to come true. However, advances in technolgy has surprised us time and time again with many new discoveries, and it has made what seemed impossible before, possible now. Today, it is common to read in the papers or hear on the news about new inventions and discoveries, this millenium has become one of discovery and with it comes renewed hope, especially for those people who are blind. I believe that with more research and developement, it would not be long before a cure for blindness and other new paramount discoveries are made, and i am looking forward to the day when a cure for cancer and aids is finaly found, as only then will there be less sorrow in the world .

Singaporeans eating more fruits and veg, but more fat too

The Straits Times, pg2, Sat 29th Jul 2006

It is pleasant to hear that more Singaporeans are eating their greens and fruits. This shows that they are eating healthier and are receiving the proper nutritions in their diets. However, sadly they are also found to be eating much more which means that they consume more fat too and this is not good. Eating your veg and fruits properly is a good thing but that does not mean one can thus eat more of fried and oily food stuff too. Eating a proper diet of veg and fruits does not necessarily mean that one is healthy, as if you continue gorging on junk food as well, then the benefits of eating your greens becomes pointless. Therefore i hope that Singaporeans will realise the importance of eating right as eating too much might lead to obesity and increase the risk of heart disease and stroke. Eating moderately is the right thing to do, so i encourage others to increase their intake of veg and fruits but they must also reduce the amount of fatty, oily food consumed, otherwise there is no point in taking in more veg. I hope that some people do not think that eating more veg means a healthier diet, and therefore use that as an excuse to eat more fried food.

Hit-and-run driver leaves number plate behind on PIE

The Straits Times-Home, Fri Jul 28 2006

'HAHA', that is what i have to say to the hit-and-run driver who thought he was smart enough to save his own skin by speeding off, but dumb enough to leave his number plate behind. I feel that heaven has eyes and justice does exist in this world as the hit-and-run driver did not manage to get away scott-free. The hit-and-run driver got his just dessert and i am glad that he did. The driver who got hit was injured as his car had flipped onto its side, i am seriously shocked that the hit-and-run driver did not stop to offer any help and just sped off. What if the other driver had been seriously injured and needed help immediately, the hit-and-run driver could have helped by at least calling for medical services. I am ashamed of the hit-and-run driver as he was so irresponsible and unfeeling. To save his ownself he did not care about the other driver's life and left the scene in a hurry. Even if he did manage to get away, i believe that he would always be haunted by his own conscience, especially if the other driver had died. I feel that it is important to teach young children these days the proper moral values in school, so that when they grow up they will not become such an irresponsible person like this hit-and-run driver. Hopefully this hit-and-run driver has learnt his lesson, that it is better to own up for your mistakes instead of trying to run away. As this article clearly proves, justice will always catch up with you.

Spike in number of supplementary credit cards for under 21s

The Straits Times-Home, 24th July 2006, Mon

Presently there are more and more teens below 21 years of age getting supplementary credit cards. I feel that it is not a wise decision for parents to give their children, especially young teenagers, supplementary credit cards as i feel that this will lead to them spending more money. With a supplementary credit card, the child can spend as much as he wants and will most likely end up overspending in the processs. Especially if the child is not disciplined and has little self control,he will tend to buy unnecessary stuff that he does not really need as spending with a card is very different from spending real money. At least with money, the user can see how fast he is using up his money and estimate when he is spending too much and stop to save some for a rainy day. However with a card, one does not know how much one is spending and one tends to keep on spending and before he knows it, he has overspent. I believe that supplementary credit cards are best tgiven to those going overseas to study as it is a convenient and easy way to get money. Also i feel that those going abroad to study really do have a real need for these cards as they would need to buy alot of stuff and necessities, and it would be difficult to bring along alot of cash. Hence i feel that the supplementary card is both good and bad in its own way, and it depends on how we use it that determines whether it is beneficial or not.