Independent Learning Log #5 By Aastha (01)

Date: 
Monday, 6 June 2016

Source:
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/heng-swee-keat-recovering/2829714.html

What I did:
I was looking at the Channel NewsAsia website and saw Mr. Heng Swee Keat, Singapore's Finance Minister's name. I then remembered that he had suffered a stroke recently and decided to look at an article about how his recovery has been. This article was the first one to come out. It was about Singapore's Prime Minister, Mr. Lee Hsien Loong, having visited Mr. Heng in the hospital where he had been admitted. He stated that Mr Heng was recovering well, and was very lucid, and communicative when they had met.

What I learnt:
 1) Words I didn't understand
- Lucid: comprehensible
- Recuperates: recover from sickness; regain health
- Aneurysm: a permanent cardiac or arterial dilatation usually caused by weakening of the vessel wall.
- Activists: an especially active, vigorous advocate of a cause, especially apolitical cause.

2) I learnt about the important role Mr. Heng plays in Singapore's political force.

Independent Leaning Log #4 By Aastha (01)

Date:
Monday, 6 June 2016

Source:
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/what-happens-to-illegal/2847662.html

What I did:
I was browsing through the Channel NewsAsia website, looking for articles on rescued animals, and this article caught my sight. It was about what happens to illegal live animals seized in Singapore after coming from confiscation and illegal trade. It is not their fault that they had to go through illegal trade. Instead, it was the traders' fault that the animals had to go through such torture.

What I learnt:
1) Words I did not understand:
- endangered: Threatened with extinction

- trafficked: to trade in for the purpose of exploitation

- seized: to take possession of by force

- exotic: of foreign origin or character; not native; introduced from abroad, 

- repatriated: To send back to its own country of origin

Summary: 

This article is about what happens to animals who are rescued, confiscated or from illegal trade. Usually, the animals would be sent to a wildlife centre. However, these wildlife centres are running short of space, money, and also time. If only illegal traders would understand and realise their mistake, and let the animals leave in peace. If only they would understand that animals also had the right to inhabit the Earth and live as peacefully as us humans. 

Independent Learning Log #3 By Aastha (01)

Date:
Monday, 6 June 2016

Source:
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/circuit-road-murder-47/2669752.html?_ka=knxad_knx7619_201604122384

What I did:
I was browsing the Channel NewsAsia website for articles related to murder when this article caught my eye. It was about a 47-year-old man who had killed a 28-year-old woman in Singapore and fled to Malaysia after that.

What I learnt:
Words I did not understand:

- Warrant: a document issued by a legal or governmental official authorizing the police to make an arrest, or carry out some other action relating to the administration of justice.

- Authorities: those in power with the right to give orders.

- Unequivocal: leaving no doubt; Unambiguous

Summary:
This article is about a man who had murdered a woman in her flat in Singapore and then had fled to Malaysia. The suspect was arrested by the Malaysian Police after the Singapore Police Force (SPF) issued an arrest warrant against him. He was then handed over to the SPF. If convicted, he would face the death penalty.

Independent Learning Log #2 By Aastha (01)

Date:

Monday, 6 June 2016

Source:

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/2-arrested-for-allegedly/2791986.html?cx_tag=similar&cid=tg:recos:similar:standard#cxrecs_s

What I did:

I was browsing through the Channel NewsAsia website, particularly looking for crime related articles, when this article caught my eye. It was about two suspects being arrested for allegedly stealing a motorcycle in Bukit Panjang. 

What I learnt:

Words I did not understand: 

- Allegedly: Supposedly. Used to convey that something is claimed to be the case, although there is no proof.

- Convicted: Declared (someone) to be guilty of a criminal offence, by the verdict of a jury or the decision of a judge in a court of law.

Summary:

This article is about two suspects who were arrested for allegedly stealing a motorcycle. The Singapore Police Force (SPF) had received a report about a stolen motorcycle on Sunday. The vehicle was then recovered on Monday. The SPF added that extensive ground enquiries had led them to identifying and arresting the suspects the same day (Monday).

Independent Learning Log #1 By Aastha (01)

Date:
Thursday, 2 June 2016

Source:
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/tremors-felt-in-singapore/2838172.html

What I did:
I went to the Channel NewsAsia website to search for interesting articles and came across one which caught my eye. It was about the recent tremors felt in Singapore which had caused panic amongst the Singaporeans who had experienced it and reported the matter.

What I learnt 

1) Words I did not understand:
Magnitude: The extent of something; the more the magnitude of an earthquake, the more destructive it can be

Epicenter: the point on the earth's surface vertically above the focus of an earthquake

Meteorological: about the science dealing with the atmosphere and its phenomena, including weather and climate.

2) From the article, I also learnt about what to do in the event of a tremor:

Summary:
This article is about tremors being felt across many parts of Singapore by residents, after a 6.5 magnitude earthquake was recorded off the island of Sumatra, Indonesia. The Channel NewsAsia received at least seven reports pertaining to this matter. It was reported that strong tremors were also felt in neighbouring Johor, Malaysia. Nevertheless, I am glad that no damage or loss of lives was reported.

Aastha Visual Text

Image

The picture in the poster shows an adult penguin trying to pull out a plug of an electrical appliance (light) from a plug socket.  The two penguins are standing on a block of ice that is tiny. This shows that it is melting rapidly. The background is a pale blue colour, which makes the penguins, the block of ice the plug and socket, and the electrical appliance stand out to show the message of the story.

Linguistic features

The language used is informal. The tone has some level of urgency, showing that it is crucial to do it. In the poster, the headlines read, "Turn it Off Now!" These words illustrate to the audience that they should start turning off all electrical appliances starting from now. 

Textual Features

The word "Off" in the headlines has been given emphasis. It shows the audience what to do about the electrical appliances which are turned on. 

Typographical Features

At the bottom of the poster, the words "Help Stop Global Warming" are written in bold. It shows how serious the matter is. This caption also encourages the audience to follow what it says. 

Layout 

The picture captures the most attention of the public because it takes up the most space on the poster. The words are at the top and catch lesser attention. Even so, the picture tells most of the message, on its own. It also makes the reader look at it before the caption, so that they can get an idea of what the poster is trying to show.    

Colour
The background colour is pale blue. This makes the picture stand out from the poster. There is also light shining from the lamp, showing that it is on and that it is affecting the penguins and other animals who live in the same habitat. Overall, the components make the poster effective in bringing the message across.

P.A.C.C.
Purpose: To spread the message of helping to stop global warming on the earth by turning off all the electrical appliances when not in use.
Audience: The general public, especially those who do not care to turn off the electrical appliances which are running. 
Context: It causes the reader to think of the consequences of not turning off running electrical appliances. 
Culture: The image is very clear, showing what the effects of global warming are, and also makes it more relatable.

Level Test 1 essay corrections by Aastha (01)

English Level Test 1 Essay (3)

Name: Aastha Singh (01) Class: S1-03

           "Ring! Ring! Jane's alarm clock rang loud, signalling for her to wake up for school. She dressed in her uniform and walked out of the house towards her school. She was very excited because she was working on a project with Lily, her friend. Lily was new to that school. She was very spoilt and bad-tempered, but Jane, being a humble and kind person, befriended her, because no one in her class was ready to do so. Jane believed that everyone had a right to be loved and not be lonely, no matter what their personality was. She was feeling pitiful for Lily when she saw that everyone in the class was trying their best to avoid her. She hoped that through their friendship, Lily would mend her ways and be well-liked by her classmates. Lily had seemed to settle down so far, after a whole semester in school. She also appeared to be more polite to others. Jane was glad that Lily was changing. She smiled to herself and went to school.

          After another fun-filled day at school, Jane and Lily were walking back home, chatting excitedly. The scorching sun made no difference to their endless chatter. Suddenly, they heard a pitiful wail coming from the opposite direction. Jane ran towards the direction, desperate to find the source of the wail. At last, she found it. A stray dog, whose front leg was sore, stood in front of her. It was trembling in fear and had its eyes shut tight. Its coat was brown, rough, and unevenly cut. Its legs were stout, and its body was flat and short. Jane's heart instantly melted at the sight of the poor dog. She carried it carefully and cradled it in her arms. She could infer that the dog's previous owner had left it behind carelessly as it had a collar but no name or address.

          Lily appeared before her, but seeing the ugly dog in her hands, she gave a cry of disgust and ran away. Jane was surprised at her reaction but shrugged it away and brought the dog back home. She bathed its wounds. Then, Jane drew out notices on a lost dog with all the information she could get from it. She then went around the entire neighbourhood, pasting the notices in the void decks of the blocks. The next day, she went to school and asked almost everyone if they had lost a dog. All of them denied. In the midst of all this, Jane had also noticed that Lily had not spoken to her the entire day. She wondered what was the reason for Lily being upset.

          After dismissal from school, Lily walked off before Jane. Jane quickly caught up with her and asked her the reason for her being upset. Lily told her that the reason was the ugly dog. With that, she walked off at a much faster pace, leaving Jane behind. When Lily entered the void deck of her block, she saw Jane's poster. It read, "Lost brown dog found with a red collar. Call Jane if the dog belongs to you or if you want to adopt it." Lily realised that Jane was not an ordinary person. Jane was very kind and had a great heart. She was not at all biassed towards any living thing, be it human or animal. Lily realised her mistake and decided to apologise to her.

          Lily found Jane walking the dog in the park nearby her house. Jane stopped and looked at Lily, puzzled. Lily apologised to her sincerely for her misunderstanding. . This time, she looked at the dog from a different perspective. Lily then saw it as a poor dog, left behind by its owner, and found by a kind girl, Jane. She helped Jane to take care of the dog. She learnt that all living things, no matter how they look, deserved to be loved.

          Days passed, but no one appeared at Jane's door to claim a lost dog. She was anxious for the dog, as its owner may be looking for it. She decided to put up more notices. She almost left the house to do so, when a desperate and worried looking man appeared at her door. Just then, the dog walked up to the door and wagged its tail wildly. Jane smiled and understood what it meant. She was glad that the dog found its owner, and also that she had done a noble deed.

Aastha's AA1 corrections

Name: Aastha Singh (01)

Class: S1-03

Date: 3 Feb 2016

Title: Helping to save the future

John was a scientist. It was not surprising, though. He used to be the brainiest kid in class. He was the top scorer for science in his entire cohort in school. He had decided that he would be a scientist when he grows up since then. He thought it was all about discovering new things. How wrong he was to think like that. Words to be used in a scientist’s life would have been researching, proof, evidence, explanation, conclusion, logic, and the list goes on. Lately, John had started regretting about being a scientist. He had not been able to do anything his career expected him to do. It had been a year since he started on his career in 1976. He had worked on quite a few projects that year, but all had been unsuccessful. This time, he was quite determined to be successful.

      John decided he had to prove that he was capable of something. At his workplace in the laboratory where he worked, he sat in his chair, and started thinking on which topic to work on. He decided to work on the issue of the world and its state. The depletion of the ozone layer was a bothering matter. He knew that it was caused by the increased release of chlorofluorocarbons and other harmful gases. John knew he could not do anything about that. Another bothering matter was the excessive use of plastics since it had recently been created, and everyone was quite excited about them. Plastics were man-made, and they gave off harmful gases when burnt. There seemed like something he was able to do about this matter. “Yes, this is what I will work on!” John thought to himself. Now, he planned on what he was going to do about different ways he could help reduce the usage of plastics. He decided that he would firstly conduct a survey, to figure out why people used plastic bags, what they would do after using them, and what were the inconveniences they experienced.

          He found out that plastic bags were a convenient way of carrying objects. He thought if there was a way to replace plastics with cloth. But, now the problem was that it was too costly. It seemed like it would not work. He almost wanted to give up. He suddenly remembered his mother saying, “Nothing comes your way if you do not try again and again.”

He was now inspired to work harder to achieve his goal. He reviewed the matter with a calmer mind. Now, most people knew they should reduce their use of plastic and recycle their plastic bags, but the recycling bins were too far away for them to walk to. John seemed to get an idea after reviewing the matter. He thought if people could not go to bins, the bins could go nearer to them for their convenience. He suggested using rubber to make the recycling bins since it was eco-friendlier than plastic and he would be able to show his step towards recycling and the people would also do the same. This plan seemed like a good idea.

His idea moved many people, and they were inspired to recycle.Through this, he gained a reputation, and also encouraged people to recycle, saving the world’s existence.

(548 words)

Somebody	John
Wanted	to help save the world
But	his first plan failed
So	he decides not to give up
Then	he worked on another plan, and it worked  :)

Creative Writing 3 by Aastha (01)

                                                   Creative Writing 3 by Aastha (01)

             When I was a child, I well remember the time when I did something not expected of me. I had been given some milk in a mug. Warm, tasteless milk in that mug. I did not like it at all, but my mother really wanted me to grow taller, as I was quite short. I ignored the milk and continued playing. I accidentally knocked the mug off the table. The mug shattered and the milk spilled. My mother fumed mad at me. She immediately sent me to my room. I fell to the floor and cried. She dragged me to my room and shut the door.
              I tried to do everything slowly. I drew the curtains slowly, as the sun was shining brightly in the room. I could hear birds chirping and my neighbours chatting loudly. At last, I got on my bed and slept a troubled sleep.
          Some time later, I woke up and found the room plunged in total darkness. It seemed like unknown objects lurching in the darkness. Just then, I realised a gentle, warm hand holding mine. My arms were above my blanket and the unknown figure was sitting close to me. The figure planted a kiss on my forehead and walked off.
            When I woke up, I wondered, "Who was that person who sat by me in the dark night?" I never found out who that was even until today.

Creative Writing Task 1 & 2

                                                              Creative Writing Task 1

                                    

               One of my earliest memories of my childhood is my mother. She was a plump and cheerful lady, cracking jokes all the time. Her skin was tanned, and her hair was of the darkest brown colour you have seen. As she walked, her bushy hair would bounce up and down like a squirrel's tail. I remember her constant nagging at me for not doing my homework. What I remember most fondly, is sleeping on her lap, while she lulled me to sleep, and also when she fed me with her hands, with her dark, calm eyes lovingly looking at me, accompanied by her soothing talks.

                My favourite place used to be the park near my house. I would go there every evening to play in the playground while my parents strolled in the park. There were slides, swings, rope ladders and many other things in the playground. Other children were also there, playing with each other as we bonded as friends. There would always be constant chattering and occasional giggles from the little children playing.

                I used to live in a HDB flat. I fondly remember the kitchen which stood after a hall past the main gate. As I entered the kitchen, The warm aroma of my mother's homemade lunch wafted by. I breathed in deeply and tried to guess what was on the menu. I also remember the living hall which would always be occupied by my brothers who chattered and giggled humorously as they played and the television which would constantly be switched on by my father who would watch the news.

                These are my fondly remembered memories...

                                                             Creative Writing Task 2

          

                The street lay before Mary, as she walked back home after tuition. The sky grew dark as she walked forward. Flickering lamp posts stood at a distance not exactly fulfilling their purpose. Shadows of leafless trees lurched in front of her. A timid mouse scurried across the path making her jump back. "This is just a movie setting like the ones I have seen," Mary told herself. 

                 Over, her shoulder, she thought she heard a faint flutter. She turned around to confront it, but it had vanished. Hesitantly, she continued walking on. She heard faint constant footsteps behind her. It stopped for a while. "Oh my! Was that a g.. ghost?" She thought to herself. A shiver ran down her spine. She quickened her pace. 

                  The footsteps seemed louder and louder. This time, it was continuous. The footsteps seemed closer to her. She turned around. The footsteps stopped. Mary ran, she did not know where. The footsteps followed her. She did not stop. At last, she came to her house and burst through the door. 

                  Oh, how she wished that she had listened to her mother who told her: Never go walking alone at night.

The True Me poem by Aastha