Blog Prompt 2: How has war evolved from the past to the present?

For centuries, Man has always tried to take what He wanted through force. Be it using stone clubs and spears in the Stone Age, to using guns and tanks now, there is always the same pattern, repeated over the eons, just changed in the forms they take. The pattern if war is the same - senseless killing, and the ruin or weakening of all involved. During any war, it just shows that Man is letting his heart rule his mind, labeling massacres and bloodshed with honor and valour, backing them with causes he deems "worthwhile", fueling the ever burning furnace of war and hatred.

As the years pass, Man has become cleverer but not wiser. They make better and more destructive and effective weapons, instead of trying to put out the same ever burning furnace of war and hatred handed down by their ancestors so many eons ago. One does not see Man trying to end the cycle of war and hatred. One only sees how the first men fought with primitive spears of wood and sharp stone, clubs of stone and wood. And following that, swords and spears, forged from the very elements of the Earth, their potential for destruction higher than ever. Human ingenuity has followed up by spawning various weapons such as the cannon, developed with the discovery of gunpowder, and the chariot, pulled by beasts tamed by man for the sole purpose of war. And as the modern age approached, Man's furnace of hatred and war burned fiercer than ever before. Man's once ornate armour of bronze was transformed to camouflage uniforms of Kevlar, their steel arrows were replaced by pellets of lead and tin, not to mention heat-seeking missiles of mass destruction. The once proud steeds and mounts of war were transformed into machines with pelts of titanium and steel, shooting fire and death.

The destructive potential of these weapons and hence the burning furnace constantly increases as mankind adds its emerging technology to its already large arsenal of weapons to further boost its capacity for destruction and ruin. The advancement of technology has accelerated the destructiveness of human modern warfare to unacceptable and irrational levels, all the while causing the flames of War and Hatred to burn and destroy the lives of countless.

The Soldier - Rupert Brooke reflection (Blog Prompt 1)

1)Why do you think National Service is compulsory in Singapore and why is this important?

Ans: As Singapore is a country with a small population, Singapore cannot afford to maintain a large standing army. Therefore the solution would be to train every male in the population and call upon them to form our army during times of war. Having our own defence is important as Singapore is an independent country, and we cannot rely on others to defend us.

2)Do you have the same spirit of patriotism as the soldier in the poem towards Singapore? Why?

Ans:Yes. Singapore is my mother country, where i was raised and shaped into what i am now. Therefore, in Singapore's time of need, i am obliged to return to the country what the country has given me. It would be ungrateful of me if i were to abandon my country when she needs my help most.

3)Do you consider yourself as a patriot to your country?

Ans:No, i do not consider myself as a patriot to my country. I still do not have such a strong bond with my country that i would do anything for it. I would still think of myself first, then my country. However, there may come a time when a really strong bond is forged between my country and i, and i would do anything for it.

Book Review 2 - The 6 Sacred Stones by Mathew Reilly

Over the holidays, i read this book, The 6 Sacred Stones by Mathew Reilly. It is actually a sequel to another of Reilly's books, The 7 Ancient Wonders. The 6 Sacred Stones is about an ex-soldier Jack West Jr., his team of ex-commandos, the brilliant scientist Wizard and Jack's adopted daughter Lily racing through the world trying to prevent the end of the world. The end of the world comes in the form of a "dark sun", giving out deadly "zero-point energy" which will destroy all life on Earth. Jack learns of a mysterious "Machine" built by an ancient civilization that can repel the deadly energy given out by the dark sun. However, the rebuilding of the machine requires 6 keys, in the form of 6 oblong diamond bricks, also called "pillars", to be put in their respective locations all around the world, called vertex. There are also complications. For each "pillar" put in place, a fantastic reward will be given to the one that put it in. The rewards are: Knowledge, Heat, Sight, Life, Death, and Power. These rewards have caused Jack and his team to go against America and China, both who want the rewards themselves. There is also the Japanese, who want the world destroyed to regain their honour, the British royal family, and many others. It is a race against time, as the pillars must be put in their respective vertexes at a very specific time. The laying of the pillars are spread out over 3 months, and ends on the extremely rare Dual Equinox: when both our Sun and its twin, the Dark Sun, will be shining on the sixth Vertex. Thus the team set out, against all odds, to lay the pillars and stop the other countries from using the rewards themselves.

This book is a must-read for all. The book is fast paced that it feels like a never-ending roller coaster; the reader is taken to the magical world opf Jack West and feels like he is actually there seeing it with his own eyes. The ending, which i will not spoil the surprise for you, was EXHAUSTING. It ended with such a good cliffhanger that i could not help but thinking about it all the time; what will happen next? How will he survive this? can he even survive this? These are some of the questions that went through my head after reading the book. The book is like an Indiana Jones type of book. Most of the history there is accurate, and the made-up-history in the book is so well disguised that you would even believe everything in the book! There are so many action scenes and each time, I think "there is NO WAY Reilly can top that one!" However, surprise, surprise, the next action scene, it would be even better! For those who of you want to read Mathew Reilly books, i can sum them ALL up in two words: PURE ADRENALINE.

Book Review - Eragon by Christopher Paolini

I recently read this book, Eragon by Christopher Paolini. It is about a farm boy, Eragon, who finds a polished blue stone while hunting in the forest. Eragon thinks that this stone will be able to buy his family some meat during the harsh winter. However, all this is dashed when the stone brings a dragon hatchling, and Eragon realizes that he has stumbled upon a legacy even older than the Empire itself. Immediately, Eragon's simple life is shattered as he is thrust into a dangerous new world of destiny, magic, and power. He meets many people in his journey and soon has to make a critical decision, a decision that can alter the fate of the Empire and the land forever......
My favourite character in the story is Angela, a herbalist that Eragon meets in the city on Terim. She is my favourite character because she is very witty and her use of verbal trickery often leaves everyone stunned and speechless in her wake. For example, when Eragon was finding the house of a friend, he asked her is she could tell him which house it was. Angela said yes and continued with her business. Then Eragon asked her if she would tell him. Again she said yes and ignored. She then told Eragon that he hasn't actually asked her the question, and only asked if she could and would. This kind of thinking is very novel and always puts a smile on my face when i see Angela outwit others in this manner.
The Eragon series, consisting of 3 books with a fourth one coming soon, is by far my favourite book series of all time. The way it is written, the way the plot is developed, cannot be described. It brings me to the magical world of Eragon and always keeps me there, wanting to know what will happen next. I am now eagerly awaiting the fourth book, where the series will finally end and all my questions answered.
To all that have not read this series, i sincerely recommend this to you. It is truly a magical read in every sense of the word.

LA Home Learning - Task 1

The poem that i have chosen is Children In The Darkness by Henry M. Bechtold.

The poem was written in the year 2009, during Christmas in Henry's hotel room during his stay at Saigon. He was inspired to write this poem when he saw a photo of a young boy carrying a rifle going to war in the news.

In the poem, Henry M. Bechtold talks about children who are involved in the war. In the past 20 years, there have been millions of children that have been used in war or dragged into it by their parents. They are usually used as nurses and spies. Sometimes they are used as guards of resources, general camps, drumboys, and worst of all, infantries put at the front line to test for enemy land mines.

War - A Living Hell

I sat in the boat, fearful for my life. The boat moving up and down, making me seasick, was not helping me either. I was scared for the coming battle. As we neared Omaha Beach, I started to hear the sounds of battle and hell. Artillery shells and gunshots everywhere. I heard the distinctive "ping! ping!" as the bullets hit our metal boat. This only served to intensify my fear. I thought of my family, and I feared that I would never return to them. My hands were shaking uncontrollably, the physical manifestation of my fear. Then, suddenly, I heard the whistle, and I saw the ramp lowered. Immediately, I saw my friends at the front of the boat fall amidst a cloud of red. My fear went up another notch. All of us who tried to charge forward were stopped in our tracks by the unknown gunners manning the turrets at the defensive position ahead of us. I saw people jumping off the boat into the water in a desperate bid to escape from the boat. I followed suit, plunging into the water.

In the water, the world became tranquil, albeit a tranquil, silent world with bullets diving into the water in every direction.I saw some more of my comrades stop moving in a spreading pool of red. I surfaced.

Out of the water, I felt that I had taken the boat to hell. there was fire and smoke everywhere, bullets flying, artillery shells driving into the ground, bringing up a crater-full of earth with each impact. I saw my comrades slowly and desperately moving across the beach, towards our turret wielding enemies. Seeing this, i thought "How am I going to survive this?" all around i saw each and every sign of destruction in Omaha Beach.

War- A Personal Response

I am describing the 8th photo, of the soldier taking cover behind a piece of sheet metal. The atmosphere is one of fear and anxiety. The fear and desperation that the soldier feels is very apparent in the war zone. He lies low on rubble behind a piece of metal covered with bullet holes, his fear and desperation apparent as he tries to hide from the bullet fire all around him. He looks around anxiously, clearly afraid of the enemy, and desperate to keep his life and return to his family. This photo invokes a sense of empathy with his fear and desperation, as he clearly looks scared desperate and it conveys that fear and desperation to the viewer. The viewer can really feel his fear and his feelings coming out from him.The message conveyed in this photo is the fear and desperation that war creates out of Man. Out of many other war photos, I find that this photo portrays and conveys the fear and desperation of a soldier in a war zone the best, as the soldier's feelings and emotions of fear and desperation are clearly expressed in the photo. The fact that the photo is black and white only accentuates the death, fear , and desperation that War creates.