Memories of Macau

Hello, 2 days have past since I came back from Macau. However, the memories of Macau are still fresh in my mind. Being in a faraway paradise where we were free of worries. The feeling was great. Memories of training in the mountains. Doing pushups on a bridge outside the 6-star hotel, Venetian. Most importantly, what made me laugh during the trip. My friends and Mr Yong Yuen Cheng. Ever since he became our team manager, our team has improved a lot. Especially myself. Before he came, I wanted to transfer to VJC. However, when he came to HCI, he motivated the whole team. I was very touched by what he said. He told the team,"No matter how ordinary you are, you can achieve something extraordinary... if you work hard enough, you will succeed even if you are not talented like others." I had always thought Im not good in sports and would never be. However, he taught me to not give up. I started to train very hard. Within 4 months, I got my 1st Gold medal and a Silver medal the same day. Till now, I have a total of 7 Gold medals. However, this would not have been mine if not for MrYong. He was the one who helped me find my passion for canoeing and running. I even have plans of joining triathlon to strengthen my heart and improve my endurance which would benefit me in terms of canoeing also.

Back from Overseas Competition

Hey, I just arrived this morning from Macau. I went there with my CCA mates for a dragonboat competition. It was fantastic. The best trip in my life. Until now, I am still living in a world of illusions? I can't express my feelings. It felt like a dream, a dream that I would never want to wake up from. It was just so perfect. Training in the mountain, shopping with friends, racing against other teams, parties at night. It was wonderful. If it was really a dream, why did you wake me up? And if it was a mistake to go there, it was a beautiful mistake. How I wish I could go there again. Free from homework, laugh all day long(except during competition). I feel like I am suffering from depression.

Anyways, the results were awesome. We got Gold for 200m and Silver for 500m. For the 2km races, we were the only U-16 boat therefore we raced with the U-23. Guess what?! We got 3rd! Out of 13 boats. It was so unexpected. 1 year later, it will be the World Dragon Boat Racing Championship in USA, Flo Rida. I hope I can make it into the team as I will be representing Singapore! 2 years later, Club Crew World Championship will be held in HongKong. It is the same as the recent one I went.

I hope I can get over it quickly and focus on my studies. Now, I can't do anything but think about the trip. HELP ME!!

Rainbow Death (Task 2)

Complete the template provided below (Annex A), focusing on (1) Point of View; (2) Situation and Setting; (3) Language/Diction; and (4) Personal Response, and post your response to Task 2 on your blog. This template is based on John Lye’s ‘Critical Analysis of Poetry’, and you can make reference to this in Annex B when in doubt.

Rainbow Death

America did not foresee
Green, pink, purple and other colors death potpourri!
Expecting others to pay a high price.
Now thinking twice?
Toll on the innocent and unborn.

Omnipotent and disregarding who will mourn.
Reflective about all the illness, birth defects and prematurely dead.
All the deceit continues to spread.
Nefariously America led astray -
Generations untold WILL pay -
Execrable effects of agent orange spray!

Hubert Wilson

1) Point Of View
I believe that the poem is written by someone who has encountered Agent Orange before. He obvious that he knows about Agent Orange as he mentioned about them in his poem. However, "America did not foresee" suggests that he probably did not know Agent Orange was released therefore he suffered from the effects. He knew that Agent Orange was "reflective about all the illness, birth defects and prematurely dead" and "toll on the innocent and unborn" therefore it suggests that he had first-hand experience of it which actually evokes a sense of solemness. With reference to the background information, he was a person that went to war in Vietnam since he was a Vietnam veteran so he should be able to see the effects since the war was about a span of 20 years.

2) Situation & Setting
I setting of the poem is after Agent Orange had been used. Since the poet is experiencing the effects of Agent Orange, he should be writing it in an emotional state. He would most probably like to inform others about the devastating effects of Agent Orange. To fit in historical background, Agent Orange was used in the Vietnam War and it caused 400,000 deaths. I guess the main purpose of the poem is to show people how modern warfare can destroy lives and thus needing the setting of aftermath of the war or the use of herbicide.

3)Language/Diction
Firstly, I would like to elaborate on the title, 'Rainbow Death'. It seems like 2 very contrasting words. Rainbow seems like a very enjoyable word as everytime we see a rainbow, we would stare at it and smile to ourselves. However, death is not a nice thing. Therefore I searched the web for the meaning of 'rainbow'. I found out that rainbow actually symbolizes heavenly glory or they serve as a bridge between earth and paradise. However there is still a contrast, but if you were to think carefully, there might be another meaning to 'rainbow'. It could also mean different colored herbicide used in warfare such as Agent Orange and Agent Green which caused death and deformities. Therefore, I would say that the title actually means a bridge leading to hell or death.

4)Personal Response
This poem evokes sympathy and pity those who suffered from the effects of Agent Orange. The title 'Rainbow Death' is called an oxymoron which leaves the reader puzzled throughout the poem. This makes the reader feel uneasy. The poet elaborates on the devastating effects of war such as "illness, birth defects and prematurely dead" while the Americans had been "Omnipotent and disregarding who will mourn". I think the poet tells the reader what caused all this to happen at the last line to make them angry and sympathise with those who died. I think the poet dislikes modern warfare a lot and would hope that war will not happen again as many innocent people would die from it.

Rainbow Death (Task 1)

Task 1

Based on your understanding of the selected poem, perform extensive web research and write a report on your blog detailing the conflict represented in the poem(s) of your choice. Bear in mind that this piece of background information will allow your blog audience to further understand the poem as well as your analysis of the poem in Task 2

Who is Hubert Wilson? I did some research and this are my results. He is a US Vietnam war veteran.The Vietnam war was a Cold War military conflict which lasted from November 1, 1955 , to April 30, 1975, about 20 years.Hubert served in the USAF Security Service along with a dozen of school graduates.His team was sent to Shemya Island, an Agent Orange hot spot.About fifteen or more years ago, he started to have health problems such as headaches and limb pain. Soon, his central nervous system deteriorated with Parkinsonian type tremors. He suffered severe headaches and progressive limb pains. The doctors did not know how to cure him or know what he was suffering from. He guessed it was the contaminated water of Agent Orange he drank when he was at Shemya Island. The effects of toxins could take up to 20 to 30 years before they are shown.

For you information, Agent Orange is a herbicide developed for the military, which use it in tropical climates.The purpose of such a herbicide for the military was to was to clear the possible enemy cover and concealment in dense terrain by defoliating trees and shrubbery where the enemy could hide. This seemed to be a very helpful tool in warfare but it came with unforeseen circumstances.

This poem is about Agent Orange that has caused appalling death and suffering – not only to its intended victims, the Vietnamese people, but also the service personnel that used or even just came into contact with “Agent Orange”.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agent_Orange
http://www.warpoetry.co.uk/2010warpoetry.html#Rainbow

Hey guys! Sorry for not blogging for a long long time, but I was really really really really busy. I had training almost everyday to train for the Nationals School Canoeing Championship. Well, it ended yesterday. The results were good. (: I got a gold and silver medal. I lost by 1 second! 1 second! D: Could have gotten double gold. ): As for the overall title, C division we got 3rd B division got 2nd and A division got 1st! Next year we are aiming 1st for B division :] We can do it!

Hey! I am back! :] Today, I would love to blog about the March holidays. Firstly, does it feel like a holiday to me? (: My answer is no. But it was still enjoyable. :D I had training everyday from Monday to Saturday. I was compulsory but not many people went for all trainings except the Captain, Yi Fan and I. Why did I go for all? We had a competition on Sunday called the National Junior Canoeing Championship(NJCC). I missed the first race which was the K1 event because I did not have a bracket to put my numberplate. My second race was the K2, which I capsized. My partner said it was because my coach changed our positions. I became the frontman instead of the back. However, I think it was not that. Instead, it was because of the lack of training. I hated myself then. Therefore, I decided to go for more training. On Monday, we had a race. I was all the Secondary 2’s. it was a 1000m race. 3 people did not come therefore, there were only 12 participants. On the starting line, I was very nervous. I took in many deep breaths. This was the one and only chance to prove myself to the coach before the Nationals School Canoeing Championship, which was the most important competition. “Start within 10 seconds! GO!” My coach yelled. I started to sprint. I raced with my heart. I put in 110% into every strokes. I put every single drip of blood and soul into the strokes. Soon, we passed the 500m mark, 3 boats passed it together. They were Yi Fan, Wei Keat and mine. Davis was not too far back. At the 250m mark, I realized Wei Keat and Yi Fan were slightly in front of me while Davis has slowed down. I was furious. I paddled even harder with longer strokes and higher stroke rates, hoping to catch up. 50m before the finishing line, I had the lead. I was first! FIRST! But then, I accidentally slipped my paddle and my stroke was wasted. My paddle dropped of my hands. I quickly picked it up and sprinted to the finishing line. I turned and look. I was disappointed, I lost to Yi Fan. ): I was such a close race. So I got 2nd place. My coach decided to let Yi Fan and I take K2. And for the whole holidays, we have been training together. I have broken many of my previous timings. For 500m, I improved by 11secs to achieve 2.12min. For 1000m, I broke my 4.54 timing with the new 4.42min. And most of all 2000m, I managed to get 9.52min which is a very good achievement. For the National School Canoeing Championship I hope I can get double gold medal. :] I will just have to work harder.

Sorry for not posting any post for a long long time. I have been very busy with my training, training 5 times a week. X.X Anyway, as I have promised, I will post a video on the different types of boats.

Here is the link: http://animoto.com/play/C38TWGm5ljqR0E2Mhk1gSw?autostart=true

Hope you enjoy it :D