3. Why is it important for students to keep up to date with the news? Share some tips on how students can keep up with what is happening around them and around the world.

It's important for students to be updated of the news so that they will be aware of what is happening around them. To be aware, they can do alot to help, or to make precautions if necessary. Students can also learn more about things around the world and gain insight by having their own reflections about each matter. They can also apply their knowledge or thoughts into projects, assignment or even exams. (GP paper?) They can also learn from articles, the condition of other countries and will grow up in the future to prove useful for Singapore.

Well, to keep updated, it's really easy. In school, during reading period, keep yourself concentrated and read the newspaper, fully utilize your 20 minutes well. Well, don't try to venture into those 'Comic' section or 'Games' section. Read headlines, world, sports and science(Saturday edition). On a non-school day, well, you must still keep yourself updated nevertheless. Spend around 20 minutes flipping through home, 20 minutes through straites time. 10 Minutes through life and the rest. And you are done! Just 50 minutes or even less! Reading newspaper can be tedious for some but entertaining for others. To look at some highlighted news, visit http://www.straitstimes.com/. If you really hate reading newspapers, you can start with a simple, more "reader-friendly" edition, 'Newpaper', well, I started reading it since I was primary 4. Last but not least, you watch the news, the newspaper has a larger coverage on news around the world but watch news on telelvision is more entertaining, its allow deeper understanding to selected news, broadcasters or whatever feel that you should know. Hard to choose between the television and the paper? Choose both then! I choose both everyday(not really =X). You will also feel proud when you share news with your peers that they never had known.

Well that's all. I end off by wish you people good luck for keeping updated.

Lionell

TIPS FOR STUDENTS TO STAY HEALTHY

Well, to keep healthy, there's a couple of stuffs one must take note of. The most straightforward is to avoid contact with sickly people, so that you will not get infected too! Watch what you eat, for they say, " What you eat is what you become" eat more veggies, rice and protein rich food for bodybuilding, yaya, just refer to your food pyramid. :) Thirdly, Exercise. The right way. There are lots of ways to exercise, from the light ones, to the vigorous ones. As long as it's not too dangerous and unhealthy to your body it's alright :) Never try sprinting daily for exercise! For sprinting may spoil your ankle and it isn't very healthy and fats-burning(effective for diet), just exercise regularly for a few weeks, you will be strong enough to resist and fight against sickness! Do not stay on one spot for too long as that does not support blood circulation, like staying in front of the computer for too long a time. Sleep early, sleep long enough. Bath cleanly and then, you are done! Healthy man! Whooo. Cool. Just follow these tips, you shall be healthy. I myself->healthy! Healthy leads to Happy! Happy leads to happy go lucky. As you are healthy, good health will then support growth, you will be tall and muscular. However, we must maintain ourselves in the healthy scope for dropping back will mean an arduous climb up back to 'HEALTHY'. However, it may not be a hard thing to stay healthy, just excercise for the fun off it, like swimming with friends, playing basketball etc. It definitely won't be hard. Eating healthy maybe hard now, take note of what your parents buy for you, advise or suggest to them to buy more healthy but nice food. Cook with organic or olive oil to support healthy eating. One example of a healthy meal is wholegrain rice with salmon and veggies. Well, I think it's not bad, I myself have that for dinner. You can have it too >.<

Lionell

THOUGHTS ABOUT HOME LEARNING

I feel that home learning and actual learning has its own different pros and cons. For example, home learning is more of a, 'learn yourself' which may prove effective for diligent students. Furthermore, the need to travel from place to place no longer exists, it is traveling from sites to sites. :)Well, traveling can be a tedious matter. Most of the time, my energy was drained from traveling and hence was too tired to continue with my daily work. Computer can be efficient too. However, online learning can be an opportunity to "slack" for no teachers are monitoring. Students can take time to do a work and hence, learning is not that effective.For example, just typing this post, I had switch to a conversation in MSN for 20 plus times and played a mini game for 1 minute. Yeah, that's how it is. Furthermore, Home-learning possess more incentives for students. Gaming of course is one of them. Incentive may results in 2 outcomes, 1, increase sense of urgency, 2. Reduce the quality of work. So, to put it simply, Home Learning can be challenging and effective, but can also be distractive. However, for normal school, the range is smaller, for you can't really talk to much. 1 more thing that I experienced is the confusion caused from the different deadlines, however, I think that can be easily solved. To end it off, I feel that the result from each learning platform differs from character to character. For me, I guess school is more suitable and effective. However, home learning should never be a long term process as socializing is an important skill that needs to be nurtured nowadays.
Lionell.

Well, it's ORD for our NCC NCOs. And I feel kind of sad. Like our training team have kept on saying, it's a long journey, yet short. I still can remember the day I entered HCINCC. I thought it was a joke. To me, I hated all UGs. Including NCC. (It was my 5th choice by the way) I was thinking of appealing to other EP3s then. Talk about EP3s discrimination, yup, that was what I was practicing...
However, from the 4th month onwards, I started to feel how "Zhai" the HCINCC unit was. Our PT, Drills, everything, TOP.
Well, time really flies, remember making jokes on the first day, looking at everyone, thinking that they were losers like me who had nowhere to go. However, how wrong I was! I stared to love my part, my unit, everything about HCINCC.
Okay, enough about the past, let's talk about the 'not so past', ORDNITE! Whoa. It was really fun. As the ORDIC, I felt that I have not done my job well enough. The skit that we were planning to do, presents, quite last minute, resulting in the disappointment the NCOs experienced. Due to time constrain and long participation,I could not get the part to rehearse enough. And for the presents, I was seriously unsure and unable to make decisions well. In the end, on friday itself, both me and Jian Song chiong to buy the presents. Luckily, he had enough money with him. Thanks Jian Song.

The presentation from Part As, Bs, and Cs were all quite well done (cept for Part As). I had real fun with water bombs and enjoyed the montage. From now on, I shall be more serious in my commitment towards HCINCC.

The primary days of life…
In Primary 1 I was innocent,
Young and cute, short and chubby.
I took the school bus there.
A big building stood greeted me
Small and big kids.
Running around in the parade square.
Excitement surge in me.
I rush down to join.
In Primary 2 I was arrogant
I entered the best class
But I’m not the best child
I was the last child, in the best class.
Grades don’t make a sound to me.
Neither does my progress slip.
In Primary 3 and 4
I achieve well in math
People like me,
I like school.
I get arrogant.
People dislike me.
I hate school.
In Primary 5 and 6
Pressure arrived.
4 Letters , just 4.
No more no less.
That was what I had prepared for,
Through my primary school life.
Time was a breeze.
Without knowing, I was on the stage.
Smiling to the camera,
For I am ranked 2nd
Sweet memories
Bitter memories
I can still remember.
The days in canteen.
When we mixed vitagen and Laksa soup.
When we shoot ice with straws
When we fought with fish ball sticks.
So many, so many.
So many till I can write a book.
Titled, ‘The canteen in my school’
I remember the time,
I faked my reading challenge.
I wrote down books without reading.
So I could get an ultraman badge.
Below the character was some tiny words.
It says “Ultimate reader”
I didn’t care much about that.
I only wanted a badge.
I also remember the time,
My buddy gave me money,
To keep me quiet.
That bought me a few fishball.
Not to mention,
That we played table tennis,
Using hardcover books.
The things are just too many to mention in a poem.
I could write a series.
All about my primary days…
Ahhh…If only I could live it through again.
Never will I live it a different way.
Nothing shall change.