Cloud's Memories

One Down, One to Go!!!

2010-10-12T19:59:00.003+08:00

One Down, One to Go!!!

Finally, part one of the exam is over! After intense amount training and hard work, we improved greatly and met our expectations! Now that that's done, it's time for a well deserved break!

Last Sunday was really epic - well, at least for me. I was really surprised with the birthday celebration that my platoon mates threw up for me. It really took me aback and to admit, I got kind of defensive when I felt insecure then (Sorry about that!!! Haha). Received a new Polo-T-Shirt, a bag of chocolates and a card (Not to mention, had a cake as well). Haha. Felt very happy after that and well... touched... At least it's all part of memories... :)

We had a short week. Basically, it's just practice and practice till our test. Friday was our Sports Day and it was totally the opposite as what happened the year before (If you know what I'm talking about). That evening, Clarence, Hong Wei, Freddy, Shan Mao and I went to Jurong Point to buy a gift for Kelvin's upcoming Housewarming on Saturday. Initially, we wanted to purchase a Lava Lamp, but agreed on buying some mini Jellyfish tank after that. Although it was pricey, it was still coolz man.

On Saturday, I met Zhi Hao at Admiralty station in the early afternoon and then headed to Kelvin's house. Many of our platoon mates arrived later and had some discussion about the upcoming BBQ session at Jerome's house. After that, Herman and I went training. Grading is just around the corner and fortunately, my Master managed to get some helpers to come over and check on the kids. Thus, we can focus more attention on them.

Monday was a long and fun day. Went to Jerome's house at about 1pm to train on my bowling. Clarence was there to teach me how to throw the ball in a curved manner. It was really hard to learn but I believe would be effective in scoring a Strike. I played for 2 hours after that and then proceeded to play Tennis with some of them. At about 4pm, we went swimming before going to the BBQ pit at 5.30pm for our dinner. That night was rather lively - with the blasting of music, chowing and playing games. We also cam-whored during that... took many pictures... all part of memories... ^^

Me & Kelvin

Herman, Me & Timothy

Herman & I

Group Pose

Ready... Get Set...

Go!!!

Group Pose 2

One United Front

Nice Background :)

Oh yeah... that aside... I realise that I really have to learn how to control my emotions... especially anger. Cause I feel that I tend to get agitated and defensive easily. Maybe I shall try my best to take things less easily and enjoy the things that come by. After all, we only have around 70 years to live. Might as well make the best out of it and appreciate the things around us. =D

It's Now or Never

2010-09-26T09:21:00.001+08:00

It's Now or Never

Whoa... it seemed only a while but a whole month has passed! The past month has been physically tiring... being bombarded with outfields and pressure. But as the saying goes, "Practice makes perfect", such trainings are inevitable since ATEC is just around the corner. With so much effort being put in by many people, it would be a shame to let it all go to waste. Thus, I vow to really do my best for this near-final chapter in Army life!!!

I find it really sickening when some people just cannot understand how respect works. On the surface, yes, we must respect our superiors. This is true no doubt but however, after much consideration, I wonder... How much respect should SOME people really deserve? In order for one to respect a senior, the latter should have some character that deserves people's respect. Furthermore, it would be good if the senior also shows some good example to his juniors. If you treat your subordinates like dirt, how do you expect them to show respect to you? Bloody hell... the existance of such guai-lan people are just a joke on Earth... absolute disgrace to humanity and mankind. Please act your age and not be petty when things doesn't go your way. Just because you want to get people into trouble, you keep changing your accusation to suit you. Firstly, you accused people of something and threatened to silence them after they were unable to answer a question that would put them into jeopedy no matter what. Then, when reporting, you accused them of another offence. Please... make up your bloody mind... Think for your own and don't act like a dog under people's control...

Speaking of that, I would like to share a quote that my teacher told my class in my first English lesson in YTSS: It's not the APTITUDE but the ATTITUDE that determines the ALTITUDE of your life. This means that although one may be knowledgable, it doesn't mean he will be successful in life. What's more important is his character. With a positive mindset and a good attitude, he would advance far in life.

Lethal Injection... Painless? Humane? Flawless?

2010-09-19T15:44:00.000+08:00

Lethal Injection... Painless? Humane? Flawless?

To be frank, this blog's initial purpose is to express my views when I was undergoing General Paper in JC. If you look at the archieves, I have some factual and subjective posts. Yeah... you may realise why most of my posts are about Crime and Punishment, Law and the Death Penalty. Cause that's one of my interest in life. To study about Crime and Punishment especially allows me to get more in tuned of the legal system around the world, and hopefully, help me pursue my secondary goal - to be a Policeman. About the Death Penalty? It's because I absolutely detest it... from the process to the intent of it... That's why I want to read up more about such topics to have a broader sense of why such ridiculous (IMHO) things exist.

For some time now, I have been questioning myself on the effectiveness of Lethal Injection, which has become one of the most common method of execution around the world. All of the 38 states in US that allow Capital Punishment (including US Military and US Government) utilises Lethal Injection as the primary method of execution (some states has a secondary method in which the prisoner is allowed to choose from). For your information, prior to 2008, Nebraska is the only state in US that used Electrocution as its sole method of execution. It was rendered unconstitutional then, but approved Lethal Injection in 2009. Furthermore, some Asian countries like the Phillippines, Thailand and China also uses it.

I suppose one reason why Lethal Injection got so popular is because its relatively painless way to murder the inmate. Just some brief information of the process. Firstly, the inmate is strapped onto a gurney. An IV line will be inserted into each arm (One is the primary line, whereby the other one is for backup in case the former fails due to occlusion of the needles, etc). The drugging process can be started either manually or by flipping a switch on a machine. Typically, 3 drugs are used. The first is Sodium Thiopentel, which is an ultra-short action barbiturate that renders unconsiousness in a few seconds (Think of it like putting a person to sleep before an operation). Next up, Pancuronium Bromide, a paralysing agent is injected. This is a muscle relaxant, which completely paralyses the muscles in the body. Finally, a toxic agent, Potassium Chloride, is given. This stops the victim's heart and thus, cause death through cadiac arrest.

On the surface, this method of execution may seem painless, since the victim is put to sleep and thus, would be unable to feel the effects of the other 2 drugs. However, to be considered flawlessly painless would be an overrated statement. There have been occasions whereby the first drug is not injected properly, or the prisoner's body did not react normally to it. Thus, the inmate would not be rendered unconsiousness totally. This will allow him to feel the excruciating pain of the heart attack and yet unable to move his body (due to the paralysing agent). Thus, the victim would be left to die knowing that he is in extreme pain and not able to move his body.

To keep is short (this is not meant to be an argument, just some personal opinion), Lethal Injection would only be effective and painless if Sodium Thiopental is injected with the correct dossage and that the prisoner's body would react normally to how it should react.

Acknowledgement: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lethal_injection

A Fun Week... A Fun(ner) Weekend!!!

2010-09-19T15:05:00.008+08:00

A Fun Week... A Fun(ner) Weekend!!!

Yoyoyo!!! This week has been very exciting... It totally made me change the way I feel about outfield exercises. Not only was this week's programme quite relaxed, it was really fun as well. Got to do something which I really enjoy - chop trees! What's more fun than sawing off the thick bark of such sturdy structures man... At night, we get to participate in some team building games. Coupled with some "roller-coaster rides", it was really an enjoyable training indeed.

After booking out, I went to Swensens at Tampines Mall with Herman, Freddy, Timothy, Zhi Xiang, and Jerome to have lunch. It was having a 1 for 1 promotion that time, so we decided to go for it. The Spicy Fish Baked Rice that I ate was actually quite nice... But still, nothing beats the Curry Zazzle Baked Rice from Pizza Hut. It's still the best! Futhermore, we topped up an extra $5 for a soft drink, soup of the day and a single scoop of Ice-cream. Yummy!!!

Saturday was quite a busy day for me. I was outside from 1100 to 2200 on that day. First up, I met up with 3 of my friends from YTSS: Kelvin, Ka Tat and Kai Sheng at Yishun MRT to head to Vivo for our long awaited movie - Love Cut. Haha... Yeah it does seem wierd to be watching a touching show with guys, but it's interest that counts, right? It certainly beats watching it alone. We managed to purchase a $3 Popcorn Combo (using Kelvin's GV membership card) which consists of a bucket-load of Popcorn and a soft drink. It's really worth it... you get more Popcorn at less price compared to the $6 Safra combo. Anyway, the movie was definitely touching... it teaches one to respect and treasure your loved ones while they are still around. Really awesome movie. Well developed and meaningful. Here's the theme song for the show: Tian Tian Xiang Ni...

After the movie, I left to meet up with Zhi Xiang, Herman and Clarence at Habourfront MRT station. We headed to a nearby Hawker Centre to have lunch then took Clarence's car to the Lifestylemart at Safra Mount Faber. Bought a water bottle, mess tin and a torch light... Oh, speaking of torch light, MY TORCH LIGHT AND SOG KENA STOLEN DURING OUTFIELD!!! Bloody hell... stupid thief not enough money or what... Or hands simply too itchy from some wierd compulsive stealing disease!!! Damn it!!! Never mind... there's always something called Retribution...

After some shopping, Clarence and I had a mini showdown in Bowling. Darn... shouldn't have played a second game... My score dropped like mad... From 119 in the first round to a mere 45 in the second round... What's happening man!!! Need to relax my wrists more... Arrgh... never mind. Clarence then intended to drive Herman and I to Ang Mo Kio (since it's on his way to his next destination), but then, due to my inattentiveness in giving road directions... he drove us to Yishun instead! Haha sorry Clarence... was not really concentrating on the road... Hehe...

Anyway, Herman finally decided to have a personal blog on top of his Econs blog! Whoo-hoo! Got another blog to stalk le... Hehehe... :)

Watch this video... damn cool and funny... Enjoy!!!

2 Down, Many More to Go!!!

2010-09-12T15:46:00.008+08:00

2 Down, Many More to Go!!!

This is getting awesome-ly ridiculous... siong training every week... so much so that it made me feel as if I have taken physical trainings for granted. Last 2 weeks have been gruelling for me, especially the most recent training session. What's worse is that the rain made it even more demoralising. Things are as usual, which includes the dreaded nature walk... (I wonder, by the end of the stroll, how are people still gonna have the energy to accomplish their tasks)

Had my third duty this week. Somehow or rather, I am actually starting to enjoy doing them, since it can help me burn some calories. Haha... (No implications ok ^^) So far, my duty superiors have been very nice people. They are the type that command respect through character and actions, rather than forcing respect from their subordinates. Hopefully, my luck will not run out anytime soon, or at least until I attained freedom...

This weekend has been quite short for me. Booked out early on Thursday and played computer game at home. Then, I had dinner with my parents at the nearby Taste of Thailand stall... The Pineapple Rice is very orgasmic. Seriously too value for money. On Friday evening, I met Herman and Keefe at Tampines Mall to have dinner. Dunno why, the Grilled Fish did not taste as good as the last time I ate it... perhaps due to the amount of butter they used... too salty... Then, we watched Haunted Changi at 8pm. After the show, I finally got the point of not to watch any horror movies... Just not my type man... Thereafter, I bought some snacks and booked in for duty the following morning.

I am really looking forward to the ORD trip that my platoon mates would be organising. From Singapore to Langkawi to Hong Kong, at less than about $700 in total. Hopefully everything turns out well. Gonna shop till I drop man... Hehe...

Anyway, I would like to share this video with everyone. It's seriously meaningful and inspiring. Enjoy!

A Very Lethargic Weekend

2010-09-05T19:46:00.001+08:00

A Very Lethargic Weekend

Whoa... this weekend has been extremely shag-a-holic for me. Had duty on Friday night - of which I only had a total of not more than 4.5 hours of interrupted rest. Then on Saturday, I had barely enjoyed the comfort of home when I have to move out again for another duty. This time, the duty was voluntary and much much more exciting than the one I had the previous day. No no... it's nothing related to the Army. Lolz

I met up with Pauline at the McDonalds near Chong Pang CC and then headed to Yishun Sports Hall together. We went there early at about 12.30pm and got myself refreshed with the rules for an hour before the Taekwondo National Tournament commences.

Omg... it's been like a year since I've officiated in Taekwondo competitions. Luckily, there's no Video Replay this time (which I am not really familiar with its procedure). What's more fortunate was that I was not the first person in my team to be the centre Referee, if not I would have screwed up big time. Haha. So for the first 3 bouts, I can at least get a rough gauge of the level of intensity of the fighters and get more used to the actions of the Referees. Soon, it was my time to Referee the match for 2 bouts. Man... I sweat like hell during that time, since I had to keep following the fighter's positions. Well, that's quite typical of the Junior categories - they make up power with lightning speed. I left at about 4.30pm to go to Yishun library to return my books and then met Herman at Nee Soon East CC at 5.15pm for Taekwondo training before the actual class. After the class, we ate Long John Silvers and then headed home at 10pm.

Back home, Zhi Xiang and I talked on MSN, where he shared a music video entited "Every Singaporean Son" on Youtube. The song is very touching and meaningful, more so when it is viewed on the day of our ORD. Haha... kept replaying and replaying - until I finally closed the window to stop myself from further replays.

Whoa... one whole day gone like that. Now comes the dreaded Sunday - the day I have to book into camp. For the morning, I went back to Yishun Sports Hall to officiate in the Taekwondo competition till about 1.30pm when I went back home to take a rest and chill out. Played some games for about 3 hours and slept like a pig till 6.40 pm.

Damn... weekends are just too short. Now it's about time to head back to camp for a tiring week ahead. Haha... Zzz... very sleepy. Hopefully can have a good rest tonight...

Long Weekend Cut Short

2010-08-30T17:45:00.001+08:00

Long Weekend Cut Short

I was really looking forward to the long weekend I was supposed to get after YOG. Unfortunately, it was cut short when I had to perform regimental duty on Sunday.

Saturday was especially busy for me. Together with my Secondary School friends, I went out to Vivo to catch a movie entitled "Grown-ups". Since the show only starts 1 hour later, we decided to have our late brunch first. We ate Figs and Olives since it was nearby and it was having a 1 for 1 promotion then. Although it costs quite a lot, the food's well worth it, especially the pasta.

Yummy lunch of Grilled Chicken with Pasta, Chicken Soup and Garlic Bread

The total bill. Darn... I forgot to take Service Charge into account.

After the sumptuous meal, we went to the cinema to watch the movie. It's a comedy show, full of hilarious (and to an extent, childish) jokes. All in all, it's still a movie worth watching on weekdays. Haha. But still, the main humour goes to Kai Sheng's No.1 hairstyle. Lolz. Unfortunately, I will not be posting his picture here since he rather wants it to be undisclosed.

After the movie, I rushed home to prepare my stuff for TKD training in the evening. As usual, Herman and I arrived 1 hour early to warm up and practice our kicks. After the training, Teck Wei and I decided to have a sparring session. I really damn rusty le... It's been like almost a year since I last sparred. (The last time I sparred was during my 2009 October Centralised Grading) He definitely has improved a lot since I last practiced with him. That match showed 1 thing - It's time for me to focus more on kicking and sparring from now on!

Thereafter, Herman and I went to 18Chefs to have our dinner. I had a bowl of baked rice and tried out their signature Iced Lemon Tea. Then, I rushed home to prepare to book in to camp for my Sunday duty.

Sunday's duty was not as bad as I had expected. The commanders and the duty superiors were very friendly. Luckily I did not kena those guai-lan people. During my break time, I tried out my new NDS game entitled Dragon Quest IX. It's quite a nice classic RPG game that is somewhat like Final Fantasy, where you control a hero and 3 other party members on an adventure to right what is wrong.

Sadly, this great weekend is coming to an end when I had to book in early for a long and tiring week ahead. Hopefully, I'll be able to pull through the shack-a-holic training that is in stored for us.

YOG Closing Ceremony

2010-08-27T10:51:00.001+08:00

YOG Closing Ceremony

Yesterday marks the end of the inargural Youth Olympic Games Singapore 2010. The show was awesomely spectacular and it ended with a blast! They just spammed the fireworks!!! Kaboom! Haha. Except for a 'slight' cock-up in the show, everything's just swell. :)

With that in mind, yesterday also marks the end of the constant sai-kang that we have to go through. Much as we appreciate the atheletes who have participated in the YOG, we also have to be grateful to those volunteers and "volunteers" who have spent endless hours day and night to ensure the successful execution of the event. Kudos to all of them!!! =D

A stunning facade of Marina

Look at those bright red fireworks!!!

Combination of the above! =D

Haha I know this's random. Timothy's candit-shot! Lolz

Not only did we get to watch such an awesome show, we also had a 'free-flow' of goody-bags after the show! Also I also managed to obtain 1 of the exclusive lighted Lyo stylo hat! Haha.

Well, happy things aside. Sometimes I wonder if human beings are willing to put in that extra effort to clear their own wastes. It's not like the dustbin is 1km away or something. I'm sure there're plenty of rubbish points around that area and what's more, one is able to find a rubbish bin at about a mere 50m away! I'm not sure if people are really too lethargic, too engrossed in the performance, or just cannot give a damn about keeping the place clean. One can see litters everywhere - on the seats, on the stage, on the pavement, you name it. If only everyone put in that extra effort to clear their rubbish in the proper manner, it would really save the volunteers a whole lot of trouble doing the dirty work for them. And if that's not enough, it would really make the place look clean and liven up the atmosphere! Imagine watching a show in a messy place. Would you want that?

Look at the distance between the bin and the litters

Look at the tremendous amount of junk on the ground

Anyway, enough of YOG. Now that it's over, the trainings are gonna resume full-blast. That means one thing: SHACK!!!!!! Damn... gonna have much time to be one with nature for the next 2 weeks. This is really sickening... I've had enough of nature walks! Never mind, just 7 more months and I'll be free from an almost-total restraint. After that, it's around the world in 80 days!!! Jajaja ^^

Casting "Arise" on Blog

2010-08-22T19:42:00.003+08:00

Casting "Arise" on Blog

Wah... long time never update blog le... Think its about time I do so. This blog has been dead for more than 4 months... and now it shall be revived!!!

Army has been rather interesting so far... exposing me to many different events, people and ideas - some of which are truely unique and enriching. Time really flies... From 12 March 2009 till today, it seemed like I've only served a few months. Well, everything that begins has its end. In about 7 months time, I would be promoted to the rank of "Mr". Much as I want my ORD to quickly arrive, I still have to treasure the remaining time left in the Army (especially the friendship forged within the platoon).

Currently, I am helping out in the inaugural Youth Olympic Games. There are pros and cons of helping out in the YOG. For one thing, being involved in YOG gives me an opportunity to escape from the rigour of trianings. It gives me a highly probable once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be involved in an international sports event. So far, Singapore has won quite a few medals. What's more joyful is that Singapore has attained 2 bronze medals in Taekwondo! Kudos to Daryl Tan and Nurul Shafinas Zakaria! Of course, not to mention all those who have represented Singapore for the YOG. It doesn't matter if medals are won or not. As long as they have showed sportsmanship and the never-give-up attitude, everyone's a winner!

Now to other issues. It really feels great to be able to go back for Taekwondo training after 3 weeks of absence due to YOG. It finally gave me an opportunity to really work out. Although I injured my right big toe due to an improper landing from a Crescent Kick, I felt like I've re-ignited my passion to train hard for future competitions.

And you know what? I've finally quitted WoW (World of Warcraft)!!! Woohoo!!! I finally thought it through that I should not be spending much time on it, since it makes me forgo other important stuff like going out with friends or studying for University. After weighing the pros and cons of quitting the game, I have finally mustered the "courage" to delete all WoW game contents from my computer!

Last but not least, I really feel that I should start to exercise more often. Now that I've returned from the pseudo world, I should have more time to work out. Firstly, I have to focus on losing weight, by about 10kg! It may seem hard, but it's certainly possible. I've been told time and again from my friends that I should be regulating my food intake. I think I should start heeding their advice. After all, the stake is rather high - its a healthy life.

Hopefully I will be able to update my blog weekly. That way, I will be able to keep track of how I've been doing and most importantly, gives me a platform to reflect and look back to the past. :)

Survivor: Brunei (Season Premiere and Season Finale)

2010-02-21T06:39:00.001+08:00

Survivor: Brunei (Season Premiere and Season Finale)

Sorry for the inactiveness of this blog these few days. Just don't feel like updating anything yet. Lol.

Whoa, the trip to Brunei has finally come to an end. Only one word to describe it - Siong! Upon our arrival to the camp, we were hammered by one activities non-stop (well, at least 75% of the time). We were faced with the challenge to be given with something to do almost every single time. The first few days were already enough to drain our souls... lectures till night, getting ourselves tired and dirty through field training in the day, especially the lesson on crossing water obstacles. It was conducted in Sungei Batu Apoi. The water was like super muddy. Once we crosses over to the far bank, we were told that we have to cross back to the other side. Omg sia... Crossing once was already enough to make you go for a thorough bath, but twice!

Trainings aside, we were faced with another dilema... The reveille time kept getting earlier! Even as early as 4.15am. How to have enough rest man... Succeeding those day trainings were 3 outfield exercises. I would not dwell much into detail here, cause later scarly kena charged for leaking restricted information. The last exercise really made me felt that I was going on a death march... Hours and hours to nature walk. The load was really heavy and I was walking like an ultra-zombified monster. Thanks for all those who have helped me in one way or another, cause without you all, I would have become an ultra-dead monster.

Once we stepped back into the gates of our camp, we were extremely relieved and happy. Training was over! However, there were still many admin stuff to do, such as cleaning of stores, etc. The last few days in Brunei proved to be challenging in another way - time passed very slowly! All of us were looking forward to step back into the lion city and had enough of training there. In the wee hours of 31 Jan 2010, we embarked on our flight back to Singapore. Survivor: Brunei had finally draw to a close! Most importantly - WE SURVIVED!!!!!

Survivor: Brunei (Coming Soon)

2010-01-12T01:27:00.004+08:00

Survivor: Brunei (Coming Soon)

Sianz... it seems like only yesterday since I enlisted... And now, I will soon have to depart Singapore to participate in Survival: Brunei.

Had final inspection yesterday and then booked out. Man, squeezing those required items into the Duffel bags sure pose a tough challenge. Was sweating like a pig when I was packing up my baggage for checking-in. To all those who have helped me in packing my stuff - namely Freddy, Clarence, Hong Wei, Timothy and Sgt Hong Da (Apologies if I left out your name) - I really appreciated it, Thank you! ^^

Well, that's not all for today. Just when we thought we can have lunch in peace, we were suddenly told to go for a hair-cut. The purpose - personal hygiene before embarking in our 18 days adventure. Well, the problem is that my hair is already short enough, and yet was required to cut hair. Like got hair for you to cut meh? Bloody hell! Just wasted $4 on such a ridiculous hair-cut. The end- result was like... aww... no difference from my original hair-style? Damn... I wonder what's going on in their minds...

Well, nuff-said about that fantastic hair-do... After booking out of camp, I went to Century Square along with Herman, Timothy, Hong Wei and Satiya to watch The Fourth Kind. Kinda interesting in terms of plot and suspense... But horror-wise, it was so-so only.

Reached home at around 6pm, went for training till 9.30pm, then ate KFC for dinner after that... Man... must really enjoy Singapore food before going off, since it will be quite a long time before coming back.

Scared sia... Brunei... Like totally different from Singapore's gardens. Moreover, we were told of gigantic insects and the extreme darkness there. I just hope I'll be able to endure through that nature walk and come out of it alive. Well, at least there's something to look forward to - Chinese New Year is just around the corner and just nice, got TKD grading on the morning of 31 Jan 2010 (1 day after returning home).

Well, this will be my last post before coming back. Take care man! ^^
May the Lord have mercy on my soul...

Countdown @ Esplanade 2009

2010-01-01T20:59:00.012+08:00

Countdown @ Esplanade 2009

It's the last day of the year 2009. People worldwide are waiting in anticipation for the clock to hit 12am. In Singapore, it's no different. Crowds of people are forming almost everywhere, especially in the town area, for the countdown to 2010.

At about 11pm that night, I met some of my usual friends - Kelvin, Kai Sheng, Ka Tat, Wei Rong and Benny at Yishun MRT. Our destination is the vicinity of the Esplanade at City Hall. Upon arrival, we were like forced to squeeze between loads of people just to get to our desired location. It took us about 20 minutes to even walk a mere 500m. Once we reached the open space opposite the Padang (I think its near the Benjamin Sheares Bridge), we were immediately treated to a spectacular display of fireworks. The view was simply awesome. Many cameras were held high in the air and screams of joy were prevalent. The whole amazing sight lasted about 10 minutes. Immediately after that, we decided to take a few group photos.

CSB Route March

2010-01-01T20:44:00.004+08:00

CSB Route March

Whoa... This blog has been dead for such a long time... I guess its time I revive it again. Haha.

Well, I've enlisted in Army and am now in 3 SIR. Having gone through around 9 months of Army life, I have experienced a dramatic change in lifestyle. No longer am I able to roam freely, doing whatever I want. Now, there's a regime to follow and discipline is the utmost importance here. Throughout the 9 months, I have gone through quite a lot. One thing that I would like to share here is the 32km Route March that occured recently.

I suppose the CSB (Combat Skills Badge) is one of the most common achievement in Infantry. Nevertheless, it's still a great achievement for one to achieve, seeing that there are quite a few tough criterias within it. One of them is the 32km Route March. It occured on 23 December 2009, just before we break off for Christmas. We set off to Pulau Tekong in the afternoon and began the gruelling Route March at night. The March was no doubt physically and mentally demanding, since there is a time limit to meet and quite a few tests along the way. What's worse is that it drizzled during the March. Fortunately, it did not escalate into a downpour.

We walked and walked... It felt as though it would never end. However, with encouragements from our peers and commanders, most of us were able to complete the punishing nature walk and thus, complete the toughest criterion for CSB. Thereafter, we headed back to camp and tying a few loose ends, we booked out.

Upon reaching home, I felt aches all over my body, especially the feet. Even with tights, minor abrasions still occured. I guess I did not wear them high enough. Completing the painful package is multiple blisters on my feet. Nonetheless, I am still glad that I've completed one of the shackest activities in stored for me this 2 years in National Service.

E-Learning Days

2008-04-11T23:13:00.006+08:00

E-Learning Days

On 10 Apr and 11 Apr, all AJCians need not attend school for lessons. For JC1s, they have to undergo a Festival of Life and Resilience workshop. For JC2s, we have to attend E-Learning at home. The purposes of the E-Learning are to promote independent study and test out the readiness of the college in times of emergency.

In order to prevent slow navigation on IVLE (due to all JC2 students logging in for E-Lectures), the school planned a timetable for us and strongly urged us to follow it. This is because of limited bandwidth. I was supposed to have my Physics E-Lecture on 11 Apr from 0900h - 1000h. Unfortunately, it clashes with my NS Medical Checkup, which was from 0800h - 1200h. Hence, I decided to have a 'headstart' by accessing the Physics E-Lecture on the night of 9 Apr instead.

Basically, the E-Lecture topics are interesting: Complex Numbers, X-Ray Spectrum and GP regarding Prison and Psychological stuff. Just my type of topics.^^

CNY Celebration Concert

2008-02-06T16:10:00.000+08:00

CNY Celebration Concert

Holaz! Today marks the celebration of Chinese New Year! As always, it's celebrated by a concert in school.

Reported to school as usual, and went up to the hall at 0750 hours. The concert started promptly at 0800 and ended at 0920. The performances are much better than I've heard or expected. Some of the contents include graceful dances put up AJC's own Dance Society, MLDDS and TLDDS; awesome music pieces prepared by the Band, Harmornica and Chinese Orchestra; astounding Wushu performance; prize-givings and so on! I especially love the Wushu performance, as it really demonstrated their martial prowess and focus, yet keeping their movements graceful. Kudos to all the performers, as they must have really worked so hard to put up such a wonderful performance today.

After the concert, my class, 04/07, went to the "Umbrella area" between the Ohana and the Auditorium, to "lao yu sheng". I was only able to join in for a while, since I have to rush back to visit my Secondary School with 2 of my friends.

Eugene and I met Kelvin beside the OCBC outside Northpoint. Although most of the students have left by then, we still managed to mingle with some of the teachers and juniors. After exploring the school also, the 3 of us went to the food court in Northpoint to have out lunch.

Something coincidental happened. While travelling down the escalator, I happened to meet Eugene Goh (1 of my pal from TKD, and YTzen). He followed us to the food court and then we had our meals. Thereafter, he left to join his friends while the 3 of us headed home.

Upon reaching home, I felt very sianz. Intending to touch homeworks tomorrow and not sure if I should go training today, since Friday has no class due to CNY. Well, time shall tell.

To all people, Cloud wishes you all a HAPPY LUNAR NEW YEAR! Gong Xi Fa Chai, Wan Shi Ru Yi!!! ^^

Exercise, Exercise & Exercise

2007-12-23T20:10:00.000+08:00

Exercise, Exercise & Exercise

Holaz there! This holiday is certainly one of my best in terms of opportunities for physical activities. So far, I've been to Bowling sessions, Swimming, Taekwondo Trainings, Joggings, Gym Sessions, Cycling.

Of all the days, today was my most physical day of all. Woke up at 0540 and left house at 0620. Then, I jogged from opposite Chong Pang Community Club all the way to Yishun Stadium. It was not as tough as I expected, considering that it was my debut. Reached the stadum at 0645 or so, and did some warm-ups. Then, I went for 1 round jogging on the track, followed by 10 sit-ups and 10 log-raisings. I repeat this for another 5 sets (subsequent sets consist of only 200m - 300m jogging, 10 sit-ups and 10 log-raisings). Kelvin and Jorvin also came to the stadium too. I exercised until 0745 and then took a break. Finally, at 0805, I walked to Block 154, Yishun, and got prepared for my Sunday Taekwondo Class. Today's training consists of revision of basic movements. Cindy was there also, since she wants to polish up her pattern and learn unarmed combat for her 2nd-poom grading on 5 -Jan-2008. I taught her the unarmed combat

Outing With Friends

2007-12-23T19:59:00.000+08:00

Outing With Friends

Today is another day when I spent much of my savings. Hahax. First on the programme was the K-Box session organised by Kelvin. We went to the outlet in Ang Mo Kio just beside Ryders, and boy, I was shocked at the prices on that day. It was Hari Raya Haji, and no wonder, prices shoot up due to it being a public holiday. The starting price for each person was $16 and titbits was $6 for 2 people. Since there're 4 of us that day (Kelvin, Kai Sheng, Jorvin & myself), we had to pay $12 for titbits alone (daylight robbery huh?). Due to the high price, we wanted to make sure that the $12 was really worth it. So what we do? Simple! We only eat those items that we like and when only those "not good" items are left, we immediately asked for a refill. Hahax. In the end, we asked them to refill about 5 or 6 times. At the 5th time, we were given 3 bowls of titbits and on the 6th time, we were given 4. We should have called for a 7th refill and maybe they will give us 5 bowls... Lolz! Had no sang for a long time already and hence, my tune was not at its optimal. But then, it is the fun that counts! The total bill stated about $94, omg...

After singing, we went to Ryders to play 1 hour of Counter-Strike. Well, that's when things are looking better for me... Had lots of fun killing my friends and also got killed many times too, especially by Kelvin. My favourite was spawn-killing in the AWP map. Whenever the game restarts, I immediately aimed at the opposite end and killed my enemies before they even picked up their weapons. Hahahx.

Taekwondo Demonstration A Success

2007-12-23T19:51:00.001+08:00

Taekwondo Demonstration A Success

The Nee Soon East Appreciation Night went well, especially for the Taekwondo team. I only realised on the day itself that there is plank-breaking, using Front Kick, Side Kick, Turning Kick and Backthrust. Luckily, I didn't screw up the pledge like in National Day Observation Ceremony 2007. Hahax. After the performance, we were treated to a Buffet Dinner. Man, the food was extremely delicious and I even went for up to 5 rounds! In the end, there is still much food left and we were encouraged to take some home.

Prior to the demonstration, Jin Cai, Jorvin, Kian Ming, Kai Sheng and I went to explore Terminal 3. Sadly, we were told that the last day to explore the inner region (place where people can enter only after clearing immigration) was on 9 December. What a bummer... We spent about 45 minutes just looking at the water fountain at the basement of the terminal. Jin Cai was so obsessed with the vibrant colours of the waters and the way it is flowing, that he kept on taking photos like there's no tomorrow. Hahax. While there, we took a break doing some chocolate-shopping.

Nee Soon East CSC Appreciation Night 2007

2007-12-07T22:46:00.000+08:00

Nee Soon East CSC Appreciation Night 2007

Holaz again! Welcome to Cloud's Lair!!!

I was only given 2 weeks notice about this event - Nee Soon East CSC Appreciation Night. Well, this year, as part of the agenda, there is a Martial Arts performance. So far, I know that Silat and Taekwondo will be performing.

Day: Saturday
Date: 15 December 2007
Place: Nee Soon East CC (Hall)

1930: Arrival of Participants & Guests
2000: Arrival of GOH - Associate Professor Ho Peng Kee
2010: Welcoming address by CSC Chairman
2015: Presentation of Certificates to all Team Conveners, Players & Assistants
2045: Buffet Dinner (WOO-HOO!!!) & Martial Arts Demonstration
2130: Lucky Draw
2200: Home Sweet Home

I was just wondering... Dinner and Demonstration at the same time period? Omg... I eat already then cannot perform le... cause after eating, I can only think about food. Hahax

Regarding the demonstration, Taekwondo will be performing as follows:
- Combined Basic Movements (White Belt Pattern)
- Taeguek Il-Jang (Yellow Belt Pattern)
- Taeguek Sam-Jang (Green Belt Pattern)
- Taeguek Chil-Jang (Brown Belt Pattern)
- Synchronised Koryo Poomsae (1st Dan/Poom Belt Pattern)
- Kyorugi (Free Sparring)
- Armed Combat
- Scenario-demonstration

All are welcome!!!

Speaking of the demonstration, I am told to lead the TKD pledge taking. I led the pledge before (during 2007 National Day Performance at Nee Soon East Courtyard), and it turned out to be a disaster. One problem is my voice... during National Day, the surrounding was extremely noisy, so I couldn't even hear my own voice... However, I also mixed up the words in the pledge... made me very embarrassed that day. Luckily, the noisy surrounding just nullified this word-jumble. Fortunately this time, my master told me that microphones will be provided... hahax... It should make my job much easier.

Now that that's over, I was only informed about this 2 weeks before. Hence, to have an easier time rehearsing for the synchronised pattern, we gathered the same people that used to perform together on previous occasions. Furthermore, the 2 of us are of the same club, so we can easily practice during our bi-weekly trainings. I hope that at the end of those rehearsals, we are ready to rumble!!!

Time For A Break... At Least For Now

2007-12-02T20:40:00.000+08:00

Time For A Break... At Least For Now

Holaz! It's been way long since I've updated my blog. Well, people have been telling me to update my blog. Well, I'd apologise for the lack of response - I just had no inspiration to blog. Hahax.

Hmm, where shall I begin? Oh yeah! I think I'm going to make this blog featuring my memories, instead of some GP matters. Promos has ended long ago, but sadly, my results are mediocre. Upon receiving back my papers, I could not believe my results. With a DDSSUU, I thought I was a goner for sure. I even had plans on how to ace should I be retained in JC1. Fortunately, my school decided to give me another chance to show my academic abilities, by advancing me to JC2. I was extremely grateful for it. Seeing that I've been given this chance to move on, I will definitely study hard for my A-Levels.

This holiday also serve 2 more purposes. Firstly, is my ample opportunity for fat-catabolism, and muscle-anabolism. My plan is to exercise 9 times a week: 4 jogging sessions, 2 gym sessions, 3 Taekwondo sessions. The rewards not only include becoming fitter, but also to be able to master some of the techniques which I longed to perform in TKD.

The other purpose of this holiday is well, to catch up on some games (lolz). Well, I'm not going to elaborate much into it. Hahax.

Now that November has past, I really have to focus my time and energy into my study. I hope that by the end of the holidays, I'll be really prepared to face the upcoming year. ^^

In Singapore, Freedom of Expression or Social Responsibility?

2007-07-05T21:18:00.000+08:00

In Singapore, Freedom of Expression or Social Responsibility

In the context of Singapore’s multi-racial society, where there is cultural and religious pluralism, I feel that Szilagyi’s view, which believes that more focus should be placed on social responsibility, should be adopted.

We must understand that Singapore is made up of people with various races and religions. It is such harmony between these races and religions that ensured the survival of our heartland. Singapore is an extremely small country, thus being incredibly vulnerable to external or internal attacks. Though the former is being taken care of by our Armed Forces, it will still not be enough to maintain Singapore’s survival should the latter is not taken care of. One example of internal attacks is racial riots (such as the 1964 Sino-Malay Riots). The only way to prevent such strife from happening again is to unite our people together as one. How is this done? Through racial harmony of course!

Since racial and religious issues are particularly sensitive, we must prevent offences pertaining to them at all cost. One accidental remark towards a certain race will lead to a grave outcome. One example is from an article written by Szilagyi, “the provocative nature of cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad, which have provoked rage in the Muslim world.” The only reason why such wrath occurred was due to insensitivity to the Malays – by offending their beliefs. Although such result was not intended to happen, the cartoonist should have been more matured enough to think at different people’s point of view (in this case, in the Muslim’s point of view). Having no intention is not sufficient to prove one’s innocence. The damage has already been done, and there is no way to go back in time to reverse it.

Singapore’s only resource is our people. If such hostility between each race exists, Singapore can never progress, but instead, it will fall terribly. If our own people are not able to work together as a team to benefit Singapore, who else will? Thus, racial harmony is all the more crucial to us. It is the most important key in allowing us to strive together for the benefit of ourselves, our society and our nation.

However, I am not totally against Peter Singer’s view that freedom of expression is essential to any democracy and therefore should not be limited. Too much restriction to our lives will make us no different to robots, which are programmed to act and not to think. Absolute limitation to our freedom of expression will only provide a disincentive for us to voice out our views on various issues that arise. In such cases where people only flow along with the tide, no progress can be made.

Although freedom of expression is a basic right, we must not abuse it or go overboard. We must appreciate that there exists a certain level of tolerance within that right.

Things must not be done in the extreme manner, such as totally restricting our freedom of expression or totally allowing us to voice out our opinions. The former leads to the society being very rigid while the latter may lead to parties being offended by remarks. Hence, we have to be balanced – by allowing freedom of expression with due regard to maturity and sensitivity.

In conclusion, I feel that in Singapore’s context, more focus should be placed on social responsibility. We have to be sensitive to one another’s feelings if we want to continue to excel. Moreover, I will like to emphasize that Singapore is made up of people of different races and religions from all over the world, thus being a multi-racial society. As a result, racial harmony must be observed in order to let us unite as one people, one nation, one Singapore.

Child Abuse

2007-06-14T23:32:00.000+08:00

Child Abuse

When it comes to the topic on Crime & Punishment, the offence that I hate to see most is Child Abuse. In my views, I find it a much more serious offence than those capital felonies such as murder. This is because the victim has to suffer an extremely long and painful journey, which can result in the death of the victim. If death does not occur, the victim will still be traumatised emotionally and mentally for the rest of his life. Furthermore, such abuses usually occur on a child who is defenceless and the child is being condemned more than his wrongdoings.

Firstly, let me define what Child Abuse is. It is the cruelty to any child or young teenagers below the age of 16 years, involving acts of maltreatment by an adult thus resulting in unnecessary suffering or injury to the victim’s health or his well-being. Such abuse can occur in a number of ways: Physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, physical neglect and emotional neglect.

It is no surprise to learn that offenders of child abuse, in their mitigation plea, will tell the court that their intention was to discipline their child for his mistakes. So, before we proceed any further, let’s look at the definition of discipline.

Discipline means to train or to guide their child from their mistakes, so as to make them a better person. The priority for disciplining is to make the child realise his mistakes, instead of punishing him. Punishment need not be necessary when disciplining a child. As long as he show that he realise his mistakes, that’s enough. Sometimes, punishments are inevitable. However, they should not be meted out due to anger, but instead, out of concern for the child’s future.

So what differentiates discipline and abuse? Discipline focuses more on realisation of mistakes and reforming, while abuse focus more on punishment. Discipline is carried out with a care and concern attitude (the discipliner is concerned for the child’s future). On the other hand, abuse is carried out with anger. If a punishment leads to injury, the punisher has gone too far. As long as the act caused injury, it is already considered abuse.

In my view, child abusers are the most impudent, insane, inhumane, incorrigible and pathetic monstrous organisms in the world. They themselves do not even deserve to be called animals or humans. They totally lack empathy for their victim and are terrible enough to resort to violence when handling their child. Firstly, if such parents have a low-tolerance level, they should consult an expert. It is extremely dangerous to have a child when either one or both parents have a low-tolerance level.

The main focus of this entry is about the crime which took place on 3 June 1999. This case was featured in True Files Season 3, with the title ‘Killed by his Mother’s Lover’. The unfortunate victim was a child named Kevin Wong, who was only 7 years old at the time of his death. He had over 100 injuries all over his body, face and private parts.

The offender, Chong Keng Chye, was arrested and charged for using a bamboo stick, a feather duster and a belt to assault Kevin; making him eat up his own faeces; forcing him to stay naked at home; and dripping hot wax from a candle on his testicles. His defence was that his intention was only to discipline Kevin and that he has a low-tolerance level thus not being able to control his temper. Although Kevin’s mother, Susan, was also involved in that case, tests revealed that she had a low IQ level of only 80 compared to the normal IQ level of 100. Hence, she readily believed Chong when he said that his actions were just to cure Kevin of his ailments. If I am not wrong, she was sentenced to 7½ years imprisonment.

The prosecution requested that Chong be punished with a long term Preventive Detention (A type of imprisonment whereby the prisoner has no hope of being granted a remission of 1/3 of the original jail term due to good behaviour, and the offender has to live alone in his cell). The defence counsel argued that passing a sentence of Preventive Detention is similar to a backdoor way of asking for Life Imprisonment. However, the aggravating factors have outweighed the mitigating factors in this case. Chong’s crime was so heinous that his defence was rejected. In the end, he was given a total of 20 years Preventive Detention (The maximum allowed by the law) and 12 strokes of the cane. However, on appeal, his caning was reduced to 9 strokes mainly because he has pleaded guilty on his charges.

It is extremely saddening to learn that such cases can still occur. Kevin should be considered as an innocent child, as he was very young at that time. No amount of mistakes committed by him should lead to him being punished in such a severe manner that it amounted to abuse. His father should have understood his low maturity level at that time and should have forgiven him. If Kevin had committed a mistake, he should be disciplined instead of being abused.

I just hope that parents will not resort to violence whenever they have to discipline their child. They should fully understand their rationale of having a child in the first place, which is mainly to bring joy to their lives or to carry on their generation. No sane parent will want to have a child so as to be able to pick on their defenceless body. So, if their child has committed a mistake, regardless of the severity, his parents should forgive him and focus on making him turn over a new leaf.

Acknowledgements

http://ch5.mediacorptv.com/shows/drama/episodes/770/1/13/.html
http://www.nospank.net/n-d96.htm
http://kids.lovetoknow.com/wiki/Child_Discipline
http://www.childrensociety.org.sg/c_abuse.html

Do You Think We Should Use the Death Penalty Nowadays?

2007-05-11T22:09:00.001+08:00

Do You Think We Should Use the Death Penalty Nowadays?

I think that we should not use the Death Penalty (hereinafter referred to as “DP”) nowadays. This is due to many factors: the risk of executing innocent people, being extremely inhumane, not providing justice and it is totally against reformation.

Basically, the DP is the lawful execution of a criminal. It is administered for the most heinous offences such as treason, homicide and genocide. Since it is a very broad issue, the DP has become a debatable issue globally.

Humans are bound to make mistakes; no one is perfect. Thus, as long as the DP exists, there are also risks of executing an innocent person. Thus, no justice system in the world is completely perfect. If the justice system is full of lying prosecutors, incompetent defence counsels and/ or bias judges, the possibility of mistaken executions will increase drastically. No matter how slight the risk is, as long as there is such a possibility, innocent people can be killed. Even the loss of one innocent life is totally unacceptable. Furthermore, the DP is irrevocable. Should a person be found innocent after his execution, there is nothing that can be done to turn back the time - the law has taken its course; the wrong sentence has been carried out. If you put yourself in the prisoner’s shoes, how will he be feeling prior to his date with the executioner? How will his family members feel?

The methods of execution are certainly an issue to be concerned about. Way back in the olden times, the methods of execution can be as horrible as: breaking at the wheel; burning at the stake; boiling; crucifixion; sawing; hanging, drawing and quartering. Although the main methods of execution used nowadays (hanging, lethal injection, lethal gas, electrocution, firing squad and beheading) claims to bring doom on the prisoner in a quick and painless manner, it is still very inhumane. For instance, electrocution has on occasions caused extensive burns and needed more than one application of electric current to kill the condemned. This is an absolute violation of the most basic of human rights – the right to live. The existence of botched executions, such as the drop used for hanging being too short thus resulting in the condemned suffering a slow and painful death due to strangulation, actually does not support the claim of a quick and relatively painless death at all. Thus, I conclude that the DP is not at all humane.

The DP does not provide any form of justice. It leaves no one better off. On the victim’s side, their setback is the loss of their family member. However, on the offender’s side, it is the loss of his life. There are many more things a person can do as a punishment when he is alive. I believe that the offender should be made to compensate to the victim’s family members using his own income and community service. There is no need for compensation for the offender’s work as money is of no value in jail. This way, the offender pays back to society. Instead of aggravating the whole situation, it actually led to the society being better off.

The DP is absolutely against reformation of the criminal. Let’s take Singapore’s Changi Prison for example. The motto of Changi Prison is: Rehab, Renew, Restart. This is to help the offenders to rid their passion for crime, to allow them to turn over a new leaf, to aid them to leave their past behind and to look ahead to the future. By implementing the DP, it blatantly goes against renewing the criminal and allowing him to restart. This is because once an offender is executed he can no longer have a chance to improve from his mistakes. Although some people may belief that the correct way to restart is to start life afresh, I do not agree. Why not let the offender resume life afresh upon his release from long-term imprisonment instead? Not all people believe in afterlife. As a result, I conclude that the DP is against the reformation of the criminal, as it prevents the offender from being able to turn over a new leaf.

According to the people who are in favour of the DP and think that it should still be used nowadays, their reasons are that the DP is more economical, aims to seek avenge for the victim and that it serves as deterrence.

In my view, although life imprisonment is very costly, it is nothing as compared to the DP. Once a judgement of death has been passed on the accused, there will definitely be appeals to the higher courts and to seek clemency from the President of the country. There can be countless appeals, which concurrently places the condemned in jail. Such appeals will incur costs. An execution can only take place once all appeals are exhausted. Thus, in some cases, especially in America, an execution can only begin after a long time. The period when the condemned spends in Death Row can be as long as seven years or more. During the period, the condemned still goes through the normal prison routines, which has to be sponsored by the government. Furthermore, the materials used for most types of execution are expensive as well. For example, the process of lethal injection involves the usage of about 4 chemicals: saline solution, sodium thiopental, pancuronium bromide and potassium chloride. Such chemicals are not cheap to obtain. Once the execution has been carried out, the state will also have to spend money for the funeral services, should it be conducted by the state. Moreover, the maintenance of the equipments and apparatus used for the execution also incur high costs. Such maintenance, endless appeals and legal machinery far outweighs the expense of maintaining in prison the tiny fraction of criminals who would otherwise be slain.

People who are pro-DP also feels that the DP serves to seek avenge for the victim. This is merely an eye for an eye. I do not agree with this because if such revenge exists, there will be no end to it worldwide. Let’s say, person Y killed person Z. Person Y is then killed by the state. This shows that the state is, in someway, committing murder too. If murder is deemed as barbaric, the DP should also be deemed that way, as it is no different from murder – it causes death, only that this time, the victim is the felon. Once it happens, there can be much political unrest, especially if the person executed is a foreigner. The political ties between the country which conducted the execution, and the country where the prisoner is from, will be severely affected. The usage of revenge is actually the usage of violence, which does not deter crime at all. Violence will only get worse, thus resulting in it being endless. Hence, I feel that the DP is merely an act of revenge and should never be used.

The hypothesis that the DP deters crime is not true at all. For example, statistics have shown that although Texas tops the list of the number of executions per capita, it still has the highest crime rates in America. Take murder for example. The vast majority of murders involve passions of the moment, violent conflict and other such circumstances wherein the killer is not at all thinking of what might be at stake should they kill someone. Such examples of provocation and diminished responsibility show that the cause of the murder is mostly due to those reasons, and not necessarily due to the person’s passion to do so. Sometimes, people commit murder unintentionally. Hence, it can be deduced that it is not prudent to accept the hypothesis that the DP deters murder.

Generally, I feel that all offenders should be given a second chance in life. Remember, everybody will make mistakes. No one is born to be a criminal. The only reason why they committed crimes is because they succumb to the curiosity of doing that. Some offenders commit crimes due to pressure, provocation, stress and diminished responsibility. Not everyone have the intention of committing crimes at all. Hence, if are to condemn them, they can never be given the chance to turn over a new leaf.

Even if some offenders (hardcore criminals such as drug addicts) are beyond rehabilitation, their right to live should still be respected. They should at least be put on life imprisonment, so as to allow them to be able to move on in life. Prisoners, who have proven themselves worthy to be back in society, can also have a chance to be released due to parole after serving a minimum number of years in jail. Furthermore, it also allows the prisoner to be discharged once his innocent be found. As a result, I find that all criminals should be given a second chance instead of finishing them off.

If only violence does not exist in the world (the DP is considered as violence too, as it involves pain), imagine how peaceful and tranquil this planet can be. No one, except God, has the right to control people’s life. By the existence of the DP, it shows that the state is deciding to play God, which I feel, is totally wrong and sinful.

In summary, the death penalty has been a gross failure. Beyond its horror and incivility, it has neither protected the innocent nor deterred the wicked. The recurrent spectacle of publicly sanctioned killing has cheapened human life and dignity without the redeeming grace which comes from justice meted out swiftly, evenly, humanely.

Due to the abovementioned reasons and factors, I conclude that we should not use the DP nowadays. To be more precise, it should not even be done in the first place.

(Learn from the past, do your best in the present, and plan ahead for the future)

Acknowledgements
http://www.cwrl.utexas.edu/~tonya/spring/cap/lcantu.htm

The Death Penalty (III): Opposing Views

2007-04-30T23:03:00.000+08:00

The Death Penalty (III): Opposing Views

In this entry, I shall indicate another reason on why the Death Penalty (DP) should be abolished.

The DP cannot provide social stability not bring peace to the victims. (Amnesty International) Once an act of murder is committed, nothing can be done to revive the victim. This already caused the victim’s family to suffer. Even if the offender is executed, will that serve any purpose as to revive the victim? Furthermore, capital trials usually take very long to solve, as the consequences are irreversible. Once a trial takes place, the victim’s family has still got to suffer the uncertainty of whether the judge finds the accused guilty of murder or not. There have been times when murderers were acquitted due to lack of evidences. Not only the trials, the appeal processes also adds on to the family’s suffering. That is because the judges of appeal can overturn the sentences made by the presiding judge, hence adding on to the uncertainty of the verdict in the end.

The opposing views of the DP shall end here temporarily. This is to allow me to also state the reasons on why the DP should be retained, thus providing a more objective view regarding this issue.

(Never let impulse get the best of you)

Acknowledgements

http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGAFR010132004?open&of=ENG-392

The Death Penalty (II): Opposing Views

2007-04-30T20:32:00.000+08:00

The Death Penalty (II): Opposing Views

In my view, the DP is merely an eye for an eye; to take revenge on the offender – pain for pain, life for life. The DP can also be defined as taking revenge on the offender. Why is the society being so cruel? Why the word “revenge” even exists? For example, A murdered B and A is thus sentenced to death. So, who are those who commit murder? The answer will not only be A, but also the state as well. The state is basically committing murder to the offender. This only leads to a never-ending cycle of murder – if one keeps taking revenge on another.

Isn’t the purpose of the law to protect the public and to reform the criminal? By imposing the DP on him, the objective of reforming him will not be met, as he will not be given a second chance to live. Thus, he can never be able to reform anymore. However, I feel that the appropriate sentence be Life imprisonment, as it shuts the offender away from society and also let the offender to be reformed. Upon his release through remission, he can still live a normal life after that. That way, not only the public is protected, it also helps to reform the criminal as well.

In case people have the mindset that the DP deters murders, it actually does not. There are statistics which show that. “There have been no studies that clearly point to that fact and many that support the opposing view. The reason for this is that the vast majority of murders involve passions of the moment, violent conflict, and other such circumstances wherein the killer is not at all thinking of what might be at stake should they kill someone.” (Creative Ideas) The murder rate of states with the death penalty is still much higher as compared to states which do not. (Death Penalty Information Centre) To save space, please check out the website on your own to view the statistic table/graph. As a result, it can be concluded that “it is not prudent to accept the hypothesis that capital punishment deters murder to a marginally greater extent than does the threat and application of the supposedly lesser punishment of Life imprisonment.” (Amnesty International)

The last reason (for this entry) that shows why the death penalty is inhumane is through the methods used for execution. In ancient times, the methods used are absolutely humiliating and callous. Such methods include breaking on the wheel, garrotte, crucifixion, impalement, sawing, boiling, and burning at the stake and hanging-drawing-quartering. These methods are no doubt the more than inhumane ones. However, though the current methods of execution (Hanging, lethal injection, lethal gas, electrocution and firing squad) are less painful, it is still as inhumane due to the risk of it being botched. The consequences will then be unsightly and traumatising for the witnesses. Before the criminal is killed, he will be taunted tremendously by his emotions. Now, can you imagine being in such state of predicament? Well, I think I’d better stop here, or else, it might begin to bore you to death. I shall elaborate more about the DP in subsequent entries. I hope that through those views, you will be inspired to work towards the abolishment of the DP.

(Never do tomorrow what you can do today)

Acknowledgements

http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGAFR010132004?open&of=ENG-392

The Death Penalty (I): Opposing Views

2007-04-15T00:39:00.000+08:00

The Death Penalty (I): Opposing Views

In this entry, I will share about my views regarding the Death Penalty (DP). Firstly, let me explain what exactly the DP is. Basically, DP is a lawful execution of a criminal. It is the ultimate punishment for the most heinous crimes such as homicide and treason. The scope of the DP is very large. Thus, it can be, in fact, it is still being, a debatable issue.

“The DP is that it is a violation of one of the most fundamental of human rights: the right to live. It is the premeditated and cold-blooded killing of a human being by the state in the name of justice. It is the ultimate cruel, inhumane and degrading punishment.” (Amnesty International)

I am totally against the DP and one of my goals is to work towards its abolishment worldwide, or at least, in Singapore. Though most Singaporeans are for the DP, there is still a ray of hope that it can still be abolished as long as there are people against it. The DP is something which I absolutely loathe due to it being totally inhumane. The supporting details are stated below:

One fact about the DP is that it is irreversible, we must understand that. There is no escaping of the risk of error which can lead to the execution of an innocent person. No matter how slight the risk is, as long as there is a possibility, innocent people can be killed. Well, this has got to do with the judicial system of the respective countries. If the system is full of prosecutors who lie, incompetent defence lawyers or bias judges, the chance that the DP will be applied wrongly will be higher – much higher. So, what if a person is killed and his innocent is only determined after his execution? Well, the law has taken its course and there isn’t anything anyone can do to help to reverse the sentence by reviving him. Could you imagine how the victim would feel prior to his death? Could you imagine how the victim’s family would feel? Such feelings are definitely unbearable. This is in fact the strongest reason why the DP should be abolished. As long as the DP exists, the possibility of an innocent man being executed also exists. Thus, it leads to the inhumanity of mankind.

(Live everyday as if there is no tomorrow)

Acknowledgements

http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGAFR010132004?open&of=ENG-392