Since it is the holidays, I thought it would be apt to talk about this subject, "Procrastination", as I know of people who will not do their homework, etc, and then rush it through the last week or even day of the holidays.

So what is Procrastination? According to Think Exist, 'Procrastinate' is "To delay; to be dilatory. To put off till to-morrow, or from day to day; to defer; to postpone; to delay".

People procrastinate for all sorts of reasons, like they don't feel like doing something (like duh?). Mainly, its because people are afraid. They may fear that they would not do their given assignment well, and so procrastinate to prevent themselves from feeling that way; just like me not wanting to go overseas because I do not want to have the feeling of 依依不舍 (I know I shouldn't be mixing English and Chinese) when I leave for Singapore.

Some procrastinate, because they do not want to lose autonomy of themselves, and so when the procrastinate, it's a way of saying, "You can't make me do this, I control myself". So procrastinating help them to feel that they control the situation.

And from the source I based my information on, it says that some procrastinate, because they are afraid that if they started working to their full capacity, they would become workaholics, and when they work to hard, they will become mean and cold towards people, thus losing the ability to be friendly and have fun; as the saying goes, "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy".

Lastly, people procrastinate, because they expect themselves to be perfect, and this closely links with perfectionism. Perfectionist procrastinate, because they expect to much of themselves, and are scared of not reaching the high standards they set up themselves. Although procrastinating guarantees failure, but it helps perfectionists maintain their belief that they could have excelled if they had tried harder.

So why you shouldn't procrastinate? Procrastination creates lots of anxiety, because one will worry about the undone assignments, obligations, etc. This creates a physical toll on the body, and threatens physical well-being.

Also, procrastination destroys relationship, because the unfulfilled obligations creates resentment and conflicts when people have to pick up the slack created by one's procrastination.

Lastly, the Bible says that when it comes to some things, we should never delay. Jesus taught that reconciling with an offended brother should be done immediately upon our remembrance of the situation (Matthew 5:23-24). He also said to "settle matters quickly" with our adversaries (v 25). However distasteful it may be to pursue peace with an enemy, we must avoid stalling.

And for Christians, he or she should be supremely motivated to be diligent in his work, since he is ultimately serving the Lord. "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men" (Colossians 3:23).

Then how should one not procrastinate? Actually I do not have any solutions, as the main thing is your mind, if you set your mind to do it, you can do it. But you can set yourself a timetable, and stick to it.

And if you haven't started on the assignment, start by doing it, and do it for 10 minutes, stopping after that. If you can put in that 10 minutes, you have succeeded. One of the main benefits of it is to start rebuilding your trust in yourself.

Lastly, let me conclude, if you want to successfully throw ankle socks, do not procrastinate, and start it by reading the Chinese story book. Once you have given the first step, the others will be easier. Thank you and have a nice day.

Upcoming...... "Needs VS Wants"

Source : http://thinkexist.com/dictionary/meaning/procrastinate

http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/procrastination.html

http://www.kellevision.com/kellevision/2008/05/procrastinati-3.html

http://www.gotquestions.org/procrastination-Bible.html

http://www.momscape.com/articles/procrastination.htm

http://www.successfulacademic.com/success_tips/Overcome_procrastination.htm

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Yesterday, 30 May 2009, was the 50th anniversary of PAP winning and taking control of the Legislative Assembly, which is the Parliament today. In 1959, 

PAP won 43 out of the 51 seats, and has since governed Singapore since then. They took office officially on June 3 1959, with Lee Kuan Yew as the first Prime Minister of Singapore. For more information, you can look up on the Saturday section of the Straits Times.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singapore_general_election,_1959

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By right a lot of you should have known it already. But then, I felt like posting it. so yup.

From the channel news asia:

SINGAPORE: Singapore has confirmed its first case of Influenza A (H1N1).

The patient, a 22-year-old Singapore Management University student, is currently being treated at the Communicable Disease Centre at Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) and is in stable condition.

The Singaporean woman was in New York from May 14-24. She arrived back in Singapore from New York on SQ25 on 26 May at 6.30am. She was seated at Row 55.

She began to develop a cough while onboard. She passed the thermal scanner uneventfully as she did not have fever then.

Later in the morning, she consulted a GP who decided to send her to TTSH via a 993 ambulance, given her travel history.

She was immediately admitted for testing. Laboratory confirmation of her infection was made by midnight of 26 May.

The patient has been vigilant in monitoring her own condition and had sought immediate medical attention once she realized that she was unwell.

Her attending GP, through his quick response in activating the 993 ambulance for the patient, had also helped to minimize the spread of infection from this case.

The Health Ministry says it has initiated contact tracing of her close contacts. They will be quarantined and provided with antiviral prophylaxis.

Source: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/432062/1/.html

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According to a 2005 study done by the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), 23% of high school students reported smoking cigarettes in the last month. This is compared with a previous study of high school students that showed 21.9% in 2003.
 
So why do teenagers smoke? One of the reasons is peer pressure, and because I was given the topic of "Peer Pressure", I am going to write about it today.
First things come first; what is peer pressure? According to the not very reliable Wikipedia, it refers to the influence exerted by a peer group in encouraging a person to change his or her attitudes, values, or bahavior in order to conform to group norms.
 
It normally happens when people wants to be accepted by a group, and therefore do what the group do, or what the group tells him or her to do. It also happens directly, indirectly or individually. Directly, when one is in the group, and someone tells you what to and what not to do.
 
Indirectly, when the group you are with have this particular habit, or do this activity. Individually, when you feel that you are different from this group you are with, and does something to feel like the rest of them. So in conclusion, the pressure comes when one wants to be included in the group he or she is in, as shown when you change your habit to suit those in the group you are with. Like when the group don't go home after school, most probably you would follow them too, so that you won't feel left out from them.
 
But before you condem peer pressure, bare in mind that peer pressure has its positive sides too, for example when you decide you study after being around with a studious group.
 
To deal with the negative side of peer pressure, one can have friends in lots of different groups, and through this, you will never be left alone, even if one of the groups ostracize you.  You can also always say "no" to it, like saying "no" to drugs, although this may be difficult.
 
And if you are a christian, always remember that you have a friend that is steadfastly loyal - Jesus. He forgives your every fault. He supports and encourages you when you need it most, and he listens whenever you want to talk. He is a tireless listener. Jesus loves you as a friend who wants to see you grow to your full potential. There is no jealousy in him. He wants only the best for you.  " John 15:14-15: 14You are my friends if you do what I command you. 15No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. "
 
Personal Experience
This person kept asking me to pay for the KFC delivery the group was ordering, and I gave in to it, as I did not want the person to keep on "pleading" me, saying "Please lah, please lah". So i finally nodded my head after what seemed to be eternity, and paid $6+ to it. Luckily, there wasn't any consequences to it, just that I had a share of the KFC delivery.
 
Source: http://www.reachout.com.au/default.asp?ti=274
           http://christianity.about.com/od/christmasdevotionals/qt/jesusourhopedev.htm
           http://iseeitdifferently.wordpress.com/2007/05/26/jesus-christ-friend-of-sinners/
           http://ffanewhorizons.org/index.php/in_this_issue/ffa_feature/resist_peer_pressure/
           http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peer_pressure

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Lets post in a letter style.

Blk 123 Jurong Town Hall Road
#03-540 Singapore 123456

23 May 2009

Dear UnNamefull,

How are you? I hope you are fine. Thinking back, it has been a long time since we last met. We must seriously meet up one day. By the way, do you still remember about the competition, Tan Kah Kee Young Inventor's Award (TKKYIA) ? I was at the prize giving ceremony today, and I went to the Science Centre with DNT club members.

The ceremony started at around 10 in the morning, and Ms Grace Fu, Senior Minister of State for National Development and Education was the Guest-of-Honour. Imagine if her husnand's surname was 'Un', then wouldn't she have the name Ms Ungraceful? (Just for laughs) So she, together with the chairman of Tan Kah Kee Foundation, gave out prizez ranging from encouragement to silver awards. The prizes are very attractive, as the prize money for the Gold award is $5000! But, as there is no one winning the Gold award, nobody got to get the money!

Anglican High School (AHS) was second, for the school award, and won $2000. Two groups with three invention from AHS won the merit and commendation awards.

The whole thing ended at around 1, and so I took the school bus and went back home. I hope to see you soon, especially during the holidays!

Cheers,
Namefulless

So let me write something about DNT Club.

Basically, the main point of the club is to join competitions, like the Tan Kah Kee Young Inventors Award (TKKYIA), the the 10 Design Competition. To join the competition, one just has to think of a problem, then solve it with an invention. Eureka, you can join it now.

During the time of the year when there is no competitions coming up, what we will be using is some sort of resin, a type of plastic, that when mixed with hardener, will solidified a few hours later, and become a solid. This can be used as a paper weight.

Then, One can also use the polyshrink, which is actually an A4 sized, plastic sheet. But when come into contact with heat, it will shrink, (thats why there is a 'shrink'). So one can draw on the sheet of paper, and then throw it into the oven (DNT has it), which will make it shrink (very repetitive).

Also, we can also make badges, by printing one's design on a paper, then put the paper into the metal thingy and encases the paper.

Doing all the things above is supposedly to 'make' us more creative, to be able to participate in competitions.

DNT Club was formed in 1998, and CCA days is on Wednesday or Thursday, although not going for any will not result in any consquences.

Temasek Holdings, an investment company owned by the Singapore Government, has sold all her Bank of America (BoA) 's share in the first three months of the year.

Yah. people buy and sell shares everyday, so whats the hooha about it?

For your information, Temasek sold the shares at a loss of at least S$3.4 billion to S$4.6 billion. Temasek's first involvement was in 2007. when they invested in Merrill Lynch. But when Merrill Lynch was bought over by BoA in 2008, and Temasek became a minority share holder from a majority, with 13% of stakes in Merrill Lynch.

Analysts sas the move was in line with Temasek's tweaking of its long-term investment strategy to focus more on Asia and emerging markets such as Brazil and Russia. It will, in turn, reduce emphasis on developed countries such as the United States and Europe.


But the problem of selling shares at a loss is that the money belongs to us, Singaporeans. As a investment company wholly owned by the Singapore Governmnet, all her money comes from us, the taxpayers. So when they lose money, it will be us, our next generation, who will suffer.

How could they have been so "careless", to lose billions? And when will they then treat it as a grave matter, and it was not long ago that MM Lee said investments were long term ones, 30-50 years?

Recently studied this in history. This is the first and only referendum held in Singapore. It was supposedly held to show that people support merger with Malaya to form Malaysia. But there is one fatal flaw - there isn't any option to vote no. All the options point to "YES" to merger.

On the voting slip, there are three options:

• Option A: All Singapore citizens would automatically become citizens of Malaysia, and Singapore would retain a degree of autonomy and state power, such as over labour and education. Singapore would also get to keep its language policies, such as to retain using all four major languages, English, Mandarin, Malay and Tamil.

• Option B: Singapore would become a federal state like that of the other eleven states, with no more autonomy than the other states would, thus ceding control over issues such as labour and education policies to the federal government in Kuala Lumpur. This also meant that there would be less multilingualism - only English and Malay would be used for official purposes, and possibly education. Only those born in Singapore or descended from the Singapore-born would become citizens of Malaysia. There would also be proportionate representation in Parliament from Singapore.

• Option C: Singapore would enter on terms no less favourable than the Borneo territories, Sabah and Sarawak, both whom were also discussing merger with Malaysia. This was to ensure that Malaysia would not discriminate along racial lines, as that would mean discriminating against Sabah and Sarawak, which were predominantly Bumiputra as well.

So, what our grandparents were voting were just how they wanted Singapore to join Malaysia. But the PAP government use the results of this referendum to say that they have the mandate of the populance to join Malaysia.

Looking at the options, all pragmatic people will of course choose, and so 71.1% of the votes.

And if you think that you can voice your objection by handing in a blank vote, PAP has preemptive our grandparents. They inserted a clause whereby all blank or defaced votes would be counted as a vote for option A.

What type of voting is this?????