A tidbit to your General Knowledge
National Education is part of the holistic education. The motive of National Education is to develop national cohesion, cultivate the instinct for survival as a nation and instill in students confidence in our nation's future. It also emphasises on cultivating a sense of belonging and emotional rootedness to Singapore.
National Education instills confidence to Singaporean that Singapore can be defended by our armed forces. It also enhance commitment of Singaporeans to regard Singapore as their home and prepare to defend Singapore in times of needs.It also aim to increase cohesion among Singaporean to live in a more harmonious society. Total Defence is a tool that is used to propagate National Education since the 1990s.
Total Defence includes psychological defence which is under the Ministry of Education, military defence which is under the Ministry of defence, civil defence which is under the Ministry of Home Affairs, social defence which is under the Ministry of Community of Development and economic defence which is under the inspection of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs who is assisted by Ministry of Trade and Industry.
As Singaporeans, we must expect to defend our country against any foreign terrorists' attack. However, we hope that through the effort we put in by our government in foreign diplomacy, we can achieve peace and harmony for Singapore in the upcoming years.
For psychological defence,the intention inculcate the right value system and instill loyalty among younger Singaporean since the first day of their Primary education. Every year on 15 February, Singapore commemorates Total Defence Day. For military defence, the army protects Singapore against foreign invasion in case foreign diplomacy fail. Under civil defence, the police force, prison service, civil defence, internal security, etc, manages our homeland security and safety. For social defence, the government promotes promotes racial and religious harmony in SIngapore. Every year on 21 July, Singapore celebrates Racial Harmony Day. This is to remiond Singaporans that racial and religious harmonty is not by chance. For economical defence, the government aimed to stay relavant and competitive through the rapid change and development, put in place robust economic systems that can continue to function in times of crisis and make Singapore livable for future generations.
Monday, December 29, 2008
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Journal Entry 6: Trail at Macritchie Reservoir
Before Singapore became a British colony in the 19th century, the island was almost covered with lowland dipterocarp forest. Between 1820 and 1870, vast tracts of the pristine rainforest were cleared for cultivation. By 1882, less than 10% of the original forest cover remained.
Today, about 2000 hectares of forest is found within Bukit Timah Nature Reserve and Central Catchment Nature Reserve. Despite representing only a tiny fraction of the island's original vegetation, these nature reserves remain an important refuge for a rich assemblage of plants and animals, many of which are forest-dependant. In 1868, MacRitchie Reservoir was completed and its surrounding forest of about 600 hectares was protected as a water catchment reserve.
MacRitchie Reservoir, Singapore's oldest reservoir, was completed in 1868 by impounding water from an earth embankment, and was then known as the Impounding Reservoir or Thomson Reservoir. On the 28th December, we went to MacRitchie Reservoir after our lunch. It was only a 35 minutes bus ride from our home to reach our destination.
We commenced our trail upon reaching our destination. Following the yellow route as indicated on the map, we embarked on our trail of 11kilometres. As we trailed along the board walks on both the Chemparai Trail and the Jering Trail, we caught sight of many different species of fishes and we detected some turtles swimming gracefully in the reservoir. As we trailed along this path, we came face to face with the majestic seven storey high Jelutong Tower which stands proudly in the middle of the forest walk. Climbing up the steep stairs was indeed tiring, but what greeted us at the peak of the tower is a bird eye's view of the varied terrain of MacRitchie and the skyline beyond the reservoir park.
Next, we trekked on the rocky path of the trail. We used the orange route at the Terentang trail and trekked along the sandy paths. This route, named Venus Link, led us through an old village ground featuring fruit trees and a trickling stream which ends at Venus Drive. Thus, concluding our trek at the MacRitchie Reservoir.
The rocky Road, the muddy slope as well as the straight path through the wooden bridge indicates that life is not a smooth sailing journey. It is full of obstacles. In order to grow maturally and enable us to stand firm to all challenges and temptations we face in society, obstacles will become an essential learning path to focus our thinking and broaden our vision.
Today, about 2000 hectares of forest is found within Bukit Timah Nature Reserve and Central Catchment Nature Reserve. Despite representing only a tiny fraction of the island's original vegetation, these nature reserves remain an important refuge for a rich assemblage of plants and animals, many of which are forest-dependant. In 1868, MacRitchie Reservoir was completed and its surrounding forest of about 600 hectares was protected as a water catchment reserve.
MacRitchie Reservoir, Singapore's oldest reservoir, was completed in 1868 by impounding water from an earth embankment, and was then known as the Impounding Reservoir or Thomson Reservoir. On the 28th December, we went to MacRitchie Reservoir after our lunch. It was only a 35 minutes bus ride from our home to reach our destination.
We commenced our trail upon reaching our destination. Following the yellow route as indicated on the map, we embarked on our trail of 11kilometres. As we trailed along the board walks on both the Chemparai Trail and the Jering Trail, we caught sight of many different species of fishes and we detected some turtles swimming gracefully in the reservoir. As we trailed along this path, we came face to face with the majestic seven storey high Jelutong Tower which stands proudly in the middle of the forest walk. Climbing up the steep stairs was indeed tiring, but what greeted us at the peak of the tower is a bird eye's view of the varied terrain of MacRitchie and the skyline beyond the reservoir park.
Next, we trekked on the rocky path of the trail. We used the orange route at the Terentang trail and trekked along the sandy paths. This route, named Venus Link, led us through an old village ground featuring fruit trees and a trickling stream which ends at Venus Drive. Thus, concluding our trek at the MacRitchie Reservoir.
The rocky Road, the muddy slope as well as the straight path through the wooden bridge indicates that life is not a smooth sailing journey. It is full of obstacles. In order to grow maturally and enable us to stand firm to all challenges and temptations we face in society, obstacles will become an essential learning path to focus our thinking and broaden our vision.
Friday, December 26, 2008
Journal Entry 5: Christmas Day
Christmas is a day of obligation to all Catholics. This is a day where Jesus Christ, the saviour is born. Christmas is festive joy universally where many people often make use of this year end holiday season to visit one another and make merry. After attending the mass on Christmas Day, my family proceeded to visit the Hort Park located near Gillman Height condo (at depot Road) to experience this new natural park that was officially opened by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on a wet Saturday morning. After alighting from the MRT at Harbourfront terminal, we embarked on a journey by a link bridge that leads to Mount Faber.
We crossed the Alexandra Arch and began our trail of 2.8 kilometres at Telok Blangah Hill Park which has a history that few other parks can boast about. This park has long been a place of gathering for trading communities which flourished at the site since the early nineteenth century. The prosperity of the traders is symbolised by the Alkaff Mansion - an elegant colonial bungalow built by an Arab trader and is previously a place for grand parties of the social elite. We took the forest walk which comprises of a steps-free elevated walkway with earth trails meanders through some 50 metres through the secondary forest of Telok Blangah Hill. The raised walkway with heights ranging from 3 to 18 metres brushes the canopy of trees and offers a bird’s eye view of the forest. The modules of the elevated walkway derived their design from the triangular-shaped leaves of the fast-growing “Mile-a-Minute” plant. The ground level earth trails offer a more rugged experience, bringing you closer to the wildlife found in the area.
Next, we went on to the Hilltop Walk that runs through the 34-hectare Telok Blangah Hill Park, once a gathering place for trading communities that flourished in the area in the early nineteenth century. The trail connects on one end with the Henderson Waves and the other with the Forest Walk leading to Alexandra Arch. The Terrace Garden at the top of the park offerred us a stunning 360-degree view of Singapore.
The following trail route was the Henderson Waves which took up only 5 minutes of our time. At 36 metres above Henderson Road, Henderson Waves is the highest pedestrian bridge in Singapore. It was built to connect the two hills of Mount Faber and Telok Blangah Hill.The bridge has a unique wave-form made up of seven undulating curved steel “ribs” that alternately rise over and under its deck. The curved “ribs” form alcoves that function as shelters with seats within.Slats of yellow balau wood, an all-weather timber found in South-East Asia, are used in the decking. Look out for carvings on the slats marking the height you are at on various points along the bridge.
The next route we embarked on was the Faber Walk. Faber Walk meanders through Mount Faber Park, one of the oldest parks in Singapore, and ends at the Henderson Waves. The slopes of this 56-hectare park are covered by dense secondary rain forest, and are home to many interesting plants and fauna. At its peak the park offers panoramic views of the southern part of Singapore and the Southern Islands. At night, the park transforms into one of the more romantic spots on the island, where people can enjoy a breathtaking sight of the city’s twinkling lights and ships at sea.
Though it took us about 3 hours to complete the arduous journey, I have learnt an important lesson that regardless of how long the journey, it will soon comes to an end. Achieving target and final result should not be the reason we study. It should be the sole and aim, the challenges, the setback along the jouney that will make us a holistic person. Hence, we should not give in to obstacles and failures but change our navigation to overcome them instead so as to make us a better person for tomorrow.
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Newspaper Report 4
Newspaper Report: 4 killed in KL landslide horror
Date: 7 December 2008
Newspaper: The New Paper
Summary;
A massive landslide hits Kuala Lumpur and killed 4 people on early Saturday and left at least 23 people injured. So far, 4 bodies were recovered, 23 people are injured as the landslide buried some houses. However, the cause of the landslide has yet to be discovered. The dead included a 30 year old mother, a boy, a vetand a maid. However, 7 people are still reported to be missing.
Reflection:
I feel that this landslide horror is a tragedy for Kuala Lumpur as it kiled 4 innocent people. After reading the aricle, a layer of melancholy descended on me. I feel extremely sorry to those families who have lost their loved ones in the landslide. This tragedy has taught me to cherish everyday of our lives as we do not know what kind of things will await us the following day.
Date: 7 December 2008
Newspaper: The New Paper
Summary;
A massive landslide hits Kuala Lumpur and killed 4 people on early Saturday and left at least 23 people injured. So far, 4 bodies were recovered, 23 people are injured as the landslide buried some houses. However, the cause of the landslide has yet to be discovered. The dead included a 30 year old mother, a boy, a vetand a maid. However, 7 people are still reported to be missing.
Reflection:
I feel that this landslide horror is a tragedy for Kuala Lumpur as it kiled 4 innocent people. After reading the aricle, a layer of melancholy descended on me. I feel extremely sorry to those families who have lost their loved ones in the landslide. This tragedy has taught me to cherish everyday of our lives as we do not know what kind of things will await us the following day.
Monday, December 1, 2008
Newspaper Report 3
Newspaper Report: Mumbai Terror attacks
Date: 1 December 2008
Summary
While it is too early to know exactly what happened in Mumbai as the fog of war still blankets the city, multiple press reports from India allow for a general picture to be painted. An estimated 12 to 25 terrorists are believed to have entered Mumbai by sea on 26 Nov at around 9:30pm (local time). After landing, the terrorists initiated attacks at a police station, then fanned across the city to attack the soft underbelly of hotels, cafes, cinemas, and hospitals. Civilians were gunned down and taken as hostage, while terrorists shouted out for people carrying US and British passports.
India's cities are no strangers to indiscriminate terror attacks. Such attacks have occurred at regular interval with steadily increasing frequency in the recent years. Mumbai alone witnessed several terrorist activities in recent past. It started with the series of thirteen explosions resulted in 257 deaths and over 700 injured on the 12 March 1993. Then on 13 March 2003, a bomb attack on a commuter train killed 11 persons. In another incident, twin car bombings killed at least 52 people and injured 150 persons. Again, seven bomb blasts occurred at various places on the Mumbai suburban railway, killing 200, on 11 July 2006.
In the current year alone, India suffered a high number of terrorist bomb attacks including in New Delhi, Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Jaipur, Hyderabad , Guwati, and Manipur.
"The attacks also show every sign of having been designed to maximise the media attention on a global scale."
Now the burning question is: what is new about the Mumbai attack? What is new is that this is the first time the Westerners, in particular the Americans and the British, and Jews, were targeted on Indian soil. As a result, this attack has received the highest global media coverage since 9/11.
The obvious novelty and uniqueness of the attack is the use of "frontal built up area assault" tactics combining "amphibious operation" and instead of timed explosive devices one or more bombings at distinct sites, that is going to be a new chapter in the history of terrorism. But it is not a fully new symptom in India.
This may be new in the urban Indian context. However, there was one similar incident--an attack by a five-man squad armed with rifles and grenades on India's parliament in New Delhi in December 2001.
The attackers were narrowly prevented by alert staff from gaining access to the building, where hundreds of parliamentarians and ministers were attending a session. This Delhi attack led on almost to a war between India and Pakistan.
This "frontal built up area assault" that took place in Mumbai is also known as "Fidayeen technique" in the terrorism history of Indian sub-continent. The Fidayeen technique--a rudimentary form of "shock and awe" warfare--was introduced into Kashmir by Pakistani radical organisations that entered the Kashmir insurgency from the mid-1990s onwards. The large majority of Fidayeen attacks in Kashmir were perpetrated by one such organisation, the Lashkar-e-Toiba, headquartered in Pakistan and founded and led by Pakistani religious radicals.
But the deployment of exactly the same tactic in central Mumbai shows that this technique has now found a new and even more dangerous theatre in which to operate.
The tactic is thus not without precedent, but the havoc in Mumbai may nonetheless mark a new chapter in the evolution of urban terrorism in India. The gunmen who attacked two luxury hotels, and a fashionable cafe frequently visited by Westerners, have brought the "war"--as they see it--to India's elite class, and to affluent Westerners living in or visiting India's most cosmopolitan city.
An attack of this nature cannot be launched together overnight. It requires planning, scouting, financing, training, and a supporting network to aid the terrorists. It is more than likely that the masterminds are seasoned operatives and that the foot-soldiers, young as they may have been, had undergone rigorous training for months and perhaps years. It is reported that the terrorists were so prepared and organised that they established an operational control room inside the Taj Mahal hotel. The attacks also show every sign of having been designed to maximise the media attention on a global scale.
The Mumbai incident clearly brought India to a massive intelligence and security failure. In the first several hours after the incidents began, the response of the Indian authorities was very inefficient, slow, and confused.
The first forces sent to the scene were inexperienced local police officers equipped with poor arms and ammunition (whereas the terrorists were well equipped with modern AK-47 rifles, grenades and other modern explosives), who sustained heavy casualties as a result.
It took a long time before Indian military and police authorities realised the magnitude of the attack and deployed skilled forces including army and navy commando units to the ten affected sites. These units, in particular the National Security Guard's Black Cats commando force, have an impressive operational record, especially in Kashmir and against the Pakistani army. It is hard to believe even these the commandoes also faced problems due to not having the knowledge of the layouts of such key installations.
The global intelligence and spy agencies had been reporting that this attack on India's financial capital Mumbai, bears all the trademarks of al-Qaida--simultaneous assaults meant to kill scores of Westerners in iconic building--but clues so far point to homegrown Indian terrorists supported by external forces like Lashkar-e-Toiba and Jaishe-e-Mohammad based in neighbouring countries. However, let me reiterate that at this moment in time it is premature to draw any conclusions as to the provenance of the terrorists.
In some ways, the attack illustrated just how fluid the terror tactics have become since 9/11 and how the threat has become more global in character. Al-Qaida's leaders on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border still provide inspiration but groups are becoming increasingly local. And one thing is clear--they all work under the same umbrella of ideology that al-Qaida had been trying to spread all over the world.
The group that claimed responsibility, Deccan Mujahideen, was unknown to global security officials. The name suggests the group is from the Indian state of Hyderabad. One of the suspects reportedly called an Indian television station, speaking Urdu, to demand the return of Muslim lands. That most likely was a reference to Kashmir, territory claimed by both India and Pakistan.
Now the time has come for the Indian and Pakistani governments to co-operate with each other for facing the same enemy of global terrorism. If they continue the old political tactics of playing the blame game, the umbrella of al-Qaida will be strengthened. It is well to remember that al-Qaida desires increased tension between Pakistan and India .
Finally, India itself should look into its own short-comings in security apparatus to modernise the policing system and organise a national level intelligence to deal with terrorism effectively.
Reflection
From this Mumbai terrorism, I have learnt that terrorism is something which can break out anywhere and anytime. Therefore, we must be prepared to prevent terrorists from attacking Singapore. From Singapore, there is one person who was killed by the terrorists. She went abroad to work and yet she was captured bt the terrorists and was held hostage where she was shot thereafter. From this incident, we know that life is unpredictable and one can die without us knowing. So we must learnt to cherish every seconds of our life.
Date: 1 December 2008
Summary
While it is too early to know exactly what happened in Mumbai as the fog of war still blankets the city, multiple press reports from India allow for a general picture to be painted. An estimated 12 to 25 terrorists are believed to have entered Mumbai by sea on 26 Nov at around 9:30pm (local time). After landing, the terrorists initiated attacks at a police station, then fanned across the city to attack the soft underbelly of hotels, cafes, cinemas, and hospitals. Civilians were gunned down and taken as hostage, while terrorists shouted out for people carrying US and British passports.
India's cities are no strangers to indiscriminate terror attacks. Such attacks have occurred at regular interval with steadily increasing frequency in the recent years. Mumbai alone witnessed several terrorist activities in recent past. It started with the series of thirteen explosions resulted in 257 deaths and over 700 injured on the 12 March 1993. Then on 13 March 2003, a bomb attack on a commuter train killed 11 persons. In another incident, twin car bombings killed at least 52 people and injured 150 persons. Again, seven bomb blasts occurred at various places on the Mumbai suburban railway, killing 200, on 11 July 2006.
In the current year alone, India suffered a high number of terrorist bomb attacks including in New Delhi, Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Jaipur, Hyderabad , Guwati, and Manipur.
"The attacks also show every sign of having been designed to maximise the media attention on a global scale."
Now the burning question is: what is new about the Mumbai attack? What is new is that this is the first time the Westerners, in particular the Americans and the British, and Jews, were targeted on Indian soil. As a result, this attack has received the highest global media coverage since 9/11.
The obvious novelty and uniqueness of the attack is the use of "frontal built up area assault" tactics combining "amphibious operation" and instead of timed explosive devices one or more bombings at distinct sites, that is going to be a new chapter in the history of terrorism. But it is not a fully new symptom in India.
This may be new in the urban Indian context. However, there was one similar incident--an attack by a five-man squad armed with rifles and grenades on India's parliament in New Delhi in December 2001.
The attackers were narrowly prevented by alert staff from gaining access to the building, where hundreds of parliamentarians and ministers were attending a session. This Delhi attack led on almost to a war between India and Pakistan.
This "frontal built up area assault" that took place in Mumbai is also known as "Fidayeen technique" in the terrorism history of Indian sub-continent. The Fidayeen technique--a rudimentary form of "shock and awe" warfare--was introduced into Kashmir by Pakistani radical organisations that entered the Kashmir insurgency from the mid-1990s onwards. The large majority of Fidayeen attacks in Kashmir were perpetrated by one such organisation, the Lashkar-e-Toiba, headquartered in Pakistan and founded and led by Pakistani religious radicals.
But the deployment of exactly the same tactic in central Mumbai shows that this technique has now found a new and even more dangerous theatre in which to operate.
The tactic is thus not without precedent, but the havoc in Mumbai may nonetheless mark a new chapter in the evolution of urban terrorism in India. The gunmen who attacked two luxury hotels, and a fashionable cafe frequently visited by Westerners, have brought the "war"--as they see it--to India's elite class, and to affluent Westerners living in or visiting India's most cosmopolitan city.
An attack of this nature cannot be launched together overnight. It requires planning, scouting, financing, training, and a supporting network to aid the terrorists. It is more than likely that the masterminds are seasoned operatives and that the foot-soldiers, young as they may have been, had undergone rigorous training for months and perhaps years. It is reported that the terrorists were so prepared and organised that they established an operational control room inside the Taj Mahal hotel. The attacks also show every sign of having been designed to maximise the media attention on a global scale.
The Mumbai incident clearly brought India to a massive intelligence and security failure. In the first several hours after the incidents began, the response of the Indian authorities was very inefficient, slow, and confused.
The first forces sent to the scene were inexperienced local police officers equipped with poor arms and ammunition (whereas the terrorists were well equipped with modern AK-47 rifles, grenades and other modern explosives), who sustained heavy casualties as a result.
It took a long time before Indian military and police authorities realised the magnitude of the attack and deployed skilled forces including army and navy commando units to the ten affected sites. These units, in particular the National Security Guard's Black Cats commando force, have an impressive operational record, especially in Kashmir and against the Pakistani army. It is hard to believe even these the commandoes also faced problems due to not having the knowledge of the layouts of such key installations.
The global intelligence and spy agencies had been reporting that this attack on India's financial capital Mumbai, bears all the trademarks of al-Qaida--simultaneous assaults meant to kill scores of Westerners in iconic building--but clues so far point to homegrown Indian terrorists supported by external forces like Lashkar-e-Toiba and Jaishe-e-Mohammad based in neighbouring countries. However, let me reiterate that at this moment in time it is premature to draw any conclusions as to the provenance of the terrorists.
In some ways, the attack illustrated just how fluid the terror tactics have become since 9/11 and how the threat has become more global in character. Al-Qaida's leaders on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border still provide inspiration but groups are becoming increasingly local. And one thing is clear--they all work under the same umbrella of ideology that al-Qaida had been trying to spread all over the world.
The group that claimed responsibility, Deccan Mujahideen, was unknown to global security officials. The name suggests the group is from the Indian state of Hyderabad. One of the suspects reportedly called an Indian television station, speaking Urdu, to demand the return of Muslim lands. That most likely was a reference to Kashmir, territory claimed by both India and Pakistan.
Now the time has come for the Indian and Pakistani governments to co-operate with each other for facing the same enemy of global terrorism. If they continue the old political tactics of playing the blame game, the umbrella of al-Qaida will be strengthened. It is well to remember that al-Qaida desires increased tension between Pakistan and India .
Finally, India itself should look into its own short-comings in security apparatus to modernise the policing system and organise a national level intelligence to deal with terrorism effectively.
Reflection
From this Mumbai terrorism, I have learnt that terrorism is something which can break out anywhere and anytime. Therefore, we must be prepared to prevent terrorists from attacking Singapore. From Singapore, there is one person who was killed by the terrorists. She went abroad to work and yet she was captured bt the terrorists and was held hostage where she was shot thereafter. From this incident, we know that life is unpredictable and one can die without us knowing. So we must learnt to cherish every seconds of our life.
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