War of the Worlds

On 30 October 1938, the US was in a state of terror and chaos. People were certain that it was under siege by hostile Martian forces. Thousands of people called the police, many fled their homes in terror and several sought medical attention for shock and hysteria. The truth was, Martians weren't really invading. Orson Welles, a famous actor, was in fact performing a dramatization of The War of the Worlds, effectively convincing listeners that an alien invasion could happen anytime, anyplace.

The story starts off with the author analysing the planet Mars and the possible existence of life on it. He is at an observatory located in Ottershaw studying Mars and observes a strange fiery flash from Mars. Several similiar flashes occur following it, and a suggested theory was that the inhabitants of Mars were signaling humans.

One day, an odd falling meteor leaving a glowing green streak behind it lands on Horsell Common, where it is discovered not to be a meteorite, as suspected, but instead a metal cylinder containing grotesque, octopus-like, bear-sized Martian invaders, which emerge shortly after. A party bearing a white flag approaches the Martians, but are incinerated by a heat ray the Martians construct.

The Martians then use their long-range Heat Ray to vaporize buildings from afar and engage the military in battle. The author takes his wife to Leatherhead to temporarily stay with relatives. Upon returning home, he realizes, to his horror, that the Martians have managed to create a metal, tripod-like battle machine equipped with the Heat Ray and the Black Smoke, a chemical weapon contained in rockets fired from a black tube attached to the war machine. The Smoke is apparently toxic and is more of an dense, inky vapour than a smoke, spreading easily through towns.

More cylinders start landing all over England, and civilians begin a panicked exodus from London, including the author's brother and two female travelling companions. They witness the fall of two tripods, destroyed by a torpedo ram, the Thunder Child, which is later obliterated by the Martians. The trio makes a successful escape via boat.

The next book tells of the author's experiences while taking refuge in a ruined building with a mentally unstable curate who is traumatised by the Martian invasion and believes the Martians to be heralds of Armageddon. Shortly after, a Martian cylinder lands nearby. For a period of time, the author studies and observes the Martians' daily routines and life. However, the curate's outbursts inevitably expose them. The writer escapes detection while the body of the curate is dragged away.

The writer travels to London, where he decides to commit suicide. However, he then realises that the Martians have been slain by bacteria , to which they possessed completely no immunity. He is reunited with his wife, and humanity walks towards a hopeful future with more open minds.

Notably, Wells has written several science-fiction novels, which he is famous for, such as The Island of Dr Moreau, The Time Machine, and The Invisible Man. I recommend this novel to science-fiction novel lovers, specifically young people.

The strange case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde

Imagine this: you are taking an innocent stroll down a quiet street when quite suddenly, you hear a scream. You turn, and see a horrible sight: a hideous, hunched man trampling calmly over a child's body. That, in fact, was what Mr Enfield saw.

He related it to his friend, a lawyer known as Mr Utterson, the main character in the book. Utterson is possessed by a sense of curiosity, and thus decides to do a bit of investigating. Throughout the story, as he unearths more of the mystery, he is horrified when he finds that the cruel-hearted man mentioned by Enfield, alias Mr Hyde, is related to his dear friend, Dr Jekyll.
Jekyll mentions in his will that, in case of his decease, all his possessions were to pass into the hands of Hyde; in the case of his unexplained disappearance, Hyde should immediately step into his shoes.

Later, a man known as Sir Danvers is brutally attacked by Hyde. This calls in the attention of the authorities, and Hyde disappears without a trace. Utterson confronts Jekyll regarding his connection with Hyde. Jekyll assures him that he will have nothing to do with Hyde any longer, coming out of seclusion, hosting parties and doing good.

Suddenly Jekyll refuses to see people. Tension rises as Jekyll starts behaving strangely, reaching a climax when he locks himself in a cabinet. Utterson and Jekyll's butler, Poole, break the cabinet open and discover the body of Hyde, who committed suicide via poison.

The truth is revealed to Utterson via a narrative left for him by Jekyll. Jekyll had a theory that man had dual natures of good and evil, and that all human beings were commingled out of the two natures. In order to test his theory, he had concocted a potion that would stimulate and bring into physical form, his evil doppelganger, Hyde. As Hyde, Jekyll would be able to rejoice in a double life of freedom and wild evil. Although his initial reason for developing the drug was to test his theory, the drug's unpredictable side effects raged out of control and Jekyll began transforming into Hyde at random times of the day. Facing the realization that he could no longer obtain a pure salt crucial for the concoction of the drug, Jekyll knew that he could no longer continue his double life. He then locked himself away in the cabinet, writing his confession with the knowledge that , if Hyde took over then, there would be no turning back.

I admire Utterson for his inquisitive nature, which triggered his determination to see the strange mystery solved. I recommend this exquisite fusion of horror, science-fiction, and mystery to teens and adults.

Home Learning 25 May- Poem

How glorious were the days of old
In Primary school
We were never told


That once we grew up we would leave
The school in which
We lost our teeth


Remember those days when the sun was bright
When we didn't know what was wrong and right
The P5s P6s looked so tall
I couldn't remember them at all


The great green, tall, and gleaming gate
Which everyday I reached so late
Has now been newly painted white
so it gleams in the darkest night


My friends and I made G2 guns
using those was so much fun
running around class shooting paper pellets
It's a wonder the teacher didn't use a mallet


But it has ended now, as all
things must
Good things end, it isn't just
But nothing goes on for infinity
Age is part of our destiny

Home Learning 25 May- My days in Primary School

I miss the old days when I was still a primary school child. My school was Pei Hwa Presbyterian Primary, and its logo is shown below, as well as a description from the school website.

The crest is in three colours - white, blue and red. White signifies purity; blue symbolises truth and the ocean of knowledge; and red denotes loyalty and strength. The plum blossom, above the book of wisdom in the crest,
stands for one's perseverance and determination in his educational pursuits.
The Chinese-character of the school, 'Pei Hwa' is embedded in it.

Unlike the author, we did not have a school badge. Our Chinese New Year celebrations were a merry occasion, with performances by the Wushu team, Guitar Club, and Drama Club. The only time when our teachers wore traditional costumes was on Racial Harmony Day.

As for heroism, here is a story told by one of my teachers relating to the word "gung-ho"

One day, the teacher asked her students to demonstrate the meaning of gung-ho. The following day, the students came to school with heaps of papers and reports. Some brought their grandfathers to school, claiming they were survivors of WW2. Others gave numerous reports regarding famous generals who risked their lives out on the battlefield. Strangely, one boy came to school empty-handed, clutching only a single piece of blank paper. Upon seeing this, the teacher slammed her fist onto the table and demanded an explanation. The student simply sat there staring at the teacher's face. The teacher scolded the boy fiercely, raising the volume of her voice so high that the whole class flinched. The boy just stood and stared coolly. After the teacher was out of breath, the boy then took back his piece of paper and said, "The meaning of gung-ho has just been demonstrated."

Home Learning 25 May- Poetry analysis

My badge has a Latin motto
Hope for the future
The future is hope
Or something

In the first stanza the author writes about his school badge, which has a Latin Motto- "Hope for the future, the future is hope". "Or something" he adds, displaying his uncertainity.


At times black crows try to interrupt
When we sing the National Anthem

Occasionally the cawing of the crows disturbs the daily singing of the National Anthem.


It is difficult to maintain
The whiteness of my shoes
Especially on Wednesdays

The author finds it hard to maintain the cleanliness of his shoes on Wednesday, therefore he might be scheduled to have some physical activity then, possibly PE or CCA.

I must admit there is something quite special
About the bare thighs of hardworking scouts

The author marvels at the diligence of the scouts.


The Malay chauffeurs
Who wait for my schoolmates
Sit on the car park kerb
Telling jokes to one another

The author's schoolmates were wealthy enough to hire Malay chauffeurs to fetch them home from school, and presumably vice versa.


Seven to the power of five is unreasonable

The author fails to comprehend the math being taught to him

On Chinese New Year
Mrs Lee dressed up
In a sarong kebaya
And sang Bengawan Solo

This is somewhat ironic as a Chinese teacher dressed in a Malay traditional costume and sang a Malay folk song on Chinese New Year.


The capital of Singapore is Singapore

The author demonstrates the knowledge obtained from his education- Singapore is too small to have a capital.


My best friend did a heroic thing once
Shaded all A’s
For his Chinese Language
Multiple-choice paper

The author seems to have a warped definition of "heroic" which extends to his best friend, who resorted to guessing his Chinese Language Multiple-choice paper.


In our annual yearbook
There is a photograph of me
Pushing a wheelchair and smiling
They caught me
At the exact moment
When my eyes were actually closed

In the author's annual yearbook, someone captured a photo of the author pushing the wheelchair of a disabled person while he was blinking.

Village By The Sea- dysfunctional family vs functional family

In the story "Village by the Sea", two types of outstanding families are highlighted- the functional families, and the dysfunctional ones. Such examples include the De Silvas, Biju's family, Jagu's family, and Hari's family.

The functional families are relatively wealthy and are financially well-supported compared to the average villagers of Thul. For example, Biju's family possesses a television set- the only one in Thul; they also flaunt their wealth by dressing extravagantly with gold bangles. This is due to his success in his profession- fishing (it may also be due to his smuggling). Take the De Silvas for another example; they are even wealthier than Biju's family; they have servants and a cook in their employment, and they even have a car, which is relatively rare in the case of the villagers.

On the other hand, there is much chaos and disharmony between family members in the case of Hari and Jagu's family. In the case of Hari's family, the father's reckless indulgence in toddy results in debts being owed and abuse of the other family members, due to the fact that they fear him in his toddy-drunken states. Jagu's family, on the other hand, mainly faces financial and emotional problems that manifest themselves in the state of their dwellings- dilapidated old shacks, and the tension between family members, respectively.

BB vs Taximan

Both stories (BB and The Taximan's Story) share the common theme of parent-child relationships. In both stories, one of the parties is at fault and usually, irresponsible.

In BB, I would be slightly inclined to think that the author was a girl, due to her emotional personality and responses, which are much more common in girls than boys. BB is facing some family problems, mostly conflicts between her parents. Her mother is pregnant with another child. Her most likely deceased brother, Timmy, fell ill when he was born. This led to her father not wishing to experience any other such tragedies. This, in turn, caused him to leave home in order to escape his growing fear. Unable to face his personal doubts and fears that the new child would be another like Timmy, he turns his back on reality. However, at the end of the story, the he makes peace with his daughter and wife, and promises to return whenever he departs on a trip, and not run away again.

In the Taximan, the story is told from a taximan's point of view, exhibiting the classic Singaporean "gossip-inclined" personality. The taximan elaborates on the worsening behavoiur of adolescents (or teenagers) everywhere; he also recounts his experiences of seeing young people, even his own daughter, exhibiting untrustable behviour. According to the taximan, some examples include smoking, taking drugs, spending money extravagantly, making love, ect. He is horrified, hurt, and filled with sorrow when he sees his daughter "up to her monkey tricks", making his heart ache. He punishes her severely by "slapping her till like hell". In this case, the child is the irresponsible party.

In BB, it was the parent who was irresponsible, trying to escape reality by leaving home; in the Taximan, it was the child who was at fault, "acting like big shots" and spending money extravagantly. In conclusion, I think that the gist of the stories are much alike and similiar.