The YOG experience

after being a volunteer at the inaugural singapore 2010 youth olympic games, i have experienced what being a volunteer truly feels like. before i go into any details about my time there a brif introduction about the sport i was helping in must be given.

to your spirit, i thee wed.

I have never heard of ghost marriages untill now. to some, like me, have no idea what it is. hence i decided to do some research and here are my findings.

A ghost marriage is a marriage in which one or both parties are deceased. Several cultures practice a form of ghost or spirit marriage, but China is probably most famous for its ghost marriage tradition. Ghost marriages are sometimes featured in Chinese films and novels, and occasionally stories about ghost marriages make their way into the West. The practice of ghostmarriage is linked to centuries of tradition and complex beliefs about the spirit world.

in one form of the ghost marriage, both parties are deceased. Chinese culture places a heavy value on partnership for people of marriageable age, especially women, and if someone of marriageable age should die before he or she can marry, the family may choose to hold a ghost marriage. Some families believe that it is unlucky or even dangerous to allow someone to remain buried without a spouse. The family consults with a priest or expert to find a suitable spouse, relying on astrological profiles to find a match.

If a match is found, a formal wedding ceremony is held in a temple, complete with the burning of offerings so that the partners have objects to use in the spirit world. Paper stand-ins are used for the bride and groom, with these stand-ins being burned at the end of the ceremony along with the rest of the offerings.

For Chinese women, a ghost marriage can be especially important. By tradition, many Chinese families keep tablets which represent their ancestors on the family altar. The family is responsible for praying for their ancestors and providing offerings, including food and spirit money which can be used in the afterlife. Chinese women who die unmarried are not entitled to a tablet on the family altar; a ghost marriage, however, ensures that the woman will have a tablet on the altar of her husband's family, so that she will be taken care of in the spirit world.

There are a variety of other reasons to perform ghost marriages. Some families hold marriages to appease angry spirits, while others choose to perform a ghost marriage to avoid allowing younger sons to marry before older sons. If a younger son marries first, this is viewed as inauspicious. Families may also utilize ghost marriages to carry on a family line; if an only son dies and he is wedded in a ghost marriage, the family can adopt a grandson to continue the family name.

The people involved in a ghost marriage do not necessarily need to be deceased. Wealthy families may hold a marriage between a living woman and a dead son, with the woman providing the justification to adopt a grandson. It is also possible for a living man to marry a dead woman, although this is less common. Some people may also hold ghost marriages to satisfy an engagement contract in the event that one of the fiancees dies before the marriage is held.

I have never heard of ghost marriages untill now. would you want to do it when you have left this world?

Diary entry about the Youth Olympic Games

Dear Singapore

Congratulations! you have been chosen to hold the inaugural Youth Olympic Games!

I am so envious! when can i do something great like you?

You must feel so excited, with so may visitors coming over. you must be interested in making new friends. do you know where your new friends are coming from? you don't? let me tell you then! did you know that there are 205 countries sending their representatives to you? don't you feel proud!

hmm? specific countries? no problem! but not all 205 of course! some renowned countries are: australia, brazil, germany, hong kong, china, france, italy, argentina the united states of america, switzerland, and many many more!

i beg your pardon? what will i be doing? good question! as you know, i am in fencing, hence i will be helping you out in the games! you are not alone after all! i am a YOG volunteer, just like the many others!

well yes! that definitely means that i have less time with you! i am helping put fom the 13th to 18th of August, hence i will also be missing three days of school.

what i feel about all of this? well i feel that you, singapore has surpassed all odds in hosting this event. initially, do you know that you were not even considered to be a host? they felt that you were too small, and had no capability to host this event. well you certainly surpassed all odds, and showed the world what you were made of!

yes, it is getting late, and i have a long day tomorrow.

congratulations to you singapore, i will be cheering for you! i love you!

Signing off

Marcus, beloved singapore lover.

Young mind, overwhelming perseverance.

There were two constants during the 10th of August's morning session of the Youth Olympic Flame torch relay.

One was the flame itself, as it weaved its way through Sengkang, Punggol and Hougang.

The other was schoolboy Low Wei Jie, 12.

Dressed in an orange T-shirt, blue bermudas and flip-flops, he clutched on to his digital camera and stuck with the relay.

He ran. And ran. And ran. Over two and a half hours, he covered almost fifteen km, undeterred by a heavy downpour along the way.

His morning's adventure was not without some pain. His flip-flops may have held up, but his feet hurt, and there were bloodied scratches on his right ankle.

Then he discovered to great consternation that the camera he had borrowed from his parents was not waterproof and had jammed.

However, what i would like to comment on is not his journey, but his sense of determination. All the way, through the torrential downpour, he only had one intention -- to take pictures for his scrap book. He was not deterred by the fact that he had ran for two and a half hours, nor by the fact that his legs had blisters and were bleeding.

Such a strong sense of perseverance, who would not look up to him?

He is part of the minority in Singapore. such a value is rare, and hard to find. Students should look up to his as a role model. If such determination were to be put into use in our daily lives, our dreams would no doubt be achieved. Let us strive to have a determination like Wei Jie as one!

National Day 2010

This year's national day parade was an overwhelming success. On the 9th of August, singaporeans witnessed the passing of another year of the their homeland, singapore.

Four minutes and six seconds. Time held its breath while the nation sang

Home together. At 20:10, the nation stood up as one to say the national pledge,

which set the scene for the One Voice moment. This showed the closeness of

the country and its citizens. The 2010 national day performance has been

Singapore's best so far.

This exceptional performance is the fruit of Singapore's united response during times of crisis, which allowed the country to take the advantage of improved global conditions.

Singapore has put up a good show. Not only to its citizens, but also to foreigners who are here for the Youth Olympic Games. Singapore, just like China in the 2008 Olympics, has made a shock-wave on the minds of people near and far. So much so that it has even caused a permanent resident to be moved o tears by its spectacular performance.

I feel that it boggles the mind when one thinks of how much Singapore lacked in terms of people, resources and others, turned itself form a third world country to a First World nation in a mere 45 years.

Furthermore, Singapore is now one of richest first world countries. She has topped other first world countries in per capita gross domestic product. Personally, i feel that the success of the country can be credited to Singaporeans, particularly Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew, which was one of our fore founding fathers during the tumultuous times after World War Two. Great men have have made this country the world's cleanest, greenest and safest.

I can safely say that Singapore has done its fore founding fathers proud through National Day 2010.

Here are some shots of the spectacular fireworks.

Task 2

Point of view
It is written is a view of a person who has witnessed war. The author is also very pessimistic about war.

Evidence
Words such as "darkness" and "shines no light" are used. These words bring about pessimism as they are usually used in sad stories.

Elaboration
Light usually means a good thing, however in the context, it says no light, thus showing that there is no hope. Darkness is also usually associated with death thus adding to the gloomy mood.

Situation & setting
The setting is during a war time where even children with no education were sent out to war.

Evidence
This can be seen from "Who someone will teach to fight" and "chalk and blackboard will not be" as children should be schooling, but not at war

Elaboration
These two phrases show that children, even orphans were sent to war. And there will not be anymore education as all there is left for the children, is death.

Languaga & Diction
The writer is succesful in telling us the disadvantages of war by creating a sombre and gloomy mood.

Evidence
He uses strong words such as "darkness" and "no light" that can invoke the reader's emotions. These words instill a gloomy mood in readers.

Elaboration
Darkness and no light shows that there is no hope that the soldiers will come out alive even after the war has ended. Thus making us feel sombre and sad for the soldiers, in this case,children.

Personal response
I feel that war is horrifying as it brings grief, death and casualties. The poem also shows that people who went to war were forced to. This can be seen from the children who were sent to war. They did not even have a primary education but were taught to fight. Thus showing that war is inglorious and people who go to war were unwilling.

Children in Darkness( Task 1 for Home Learning )

Henry M Bechtold, the persona, was in Vietnam during 1967 - 1968. During that period of time, there was a war raging and he witnessed what was happening. The persona rarely talked about it, but he never forgot about it. Thus, he always visits Vietnam every now and then. He wrote this poem during one of his visits in 2009. He was in his hotel room in Saigon watching the news channel on the television. At the same time, he was finding inspiration to write another poem on sexism when a picture of a young boy with a helmet and an automatic rifle in hand flashed on the news channel. This reminded him of the Vietnam war that happened during the late 1960s and immediately, began to pen down his feelings of the war and it resulted in this poem.

The poem talks about children who die during war at a young age and also children who do not even have a primary education, going to war.