Mahjong & Politics

The Valediction Speech - Original and Unabridged

2006-10-25T20:28:00.000+08:00

Graduation Day 2006 – Valediction

A very good morning to Mr. Wong, our principal, Ms Sandra Gwee, our vice principal, teachers, and fellow Dunearnites.

It is my honour to stand here today to deliver the valediction for this year’s graduation ceremony.

First and foremost, I would like to extend, on behalf of all the graduating students, our heartfelt gratitude and appreciation to the teachers for all that they have done for us. [A round of applause for the teachers (if necessary)]

Dunearn Secondary School has been the place where we’ve made the transition from a young student to a young adult brimming with youthful energy. It has been the place where we’ve lived out one of the most important phases of our lives, namely, our teenage years. It has also been the place where our ideals and ambitions have been shaped. Most importantly, Dunearn has been the place where all of us have gone through good times and bad times; the centre stage of all the melodrama of secondary school life, the memories of which will be indelibly etched into our minds.

I recall when we first entered Dunearn, it was very much of a culture shock. For example, we had to juggle 9 subjects in Secondary 1 instead of the basic 4 subjects in primary 6. That was the one of the first challenges we had to face. Perhaps the initial thoughts that ran through our minds were those of making new friends and adapting to this new and unfamiliar environment. Then as we progressed through the year, friendships were forged and broken; cliques were formed, all of which were part and parcel of secondary school life.

The second year of our academic career in Dunearn was perhaps one of the more memorable ones. As all of us had stayed together in the same class, the fun we had was perhaps doubled or tripled. It was our streaming year as well. Competition set in and the classroom environment became more competitive. 2004 went by very quickly and before we knew it, the end of year exams arrived. The atmosphere was tense when we gathered back in school during the holidays to find out which classes we were assigned to. Some of us got what we wanted, some of us did not. But it still worked out in the end.

Secondary 3 was a fun and eventful year, a golden year as some would put it. Firstly, we were in new classes and there was an air of excitement. Then came the Secondary 3 Camp, which I did not get to participate, but nonetheless I would like to relate the experiences of some of my friends. To Ee Chen of 4 E5, it was a camp which allowed interaction between students of different classes and provided an environment for the nurturing of teamwork in students who are almost strangers to each other. Bindy of 4 E2 felt that it was more of an opportunity to nurture personal leadership, conquer personal fears and step out of the comfort zone to try something new. After the Secondary 3 camp, the selection of the inaugural batch of student leaders began. This was an important milestone in Dunearn’s entire 44 year history and I hope that student leadership, with its fine structure, will be a tradition in Dunearn and a leading example to other schools.

This year, has been a busy year for many of us. This year featured the Peer Tutorial programme, which would prepare us for the upcoming O level examinations. I am sure all of us would remember the long hours we spent in school doing up the work conscientiously and meticulously prepared by our teachers. And I am confident that all our hard work, inclusive of the teachers’, will not go to waste.

We must also remember that we’ve celebrated many events together, and it is this togetherness that has bolstered the Dunearn spirit in many of us. Other than the Gongxi Raya and National Day celebrations, we also have Dunearnite and DGIG which are unique to Dunearn. I am sure most of us here will remember the enrichment programmes that we have gone through, such as the kayaking course in Sec 3.These events have provided a good number of us with ample opportunities to develop ourselves into all- rounded Dunearnites.

Once again, I would like to thank the teachers for your inexhaustible patience in putting up with all our mischief, your tireless dedication and commitment, and most of all your constant guidance.

A chapter of our lives have been written in Dunearn, and another will soon begin. I would like to end with these words from Winston Churchill: Every day you may make progress. Every step may be fruitful. Yet there will stretch out before you an ever-lengthening, ever-ascending, ever-improving path. You know you will never get to the end of the journey. But this, so far from discouraging, only adds to the joy and glory of the climb. Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm.

Thank you.

And So It Begins

2006-10-17T19:55:00.000+08:00

The flurry of madness symptomatic of the final academic preparations for the General Certificate of Education Ordinary Level Examinations (GCSE O' Levels) will soon descend upon our Liliputian island's Secondary 4 and Secondary 5 students.

Fellow students! We are all less than a month away to those crucial and nerve wracking examinations which will take their toll on our mental health.

10 years of education have amounted to the impending checkpoint which lays not too far ahead.

So it has got me reflecting and I hope those who read this start to get those brain juices flowing. What next, then? After the O Levels, there are the much talked-about first 3 months, crucial to those who aspire to enter a Junior College. What about those who do not want those first 3 months to taste what JC life is like? Work and earn your keep? There are pros and cons of course. 3 months is indeed a long time. If you choose neither of the options above, those 3 months are for you to pursue your interests and have a good rest.

It is, in fact, time to consider the paths we will take in the future. The future is ours for the carving and crafting. We have to thus think very carefully about what university courses to take and whether it will have any relevance to our jobs in the future.

Back to the O Levels. This is the last leg of the race in Secondary School, and I say we make the best of it with this amount of time that is given to us.

Mahjong Bulletin: The Tile # 1

2006-10-16T14:18:00.000+08:00

There are many styles of Mahjong played internationally and as such, the number of tiles in a set differs from one another. Mahjong always involves money ( it is a gambling game for crying out loud).

144 tiles - Set of Mahjong without the 4 Animals. Each player stacks his tiles in 18*2 format.

148 tiles - Set of Mahjong with 4 Animals. Players on the left and right side of the dealer stack their tiles in 18*2 format. The dealer and the player opposite the dealer stack their tiles in the 19*2 format.

136 tiles - Set of Mahjong with no Season tiles and Flower tiles. Each player stacks his tiles in the 17*2 format.

There are also various systems of point counting in Mahjong. Points are known as tai, fan or doubles.

Singapore Mahjong: 3 - 6 Style a.k.a 30 cents 60 cents.
5 - 1 Style a.k.a 50 cents 1 dollar
2 - 4 Style a.k.a 2 dollars 4 dollars

In Singapore Mahjong, the pot limit is 5 tai. It is also a rule that one cannot declare game without a minimum of 1 tai. However, professional players or players who want bigger stakes can increase this minimum to 2 and increase the limit to 6 tai or no limit whereby 10 dollars are added to each additional tai after 5 tai limit.

The amount for each tai in 5 - 1 Style increases exponentially.

1 Tai: $ 1 $ 2
2 Tai: $ 2 $ 4
3 Tai: $ 4 $ 8
4 Tai: $ 8 $ 16
5 Tai: $ 16 $ 32

Kong & Bite: $ 2 $ 4

The doubled amount on the right is paid by the thrower, or when the player zi mo / self draw the tiles. For Internal Kong and Internal Bites, the price is $4.

3 - 6 Style

The amount for each tai in 3 - 6 Style are such that the amount tends to be a round figure.

1 Tai: $ 1 $ 2
2 Tai: $ 2 $ 3
3 Tai: $ 3 $ 5
4 Tai: $ 5 $ 10
5 Tai: $ 10 $ 20

Kong & Bite: $ 3 $ 6

2 - 4 Style

1 Tai: $ 4 $ 8
2 Tai: $ 8 $ 16
3 Tai: $ 16 $ 32
4 Tai: $ 32 $ 64
5 Tai: $ 64 $ 128

Kong & Bite: $ 4 $ 8
Only rich people play such high stakes, and they've got a shitload to lose.

Spotlight: North Korea

2006-10-11T23:09:00.000+08:00

The Story:North Korea is now in the international spotlight due to its recent nuclear tests which have antagonised South Korea, Japan and the USA. The North's actions drew condemnation from the international community as well as further strained the diplomatic ties shared with other countries.

Talks of imposing trade and other economic sanctions on North Korea is spreading. As of Wednesday, Pyongyang threatened that it will consider any further economic sanctions imposed on North Korea will be deemed as an act of war.

The UN Security Council is convening to discuss how to deal with Pyongyang in the most diplomatic way without further aggravating the situation. President Bush has said that diplomacy will remain his top option in dealing with Pyongyang.

My Review: North Korea is already a very isolated country and by conducting nuclear tests, it is actually isolating itself further. China is in a very difficult position - it is a close ally of North Korea and North Korea's actions of late are a slap in the face for Beijing. China must use its power to pressure Pyongyang into going back to the stagnant 6 - Party talks. China, being a rising economic powerhouse, has ample political power to do so.

The Bush administration is keeping a close watch on the situation and is using as much diplomacy as it could to keep the situation under control and preventing it from spiralling into a nuclear crisis. Should such a thing ever happen, the consequences would be indeed dire.

The nagging question remains: Why would Pyongyang do such a thing?Pyongyang, in my opinion, is risking political and diplomatic suicide - the risks involved in carrying out nuclear tests concern the security of the international community. Does Pyongyang not know that it has much to lose and little to gain in such a intricate and complex matter? Though North Korea boasts a 1 million strong military armed with an arsenal of nukes, the combined forces of the United States and other world powers will prove formidable. In the event of war, China holds the power to turn the tide - will it help its impoverished ally or stand on the side of peace?

President Bush is working with the countries in the region and the UN Security Council to mete a suitable punishment for the defiant North. Should the situation escalate, we should be prepared for some melodrama on the world stage.

The First Post

2006-10-11T21:25:00.000+08:00

Hello people (if there are any reading this), welcome to my blog. I remember saying that blogs are a waste of precious time but here I am posting here. I don't intend to post about personal stuff that I deep highly classified, but I'll post some of my political analyses here and some quick Mahjong tips as well. Cheers to friendship, love, mahjong, life, politics and Singapore !!!