Divergent

   The ides of the divergence in purpose of this blog, from being solely as a platform for me to express my feelings and emotions to an apt stage to discuss about the current affairs and issues, comes in view of my need to do better in my upcoming A levels. To briefly update you guys, alhamdulillah things are getting better for me and my family. I was offered to tutor a Secondary 3 German student for his N and O levels for $60 every week. In addition, I might be able to finally pass my IPPT and achieve my allowance of $300 monthly by June, insyallah. As for mom, she's still trying to land a job but I'm optimistic that she'll eventually find one that is suitable for her. Our relationship's still a work in progress but somehow I believe that I can still change for the better, and especially for the right reasons. I do not want my drive and passion to be blurred by my useless infatuation to prove to others who ever know me that I'm better than what they've thought of me. There's no point in considering what they felt about me. This would be my biggest obstacle in achieving maturity. And hopefully I can slowly get rid of my obsession. As for Sis, she's doing fine too. All she needs now it that push to do better. So that's it for updates. Let's get the ball rolling!

   This is based on the 2009 Cambridge A' levels GP paper and we're gonna zoom in straight to the Application Question and a extract of my answer :-

12) How far do you agree with the author’s view on work and leisure? Illustrate your answer/own views by referring to the ways in which you and your society regard work and leisure.

   I do agree to a large extent with the author's view on work and leisure. The author claims that taking joy in gastronomic novelties and the probabilities of our own and our friends’ romantic lives are what we regard as leisure. This means that we define leisure as being updated about the latest gossips of our own and our friends’ lives and also enjoy good food. I do subscribe to those views as this is popular among my society and also other societies around the world. People regard savoring unique cuisines and finding good food as a form of releasing stress from their hectic lifestyle. This is truly evident in my society as finding good places that serve great cuisines and trying them out have been a trend amongst youth my age and also working adults. This is backed up by the constant posting of photos displaying dishes on media sharing sites such as Instagram and Picasa, usually sent in by them. These pictures often garner many “likes” and comments posted by other users of such sites. The rampant “Tweets” and “Status Updates” sent in by Singaporean youth on social media links like Twitter and Facebook clearly shows their need to share details and events of their lives with their friends and family. They would set aside time from their undoubtedly hectic schedule of work and school to read and update themselves of the latest happenings in their peers' lives. Hence, the author’s definition of leisure is valid in my society’s context.

   Comments :

• Paragraph was okay as it deals with only one point and was focused on that.
• Never say what the writer does not - Defining leisure??
• There is still the need to inject balance in writing through each paragraph if possible; agree with something the writer says and thereafter rebut some other thing about it.
• Teacher's remarks - References are clearly made. Agreement (direct answer to the qn) clearly stated. There is attempt at explanation (giving a reason why Singaporeans are as you say they are e.g. ‘stress’). There is some evidence given for your claims (esp in para 1).

   Let's look further into the style and thought put into writing an argumentative essay. A friend of mine, Arif, puts out a great advise on this :

   "As a writer of an argumentative piece, you may come across instances of writing against your personal stand, or you may put forth in your argument more than what you believe in. But that is simply the power of writing... Or let me rephrase that: it is the power of thought. For when you are able to conceive from an angle you never thought you would or one you still think you should not (by virtue of principle or morality), you have this quality of seeing things from a helicopter view, from many angles without forgoing any of them in reality. Interestingly, people who have this quality may not be identical. There can be ten people who have this same quality and may yet not agree with one another on a particular issue. However, that's the wonderful thing. This quality is what makes one more open-minded yet not necessarily liberal, more objective yet not necessarily neutral, more of a thinker yet not necessarily radical."

   To me, here's an apt example from the 2009 A' levels GP passage :

   "A more radical definition of work may emerge when we consider that human beings, like all living creatures, are born with two fundamental drives: to survive, and to reproduce their kind. To satisfy the first, they must find food and shelter, and defend them. To satisfy the second, they must make themselves desirable to potential mates and, when successful, rear and protect the next generation. Is "work" best defined as the activity necessitated by these drives? If it is, then shopping - and, not least, the time we spend in clothes stores and at cosmetic counters - gratifyingly becomes the very centre of our working life."