Yesterday, we had an ileague match against 2I4. Well, we lost 3-5. :( At least the score was not so bad, we scored 3 goals, so close to getting a draw! Justin scored 2 goals and Wei Ren scored the last goal. I played for the whole game, it was very exhausting. But even if we win or we lose, I still enjoyed the game very much.
I had no softball training today. Because my coach is coaching RGPS, RGPS had a match on, so our coach cannot make it for our training.
Wow, I also realised that we are having around 5 tests next week! English comprehension test, Music test, Geography mock test, History pre-test and Science test. I will probably be mugging for the tests for the next few weeks. Term 3 would be an exceptionally busy term.
There are also sabaticals coming up, I think that I will most likely be bidding for sports, I don't think that I would want anything like IT, Leadership, Chinese Studies, it would bore me out. Imagine sitting in class and listening to the teacher talk about the same thing for one whole week!
That's all for now, got to rush my homework and revision.



Wow, posting after such a long time! Just knew that we had to post 10 posts by week 5! So, I guess I got to post more. Plus, the stuff that I posted for E-Learning was not counted! My softball training started, finally because it was cancelled due to the H1N1. It was quite boring during the last few weeks actually. There are also several cases of students who have H1N1 here in Hwa Chong. I am just glad that I resume training because it keeps you fit and healthy.
Last week, we were supposed to have an ileague match against 2I1 but they did not turn up. It was the first ileague match for the term. They later explained to us that their captain had not told them that they had a match. Most of us were quite furious at their irresponsibility. We had waited for quite some time at the street soccer court for them and yet they did not turn up. Later, it was declared by the ileague officials that that match was a walkover and we had "won" 5-0. This helped us to cover up our goal difference. However, some of us were disappointed that we did not get a chance to play. We are currently third. We have a high chance of remaining third provided that we do not lose or draw the next few matches. We are going to play 2I4 this week and 1I4 next week.
Oh yeah and this Thursday, our PE lessons would be on swimming, but I think that only 40 or less than 40 minutes of swimming is really not enough to fully exercise your body. :)



William Wordsworth

Biography
William Wordsworth was born on 7 April 1770 in Cockermouth, Cumberland, in the Lake District. His father was John Wordsworth, Sir James Lowther's attorney. The magnificent landscape deeply affected Wordsworth's imagination and gave him a love of nature. He lost his mother when he was eight and five years later his father. The domestic problems separated Wordsworth from his beloved and neurotic sister Dorothy, who was a very important person in his life.
With the help of his two uncles, Wordsworth entered a local school and continued his studies at Cambridge University. Wordsworth made his debut as a writer in 1787, when he published a sonnet in The European Magazine . In that same year he entered St. John's College, Cambridge, from where he took his B.A. in 1791.
During a summer vacation in 1790 Wordsworth went on a walking tour through revolutionary France and also traveled in Switzerland. On his second journey in France, Wordsworth had an affair with a French girl, Annette Vallon, a daughter of a barber-surgeon, by whom he had a illegitimate daughter Anne Caroline. The affair was basis of the poem "Vaudracour and Julia", but otherwise Wordsworth did his best to hide the affair from posterity.

In 1795 he met Coleridge. Wordsworth's financial situation became better in 1795 when he received a legacy and was able to settle at Racedown, Dorset, with his sister Dorothy. Encouraged by Coleridge and stimulated by the close contact with nature, Wordsworth composed his first masterwork, Lyrical Ballads, which opened with Coleridge's "Ancient Mariner." About 1798 he started to write a large and philosophical autobiographical poem, completed in 1805, and published posthumously in 1850 under the title The Prelude.
Wordsworth spent the winter of 1798-99 with his sister and Coleridge in Germany, where he wrote several poems, including the enigmatic 'Lucy' poems. After return he moved Dove Cottage, Grasmere, and in 1802 married Mary Hutchinson. They cared for Wordsworth's sister Dorothy for the last 20 years of her life.

Wordsworth's second verse collection, Poems, In Two Volumes, appeared in 1807. Wordsworth's central works were produced between 1797 and 1808. His poems written during middle and late years have not gained similar critical approval. Wordsworth's Grasmere period ended in 1813. He was appointed official distributor of stamps for Westmoreland. He moved to Rydal Mount, Ambleside, where he spent the rest of his life. In later life Wordsworth abandoned his radical ideas and became a patriotic, conservative public man.

In 1843 he succeeded Robert Southey (1774-1843) as England's poet laureate. Wordsworth died on April 23, 1850.

Sources: http://www.online-literature.com/wordsworth/

Three poems by William Wordsworth

I Wandered Lonely As A Cloud by William Wordsworth
I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.
Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.
The waves beside them danced, but they
Out-did the sparkling leaves in glee;
A poet could not be but gay,
In such a jocund company!
I gazed—and gazed—but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:
For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.

Discussion of I Wandered Lonely As A Cloud by William Wordsworth
This simple poem, revisits the familiar subjects of nature and memory, this time with a particularly spare, musical eloquence. The plot is extremely simple, depicting the poet's wandering and his discovery of a field of daffodils by a lake, the memory of which pleases him and comforts him when he is lonely, bored, or restless. The characterization of the sudden occurrence of a memory--the daffodils "flash upon the inward eye / Which is the bliss of solitude"--is psychologically acute, but the poem's main brilliance lies in the reverse personification of its early stanzas. The speaker is metaphorically compared to a natural object, a cloud--"I wandered lonely as a cloud / That floats on high...", and the daffodils are continually personified as human beings, dancing and "tossing their heads" in "a crowd, a host." This technique implies an inherent unity between man and nature, making it one of Wordsworth's most basic and effective methods for instilling in the reader the feeling the poet so often describes himself as experiencing.
Source: http://www.sparknotes.com/poetry/wordsworth/section7.rhtml

London, 1802 by William Wordsworth
Milton! thou should'st be living at this hour:
England hath need of thee: she is a fen
Of stagnant waters: altar, sword, and pen,
Fireside, the heroic wealth of hall and bower,
Have forfeited their ancient English dower
Of inward happiness. We are selfish men;
Oh! raise us up, return to us again;
And give us manners, virtue, freedom, power.
Thy soul was like a Star, and dwelt apart:
Thou hadst a voice whose sound was like the sea:
Pure as the naked heavens, majestic, free,
So didst thou travel on life's common way,
In cheerful godliness; and yet thy heart
The lowliest duties on herself did lay

Discussion of London, 1802 by William Wordsworth
The speaker of this poem, which takes the form of a dramatic outburst, literally cries out to the soul of John Milton in anger and frustration. (The poem begins with the cry: "Milton!") The speaker articulates his wish that Milton would return to earth, and lists the vices ruining the current era. Every venerable institution--the altar (representing religion), the sword (representing the military), the pen (representing literature), and the fireside (representing the home)--has lost touch with "inward happiness," which the speaker identifies as a specifically English birthright, just as Milton is a specifically English poet.

The speaker describes Milton's character, explaining why he thinks Milton would be well suited to correct England's current waywardness. His soul was as bright as a star, and stood apart from the crowd: he did not need the approval or company of others in order to live his life as he pleased. His voice was as powerful and influential as the sea itself, and though he possessed a kind of moral perfection, he never ceased to act humbly. These virtues are precisely what Wordsworth saw as lacking in the English men and women of his day.

For all its emphasis on feeling and passion, Wordsworth's poetry is equally concerned with goodness and morality. Wordsworth was concerned that his ideas communicate natural morality to his readers, and he did not oppose his philosophy to society. Wordsworth's ideal vision of life was such that he believed anyone could participate in it, and that everyone would be happier for doing so. The angry moral sonnets of 1802 come from this ethical impulse, and indicate how frustrating it was for Wordsworth to see his poems exerting more aesthetic influence than social or psychological influence.
Source: http://www.sparknotes.com/poetry/wordsworth/section6.rhtml

Lines Written In Early Spring by William Wordsworth
I heard a thousand blended notes,
While in a grove I sate reclined,
In that sweet mood when pleasant thoughts
Bring sad thoughts to the mind.
To her fair works did Nature link
The human soul that through me ran;
And much it grieved my heart to think
What man has made of man.
Through primrose tufts, in that green bower,
The periwinkle trailed its wreaths;
And 'tis my faith that every flower
Enjoys the air it breathes.
The birds around me hopped and played,
Their thoughts I cannot measure:--
But the least motion which they made
It seemed a thrill of pleasure.
The budding twigs spread out their fan,
To catch the breezy air;
And I must think, do all I can,
That there was pleasure there.
If this belief from heaven be sent,
If such be Nature's holy plan,
Have I not reason to lament
What man has made of man?

Discussion of Lines Written In Early Spring
We can think of William Wordsworth as one of the greatest poets to have ever written poetry about one's relationship to nature, man, and remembrance. "Lines written in early spring" is a poem that is both bittersweet and joyous. It consists of three layers: rebirth, man's relation to man, and man's valuation of experience.

"Lines written in early spring" is a poem that celebrates our potential and our ability to commune peacefully and at one with nature, but it also describes our inability to fully enjoy that relationship with nature because it reminds us of our negative relationship to other people.
Source: http://www.helium.com/items/579394-poetry-analysis-lines-written-in-early-spring-by-william-wordsworth

Poems from:
http://famouspoetsandpoems.com/poets/william_wordsworth/poems

Ask yourself why you chose this particular poet. Why is he/she intriguing? Begin with an interesting fact, quote from a literary critic, an interview with the poet, etc. and move on to a thesis (yes, a thesis) which is not just a statement of fact, such as Sylvia Plath is a deeply disturbed woman. Think about what you feel about the poet’s work after having done the research; create a claim or opinion about him/her and let the reader know in the thesis what exactly you will be covering in the paper.

William Wordsworth was born on 7 April 1770 in Cockermouth, Cumberland, in the Lake District. He was deeply affected by the magnifcent landscape there and thus, developed a love for nature. I guess that was why his poems are all about nature. I also love nature and enjoy his poems. His poems depict the beauty of nature. He led a very harsh childhood when he was young: his mother died when he was 8 and his father died 5 years later. Due to domestic problems, he was separated from his beloved sister, Dorothy.



The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.


How are the figurative language used in the poem? Give the specific word(s), explain what type of figurative language it is and why the poet chose to use this figurative language?

The type of figurative language used in this poem is Symbolism. A symbol is “ a thing (could be an object, person, situation or action) which stands for something else more abstract.” Symbols are properly set-up when the poem itself indicates an object is the be taken symbolically- symbols nearly always signal their existence by emphasis, repetition, or position. We are to take literally the description of roads and they are described in physical terms. But from the context of the entire poem we gather that the forked road represents life’s many choices and possibilities.

Why I like this poem.

This poem shows that once you take certain road, there is no turning back. Although one might change paths later on, the past cannot be changed. It shows that choice and decision making is very important. This is about regret and personal myth-making, rationalizing our decisions. You will never know what the other path was like, so you may regret never knowing (the sigh), although it was still worth it because you made the right choice by knowing that you were able to exercise your personal freedom and independence.

Some information about Robert Frost

Robert Lee Frost (March 26, 1874 – January 29, 1963) was an American poet. He is highly regarded for his realistic depictions of rural life and his command of American colloquial speech. His work frequently employed settings from rural life in New England in the early twentieth century, using them to examine complex social and philosophical themes. A popular and often-quoted poet, Frost was honored frequently during his lifetime, receiving four Pulitzer Prizes for Poetry.

His Personal Life
Robert Frost's personal life was plagued with grief and loss. His father died of tuberculosis in 1885, when Frost was 11, leaving the family with just $8. Frost's mother died of cancer in 1900. In 1920, Frost had to commit his younger sister, Jeanie, to a mental hospital, where she died nine years later. Mental illness apparently ran in Frost's family, as both he and his mother suffered from depression, and his daughter Irma was committed to a mental hospital in 1947. Frost's wife, Elinor, also experienced bouts of depression.[3]
Elinor and Robert Frost had six children: son Elliot (1896–1904, died of cholera), daughter Lesley Frost Ballantine (1899–1983), son Carol (1902–1940, committed suicide), daughter Irma (1903–1967), daughter Marjorie (1905–1934, died as a result of puerperal fever after childbirth), and daughter Elinor Bettina (died three days after birth in 1907). Only Lesley and Irma outlived their father. Frost's wife, who had heart problems throughout her life, developed breast cancer in 1937, and died of heart failure in 1938.
(I will not be posting about his early years and adult years as there is too much. )



Today, I have just finished reading a book, Book Seven of the Demonata, entitled Death Shadow, written by Darren Shan. I have a collection of Darren Shan books and I recommend those of you to read the books written by Darren Shan, if you are a fan of horror. However, you really should not read the series, The Demonata, if you are really scared of horror stuff, there is also a sign at the back of the book, saying: WARNING SERIOUSLY SCARY. The Demonata series is basically about humans fighting demons, I encourage those who can stand horror to read these books.
Here's a list of the series, the Demonata,
Book 1 : Lord Loss
Book 2 : Demon Thief
Book 3 : Slawter
Book 4 : Bec
Book 5 : Blood Beast
Book 6 : Demon Apocalypse
Book 7 : Death's Shadow
Book 8 : Wolf Island
Book 9 : Dark Calling
Book 10: Hell's Heroes (Not out yet, releasing in October 2009)














Hi guys, its been a very long time since I last posted on my blog. I've been very busy these holidays, having softball training and a lot of activities.
My softball training is on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, there are both morning and afternoon sessions, the morning session is for 8am to 12pm, followed by a 2-hour break, and then afternoon training, which lasts from 2pm to 5pm. That is 21 hours of training a week. Some of you may think that it is crazy, especially going out in the afternoon sun for 3 hours. Actually, it is really very hot during the afternoon training and I would go home normally with sunburns on my face and hands. We just hoped that it was not too hot. My mum always complains about my sunburns, saying that I would have skin cancer in future if I continue like this. She would also joke that I look more like a Malay or Indian than a Chinese. Anyway, I still enjoy the trainings very much because it is not only fun but I can also excercise instead of staying at home and grow fatter each day.



I'm finally posting after such a long time. [I was lazy(= ]
Today, we played a ileague match against 1I1, we drew with them, 1-1!!!!!
I wasn't really happy with the score, but maybe we could have done better. I don't think we should try to get a win against 1I1. 1I4 got beaten last week by 1I1 2-1, and 1I4 is already a very good team.
My cousin, Zheng Jie, is in 1I1 and he is a really good player. He has scored many goals. He is a powerful rammer, today, he told me that he rammed a ball into some guy's face so hard that the guy broke his nose. =) So, maybe, I should be satisfied with the score. It's good that we did not lose. Personally, I think that this match is a very decent one. 1I1 had good defending and scoring skills. We put up a very tough fight. I was a defender and I defended in the first half and the last part of the second half. Yipin and I were defenders and Justin and Aloysius Poh were strikers.
Aloysius Poh scored a goal in the first half. We managed to survive half time without conceding a single goal. Yipin defended very well. Zheng Jie's ramming shots were blocked by Lung.
In the fist part of the second half, I did not play. Matthew and Aloysius Oh were defenders and we had the same strikers. Zheng Jie managed to get pass our defenders and equalised. Later, Matthew was subbed out and I was subbed in. Luckily, we did not concede any more goals.
1I4 won 1I2 4-0!!!!! This was good news as I was hoping 1I4 to win.

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