Gambling

The casinos being built in Singapore are going to be a great source of jobs and revenue for Singapore, but did you realise how many families it will break apart? Gambling can be harmless and fun if you do not get addicted. Playing now and then could be harmless. But the people who get addicted would do all sorts of things to get money to gamble and they would even resort to crime to get money for gambling. Although the casinos may have lots of good effects, it can have bad ones too. I think that the casinos should not be built, instead maybe an amusement park or something less harmful.

Lotteries

In my opinion, lotteries can have very harmful effects if you get addicted to buying them. Since they are cheap and the prizes are good, anybody can afford to buy them and this cause many people to become addicted. You could say this is a cheaper form of gambling. If you become addicted, you could lose a lot of money and still not know what has happened to you. That is what happens to many housewives. They are attracted to lotteries because of the attractive prizes and the cheapness of buying it. In my opinion, i do not think people should buy lotteries since if they save the money they spend on lotteries, quite a lot of money would be saved over the years. Rather than buy lotteres and wait to strike the first prize, why not work hard to succeed?

Paper By Catherine Lim

In Paper, a couple has a dream of getting a dream house which will be very grand and nice. At that time, the stock market was rising and the couple decided to try it out. they won a lot of money in thefirst few times and they were overjoyed. However, they got addicted and when the stocks began falling, they did not sell to reduce their losses. Eventually, they lost everything and the husband became delirious and sick. The husband died.

I think that gambling is very harmful. Just by getting hooked onto the stock market, you could lose everything. Sometimes, gambling a little here and there could be harmless, but if you get addiceted, you will lose evrything. So, control yourself and lead a gamble-free lifestyle!

Rocking Horse Winner

These three strories are all about how gambling ruined people's lives. It shows how serious the damage done by gambling is.

In Rocking Horse Winner, there is a family o five living in a big house and leading quit a good life. However, there was not enough money to keep up the appearances of the rich family since the parent's tastes were quite expensive. The parents began to worry and kept saying that there had to be more money. The oldest child, Paul, did not want his mother to be so worried and so he approached the gardener, who always talked about gambling with him, to help him place bets. When Paul was very sure of the winner, the horse which he thought would win would always win. They won a lot of money and his uncle joined them in gambling. After winning a lot of money, Pau used his uncle to give it to his mother. However, things got worse. Therefore, Paul decided he had to win in the three races to come. However, in the first two races, he did not win and he got more and more delirious, thinking only of the last race. When he got the answer to the last race, he got brain fever. Although he won a huge sum of money, he died.

I think this story really emphasises the bad effects of gambling and it shows us hat with unheaalthy influence, even children can be afected. Paul was addicted to gambling and that was what caused his death. I feel that gambling altough can make people rich and sometimes is good, it can also have many harmful effects.

Book Reviews

Book 4: The Saxon Shore By Jack Whyte

This is yet another fantasy book which i decided to read. it is set in the times of King Artur when he was a baby. The new colony, Camulod is being threatended by numerous enemies and Uther Pendragon, father of Artur gets killed by Lot, an evil person in control of a strong army. Artur is not killed but when Merlyn, Uther's cousin and best friend, arrives on the scene, he can do nothing. Only then does he realise that Artur is still alive on a drifting boat. Jumping onto the boat, Marlyn then realises the true heritage of the child. He tries to get out with the child but realises the boat they were on had drifted away from shore. That is the beginings of a series of adventures Merlyn embarks on to save the child from the hands of the hibenians, who tak him to exchange for one of their princes, Ronuil, who Merlyn captured and had freed.

I like this story altough it is very complicated and the story twists and turns everywhere. It is a great story. I would recommend it to teenages since it is a very complicated story.

Book Reviews

Book 3: Belgarath The Sorcerer By David And Leigh Eddings

This is also a book that tells the story before the bealgariad but it is told from another person, Belgarath the sorcerer's point of view. It reveals all the secrets about him, how he loved his wife, how he took it when his wife died.... At first, he was a very headstrong orphan boy who set out to explore the land away from his village as the villagers hated him for his stealing habits. Then, he met his master, the god Aldur, and learned how to use the will and the word. He was set the task of training the boy who would grow up and kill the evil god torak, when he rose again. A seasoned dunkard, he is a hilarious, wise, loving, ruthless and most of all, very very strong. I recommend this book to older teenagers since some parts maybe too difficult to understand.

My Book Reviews

Book 2: Brisingr

This is the third book in the Inheritance series which is the series where Eragon is the first book. It is a continuation of the series and is very nice. It shows how after swearing many oaths and promising many people many things, Eragon the only good Dragon Rider fulfils them. it also shows the later part of his training in Ellesmera, the capital of the elves.

It shows how he saved his brothers beloved, fought of his enemy, Murtagh, and strenghtened himself. It is a very good book just like the first two books in the series. I like it because the writer makes it feel as though the magic and fantasy in the story is coming to life and this makes it very very interesting. I recommend it to teenagers as it might be too long for younger readers and too unrealistic for older people.

My Book Reviews

Book 1: Polgara The Sorceress By David and Leigh Eddings

This book is a book written to explain the details of the Belgariad series written by David Eddings. I decided to read this book because i am a great fan of fantasy and i have read many of David Eddings' books. I find them very interesting and captivating.

A brief introduction to the belgariad is when a boy named Garion finds out his true destiny and sets out to fight the frces of evil. Garion is a simple farm boy who led a very good life in a farm called Faldor's Farm. He lived with his aunt Polgara, who is actually a woman who is more than a thousand years old. His grandfather, Belgarath, visits him occasionally and he is actually Polgara's father. When the evil god Torak rises again, Garion has to travel and overcome many difficulties and he has to fight Torak to the death. Polgara and Belgarath trains him to use magic and it is then Belgarath names him Belgarion. They gather a group of companions and set out to defeat Torak. Garion finally defeats Torak and marries his wife, Ce'nedra, who is actually half dyrad.

That is the main plot. In this book, the story shows what actually happened before all the adventures started. How Polgara was born, how Belgarath became a sorcerer, and it reveals many truths and adventures.

I like this book because it shows what actually happened and there are even more adventures. It is truly captivating and i recommod it to anyone who likes fantasy. Reading the Belgariad before reading this may be a bit long but it is definitely worth reading.

My Favourite Poet

My favourite poet is Shel Silverstein. The poems he write are hilarious,wild, imaginative and sometimes a bit absurd. He composed songs, wrote books and they are all quite well received by the public. His poems are mostly for young children and they all have a twist in them.

Why I Like Him?

"When I was a kid - 12, 14, around there - I would much rather have been a good baseball player or a hit with the girls. But I couldn't play ball, I couldn't dance... So, I started to draw and to write. I was... lucky that I didn't have anyone to copy, be impressed by. I had developed my own style, I was creating before I knew there was a Thurber, a Benchley, a Price and a Steinberg. I never saw their work till I was around 30."

That is a quote from him. He did what he could do best by himself, without a lot of help. This shows he has a lot of determination and is determined to succeed. I like this since it shows that sometimes, doing things by yourself can still work.

Historical Background

He served in the US armed forces during the 1950s, and was staioned in Japan and korea. By that time, his talents were already quite well developed and he became a cartoonist. After that, his friend dragged him to see an editor, who convinced him to do children books. He wrote many meaningful books like The Giving Tree. They all sold quite well. In the late 1960s, he bagan writing songs and in 1974, he wrote his first collection of poems. After 1981, he began writing plays for adults.

He Died On 10 May 1999 From A Heart Attack

Some poems:

Messy Room by Shel Silverstein

Whosever room this is should be ashamed!
His underwear is hanging on the lamp.
His raincoat is there in the overstuffed chair,
And the chair is becoming quite mucky and damp.
His workbook is wedged in the window,
His sweater's been thrown on the floor.
His scarf and one ski are beneath the TV,
And his pants have been carelessly hung on the door.
His books are all jammed in the closet,
His vest has been left in the hall.
A lizard named Ed is asleep in his bed,
And his smelly old sock has been stuck to the wall.
Whosever room this is should be ashamed!
Donald or Robert or Willie or--
Huh? You say it's mine? Oh, dear,
I knew it looked familiar!

Whatif by Shel Silverstein

Last night, while I lay thinking here,
some Whatifs crawled inside my ear
and pranced and partied all night long
and sang their same old Whatif song:
Whatif I'm dumb in school?
Whatif they've closed the swimming pool?
Whatif I get beat up?
Whatif there's poison in my cup?
Whatif I start to cry?
Whatif I get sick and die?
Whatif I flunk that test?
Whatif green hair grows on my chest?
Whatif nobody likes me?
Whatif a bolt of lightning strikes me?
Whatif I don't grow talle?
Whatif my head starts getting smaller?
Whatif the fish won't bite?
Whatif the wind tears up my kite?
Whatif they start a war?
Whatif my parents get divorced?
Whatif the bus is late?
Whatif my teeth don't grow in straight?
Whatif I tear my pants?
Whatif I never learn to dance?
Everything seems well, and then
the nighttime Whatifs strike again!

Bear In There by Shel Silverstein

There's a Polar Bear
In our Frigidaire--
He likes it 'cause it's cold in there.
With his seat in the meat
And his face in the fish
And his big hairy paws
In the buttery dish,
He's nibbling the noodles,
He's munching the rice,
He's slurping the soda,
He's licking the ice.
And he lets out a roar
If you open the door.
And it gives me a scare
To know he's in there--
That Polary Bear
In our Fridgitydaire.

Picture Puzzle Piece by Shel Silverstein

One picture puzzle piece
Lyin' on the sidewalk,
One picture puzzle piece
Soakin' in the rain.
It might be a button of blue
On the coat of the woman
Who lived in a shoe.
It might be a magical bean,
Or a fold in the red
Velvet robe of a queen.
It might be the one little bite
Of the apple her stepmother
Gave to Snow White.
It might be the veil of a bride
Or a bottle with some evil genie inside.
It might be a small tuft of hair
On the big bouncy belly
Of Bobo the Bear.
It might be a bit of the cloak
Of the Witch of the West
As she melted to smoke.
It might be a shadowy trace
Of a tear that runs down an angel's face.
Nothing has more possibilities
Than one old wet picture puzzle piece.

Cloony The Clown by Shel Silverstein

I'll tell you the story of Cloony the Clown
Who worked in a circus that came through town.
His shoes were too big and his hat was too small,
But he just wasn't, just wasn't funny at all.
He had a trombone to play loud silly tunes,
He had a green dog and a thousand balloons.
He was floppy and sloppy and skinny and tall,
But he just wasn't, just wasn't funny at all.
And every time he did a trick,
Everyone felt a little sick.
And every time he told a joke,
Folks sighed as if their hearts were broke.
And every time he lost a shoe,
Everyone looked awfully blue.
And every time he stood on his head,
Everyone screamed, "Go back to bed!"
And every time he made a leap,
Everybody fell asleep.
And every time he ate his tie,
Everyone began to cry.
And Cloony could not make any money
Simply because he was not funny.
One day he said, "I'll tell this town
How it feels to be an unfunny clown."
And he told them all why he looked so sad,
And he told them all why he felt so bad.
He told of Pain and Rain and Cold,
He told of Darkness in his soul,
And after he finished his tale of woe,
Did everyone cry? Oh no, no, no,
They laughed until they shook the trees
With "Hah-Hah-Hahs" and "Hee-Hee-Hees."
They laughed with howls and yowls and shrieks,
They laughed all day, they laughed all week,
They laughed until they had a fit,
They laughed until their jackets split.
The laughter spread for miles around
To every city, every town,
Over mountains, 'cross the sea,
From Saint Tropez to Mun San Nee.
And soon the whole world rang with laughter,
Lasting till forever after,
While Cloony stood in the circus tent,
With his head drooped low and his shoulders bent.
And he said,"THAT IS NOT WHAT I MEANT -
I'M FUNNY JUST BY ACCIDENT."
And while the world laughed outside.
Cloony the Clown sat down and cried.