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Tuesday, April 21, 2009,4:06 AM

Straits Times E-Forum Reflection Term 2, Week 5

Article: “I was an addict” – ‘Straits Times IN’ Section (In The Air Pg 2)

Q1:
(a) What are some of the earliest signs mentioned in the article to indicate that a person is addicted to gaming?
Answer: There are a couple of signs that can indicate that a person is addicted to gaming.
Firstly, the person would skip meals and lost sleep. One would start to skip meals and going without sleep just to play. Eventually, the temptation was to skip school and meals just so that one could spend all those precious hours gaming.
Secondly, one would start to call himselfherself by his/her avatar name. He/She not only calls it in cyberworld, but also in the real world.
Also, one would have a constant urge to have all the latest songs and the newest gadgets from his/her favourite games. Because of this, he/she will give in to the desperate desire to scour illegal downloading websites so that he/she could download all the songs that he/she wanted. Scrimping and saving to buy the stuffs of a game so that they can purchase the lastest items in the game was also another sign of addiction.
Next, one would talked about the game he/she liked all the time. Soon after getting addicted, one's conversation with a good friend would be all about the game. Of course it is not wrong to talk about gaming, but when gaming was the only thing he/she ever talked about, that would be freaking.
Lastly, one would began to imagine things. One would suddenly feel himself/herself playing the game that he/she always played. And when the song played in one's head, he/she would whip out a pen to draw the arrows and press them in the air. This was the most clear sign that the game was taking over one's mind.

(b) State some of the methods listed by the author to overcome the addiction to gaming.
Answer: Even though getting over the addiction was not easy, there are still several useful ways which can help us to overcome it. One can get their parents to lock up the computer. Another method that helped was to socialise more with people around you, such as your friends. Instead of talking about gaming with your friends, you can talked about other subject, which can really make a difference. This will distract your attention to not think about gaming. Also, balance your life by getting outdoors and exercise more often instead of sitting in front of the computer for a long time.

Q2:
What are some of your reactions after reading this article? If a close friend of yours confesses to you that he/she is addicted to online games, what would your advice to him/her be?
Answer: I did not feel surprised after reading this article. I met people that are addicted to gaming before. Furthermore, the lastest news about the NTU death fall- the deceased friends mentioned that he was addicted to the computer game before that rash act happened. News about teenagers falling from tall buildings, without reasons, are also seen in newspapers. Perhaps, they are already deeply addicted to the computer game and mix themselves up with the avatar, thinking that they have superpowers to 'fly'.
If a close friend of mine confess to me that he/she is addicted to online games, I would probably suggest to him/her that it will bring him/her no good. I would discuss to her the negative signs that addiction would bring, and also advice him/her stop doing so. But I think since he/she is already addicted, he/she will not easily give up. As a friend of his/hers, if he/she really does not heed my advice, I will try other methods to stop him/her from playing so much games. For example, asking him/her out sometimes or when he/she talks to me about gaming, I will try to change the subject so as to stop him/her from thinking about it. Of course, if he/she has any problems about trying to overcome the addiction, I would be very pleased to assist and help him/her anytime.
-DONE-

Labels: ST reflection term 2, week 5

3:30 AM

Straits Times E-Forum Reflection Term 2, Week 4

Article: “Mum’s catching up with me … on Facebook”– ‘Home’ Section (Pg B2)

Q1:
What were the reasons given by Facebook parent, Rashida Husian, when she requests access to the networking sites and also to what her children had put online?
Answer: The first reason she gave is that she agreed that the site is useful for keeping track of her children and their friends. But her main reason is to keep in touch with them, and also enable her to leave them words of encouragement when she feels that they need some.

Q2:
Do you think it is a good idea to accept requests by your parents to add them readily to your friends’ list on the Facebook? Why?
Answer: Yes, I think it is a good idea to accept request by my parents to add them readily to my friends' list on the Facebook. Since I did nothing wrong and I am not guilty of anything, why will I not add them? By adding them, this not only strengthen the ties between us, but also to let my parents know more about me. Perhaps at times when I am troubled, they might have notice it but did not know how to express themselves. With them as my "friend" on Facebook, they get more chances to express and give me their word of encouragement. Also, my parents will feel less worried as they get to know who are my friends and who I am mixing with.
-DONE-

Labels: ST reflection term 2, week 4

2:20 AM

Straits Times E-Forum Reflection Term 2, Week 3

Article: “HFMD cases near epidemic level”– ‘Home’ Section (Pg B3)

Q1:
How does HFMD spread and what are some of the preventive measures that the childcare centres and kindergartens have taken to ensure that the disease is contain?
Answer: HFMD usually affect mainly children aged 10 years and younger, and is spread through bodily fluids. This is why it can be passed quickly among young children who share toys that they may have put into their mouths.

Childcare centres and kindregartens have taken some preventive measures to ensure that the disease is contain. For example, the Church of the Holy Trinity Kindergarten in Tampines is spending an extra $400 more than the usual to clean its premises every quarter. Other kindergartens is also sanitised and thoroughly cleaned before every session to avoid of last year's incident, when the center had to shut for 10 days. Usual health screening and cleaning measures are also in place. Furthermore, children in childcare centres and kindergartens have been drilled into a routine of heading straight to the toilet to wash up and clean theri hands with a sanitiser before classes and meals. Children with ulcers, spots and fever are sent home and their parents are also told to take them to a doctor.

Q2:
In your opinion, what implications will the childcare centres face if the HFMD issue escalates further?
Answer: In my opinion, the childcare centres will have to face several implications if the HFMD issue escalates further. The childcare centres may have to close down so as to thoroughly clean the whole area to make sure that the disease is entirely wipe out, and perhaps longer than the previous case (10 days). Also, parents might press charges against the centre or make complains because they are unhappy that their child contracted the disease. Soon, some parents will want to let their children stay at home to play safe. And consequentially, the centres will lose a lot of children resulting in lesser payments from parents. The workers will earn a smaller amount of income. Thus, if the HFMD issue should escalate further, not only the children gets affected, everybody involved (the parents and the workers) will also get affected.

-DONE-

Labels: ST reflection term 2, week 3