Keeping up to date with the news is fairly important, as it allows us to know what’s currently happening around the world. In this blog post, I will stress the importance of keeping up to date with the news and tips as to how we can do that. This might appear to be boorishly boring to you, but in a way, it can also be fun if you cooperate. To start off, I will be elaborating on the importance of keeping up to date with the news. Firstly, when you are reading news sources, you get to inevitably improve your reading skills as well as learn new words. You might think that is insignificant, but you never know whether it can be useful to you. Secondly, by keeping up to date with the news, you know what is happening and thus, know what to do in case a crisis occurs. Other than that, the news warns us about disasters and how to avoid them, etc. If you were to miss them out, I believe you will be the unlucky one. Furthermore, with the recent H1N1 flu about, it is important that we read the newspaper regularly, in case there might be a new development such as a vaccine.
Next, I will be sharing with you on ways that we can keep up to date with the news. Although there are numerous ways to doing so, I will be sharing with you three main sources which are most widely used. The first one that I will be writing on is Newspaper. Newspapers contain information locally as well as global news. They are very important as they are constantly updated with information that we should know. Furthermore, we can easily get them, at the usual coffee shop, 7- Eleven stores, etc. Even better, they are delivered to us every morning for us to read.
Next, I will be talking on the television broadcast. This is an extremely relaxing way of absorbing news and information. While sitting on the sofa and sipping soda, you get to absorb information in a leisure way. However, the time is limited and thus, only a certain bit of information can be broadcasted.
Lastly, the source I will be elaborating on is what you are using now! The internet! The internet is the most widely used application in the world, be it in work, school or other areas. It contains information that can be easily accessed, unlike newspaper or Television broadcast. Furthermore, information is constantly updated and reliable. Now, with all these sources of information that can be easily accessed, we can read obtain information with just a click or two!

At times like this, when H1N1 is spreading on a large scale, it is important for us to keep healthy. The problem is that many people tend to think that they are invulnerable and not prone to illness. Like them, I am no exceptional, until I myself got infected with flu, cough, etc. It was painful and tedious, and cost me a few days of sleep and pangs of headaches tortured me day by day. That is why, like some of us always say, it is better to be safe than sorry. In this blog prompt, tips to stay healthy will be introduced and elaborated upon.

To start off, I will start sharing tips with those who are currently sick. Although it is not related to my topic, it is essential as these people will inevitably spread the germs around if they do not accord to these guidelines. First of all, the human diagnosed with illness should not visit public places, so as to minimize the amount of contact between them and other people and thus, prevent the spread of diseases. Likewise, students should also not visit the school when they are sick. If they continue to attend school, there is an extremely high risk that students will get the illness. Instead, they should visit a doctor and get medicine for their illness. Other than that, they should have sufficient rest at home so as to ensure that they will get well quickly. Although it might be true that he/she will miss out on a lot of concepts taught, they could perhaps do home learning or even take the initiative to catch up.

Next, I will be touching on tips to stay healthy. This section is for those who are currently healthy. If one is not ill, it is important that he keeps a clean standard of living. It can be easily done through these tips and guides. Firstly, all of us must have a nutritious breakfast. It is important to refuel after a long night of sleep and also, it will help us do better in school. Some examples of healthy breakfast would be peanut butter on toasted whole-grain bread, etc. Next, we must eat a variety of food. The body needs nutrients and many different vitamins and minerals from a variety of food. Balancing food choices from the Food Guide Pyramid will help you keep healthy. Thirdly, one must exercise in order to keep fit and healthy. For example, walking, cycling or jogging can help you body. While doing so, we must also drink plenty of water in order not to be dehydrated. Other than that, we must always ensure that we get plentiful sleep, varying from 8 to 9 hours a night. Also, we can take vitamin pills to ensure that our body does not lack in vitamins.

Here, I will be talking on the daily practices that everyone should carry out. Cleaning hands is one of the most useful steps we can take to avoid getting sick and spreading germs to others. When washing hands, it is best to wash it thoroughly with soap and clean running water for about 25 seconds. It is important that we wash our hands before preparing or eating food, after going to the bathroom, etc. Next, Cleaning removes germs from surfaces and disinfecting destroys germs from surfaces. Disinfecting after cleaning gives an extra level of protection from germs. Areas with the largest amounts of germs and frequently used areas, such as the kitchen and bathroom, should be disinfected with a bleach solution or another disinfectant as often as possible to avoid the spread of germs.

Home Learning, when compared to learning in school, is definitely inferior. However, if we take into consideration a few other factors, home learning can also be useful and fun. Home learning can prove to be handy in many scenarios, such as when the school is faced by epidemic, students and teachers can communicate through the internet. This way, learning will not be hindered and students can still learn effectively. During health crisis such as the H1N1 illness, Home Learning is extremely important for students and teachers alike. Personally, I feel that Home Learning is an essential part of our School life.

Home learning allows us to learn at our own pace, which is fairly important. For example, in schools, students who are weak at a certain subject tend to learn slower than other students as they do not have sufficient time to absorb the information taught by teachers. As a result, they score badly for their exams. However, Home Learning will be able to prevent such cases from occurring. As information is accessible at all times, students can revise on the topic as long as they want. As a result, they will be able to catch up with the students who are generally better at the subject. Other than that, Home Learning does not require one to carry heavy school bags, as everything is done online. For example, when learning in school, students are to pack their bag according to the topics taught. Hence, they might need to bring in books which will cause their bag to be a whole lot heavier. Furthermore, Students do not have to wake up so early in order to attend school. Hence, one can get ample rest before they start studying and thus, improve their concentration. One very important thing to note is that, Home Learning does not require physical contact. As a result, Diseases are not easily transmitted from one to another. This is vital, especially in times like this when people get ill easily.

On the contrary, Home Learning might not be as good as learning in school and has it own share of faults. When learning in school, queries posted by the students will be answered immediately. As a result, students will not have doubts and hence, have more confidence when doing tests. However, home learning does not allow “ Live “ Support from the teacher. Questions posted would have to wait for a few hours before being answered. Also, when doing Home Learning, students tend to be distracted by games and other things, just to name a few. Thus, they will open another browser and play games, instead of studying. On the other hand, learning in school does not allow that at all.

Doesn’t the heading remind you of something everyone always say? When you feel down or upset, you’ll almost immediately hear someone say, “Don’t worry. Everyone is unique, and hence, you’ll succeed next time.” But, for now, let’s sit back and think about it. If everyone is unique, that’s more of suggesting that no one’s unique! For example, when your teacher tells you to highlight a whole paragraph of details, won’t you wonder why we should highlight when everything is so important to us? Of course, if the phrase is seen from another point of view, it can mean a completely different thing. When this phrase is taken literally, it has a more reasonable meaning. For example, if boy A specializes in math, and boy B specializes in science, we can say that both of them are unique in their own ways. But the question remains, is everyone really unique? There are many aspects in life for us to excel in, but it’s inevitable that someone else is as good, or if not better than us. What do you think?

The sky is vast and endless… Think back…
When was the last time you stared up at the sky?
I had almost forgotten the peaceful and calm feeling that staring at the sky gave me, until I peered up at it today. The clouds were drifting along, taking on various shapes. They moved at such a leisurely pace, such that it causes the person staring at it to feel strangely calm, and detached from the reality. To me, staring up at the sky was a break from the usual bustling life of the city, as well as stress from homework and other aspects. Indeed, the sky might just be made up of gas, but it seems to possess a strange aura to it. The light reflected gave it a strange and warm glow, and the clouds moving along the sky made one feel so at peace. In fact, staring at it during sunset gave me a nostalgic feeling. Watching the light from the sun light up the surrounding sky, I had a sudden yearning for my child hood.
Now, stare up at the sky, what are your feelings?