Article Review

9/11 Memorial Preview Site NEW YORK - TOURISTS coming to ground zero to see the Sept 11 memorial often peer through a fenced-off construction site for a glimpse and ask street vendors when it will be built. It will be at least two years until the memorial to the 2001 terrorist attacks opens to the public. But in an old camera shop north of the World Trade Center site, visitors will be able to watch live video of the construction, record their 9/11 memories and even leave with a souvenir. The foundation that will run the finished memorial and museum built the 9/11 Memorial Preview Site, hoping to attract the hundreds of thousands of tourists a year who come to ground zero looking for a 9/11 story and finding a giant construction site. The Tribute WTC Visitor Center, a small gallery on the south side of the site, charges US$10 (S$14.48) admission and says it brings in 300,000 tourists a year. It won't cost anything to get into the preview site, although the foundation will sell memorabilia, including 9/11 memorial pins, books and DVDs. Joe Daniels, president of the National 9/11 Memorial & Museum, said the foundation also wants to present an alternative to stories tourists hear on the street about the plans for the site. 'Every single day, I'm walking by these guys who are selling the flip books to tourists,' Mr Daniels said. 'These tourists are asking questions about what's getting built. ... We see a tremendous interest in what's happening here.' The 3,000-square-foot (279-square-metre) space will feature models and renderings of 'Reflecting Absence,' the design for twin reflecting pools with cascading waterfalls where the trade center towers had stood, surrounded by nearly 3,000 victims' names. Live webcam video of the construction will be displayed on a giant screen. In a recording booth, visitors will be able to speak for 3 minutes about where they were, and what they remember of Sept 11, 2001. The recordings - visitors can share their stories in any language- will enter the permanent collection of the 9/11 museum and become part of an introductory exhibit. The foundation said private donations paid for the memorial preview site but didn't say how much it cost to build. It has raised over US$350 million privately for the 8-acre (3.2-hectare) memorial, which would set the waterfall-filled pools in a cobblestoned, tree-covered plaza. Builders said the memorial will open to the public on the attacks' 10th anniversary, although some parts of the aboveground plaza won't be finished. The museum, being built underneath the memorial, is slated to open a year later. -- AP

A memorial and museum will be built in memory of the 9/11 victims who died 8 years ago in 2001 on the very day of September 11th. It will be unveiled on September 11th 2011, which marks the 10th anniversary of the attacks.

I feel that having a memorial to remember the innocent victims who passed on during the September 11th terror attacks. It is not about the money they earn selling tickets and souvenirs, but is more of the memory. Although this fateful event happened close to 8 years ago, we should remember it forever so that we learn from their mistakes and remind ourselves to be vigilant at all times.

Opening this memorial on the 10th anniversary marks a very important date as we will reminisce what happened 10 years ago. It must be very saddening if one of your relative was a victim of the attacks. This is a reason why Singapore takes its defence a serious problem. We never know when history will repeat itself. Hence, we must be vigilant at all times and be aware of your surroundings. When the memorial opens, I will definitely visit it to remind me how lucky I actually am.

My Favourite Food

My favourite food is chicken. I like any type of chicken dish, from Hainanese Chicken Rice to barbecue chicken to fried chicken. I feel neutral between how the chicken is cooked, but I especially like fried chicken for its crispiness, juiciness and flavour. The place which I find has the best fried chicken is actually not KFC, but Popeyes Chicken and Biscuits.

Popeyes started off in Arabi, a suburb in New Orleans within Louisiana in 1972 and slowly established their outlets around the world. The first locally opened Popeyes branch was located in Singapore Changi Airport Terminal 1. Other branches opened in Terminal 3 of Changi Airport and the Singapore Flyer. As I’m a bit health conscious, I only treat myself to fast food occasionally. I do hope that Popeyes can open more outlets across the island so that it would be more convenient for me and other patrons.

Their chicken is golden brown and when you sink your teeth into the piece of mouth-watering chicken, the succulent and juicy meat really gets you hooked up and craving for more! Another thing I like about Popeyes is that their fries, called Cajun fries, is fried with herbs and spices, unlike other fast food outlets like McDonalds or KFC. As for local food, my favourite would be Hainanese Chicken Rice. I like the fragrant rice and delicious chicken.

Photos courtesy of Wikipedia, Yahoo! Image

The Importance of Keeping Up with Current Affairs

There are many reasons to keeping up with the news, just like any other matter. To some, pride is concerned. They are afraid their friends would ask/talk to them about current news and they are unable to answer it, which makes them lose face, so they force themselves to watch the news broadcast every night or read the local newspaper. This DOES keep them updated to the news, but the attitude they are having which drives them is wrong.

They should be reading newspapers and watching the news broadcast to inform themselves of what is happening so that they can be vigilant. Take the Influenza A (H1N1) flu virus for example. If one didn't watch the news, he wouldn't have known the virus had come to Singapore and would carry on with his dirty habits (if he has one). He wouldn't have known that the previous term "swine flu" was officially changed. Neither would he have known that Mas Selamat had escaped, not ruling out the fact that he may kidnap somebody or commit crimes during that period.

Just these few examples and I can show you the importance of keeping up with the news. Now, the news is also available on the web, like CNN, BBC, or Channel News Asia so what are you waiting for? Flip, Tune or Click now!

Tips on Staying Healthy

The Influenza A (H1N1) flu virus is spreading relatively fast despite the warm climate Singapore has. That means that the virus is spreading EVEN FASTER in other countries that experience winter!! To keep the flu virus at bay, staying healthy is the number one solution, so now, I will give you some tips on being healthy.

First and foremost, personal hygiene. The simplest thing about personal hygiene is washing your hands. Your hands are constantly holding things, like writing, eating , et cetera, so they are dirty almost all the time, until you wash it PROPERLY and THOROUGHLY. Basically, there are 8 steps to washing your hands properly which should last for at least 30 seconds. Below is a illustration to let you better understand how the 8 distinct steps are done. Remember to use soap and water to wash them.

You should wash your hands regularly to rid it of the germs lest they go into your body through your nose, mouth or open wounds. There are many other ways where you can stay healthy, starting from the most basic of covering your mouth when you sneeze.

Information summarised from Health Promotion Board, Keep Your Hands Clean
Photo courtesy of Health Promotion Board, 8 Steps to Hand-Washing

Thoughts About Home Learning

I feel that home learning has both it's pros and cons. By having Home Learning, we actually save quite a lot of time, some from convenience (especially those who live far away) and so on. This allows us to have more rest and feel more energised when the new day starts. Having home learning also lets us relax a bit instead of being more stressed in school, as we can do other things like chatting with friends, watching TV and so on, whereas in school, we cannot talk during lessons and we must not do anything.

However, home learning actually makes it more difficult for us to communicate with the teachers and accessing homework as the server is sometimes packed. We do not have some of the teachers' phone number and thus, we can only e-mail them and await their reply which may take a very long time.

Home Learning Week AGAIN

My class has been instructed by the school not to come to school until this Monday. We had more than 10 people from my class on MC, and as a precautionary measure, have been asked to stay at home and conduct Home Learning. If things don't get better by Monday, I think that our days at home will be extended. I'll miss my friends... :(

Due to this, I can't attend NPCC trainings as well as the rehearsal for my school's own NDP. I don't know if I can still take part...

Thoughts About Home Learning

I feel that home learning has both it's pros and cons. By having Home Learning, we actually save quite a lot of time, some from travelling (especially those who live far away) and so on. This allows us to have more rest and feel more energised when the new day starts. Having home learning also lets us relax a bit instead of being more stressed in school, as we can do other things like chatting with friends, watching TV and so on, whereas in school, we cannot talk during lessons and we must not do anything.

However, home learning actually makes it more difficult for us to communicate with the teachers and accessing homework as the server is sometimes packed. We do not have some of the teachers' phone number and thus, we can only e-mail them and await their reply which may take a very long time.