Age: 27
Height: 1.78m
Weight: 64kg
Favourite Music
浜崎あゆみ - Secret
浜崎あゆみ - momentum
浜崎あゆみ - Blue Bird
浜崎あゆみ - Memorial Address
浜崎あゆみ - Will
浜崎あゆみ - Fairyland
Tohoshinki - Sky
Tohoshinki - Begin
Tohoshinki - One
Tohoshinki - Heart, Mind and Soul (album)
Tohoshinki - Break Up The Shell
Kinki Kids - Anniversary
光良 - 都是你
光良 - 勇气
王力宏 - 两个人不等于我们
张敬轩 - 过云雨
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Yujin Kashiwara
5000-words essay question
Recently a friend doing one of his many PhD projects shared this question with me. It is a question he got to answer in 5000 words, regarding ethics. (anyway, he just told me today that he is changing to another question to answer.)
You are stranded on an island with 4 groups of life-forms:
1) Embryos,
2) Chimpanzees,
3) Severely-Mentally-Handicapped human beings,
4) 90-year-old human beings.
There is a small boat just enough for you to bring one group with you. You cannot mix them up, and you HAVE to bring ONE group with you. Which group are you bringing, and why? Why are you sacrificing the rest?
My answer (not in 5000 words of coz):
I will bring the 90-year-olds. Why? Let me do an analysis of the 4 groups.
1) Embryos - I do not consider them a fully-formed living being, compared to the other 3 groups. So what if you can scientifically make them grow into complete living beings? The other 3 groups ARE already full-fledged living beings. So, embryos are out. Although it will be really easy to transfer the embryos on board and just leave the damned island, it just makes no sense to me to abandon any of the other 3 groups.
2) Chimpanzees - Well, in whatever ways you put it, humans are still superior living beings when compared to others. The ability to analyse, communicate, etc simply gives us an edge over the rest. If you were to bring chimpanzees, there is no guarantee that they will create havoc on board, neither will you know if they will listen to you and board the ship orderly (or not). Even if you did managed to throw them on board somehow, you risk being thrown off the ship when the chimpanzees behave like, well, chimpanzees.
3) Severely-Mentally-Handicapped humans - I almost opted for this group (after taking chimpanzees into serious consideration) before I was told that there is a 4th group. My reason for choosing them over the 1st 2 groups is, their reproductive ability. Chimpanzees can reproduce too, however, they lack the advanced minds which humans have, so they can't do much for our society anyway. Of course, there won't be any difference (in fact, maybe even better) if there are no human beings. But well, since we already DO exist......
Reason for NOT bringing this group with me: the same risk as having chimpanzees on board, if you ever do manage to get them on board. Will you even survive the boat ride back to home sweet home? There might also be less psychological impact on them, since they probably won't even know of the impending death?
4) 90-year-old humans - They probably can't reproduce anymore. Not even with technology. Maybe cloning, yes but I am no supporter of cloning. They might be even too old to contribute to society but I am more optimistic with their capabilities to contribute, compared to the 1st 3 groups. If they know they are going to be left dying on that freaking island, I am sure most of them will be damn depressed. The smaller % may not mind dying since they are already so old. Then it comes to the part where you shove them on board the ship. This is the group easiest for you to get on board. This is also the group that won't throw you overboard, won't kill you intentionally or unintentionally.
This is a rather tough question to answer, especially because it is a question on ethics. If I have to make a decision in such a situation, that will be my solution. Get out of the freaking place fast, since the question says that I DEFINITELY HAVE TO LEAVE. It basically makes no difference whichever group I bring along with me, of course the embryos are still out for me. If I have to leave, I will not endanger my life any further, or create any possible hindrance for myself. Bring the group that will give you minimal problems, getting out of the place in minimal time with minimal efforts. And, embryos are still a no-no for me.
If I were to write this any longer, I might as well go be a PhD student? It's actually no hussle to get the essay done in 5000 words. 500 words for introduction, 1000 words for analysis on each of the 4 groups, another 500 words in conclusion. Get your facts right. Support your reasons with clear and firm stands. It is a question with no given answer. No model answers. Ethics are subjective to individuals. Scholars, what are your problems?? :p
(Hey, I did a word count in MS Word, and guess what? I wrote abt 700 words already!)
Good things come in pairs? or triplets?
Had 1 staff-photo shoot and 3 meetings in a row, in just 1 afternoon, from the photo shoot at 1.15pm to Contact Time at 1.45pm to Dept meeting at 2.30pm to Prize Giving committee meeting at 4.15pm to 5.45pm!
All I can say is, having 3 meetings in 1 afternoon is no joke!
Another busy week ahead
My schedule for the week:
Monday-Friday : Sch hrs from 7am to 1pm
Addtional stuff on each day
Monday (today)
- Induction Programme 1.30pm - 2.30pm (only learnt abt it this morning)
- Cleared some long-overdue work 2.30pm - 3.30pm
- Rushed down to town to meet Egg for haircut and pamper ourselves with a nice meal for lunch. Ended up having dinner since both of us couldn't make it that early as planned.
Tuesday
- IT meeting 2.30pm - 5.30pm
Wednesday
- Contact Time 1.15pm - 2.00pm?
- Prize-Giving committee meeting from the time after CT till who-knows-when
Thursday
- 8-weeks course, 2.30pm - 5.30pm
Friday
- PSLE listening comprehension in the morning (excused from this duty to prepare for lantern fest stuff in the evening)
- Afternoon till evening ard 8pm or later ---> Preparations for Mid-Autumn Fest celebrations, and the celebrations itself
Saturday
- Something tells me there is something going on....................................
Anyway, spent my only free afternoon for this week with Egg. We had our haircut at Hair Profile (Far East Plaza), had a nice sumptuous dinner at Angus Japanese Steak House (Takashimaya, 4th level). Spent a total of $66.00 for a nice dinner set course meal each. It was worth it. Felt like a really nice candlelight dinner, with the rain pouring like mad outside. haha. Like the feeling of being served for the whole afternoon and evening. From haircut to dinner. Shiok!
Difference between 10 year olds and 12 year olds
Last week was a darn busy week, even though it was the Sept 1-week school holidays! Spent my 1st 2 days with 14 10-year-olds for the P4 adventure camp. I had nice group members, they were obedient and sporting enough. Comparing them to the P6 pupils I was with for the P6 camp, these younger ones had the adventurous spirit in them. They gamely tried abseiling and flying-fox. In fact, they were bugging me till I almost screamed at them. Why?
1st Day Afternoon
Pupil A: " 'cher, when are we doing flying-fox?"
Me: "Tmr morning."
Pupil B: "When are we doing flying-fox?"
Me: "Tmr morning."
.................
2nd Day Morning
Pupil C: "Teacher!!! Didn't you say we are doing flying-fox this morning?"
Me: "We ARE doing it today. Our scheduled slot is at 10am."
Pupil D: "Teacher!!!!!!! I wanna try flying fox!!!! When are we going?!?!!!"
Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
Anyway, the only pupil to chicken out in my group was a guy. Although he said "dunwan, I dunwan to do it", he still went up anyway after I threatened to do weird things to him, such as kicking him down from the top if he hogs up traffic up there at the end. He simply walked up, and before I even knew it, he came flying down. Pupils were even asking me "Can I try it again pls?"
Due to the pressing time to end all activities to go for lunch, debrief and break camp, they could only try it once. I ended up telling them (and the instructors for the rope element activities) "I wanna try too but there's no time", and by repeating this to the instructors, they allowed both Nelson and I to do flying-fox!!!!!!!!!!!!!1 WAHAHAHA
Guess what the P6 will do? Cry. "Dunwan. I am scared."
Probably the younger you are, the less u understand the meaning of "FEAR". Or you are simply reckless.
On Wednesday and Thursday, I had to attend a workshop on the new subject teaching pedagogies. It was a rather interesting workshop, coz for the 1st time in my life, I am able to understand perfectly what the 2 presenters from China said. Usually, I understand nuts when these China-Chinese speak. I felt really comfortable listening to the 2 of them, and their sharing sessions were really interesting.
The surprise I got from this workshop was, I met my Pri sch Chinese teacher! Not just any teacher but my favourite teacher! Woah! She's turning 60 this year but she looks younger. Haven seen her in ages coz I neva bothered to visit my old schs. The permanent closure of the sch doesn't help either. She asked for my contact number, I gave her, and that's it. I was so tired that I forgot to ask for hers in return. Luckily I found her email add from the edumail directory. She replied and gave me her contact numbers. Was really touched that she remembers my name! And she was touched that I remembered her all these years too! What a coincidence... especially since most of the teachers who had taught me in pri sch are retirees now.
Friday and Saturday was spent helping out my colleagues with some sch activities, namely meeting and preparations on Fri for the mid-autumn fest celebrations next Fri evening, and the school alumni EXCO meeting on Sat.
Spent Sunday wasting my time away and immediately regretted it once I realised that I have piles of unmarked exercises, among other sch work due soon.
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