Author: kaker16186@gapps.uwcsea.edu.sg

Frame:

1. Large frame encompasses 11 individuals in a close area – Imbues a sense of community and clique, a clique which everyone would want to be part of given the striking, good looking appearance of all.
2. Circular frame for a bikini clad woman slightly off center – Provides a sense of perfection and also relaxation, given the gentle curve of the circle.
3. More notes on circular frame – Interior is quite bright. Perhaps it represents that love island is like a perfect ring full of color and happiness.
4. Woman in a lounging pose in the circular frame – Indicates the kind of fun, relaxing lifestyle one will embody on the island. Makes the audience want to get a piece of it.

Negative Space:

1. Higher ground of the frame –
   1. All a light blue. This has a calming, tropical feel for the audience and adds to the autenthicity of the show.
   2. Contrasts the action in the foreground/midground. This serves as a break for the audience.

Positioning:

1. Foreground:
   1. 3 men in tropical shirts and lounging positions. Similar effect to the previous comments of authenticity and imbibing a sense of community
2. Midground:
   1. 7 people in various height positions – Gives a sense of novelty and charm to the show.

Camera Angle:

1. A potrait picture at eye level – this is the most relatable way of conveying the show and its underlying characteristics to the reader.

Picture of me rehearsing with Bun Thon from Blue Dragon—

This year I have the responsibility of Chairing the group; in addition to performing, I am also helping to direct the our upcoming circus show with the Blue Dragons GC. In the photo above, I am practicing a knive juggling passing act.

Having co-founded the non profit as a young Grade 6 circus aficionado, I am super proud of the upcoming spectacular – it will be the first ticketed event we do. All proceeds will be going to the Blue Dragon GC. Some of these proceeds may even go towards expanding the GC’s budding circus program.

So far our rehearsals are going well. My leadership style is also improving, which is also something I am happy with as the service group has been an integral part of my school career since middle school.

Rory Sutherland makes the daring assertion that:

“a change in perceived value can be just as satisfying as what we consider ‘real’ value”

…and his conclusion has interesting consequences for how we look at life:

“When you place a value on things like health, love, sex and other things, and learn to place a material value on what you’ve previously discounted for being merely intangible … you realise you’re much, much wealthier than you ever imagined.”

My take:

His assertion here probably is designed to console those who lack material wealth. It may also remind the rich to not value what is in their life solely based on the amount of cash they have – they must also learn to appreciate the “previously discounted” intangible wealth.

Perhaps he is trying to tell the reader that we should never forget the non tangible things essential to our human nature like health, love and sex. Other things, like material wealth, may just be socially constructed and irrelevant.

1. Are we simply creatures of imitation? 
   • Do we all want to be like the people in the ads?
     • Why/not?
2. Can advertisements instigate social progress?
3. Is culture for sale?

Thoughts on the questions above.

Perhaps we are indeed creatures of imitation. We are influenced by our surroundings and the clothes those around us wear, eventually finding what suits us and what we detests in others. Let us take a look at some of the trendsetters who may be influences.

Kylie Jenner pictured above at Travis Scott’s life documentary release.

Trendsetters like Kylie Jenner at highly influential and are compelling sources of imitation. Not only the clothes she wears draws attention but so do her opinions and ideas. For instance, her negative comments regarding Snapchat’s User Interface redesign in 2018 led to an almost 1.8 billion dollar fall in the stock with thousands of users even boycotting snapchat, simply because  of the following tweet written in a far from eloquent vernacular typical of teenagers:

Strengths:

1. Being hardworking
2. Being self motivated and driven
3. Not giving up
4. Stopping negative “self talk” – never feel bad about myself.

Mid Level Strengths:

1. Being able to work in a civilized, productive manner with others.
2. Being organized and keeping track of stuff (was not always strong though I like to think I have improved)
3. Getting enough sleep (7-8 hours normally, not too shabby)
4. Neutralize

Weaknesses:

1. Pinpointing other people’s feelings
2. Not seeking perfection

LO2 – Challenges in CAS.

Thus far, CAS has been relatively straightforward.

Perhaps the only “challenge” I have had thus far was the dilemna of either signing up for HIIT or some sort of gym related activity; instead, I elected to just regularly go to the condominium gym on my own as that is likely better for my schedule.

Another challenge was deciding how to balance a rigorous school subject choice with my activities, which entailed some level of organization and planning. I have yet, however, to test this routine out.

Finally, balancing positions in science society, stem club, and circus with local community has not proved to be extremely perturbing; the workload, nonetheless, is increasing for all. Hence I will need to work on my delegation skills; fortunately I have a team of other leaders for Sci Scoc & STEM Club with me, and for Circus I have 2 fantastic teachers to mentor/advise me throughout the process.

Foreword – I missed this class. Therefore, my level of thinking and use of supporting evidence may be slightly limited, as I can only base my understanding off the Presentation

With regards to modern Art, representation tends to be highly glamorized and sometimes a little fake in nature.

Take the promotion picture for English reality TV show Love Island, for instance. The beach cladding adopted by all in the photo coupled with the playful poses and the bright, shining letters reminiscent of a Hollywood sign obviously are designed to convey the glamorous nature of the sound.

Clearly the purpose of the image is as a promotional poster, designed to lure potential viewers to the show. Perhaps the scantly clad humans in the photo are designed to cause viewers to titillate; after all, it is what excites us that causes us to want some more of something, after we have gotten a “taste”.

In reality, most of the love island contestants are just regular millenials with an above average level of attractiveness; the images in this photograph evident convey much more than that. The image is also heavily photoshopped and clearly staged. This level of fakeness imparts upon the reader a misrepresentation of the beings in the image, in an attempt to seduce us with a potentially glamorous avenue of entertainment, known as love island.

My current strengths as a reader – 

As a reader, I am particularly strong in most non literary text items. This is a result of reading of articles from journals like The Economist, New York Times, Scientific American, The Smithsonian and many others. I am also particularly fond of well written books that deal with big ideas or pertinent global issues. A favorite of mine has been Black Flags: The Rise of ISIS. Finally, I also possess a penchant for autobiographies, having read the autobiography of Elon Musk, Steve Jobs and now currently the autobiography of Malcolm X – this is likely inspired by a particular appetite for the “Who Was” books, which I devoured as a child.

Where I lack – 

While I do enjoy fiction, my reading habits of fiction outside of school pale in comparison to that of other genres. Since the beginning of this year, I have read Brewster: A Novel & Purple Hibiscus for fun but not much else, partially also due to exams and of course a large amount of fictional literature read in school, including Macbeth, A Doll’s House, and Things Fall Apart.

How I shall challenge myself – 

I would like to read more books in the genres of historical fiction and classics. These avenues of fiction were my favourites when I was in Grade 7 & 8, but have been partially replaced by other types of books.
This challenge will be met by of course, the Group Reads in class. Also, after I finish The Autobiography of  Malcolm X, I will try out the book Emma, by Jane Austen.

What aspects of CAS are you looking forward to?

I am keen on Circus with Local Community Service, which I will continue running as Chairman this year. This I believe will count for my Creativity, Activity and Service. Nevertheless, I intend to continue as a performing artist at the Bornfire Community Circus Troupe.

Circus Service appeals to me as our three focuses include teaching underprivileged children circus skills, performing in schools, and performing at elderly homes and hospitals. I enjoy teaching as passing on the skills which have made me into who I am, especially given the plethora of psychological of juggling, is something I truly enjoy. Moreover, performing for the elderly, who have seen much hardship and are the pioneers of Singapore, is a true honor which I will always cherish.

How might you plan your year of CAS in order to maintain balance?

My CAS activities are:

• Circus with Local Community Service
• Performing artist at Bornfire Community Circus Troupe

These help balance my rigorous school subjects; in addition I do a number of science related endeavors which don’t count towards CAS but are still balanced by the relatively fun, physical circus activities.

Name: Vasu Kaker.

Feelings Associated with Math:

Excitement, Intrigue, Joy – I enjoy Math.

I am keen to start this courses, especially as I would learn about the many complexities of math that were not covered in GCSE Ad Maths and deepen my understanding of pure math.

What do you do when you are “stuck” in mathematics?

I either:

• Try a new approach
• Come back to the problem in a few days (unless it’s an exam!)
• Consult the web on similar problems
• Refer to a textbook
• Ask a friend
• Ask a teacher

In the past I have followed this methodology.

Biggest Strength:

Perhaps Creativity/Originality – as a child I was interested in math but did not seek a formal tutelage through something like Kumon and hence chose to learn about Math on my own, in the capacity of math competitions. Many of my teachers have hence commented that my approach to solving problems can sometimes be rather unconventional. Though the efficiency of my ways vary, every once in a while my method may be faster or a better solution to normal procedures.

Final Note to Math Teacher:

I love doing investigations and exploring math for myself, rather than being given a formula.